Learn more about all the excitement at Lower Campus this year from Principal Lynnae Morris
Greetings Lower Campus Families,
Welcome to a new school year at GRACE! We hope you've had a great summer, enjoying the slow mornings, relaxed evenings, time for rest, and LOTS of togetherness—making memories with your sweet families that will last a lifetime. As we turn the page to a new year, our hearts are full of joy and anticipation. There’s something so special about a fresh start, and we are incredibly thankful to begin this journey with you. This year, our theme “Love God, Love People” will guide everything we do—shaping our classrooms, our relationships, and our daily rhythms as we grow together in faith, community, and purpose. We’re so excited to walk this path with you and see how God moves in the lives of our students and our entire GRACE family during the year ahead.
Since you were last here, we have been hard at work preparing for your return. Here are a few updates for the upcoming school year:
Facility Improvements - In addition to the deep cleaning and painting that our facilities crew always provides during the summer months, there was some additional work completed. Our playground and gym floors were both resurfaced/repaired in order to provide a safe space for our students to play during recess and/or PE each day. We also purchased nine new lunch tables (to replace the older ones that we have been using for several years now) and a brand new kiln for the Art Room.
Music and Spanish at Hope - Hope Community Church (next door) has generously agreed to provide classroom space for our Music and Spanish specials this year, and we were able to outfit each of these classrooms with an interactive whiteboard and everything else the teachers need to make these classes the same amazing experience they have always been for our students. Our Director of Safety and Security, Jaz Inserillo, has also been working with the team at Hope to develop a plan to ensure the safety of our students at all times while they are there, as well as during their transition to and from these classes.
Reflex Math - Back by popular demand! Reflex Math is an adaptive, online program designed to help students build basic math fact fluency in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, through engaging games and real-time feedback.
ACSI Purposeful Design Literacy Program for 4th Grade - In an effort to provide a more seamless transition into the upper elementary grades, we have fully adopted Purposeful Design in Literacy for our 4th graders. This is the same curriculum that our lower-grade teachers have been using for the past couple of years.
Continued progress with Orton Gillingham - After training all of our Lower Campus Reading teachers in the Orton Gillingham approach to literacy instruction last year, we have revised the scope and sequence for instruction in order to better reflect this framework. We will also be providing training for each of our new teachers, and we will continue training in vocabulary and morphology for our upper grades teachers.
We are so grateful for the individuals who have worked tirelessly to ensure that we are prepared for our students to return, and we thank YOU for making all of these updates possible through your charitable donations to our GRACE Fund!
While our teachers have been away, they have been reading and reflecting on the book Hopes and Fears: Working with Today’s Independent School Parents by Rob Evans and Michael Thompson. This insightful book explores the deep love parents have for their children—and the hopes and fears that often accompany that love, especially in the school setting. As a staff, we will be using this resource to grow in our understanding of the parent-school partnership and to strengthen our commitment to building trusting, grace-filled relationships with you. We know that when families and teachers work together with mutual respect and shared purpose, students thrive, and we are so thankful to be on this journey with you. Many of our teachers have also taken advantage of other professional development opportunities in the form of webinars, conferences, and workshops during their time away, and they have all been busy with the usual planning and preparation of curriculum timelines and enhancements for the upcoming school year. Regardless of how they have spent their summer, we know that they have lots of valuable learning experiences planned for your children!
Summer is always a busy time for the leadership team, and one of the most important things we do during this time is to prayerfully consider staffing. The Lord has sent us some amazing new faculty and staff members for the coming school year, and He has made a way for some returning team members to utilize their gifts and talents in new ways at GRACE. A comprehensive list of new additions and changes on our campus is provided below.
Please welcome the following new individuals to GRACE:
Mrs. Lisa Bridges - Lower Campus Curriculum Director
Mrs. Jennifer Lehmann - Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Teacher
Mrs. Kara Williams-Mitchell - First Grade Teacher
Mrs. Ashley Donohue - First Grade Assistant for Mrs. Leino
Mrs. Lydia Duane - Sixth Grade English Teacher
Mrs. Adela Drakeford - TK-Fifth Grade Music Teacher
Mrs. Leilana Warren - Front Desk Receptionist
Mrs. Courtney McAloon - Lower Campus Food Services Coordinator
Ms. Allie Foles - AfterCare Staff Member
Ms. Emily Fowler - AfterCare Staff Member
Mr. Jordan Morrison - AfterCare Staff Member
Ms. Pamela Stewart - AfterCare Staff Member
Mrs. Kylie Sims - Marketing and Communications Director
Please note the following individuals moving into new positions this year:
Mrs. Christi Schwalk - Fourth Grade Teacher (previously Lower Campus Curriculum Director)
Mrs. Kat Whelpley - Assistant Christian Life Director and Service Teacher (previously Assistant Christian Life Director and Intervention Specialist)
Dr. Ashley McGuire - Sixth Grade Science Teacher (previously First Grade Assistant)
Ms. Leslie Fielhauer - Third/Fourth Grade Science and Accelerated Learning Teacher (formerly Fourth Grade Teacher)
Mrs. Elizabeth Christoff - TK Assistant for Mrs. Lehmann (previously First Grade Assistant)
Mrs. Kendall Withers - First Grade Assistant for Mrs. Williams-Mitchell (previously Accelerated Learning Teacher)
Mrs. Margie Propes - Fourth Grade Instructional Assistant (previously AfterCare Staff)
Mrs. Christina Marrow - Lower Campus Registrar (previously Front Desk Receptionist)
Mrs. Megan Olson - Advancement and Events Coordinator (previously Lower Campus Music, GRACE Notes, and Middle School Chorus Teacher)
Most of our faculty and staff are still enjoying their last few days of summer, but we have already begun praying for each one of your children by name, and we can’t wait to see you all soon!
Please be sure to mark your calendars now for the following events:
📌Lower Campus Parent Orientation (Parents Only)
Tuesday, August 12 | 4:00-6:00 pm
📌 Student Meet & Greet (Parents and Students)
Wednesday, August 13 | 4:00-5:00 pm
📌 Staggered Start Entry Days (Early release at 11:45 am):
Thursday, August 14: Student Last names A–L only
Friday, August 15: Student Last names M–Z only
📌First Full Day of School
Monday, August 18
Parents will be allowed to walk their children into the building and to their homeroom classes on Staggered Entry Days ONLY (7:50-8:15 a.m.). Beginning on the first full day of school (August 18th) all students will need to be dropped off in carpool.
As we step into this new school year, we do so with great hope and expectation, trusting that God will be faithful in every moment, no matter how big or small. Our prayer is that GRACE will continue to be a place where your children grow not only in knowledge but also in character, faith, and love. Thank you for allowing us the privilege of walking alongside your family this year. May we partner well as we strive to equip each child we serve for a life that will impact the world for Christ. What an honor and a blessing it is to work with you in this endeavor.
Looking forward to an amazing year ahead!
Warmest regards and blessings,
Lynnae