PARTNERSHIP EXPECTATIONS

At Lincoln Christian School, we want to raise the next generation of Christian leaders. We prepare LEADERS by staying true to our Founding Principles, Mission, and Vision. This can only be accomplished through PARTNERSHIP.

God has ordained only two institutions for the training of children: the home (Ephesians 6:1-4) and the church (Matthew 19:14; 28:20; John 21:15). The church and home must cooperate to effectively train your child. The greatest damage we can do to children is to submit them to divided authority. As the Bible says in Amos 3:3, “Can two walk together except they be agreed?”; and I Corinthians 1:10, “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

Our Partnership culture is defined as a mutually supportive, cooperative, and engaging relationship between parents and Lincoln Christian School. At the same time, Lincoln is not led through democracy.

We recognize that while we may take the lead in educating your child in curricular and co-curricular endeavors, you are primarily responsible for your child’s spiritual education and growth, as well as the development of your child’s fundamental character. We are allies and partners; however, you are the parents. We respect and assist your role as parents to prayerfully lead, guide, and direct your family in wisdom. As the junior partner, it must be noted that we have many kids from many homes with multiple systems of upbringing. Without systematic clarity, divided authority can be a source of confusion for students and families. As we work together toward molding children who are both academically and spiritually strong, we ask that you remember and commit to the following partnership requirements and expectations of LCS.

Our bedrock principle: A commitment to Christ-like character.

We are committed to partnering with you and helping students develop a faith of their own amidst social and cultural pressure. We are committed to a vibrant partnership with parents by providing resources, support, and community to aid the growth and development of their children. We are a discipleship school, which means your support is required in the following:

Doctrinal Matters

• Expect us to teach sound Christian doctrine and advance a Christian worldview throughout our academics and activities. See our COTM Statement of Faith below.
• We expect you to uphold and advance our Statement of Faith, Biblical concepts of discipline and moral integrity, and to faithfully attend Church on the Move or another Bible-believing church with your child.
• Any disagreements with minor doctrinal issues should not be vocalized publicly.

Standards of Behavior

• Discipline introduces us to the foundational principle of following Christ: "If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow Me." (Matthew 16:24 NLT) The word “discipline” is from the Latin word “disciplina,” meaning “instruction and training.” It is derived from the root word “discere” - “to learn.” Simply put, discipline is to study, learn, train, and apply a system of standards.
• We will not permit students to violate standards of behavior with impunity.
• We will monitor the behavior and actions of students and enforce appropriate standards of behavior through non-punitive and punitive actions if necessary.
• We ask you to monitor your child’s behavior and assist in enforcing standards of behavior consistent with the LCS Honor Agreement as the primary deliverers of punitive actions for repeated poor choices.

Relational Questions, Conflict, and Differences

• Appropriate and timely communication is king! We agree to conduct dealings with all in a civil, Christ-like manner. As partners, we agree to deal directly with each other on all LCS related matters.
• Please do not seek answers, air frustrations, question policy, actions, or protocol on LCS-related matters via social media, venting strife (gossip) to others, or vocalize publicly. This erodes trust and destroys relationships.
• In the spirit of Matthew 18, any concerns or criticisms are to be dealt with by involving the appropriate parties directly. This could be school to parent, parent to school, or parent to parent. We will discuss concerns regarding your child with you—not other parents.

Financial Integrity

• We will operate with fiscal integrity. We expect you to stay current on tuition payments and communicate honestly with the business office regarding the status of payments. You will not be required to participate in fundraising activities or to assume any financial burden relating to the school other than tuition and appropriate activity fees.

The second foundation stone of LCS is the pursuit of academic excellence.

• Culturally, Lincoln is a blend of traditional and developmental educational models seeking to offer an intellectually challenging learning environment. Combinations of standardized, experiential, and project-based methods are experienced daily. Content acquisition in conjunction with critical thinking processes is emphasized. Students are encouraged to think creatively and critically and become problem solvers and performers. We work diligently to enable students to discover and develop their God-given talents and prepare them for a lifetime of learning, serving, and honoring God.
• Academic excellence is often associated with the demonstrated ability to perform, achieve, and/or excel in scholastic activities, and our kids do…
  • 50 Academic State Titles in 13 years. That’s a little over 3 per year.
  • Our 2023 Senior ACT average was 23.3, the National average was 20.9, and the Oklahoma average was 19.3.

• At LCS, pursuing academic excellence is combined with the development of intellectual capacities and skills while calling out gifts and talents in our students and helping them find opportunities to discover, develop, and deploy those gifts and talents in our school, their home church, the Church at large, and the world.
• Lincoln will provide academically rigorous, challenging classes and educational programs, and homework will be part of that. Not unreasonable amounts, but enough to support the content taught. We expect you to monitor your child’s academic performance and assist them as needed.
• A commitment to Christ-like character speaks directly to Academic Integrity. Like you, we aspire to teach kids to do what is right even when it is hard. This includes all forms of academic honesty in the educational setting.

The third foundation stone of LCS is helping students find a co-curricular pursuit.

• By being on a team at LCS, students discover what it means to serve. "God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another." (1 Peter 4:10 NLT) The body of Christ is about the team. Shared experiences create lasting bonds.
• 90% +/- participate yearly. Due to some numerical limitations and program efficiency, we must, at times, have tryouts where not everyone is selected.
• What we are a part of is greater than the part I play. We finish what we start, we do not quit. We sign a Player Participation form to acknowledge that.
• We will provide competitive and challenging co-curricular programs which advance the values of honor, character, competition, teamwork, work ethic, and performance.
• We expect you to ensure students attend required practices and events and comply with the rules of the activity with honor, dignity, and class.
• It is important that kids experience age-appropriate competitive and performance-based opportunities as available.