Our Curriculum

Veritas was founded with a commitment to a comprehensive Christian worldview, classical teaching methods and the highest academic standards.  Our curriculum selections are informed by the centrality of our mission. We seek to be deliberately rigorous, classical, and faithful, rather than a Christian facsimile of conventional school curriculums.

Bible

Veritas is a non-denominational, independent, non-profit Christian school.  In keeping with our non-denominational mission, we focus on Bible memorization and Bible reading in over doctrinal interpretation. This is consistent both with the classical approach to learning and the advice of Scripture itself.  Our students will hide the Word of God in their hearts for lifelong benefit.

For Scripture memorization, we use the New King James Version of the Bible.  We have chosen this version because it features updated language, and thus is more approachable for modern ears, but retains many of the distinctive idioms of the original King James Bible, which is the most quoted book in the English language and the foundation of English literature.  

Latin

The most distinctive feature of a classical education is the Latin curriculum.  It is estimated that 70% of the English language is Latin-derived, particularly the vocabulary associated with medicine, science and engineering.  Students of Latin learn to think very precisely about words and sentence structure, as Latin grammar is rarely ambiguous, enhancing their use of English.  Similarly, students of Latin have an easier time learning the Romance languages, including Spanish, French, Italian and Romanian.

Grammar / Spelling 

All About Reading is an Orton-Gillingham-based phonics program incorporating five key components of reading: Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Decoding, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension. The All About Reading lessons are multisensory and students use letter tiles, flashcards, fluency practice, comprehension exercises, activities, and 100 percent decodable readers to learn through sight, sound, and touch. Veritas also uses All About Spelling in KP - 2nd grade and Spelling Workout in 3rd - 6th grade, which help students move from simple sound-letter relationships to more complex spelling patterns.

Math

Veritas uses Saxon Math, a traditional calculation and practice intensive curriculum that is well-suited for our collaborative model.

Penmanship

As a classical school, we do not believe that beautiful handwriting is a relic to be discarded in a digital age.  In fact, quite the contrary, as handwritten correspondence has more of an impact because it is so uncommon today, and is superior to typing for composition in young children.  The New American Cursive curriculum will help our students master this nearly lost art, a lifelong skill that will lend distinction to their handwritten notes.  Numerous research studies also indicate that handwriting results in significantly greater knowledge retention than typing, as it engages more of the brain in the learning process.

Composition

The IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing) is a well-respected writing curriculum that utilizes classical methods to teach grammar and logic stage students the basics of composition.

History

Our grammar school history curriculum is split into three sections.  Our pre-K and Kindergarten students complete our "Kinder World Discovery" program that features scores of high-quality picture books read aloud by the teacher, followed by teacher-facilitated discussion and recitation of key facts.  Our 1st-4th students complete a four year cycle of Story of the World, an overarching, accessible narrative for children covering the four major eras of history: Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern, Late Modern.  This study is supplemented by integrated workbook and geography lessons.  5th and 6th graders complete a two-year cycle split between Ancient and Medieval/Modern, utilizing the classical studies curriculum published by Memoria Press.

Literature / Reading

Students will study age-appropriate literature in each grade level, the "great books" that have withstood the test of time.  From Beatrix Potter to Tolkien, we will cultivate good taste in our students, so that they can handle the strong meat of real literature rather than the thin milk so common among contemporary works for children.  In addition, many historical reading selections will be included to integrate with with the chronological history studies.

Science

Grammar students experience science as the wonder of God's creation, focusing on practical classroom demonstrations and memorization of key scientific facts or "sound offs."  Students in 5th and 6th transition to the J. H. Tiner series covering the history and methods of scientific inquiry.  Beginning in 7th grade, students will study high school level science texts from Novare Press, a rigorous Christian science program authored by John Mays of Regents School of Austin. For our high school biology course, we utilize Apologia Science to ensure students learn a balanced and Bible-centered view of the various theories of evolution. We believe students can master the content of these theories to the degree necessary for educational advancement without the atheistic indoctrination that often accompanies them.

Geography

While geography will be heavily integrated with our study of history, beginning in 5th grade students will begin a formal geography program from Memoria Press. Over two years we will cover the entire world such that the grammar of world geography is crystallized in their mind before the intense study of history to come in the upper level curriculum.

Poetry

We will begin the study of rhetoric beginning in pre-K by memorizing great poetry, which teaches students the craft of beautiful language.  We will embrace the classical approach of structured poetry, that of rhyme and meter.  We will learn at the feet of the greatest wordsmiths of the English language, from Shakespeare to Kipling to Tennyson.

Logic

Veritas students will learn formal logic as part of their middle school education.  In a world of sound bites and the 24/7 media with its propaganda from all corners, political and commercial, the teaching of logic and the ability to detect fallacies in reasoning has never been more important.  We will equip our students to be ethical leaders who can reason correctly and winsomely.

Conclusion

Our objective is to equip our students with a comprehensive Christian worldview, one that builds confidence in, rather than tearing down, the cultural heritage of Christian, Western Civilization.  We believe God is turning the hearts of parents back to their home and leading many to see the centrality of Christian education in preserving multi-generational faithfulness.  It is this great task, with God's help, that we work towards for the glory of the Kingdom. If our approach sounds like a good fit for you family, find out more about how to apply.