2nd and 3rd Grade

Teacher:  Mrs. Gretchen Harris

Mrs. Harris earned an Education Specialist degree from Liberty University in 2013, a Master’s in Religious Education in 2010, Master’s in Religion in 2009, and a Bachelor of Science in Christian Education and Biblical Studies in 1997.  She has been married for 21 years and has 3 children: Caleb (15), Nathan (11), and Micaiah Grace (5).

4-Day School Week: Elementary students are required to attend class four days per week at GTCS: Monday-Thursday, from 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.  Our Friday enrichment program is available for those who desire a 5-Day/week option.

Classroom Size:  We value each individual student and are committed to keep class size low in order to have a small student to teacher ratio.

Activities: Elementary students at GTCS participate in daily hands-on classroom activities; occasional field trips and special theme days; weekly drama, music, art; daily P.E.; and seasonal sports, such as flag football and soccer.  GTCS hosts and participates in ACSI academic competitive events, such as spelling bees, science fairs, math Olympics, art, and writing.

Curriculum:  We use a variety of curriculum resources for second and third grades. These include the following: Abeka, Mosdos, Purposeful Design, Studies Weekly, Houghton-Mifflin, etc. We employ manipulatives, experiments, and technological resources, along with traditional instructional mediums, in an effort to educate the whole child.

Academics: Students in 2nd and 3rd grades will learn to write in cursive form.  Second graders will continue foundational phonics studies, while third graders’ focus will turn more to vocabulary and literature.  Although second and third grade students are together for some of their classwork, mathematics, literature, reading, phonics, spelling, and vocabulary will be taught at each student’s grade/ability level in a small group environment, separated from other grades/ability groups.

Parent Involvement: We encourage parent involvement at GTCS.  We are thankful for the parents who have partnered with us for the purpose of educating their children, and we encourage them to be involved in classroom projects, trips, activities, and the school’s Parent Teacher Fellowship (PTF). Parents are able to see teacher lesson plans each week and view grades throughout each grading period by using their RenWeb log in.