Oak Hills Partnership with Good Shepherd Preschool

The “Oak Hills Classical Track” offered at Good Shepherd Preschool prepares students for success in all future environments whether at home or in private and public schools. In particular, students of the Oak Hills Classical Track will be equipped to seamlessly enroll at Oak Hills Academy for their K–12 program. 

Good Shepherd and Oak Hills Academy have a similar goal of a whole child approach to education.  We together desire to foster the hearts of children to love Truth, Goodness & Beauty. Good Shepherd will offer a Classical Pre-school Track that lines up with Oak Hills Academy and prepares students for our kindergarten program.  We will strategically partner with Good Shepherd in a number of ways:

1. Oak Hills Academy Pre-school students will attend Good Shepherd’s Classical track.
2. Good Shepherd will equip pre-school students for a smooth transition to the Oak Hills Academy Kindergarten program.
3. Our combined faculties will train together 
4. We will share resources, cultural goals and curriculum.
5. Both the Good Shepherd Classical Track and Oak Hills Academy will equip students with the known (concrete/grammar), moving towards careful thinking (puzzling/logic) to the unknown (abstract/rhetoric).

Why

This partnership was first envisioned with the goal of bringing more unity to the faith community of Jesus Christ. Oak Hills Academy and Good Shepherd Preschool seek to be schools that support all local churches and families in and around Owatonna. Both schools not only focus on the physical and academic development of children, but also on their spiritual and emotional development. We shepherd the hearts of children to love Truth, beauty, and goodness in all of God’s creation. This partnership especially equips future Oak Hills Academy graduates for success because of the collaboration of goals and objectives in view from the earliest stages. Oak Hills Academy desires to send out Godly, Biblically sound individuals who are ready to represent Christ to the world with excellence in every sphere of culture. This learning begins in preschool!

How 

This partnership is achieved through working together in a number of ways. Practically, all Oak Hills Academy families send their preschoolers to the Oak Hills Classical Classes at Good Shepherd. All families (including non Oak Hills Academy families) who participate in the Oak Hills Classical Track will in turn be encouraged to consider Oak Hills Academy as a future home for their child, though it is not required. Furthermore, staff meet throughout the year to receive training and coaching together on how to best serve students and families. We share learning, discipline, and classroom culture goals, as well as specific curriculum. This curriculum builds on the classical approach of Oak Hills Academy.  

For more information on what it means to have your students in a Classical educational program please visit their website.