Enrollment Information

ADMISSION POLICY

Adopted 7/20/92

                Revised 5/1/18

Stated Purpose

The purpose of Heritage Christian School is to provide for and give to our youth that weekday instruction which is in agreement with our basis, and which is necessary if they as children of God’s covenant are to occupy their places worthily in all spheres of life.

Mission Statement

In obedience to God’s instruction that we “teach our children the fear of the Lord”, and in response to our covenant vows at baptism, the parents and fellow-believers have established Heritage Christian School.

The instruction our children receive at Heritage Christian School will be a Christ-centered education of high academic quality based on the Holy Scriptures and the Reformed Confessions.  This instruction will be given in an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation between parents, students, and teachers.  These sensitive and compassionate teachers will guide the children in order that they may develop their talents to the best of their ability.

The goal of that education is that our children will view all of the subjects taught through the “spectacles” of the Holy Scriptures, and that through this instruction the students will increase in their knowledge of God.  Through the Holy Spirit working in the lives of our children, this knowledge of God will evidence itself in a living faith as our children learn to apply what they have learned to all of their lives in service to God.

Statement of Faith

The supreme standard of Heritage Christian School shall be the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, herein confessed to be the infallibly inspired written Word of God; the doctrine of which is contained in the Heidelberg Catechism, the Canons of Dordrecht, and the Netherlands, or Belgic Confession. These form the basis for administration, instruction, and discipline in the school.

Acknowledging that these Scriptures in instructing us of God, ourselves, and God’s creation contain certain basic principles, which are authoritative and relevant for education, we hold that:

  1. Our Sovereign, Triune, Covenant God has from eternity chosen, and in time, forms a people unto Himself, that they may stand in covenant relationship to Him and live in praise, friendship, and loving service in all spheres of life in the midst of a sinful world.
  2. The Christ proclaimed in the Scriptures is the Redeemer and Renewer of all our life including our teaching and learning. Accordingly, in a school that seeks to provide Christian education, it is not sufficient that religion be a separate subject in the curriculum, but the Word of God must be the basis of the entire educational program.
  3. The authority of educating children resides in the parents or guardians of the children, and not in the state or the church. Parents, however, may exercise this authority through those who can competently carry out this God-given parental right.
  4. God’s covenant is not only for individual believers, but encompasses their families as well. He made His gospel promise to Abraham, the “father of believers,” and fulfilled that promise in sending Christ, the Redeemer of sinners, in order that “the blessing of Abraham might come” upon those nations through their believing in Christ (Gal. 3:8,9,14). Understanding that the family is ordained by God and its structure must then be maintained according to biblical principles, we believe that marriage is between a man and a woman alone, who are thus entrusted as husband and wife with the calling to raise their children in “the fear of the Lord.”
  5. Since God’s covenant promises extend to these children, and to all who keep His covenant, they are not then neutral concerning Christ, but belong to Him and are to be educated in the way of covenant faith and loyalty. Christian parents, when exercising the authority for education their children, shall do it through those institutions which seek to provide a truly Christian education for the students. The training of covenant children in the school, as well as in the home and in the church, must serve to prepare them to follow their life-long calling to reveal the glory of their God in a life lived from the principle of Regeneration by Grace.
  6. Within a community made up of covenant families, Christian parents and teachers must talk to one another in a Godly manner when dealing with conflict and sin between their children and students. In as much as possible, resolution of these conflicts should be addressed in the way of Matthew 18 so that unity of the body prevails (Ephesians 4:1-16), and private sins can be dealt with in a private manner.

ENROLLMENT POLICY

Heritage Christian School maintains that Christian education is founded upon the covenant which God established with His people as expressed in the Holy Scriptures, as we read in Genesis 17:7:

“And I will establish my covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.”

This promise is also expressed in Acts 2:39:

“For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

Therefore, Christian parents and guardians who are able to agree in writing with the Mission Statement and Statement of Faith of Heritage Christian School are welcomed to enroll their children.  Heritage Christian School does not discriminate based on the race, nationality, or ethnic origin of the children.

Parents and guardians who are able to agree in writing to the School’s Mission Statement and Statement of Faith and to having their children taught according to its education philosophy, will be considered for enrollment by the Enrollment Committee of Heritage Christian School, after which time the committee will make a recommendation to the full Board whether enrollment shall be granted. The Enrollment Committee reserves the right to verify church membership.

When a parent who is divorced and remarried asks to enroll his or her children in Heritage Christian School, we will refuse the request for enrollment, even though the parent who has applied may be a member in good standing in another Reformed church and may say that he or she agrees with our Statement of Faith.  We do that because we do not want to bring into our school community a perspective and mindset regarding marriage and the family that we believe contrary to the Scriptures and our confessions.

Grounds:

  1. We believe this will give our Enrollment Committee a consistent guideline to follow when new families from other churches seek enrollment at Heritage.
  2. We believe this will encourage our staff and students to maintain our stand regarding the unbreakable bond of marriage as it is taught in Scripture and our confessions.

The following are unacceptable for association membership and/or school enrollment: those belonging to cults and other non-Christian religions, including, but not limited to Jehovah’s Witnesses, Unitarians, Mormon, Jewish, Christian Scientists, Roman Catholics, and Atheists.  None of these can knowingly subscribe to our basis as stated above.

Heritage Christian School does not and will not accept funds and/or vouchers from federal, state, or local governments for tuition payment.  In addition, the school will make no accommodations in school policies and programs so the school can qualify for vouchers and/or tax credits.

Even though interest in enrollment comes to the school in many different ways, it is important that the formal enrollment process be administered by the Enrollment Committee.  This will facilitate the efficiency of the process, as well as assure that it meets with the intent of the Society through the Board.

Student Requirements

  1. Children who will be five (5) years old on or before September 1 may enroll in Kindergarten in September of that year.  A Kindergarten Readiness Test will be administered and the results will be used to advise school officials and parents concerning the readiness of the child to attend kindergarten, and to identify the child’s strengths and weaknesses.  Verification of age must be presented by the first day of class.
  2. The September 1 cut-off date for kindergarten enrollment is strongly recommended to parents. However, if the parents are insistent on sending their child who is born after this date, the child will be required to score above average in at least six of the ten categories in the Heritage Christian Readiness Test and not score in the “below average” category in any of the other four. The child must also be deemed ready for kindergarten by a licensed psychologist at the parents’ expense. Another consideration would be available openings in the upcoming class in order to make an exception to the September 1 date.
  3. If there are no standardized test scores available in a transfer student’s record, or in the records of one who has been home-schooled, a reading test and a mathematics test will be administered within the first month after enrollment.
  4. If a new student seeking admission was suspended, expelled, or on probation from his/her previous school, he/she may be refused admission by the Enrollment Committee and the School Board.
  5. A student who is 1½ years or more below grade level will not be accepted into the regular program, but will be considered for acceptance in the Special Ed Program.
  6. In order to gather additional information, the administrator may also contact one or more of the following: previous administrator, teacher, pastor, psychologist, or guidance counselor.
  7. Students must fulfill the State of Michigan requirements including immunization records and attendance requirements.

Enrollment Procedure

The Enrollment Committee of Heritage Christian School consists of four Board members, including at least one member from the Education Committee and from the Finance Committee, along with the Administrator.

The following are the steps to be followed when parents or guardians apply to enroll their children at Heritage Christian School for the first time.

All parents and guardians shall be given a copy of the Parent Information Packet containing at least the following:

  1. Enrollment Policy
  2. Application for Enrollment
  3. Statement of Purpose
  4. Mission Statement
  5. Statement of Faith
  6. Information about the financial operation of the school
  7. Tuition payment policy and requirements

An application for enrollment shall be filled out and submitted by the parent or guardian.

After the application has been submitted, a conference with the Enrollment Committee must be arranged.

 During the conference, the Enrollment Committee shall discuss with the parents or guardians the following:

  1. The applicant’s reason for desiring Christian education.
  2. The goals, purposes, programs and governance of the school.
  3. The Christian commitment and lifestyle of the applicants.
  4. The applicant’s understanding of our Reformed distinctives and how they are taught at Heritage Chr. School.
  5. The needs of the student being considered for enrollment.
  6. Determination of the applicant’s financial commitment to Christian Education.
  7. Tuition payment policies and requirements.