February
Recap
As we move into March, I hope your family has had a strong start to the second semester. February brought great energy across campus, and I am grateful for the many ways our students have represented The King’s Academy so well this month in the classroom, through campus life, and across a variety of winter activities. It was especially encouraging to attend several of our girls basketball postseason games and to see our team compete in the Final Four. I was deeply proud of the way our community showed up to support our students with such enthusiasm, unity, and school spirit. The atmosphere at those games was a meaningful reflection of the warmth and strength of the TKA community, and a reminder of how special it is when our school rallies together in support of one another.
With spring beginning to appear, there is a real sense of momentum and anticipation for what is ahead. I am also excited to be on campus next week to spend time with students, faculty, and staff, and to host parent listening sessions as part of my visit as we continue moving forward together.
Thank you for your partnership, your patience, and your continued prayers for our students, faculty, and staff at The King’s Academy.
Re-enrollment
Thank you to the many families who have already re-enrolled for the 2026–2027 school year. Your timely response allows us to plan responsibly and serve students well. As of now, we are sitting at approximately 90% re-enrollment, and we are working toward our goal of 95%.
If your family intends to return to TKA next year and you have not yet completed re-enrollment, we ask that you please do so as soon as possible. Re-enrollment is one of the most important planning levers we have because tuition-driven enrollment directly impacts our ability to make wise, timely decisions in areas such as:
- Faculty and staff staffing levels and compensation planning
- Class sections and course offerings, including electives
- Student life programming and community initiatives
- Athletics and co-curricular offerings
- Academic support services and staffing
- Resource planning for materials, curriculum, and technology
- Facilities and campus improvements that support student learning and safety
The earlier we can confirm enrollment, the more confidently we can finalize staffing and program decisions, steward resources well, and build a strong year for students and families.
If you have questions that are holding you back from re-enrolling, please reach out to Kari Polk at kpolk@thekingsacademy.net. She will be glad to assist your family and help you move forward with clarity.
Strategic Priority Updates
Middle School and Upper School schedule change
Phase 3: Framework Set, Details in Development
We have established the core scheduling framework for next year and are now finalizing the remaining design details. At this point, families can plan on the following:
- A schedule built around four instructional periods per day
- Approximately 85 minutes for core instructional periods, with built-in flexibility to support electives. In some cases, an instructional period may be configured to allow multiple elective experiences.
- Daily Community Time to support student life, connection, and formation
To ensure these longer class periods serve students well, we are planning targeted professional development for faculty focused on pacing, active learning, and lesson design that supports experiential and project-based learning and rich, guided discussion.
Finally, please take a few minutes to complete the survey regarding a potential later start time. We value your feedback and will use it to inform whether any change is appropriate, ensuring that any adjustment supports student wellbeing and learning without creating undue hardship for families.
Teaching for Transformation
Because Christ-centered education is central to the mission of The King’s Academy, we are approaching Teaching for Transformation with the same level of intentionality and care. TfT is a carefully sequenced, multi-year implementation that gives our faculty adequate time to prepare before it is experienced broadly by students. After several administrators participated in online training through The Center for the Advancement of Christian Education, we have continued to build our implementation plan for 2026–2027 and beyond.
Looking ahead, we are finalizing several key components that will strengthen our foundation. We anticipate being matched with our CACE TfT School Designer by the end of March.
Goals for 2026–2027
Our aim is to develop a culture of growth mindset and collaboration by continuing to identify the resources and structures we need, engaging staff with the core ideas of TfT, and building internal capacity to lead change well.
Planned outcomes for 2026–2027
- Engage in coaching from CACE to deliver eight modules for all staff that focus on the why, how, and what of Teaching for Transformation
- Build a strong relationship with our CACE TfT School Designer
- Continue identifying resources and establishing structures to equip the school for sustainable change
- Schedule and coordinate a full day of professional development for all staff led by CACE personnel between December 2026 and February 2027
- Identify early adopters who will help lead the first phase of implementation
- Establish a professional development calendar for the early adopter year
Our aim is to do this well so that when students experience Teaching for Transformation in the classroom, it is meaningful, consistent, and clearly reflective of our mission.
Expanded STEM
We are continuing to strengthen hands-on STEM learning opportunities for students through the J.T. Shen Science Center and expanded outdoor learning resources. As part of that work, we are making steady progress on the greenhouse and our long-term vision for environmental science programming. These steps represent Phase I of our multi-year STEM expansion plan, focused on building a foundation for sustainable growth and expanded hands-on learning opportunities. Here are three tangible next steps already underway:
- We have priced repairs to the greenhouse and engaged a contractor to complete the necessary work so it will be functional again for the 2026–2027 school year.
- We have an instructor signed up for AP Environmental Science training this spring. Following that training, we will finalize the curriculum resources we will need to purchase to launch the course well.
- Cross-curricular integration conversations have begun to discern how the greenhouse will be used across our STEM courses.
House System (Grades 6–12)
We continue to make steady progress on the design work behind our House System for grades 6 through 12. This is not a quick add-on. It is a campus-wide student life framework that has to be built thoughtfully, aligned to the school day, and clear for students and faculty if it is going to strengthen culture in a lasting way. In the coming weeks, we will continue this planning work and begin outlining what a responsible rollout for 2026–2027 looks like so we can communicate next steps with clarity and confidence.
Student leadership development
Building on what I shared previously, we are moving forward with a student leadership curriculum that will launch in athletics in Fall 2026 and expand over time. We are also exploring how to extend that leadership development into the academic classroom through an elective, giving students a structured, mission-aligned opportunity to grow as leaders beyond athletics. We are leaning into this work because research suggests these leadership-adjacent competencies are transferable beyond a single season or activity. Large-scale follow-up research on school-based social and emotional learning initiatives shows lasting gains in students’ social-emotional skills and positive development indicators (Taylor et al., 2017), and labor-market research suggests that social skills are increasingly associated with employment and wage growth over time (Deming, 2017). As this work develops, we will share additional details on scope and timeline, with the goal of building a consistent leadership pathway that serves students well now and equips them for life beyond TKA.
Co-curriculars (Athletics and Fine Arts)
Athletics
During my campus visit next week, I will meet with all of our coaches and athletic administrative staff to align on a clear, unified direction for TKA Athletics, including the vision we are pursuing, the culture we want to protect, and the expectations we will hold across every program as we move forward. As part of that work, we are beginning a partnership with A Better Way Athletics, a research-informed education platform that equips parents, coaches, and student-athletes with shared language and practical tools around topics like sportsmanship, communication, conflict prevention, and de-escalation. This is a program we have implemented with great success in my current role at BGA, and I am encouraged by the clarity and consistency it can bring to an athletic community when everyone is aligned. In the coming weeks, we will share more details on how we will roll this out for parents, coaches, and students to strengthen a healthy, mission-aligned experience across TKA Athletics.
Fine Arts
As we continue to evaluate Fine Arts, we are taking a careful posture of discernment so that our next steps are mission aligned and sustainable. In recent weeks, we have focused on clarifying our current offerings and needs so that when we invite feedback, it is focused and actionable rather than open ended.
During the week we return from Spring Break, Mrs. Kandel will share an update and invite input from parents and students. This will launch a collaborative process to confirm priorities and develop a clear plan for Fine Arts moving forward. Thank you for your patience and partnership as we move forward with purpose.
Parent Listening Tour
If you would like to meet with me during my Parent Listening Tour the week of March 16, I would welcome the opportunity to connect. These one on one conversations are a chance for me to listen, learn, and hear what is on your heart as we continue moving forward together. Appointment times are limited, so if you would like to reserve a 30 minute slot, please sign up using the link below:
Moving Forward Together
Thank you for the steady ways you support The King’s Academy through prayer, encouragement, and partnership. Real progress in a school is rarely sudden. It is built through hundreds of faithful decisions, consistent follow through, and a shared commitment to do what is best for students day after day. I am grateful for a community that cares deeply about the formation of our children and is willing to engage with both patience and purpose as we strengthen the work in front of us.
As spring approaches, I am encouraged by the direction we are heading and excited about what God is continuing to build in and through TKA. Thank you for walking with us as we pursue a campus culture where students are known, loved, and equipped to flourish in Christ.
“See, I am doing a new thing; now it springs up, do you not perceive it?” Isaiah 43:19
In Christ,
Fred Eaves, Ed.D.
President and Head of School Elect