Christian Education at TCS
At Timaru Christian School there are five aspects to Christian Education. These include scripture memorisation, devotions, Bible study and integrated Christian concepts.
Devotions: Every morning each class starts the day with devotions. At the beginning of the week the devotion will be focused around the week's scripture and the remainder of the week will focus on how the Bible says we are to live as Christians.
Bible Study: Each week the teacher will spend one session focusing on extending student knowledge about the Bible. For instance in the junior classes teachers are to concentrate on the stories of the Old Testament and parables. While in the senior classes the focus is more geared towards the teachings of Paul and the Prophets. Often this is taught alongside a literacy skill.
Integrated Christian Concepts: Aside from the 'deliberate' Christian teaching timetabled each week all units of work have a Christian component and promote critical Christian thinking. For example the unit we are studying at TCS as I write this is the Olympic Games. We have called the unit 'Running the Race' and as a major part of the unit we are comparing the discipline of training for a major athletic event such as The Games to the discipline of 'running the race' (as Paul states it) as a Christian, pressing onward towards the goal.
Weekly Chapel: Each Thursday the school has a Chapel service. This is an opportunity for us to worship and celebrate together. As a part of the service we usually have a guest speaker from one of the local Churches.
Scripture Memorisation: Every week our students are to memorise a passage of scripture. Sometimes this is a part of a verse, a verse or a part of a passage.