Come Grow With Us!

Look no further than Hickory Valley Christian School! HVCS is a private Christian school that strives for the development of each child’s maximum potential: intellectually, spiritually, socially, physically, and emotionally, within a warm and caring environment through an individualized program.

HVCS exists to enable students to become productive, contributing citizens with Christ-like faith and Christian commitment.  It is the purpose of the program to encourage an active partnership of learning among students, faculty and parents. The faculty and staff strive to be Christian role models and are dedicated to encouraging, supporting and nurturing students in the pursuit of excellence.

Academic quality is maintained at Hickory Valley Christian School through its accreditation by the Southern Associates of Colleges and Schools as well as by the Southern Associate of Independent Schools. Our student: teacher ratio is approximately 9:1 in K4/K5 and 12:1 in grades 1-8.

If you would like to learn more about our program, visit our website at www.hvcs.org or call the school for a tour at (423) 894-3200.  The first step is to make application.  Applications are dated and filed in the order in which they are received.  Students visit as openings arise and contracts are mailed following a school visit.  We look forward to talking with you.

In God’s love,

Ginny Young, Principal

“Train a child in the way he should go and when he grows old he will not depart from it.”

As a parent, I assure you that HVCS lives up to this standard.   We love this school and the Christian academic environment it provides for our children.   This school does not disappoint!

Phone: (423) 894-3200 Fax: (423) 894-8665

www.hvcs.org info@hvcs.org

A parent told me of an incident that had happened to her daughter on the elementary playground of the school my children were attending.  What alerted her to the problem is a sudden unusual outburst and behavior by her daughter that happened at home.  The problems included some molestation issues of younger children by older children (thankfully my daughter was not involved – thanks to her older brother looking out for her).  When the director was informed, she told my friend that her daughter had learned the suddenly exhibited outburst and behavior at home.  Both my friend and myself were shocked that the director would even insinuate such a thing. 

 Once I learned about what was going on with what was dubbed “the cool girls”, I immediately spoke to my son who was 12 and asked if he knew anything about the happenings on the elementary playground.  It is a small school and between two buildings houses preschool through 8th grade.  He informed me that he indeed had and immediately told his sister to stay away from the playhouse no matter what.

If my son and his friends in middle school knew what was going on, it showed it actually was happening even though the director refused to acknowledge it.  My husband and I immediately decided it was time to get them out of that school as soon as possible.  The problem with that lies in the fact that my daughter has learning difficulties and cannot go to school just anywhere.  That is why we were at The Montessori School in Chattanooga to begin with.  My daughter’s physcial therapist had highly recommended the school to us based on my daughter’s learning needs. 

My son at the time of this recommendation was happy and thriving in 4th grade as an honor student at an altogether different school in which my daughter would not be adequately accommodated — Silverdale Baptist Academy.  When I toured The Montessori School and spoke with the director she assured me that she could help my daughter.  Once she learned I had another child, she then emphatically informed me that if I didn’t transfer my son to The Montessori School, that she would not take my daughter.  I was very angry at the thought of being forced to move my son from his environment.  We didn’t have a lot of options available to us and it seemed that the hands on learning would best suit my daughter at the time as this is the only Montessori school in this city.

 After my husband and I discussed this unhappy turn of events, we then spoke to our son to see what his reaction might be.  He was very mature to be a 10 year old and said, “I know my sister really needs this and cannot go to my school, so I will move to The Montessori School.”  We talked with him at great length making sure he was really ok with the move.  He was unhappy to leave his friends with whom he had been with since the beginning, but wanted to make sure his sister had what she needed too.  With heavy hearts we spoke to my son’s principal who is an amazing Christian woman.  She was shocked to learn of such barbaric practices for a director to pad one’s pocket so to speak instead of wanting what is best for a child.  She told me that SBA would never insist on a family placing all their children at one school because one school does not necessarily fit all.  She asked if I wanted her to call the director and speak with her.  I told her no, that we had spoken to our son and he was ok with the move to help his sister (something that the director should never have even asked us to do).  As they say, hindsight is 20/20. 

Here it was February already which would make it most difficult to find another school that would be able to help my daughter with her learning differences.  Also, my friend moved her children immediately into the public school in their area.  Although her daughter does not have learning problems and was supposedly working and mastering things at a second grade level, once tested in the public school system, she was found to be very deficit in things that The Montessori School had said she had passed and mastered.  This really alarmed me as my child had learning issues.

I was not able to really get anywhere with her teacher and even had brought in her physical therapist who specializes in children with learning differences.  She sat in on a meeting at the beginning of the year to set some guidelines and make some suggestions on how to best help my daughter in the classroom.  This was a big expense for me to have her at school for the meeting. 

My daughter who was finishing up 2nd grade had been at a standstill on the learning curve this year.  After having several meetings I was still frustrated with the current school.  The pushed independent learning.  That is great if you can learn on your own which she cannot.  She needed modifications which were not being done according to what our therapist had suggested.  This other issue of the molestation was the last straw…the thing that told me there HAD to be something better for my daughter and my son.

My son really wanted to go back to SBA where he had moved from.  We scheduled testing.  The testing showed he was very far behind from where he should be and we were told that it would be difficult for him to succeed there now.  That was a big blow to us.  We hadn’t realized how far my son had fallen behind.  He was passing and making good grades at The Montessori School so there was no reason to believe he would be or could be behind.  Afterall, according to the director, The Montessori School is far superior in academics to traditional private schools.  HA! We certainly knew that was far from the truth.  SBA asked us if we had any other schools we were applying to and we mentioned Hickory Valley Christian School.  The principal said that they have no difficulty taking students from Hickory Valley.  Well, that was definitely all I needed to hear to speed up the process of getting my kids out as fast as I could.

I ended up calling the principal at Hickory Valley Christian School that I had spoken with a couple of years earlier to see if they had openings for their school.  She told me they did and that I could bring both in for testing.  After the testing, I asked her if she could help my children.  She said she knew they could.  I felt so much relief!

Once they had gone through the testing process, I was told that Cameron had done well enough to go on into the 7th grade but did have some serious math deficits that would have to be worked on.  As for my daughter who was finishing up 2nd grade, she did not fair nearly as well.  She had tested as barely being on a 1st grade level.  We decided to hold her back in 2nd grade and tutor her during the summer to bring her up as much as we could before the fall.

I am happy to say that after only two tutoring sessions my daughter finally “got” math! I mean she could add with no problems because of a program called Dots and Spots math.  She was able to do subtraction after the 3rd session with a program called Punch Math which adds a bit of kinetics to the math and makes it easier to remember.  I was simply amazed. 

The reading tutor is trained in the LIPS (Linda Bell Mood) phonics program.  After 2 sessions, my daughter was reading much better.  She was actually stopping at the end of each sentence instead of going nonstop. 

Since we are now into the 4th week of school, my daughter’s self esteem continues to climb as do her academics.  In math, although still behind where she needs to be, she is now carrying and borrowing with no trouble at all.  The reading has really taken off.  Now she cannot wait to go to the library to bring new books home to read.  She is taking AR tests on the computer and passing them.  She loves to read.  I know by the end of the year she will definitely be ready for 3rd grade.  These teachers at Hickory Valley Christian really care about the students.   If one method does not work for a child, they use another until they find what works.  The environment is so loving and kind.  The teachers hug and love on the kids and they kids reciprocate.  It is such a nice change.

We have finally gotten to a point where my daughter is not crying at homework time.  She can actually do her homework.  She feels successful.  She now knows she can learn and succeed.

Oh, and another great thing about HVCS, they have an occupational therapist on staff who teaches Neuronet to the students in grades K – 3 during physical education.  What in the world is Neuronet you might ask?  Click on the link above to learn all about it.  Neuronet instruction is VERY expensive and can only be given by someone specially trained to use it.  This is INCLUDED at HVCS!

My son? He is loving school.  He is really working hard in math and has really impressed his teacher.  He says he has learned more in 3 weeks at Hickory Valley Christian than in 2 years at The Montessori.  I am so happy.  The teachers cannot say enough nice things about my son’s work and his character. 

 My children have found many others who have come from The Montessori School.  No wonder HVCS knew they could help my kids.  They are used to picking up the pieces and putting them back together again as a whole successful academic picture. 

The principal is the just the sweetest woman in the world.  My kids love her as do all the children.  They all make a beeline to her whenever they see her.  I cannot say enough good things about the school my children are attending this year!  We could not be happier. This is the school that will bring out all of their hidden potential to prepare them for high school. 

I am here to say that HVCS is the best kept secret in Chattanooga! It is a goldmine of educational techniques and resources.

Always remember you are your child’s best advocate.  If you feel something is not right, go with your instinct and investigate.  Today it is imperative for us to take charge of our child’s educational needs.  If you do not, no one else will. 

I also heard that yet another molestation issue has occurred in that playhouse on the playground with two young boys this time.  Oh, and by the way, that playhouse, where the molestation supposedly “never” took place, has been torn down all of a sudden.  Interesting huh?  Yeah, I thought so too. 

Wow…one weekend we are sleeping in and the next week bam! We are up at the crack of dawn and on the road most of the day going from school to after school activities.  I feel like a taxi.

With two weeks of school already behind us, the hectic pace is in full swing.  With soccer practice, games, gymnastics, speech therapy, Brownies and what not….everyone is worn out.  I hate being over scheduled and much prefer the less scheduled summer days. 

I do limit my kids’ activities and try to make sure they have enough down time to relax and do nothing.  This is becoming harder and harder as they get older.  From tons of homework and projects to sports to other activities it just consumes every minute it seems.

What to do? I am at a loss as to how to make time for it all.  I mean you blink your eyes and it is Thanksgiving then Christmas. 

Time just goes much too quickly and children grow up much too quickly.  Maybe I am overly sentimental, but I do think about this quite a bit.  I try to enjoy and savor each and every moment with my children.  Sometimes I just wish I could freeze time and keep everyone the same for about 20 years to really have time to enjoy my family before they are grown and gone.   Life.

How many others feel as I do I wonder?

By the time my son had turned 5, I was certain there was something very different about him compared to other children.  He had chronic ear infections from the time he was born having to have ear tubes after ear tubes.  He also had his tonsils and adenoids removed.  Still he continued to get ear infections.  He also was super sensitive to loud noises including airplanes, firecrackers, anything loud or sudden, loud flushing toilets, and hand dryers.  He would cover his ears with both hands and cry.  I attributed this to the ear problems.

Although he was very intelligent, I noticed he did not do things like other children.  He had an uncanny sense of smell.  He could smell things no one else could.  When trying to skip, he would just gallop and not alternate feet.  We worked and worked on this but for some reason he just could not get it which seemed very odd to me.  He was so bright, he learned to hide his inability to do certain things.

I enrolled him in gymnastics through his preschool.  After a few classes, I noticed the instructor had little to no patience with the fact he just could not get how to do a beginning cartwheel.  She would just skip over him.  It really angered me.

He did not run like other kids.  His arms and legs did not work together like other kids.  He just flailed his arms as he would run.  He did not climb.  He did not seem to notice if he had food on his face.  He craved touch to the extent he would want to hug his friends all of the time which caused problems in the preschool class.  He was extremely touchy feely.  He would often fall out of his seat on purpose which would disrupt the class.  He did not get the “my space – your space” issue.

He did not pick a dominant hand.  He would constantly switch hands when writing, eating, coloring, or painting.  I remember a preschool teacher told me he just HAD to pick a hand because it was past time to do so. 

He had extreme difficulty buttoning, zipping, or snapping clothing.  Forget tying shoes! He could not open candy or anything other kids did. 

I made an appointment with the pediatrician to discuss my concerns.  He told me that he wanted me to take him to Children’s Therapy to be evaluated by an occupational therapist.  This alarmed me a great deal. 

Once we met the therapist, I filled out a ton of questionaires.  We then discussed my concerns.  After watching my son play for a few minutes, she asked me if I had ever heard of Sensory Integration Dysfunction.  I told her no.  She said she felt certain that is what my son had. 

She explained to me that Sensory Integration (SI) is the neurological process that organizes sensation from one’s own body and the environment, thus making it possible to use the body effectively within the envir0nment.  While we all have our own sensory difficulties, we all have our own quirks.  Children too, have their own little quirks.  The difference between quirks and sensory difficulty is that the latter interfers with daily life, thus preventing the child from seeking new things.  This indicates a need for intervention. 

As you know, sensory experiences include touch, movement, body awareness, sight, sound, and the pull of gravity.  In essence, Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID) is the neurological inability to integrate properly the seven (yes, there are seven!) senses.  These include sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, proprioception and balance / coordination (vestibular sense).  The process of the brain organizing and interpreting this information is called sensory integration.  Sensory integration provides a crucial foundation for later, more complex learning and behavior.

The senses all work together.  Each sense works with the others to form a composite picture of who we are physically, where we are, and what is going on around us.  SI is a critical function of the brain that is responsible for producing this composite picture.  In order to achieve developmental milestones, children must first be able to intake sensory input, process it, and then respond appropriately within seconds.  For most, SI occurs automatically and subconsciously, without effort.  For the child with sensory dysfunction the process is often inefficient, demanding effort and attention with no guarantee of accuracy. 

In other words, sensory integration dysfunction is sort of a ‘traffic jam’ in the brain.  Some bits of sensory information get ‘tied up in traffic’, and certain parts of the brain do not get the sensory information they need to function properly. 

Sensory integration dysfunction affects both fine and gross motor movements.  Instead of both halves of the brain comunicating back and forth, each half develops completely independent of the other half.  The child does not have a dominant side nor a hand preference.  Since there is no dominant hand, handwriting is very difficult and illegible.  Cutting is a nightmare.  These were some of the things his teacher was complaining about. 

The occupational therapist, tested my son and after completing the tests felt certain that we had found the problem as did I.  We saw the therapist weekly for an hour a week.  She gave me exercises to do with him at home.  She would work with all of his senses during therapy each week.  He loved therapy and could not wait to go each week. 

What are some signs of sensory integration dysfunction? A child can have any combination of these signs…

• Coordination problems
• An unusual heightened sensitivity to sounds and smells. 
• Overly sensitive to touch, movement, sights, or sounds – (does not want to be touched! – Avoidance of physical contact with people and with certain textures such as sand, paste and finger paints.) 
• Under reactive to touch, movement, sights, or sounds — craves touch (falling out of his seat was for sensory input as was the constant hugging and touching others)
• Easily distracted (can be ADHD but not necessarily so)
• Activitiy level that is unusually high or unusually low
• Physical clumsiness or apparent carelessness (he was always falling)
• Impulsive, lacking in self control ( a biggie for my son – often misdiagnosed as merely ADHD)
• Difficulty making transitions from one situation to another (makes school a nightmare!)
• Inability to unwind or calm self (again often misdiagnosed as ADHD)

The important thing is to realize you are not alone and that there is help out there for both you and your child.  This is much more common than people realize; it is often misdiagnosed as ADHD.  While children may have both sensory integration dysfunction and ADHD, they can have one without the other.  One thing I learned is to go with your intuition.  Do not settle for just one evaluation.  If you feel there is more to it then by all means seek other opinions.  Do not let your child be judged unfairly.  You are your child’s best advocate.  You know your child better than anyone else.

Everyone kept telling me my son had ADHD, but I knew it was something else after researching ADHD.  I found it was important to find a good occupational therapist – preferably one that specializes in sensory integration dysfunction.  A good therapist can help guide you and your child  in finding the best school and assistance you need. 

We were fortunate enough to be told about an awesome physical therapist who specialized in children with sensory integration dysfunction and learning problems.  She has been a Godsend for our family.  She helped us find a great school, a person specialized in testing our son, and just gave me the support system we needed to give my son what he needed.  Thanks to our therapist, we had a great speech pathologist, a wonderful gymnastics teacher, and many other wonderful people to help.

Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID) is a neurological disorder pioneered 40 years ago by A. Jean Ayers, Ph.D., OTR.  I have read most of her works and found them to be extremely helpful.

Some great resources I have found to be very helpful on my journey of learning all about sensory integration dysfunction…

Books:

The Out-of-Sync Child     

The Everything Parent’s Guide To Sensory Integration Disorder:  Get the Right Diagnosis, Understand Treatments, And Advocate for Your Child 

Answers to Questions Teachers Ask About Sensory Integration 

Like Sound Through Water 

Love, Jean 

Products & Equipment:

Southpaw Enterprises

Therapy Shoppe

Websites:

Sensory Integration Global Network

Incredible Horizons

If you looked at my son today, you would never know he ever had any sensory problems.  He is now 13 and a great athlete and honor student.  We learned a great deal with my son which helped us to be ready for our daughter who had much more severe sensory integration problems as well as ADD and some learning problems.  Thankfully, we had our support in place and dove in head first.  Our daughter is now thriving and doing well academically.  It has been a long journey, but I would not trade our experience for anything.  We have met and worked with some wonderful people.

Well, it’s that time again and the stress mounts  on kids, tweens, teens, and parents as school starts.  The stressors include clothes, appearance, grades, peer pressure, sitting in the right seat, getting a good seat in the lunchroom, school violence, gangs, getting the right classes and teachers, sports, clubs, weight, being socially accepted, and not doing anything stupid.  Peer pressure and stress is much higher than when we were in school. 

Many kids and parents feel a growing anxiety over getting  back to school — the morning rush, the dreaded homework and projects, deadlines, and the quicker pace of life in general.  While this doesn’t necessarily mean we do not like school, the advent of the busier lifestyle, along with the new changes that ‘back-to-school’ time brings (new teachers, new classmates, new material) can all lead to increased stress. 

The stress is also on adults as we drop of our kids at school or watch them catch the bus.  Thoughts race through our minds….will they eat a healthy lunch, did we spend enough time on their homework, did we explain it well enough, did we even understand their homework, are they making friends, do they fit in, are we saving enough money for their college education, and the list goes on and on. 

Some of the symptoms of stress in kids show as stomach ache, grumpy mood, crying about going to school, to wanting to stay home.  Fortunately, most children manage to cope with daily stressors in healthy ways, and get through these challenges just fine.  But, it is a fact that chronic stress can take a toll on young bodies and minds.  Every child and adult needs to learn good stress management strategies in order to be successful in life, and moms can help teach and model these skills.  By learning simple, healthy techniques for managing daily stress and pressure when they are young, kids can avoid turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms later on. 

A healthy diet is essential to help the body cope with stress.  Did you know you can reduce your stress just by eating right? Poor nutrition actually contributes to stress.  Despite best intentions, many people find themselves falling short of their recommended daily allowances of fruits and vegetables.  Make sure you incorporate the guidelines for the recommended daily allowance of fruits and vegetables for your family as much as possible.  Put your family on a good vitamin supplement to make up for the short-comings of their daily intake.  Juice Plus+®  is a great way to make sure everyone gets their recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables.  I have my family on both Juice Plus+ and a great Omega 3 Gummy called Brainiums DHA®  by Nutrilite that tastes great!  The key Omega-3 fatty acids you child’s growing brain needs to supoort focus, concentration, and learning.

Here are some quick and easy stress-buster ideas to teach your kids:

• Get regular exercise.  Stress raises the level of the hormone cortisol, which causes unpleasant symptoms like racing heart, sweaty palms, and shortness of breath. Exercises lowers cortisol and raises the level of other brain chemicals that produce the feelings of well-being. 
• Spend time everyday doing something fun.  Read a good book.  Listen to music.  Daydream.  Overscheduled kids are often overstressed kids.  A little downtime is not only ok, it’s crucial. 
• Get adequate sleep and nutrition.  Sleep-deprived, sugar-fueled kids can’t focus, moderate their moods, or think critically about ways to solve problems. 
• Play with a pet.  Medical studies have shown that petting a dog or a cat can significantly lower blood pressure and heart rate.  If your household doesn’t include a furry pet, a friend’s will do.
• Try some deep breathing.  Relaxation exercises are a proven way to reduce the physical and emotional effects of stress.  They don’t have to be complicated; the easiest techniques is to simply take slow, deep breaths to the count of 4, focusing on filling up the lower belly with air and exhaling completely each time.  Repeat for 5-10 minutes for maximum effect.  Kids and adults of any age can benefit from deep breathing in times of anxiety and stress.
• Have an evening relaxing bedtime ritual such as listening to quiet music, doing a relaxation exercise, or just talking together about the events of the day as a way to practice good coping skills on a daily basis.  It will be good for your kids as well as you.

Well, it’s back to school time once again.  School clothes, shoes, supplies — lots of shopping, lots of money, and a chance to earn BIG REWARDS for me as a Sunshine Rewards member!  I mean we have to have stuff…so why not earn cash back on our purchases? It certainly makes having to spend money much more enjoyable!

I decided to order my kids’ school uniforms through Dickies.com.  They had just what I needed in all the sizes and many choices in colors and styles.  On top of that, I was able to earn 5% cash back on my purchases through Sunshine Rewards.  As you can imagine with two children, I had a very big order which gave me a nice bit of cash back. 

My order came very quickly and the items were perfect.  I will definitely order from Dickies.com again.

Next was my favorite part of the back to school shopping…shoes! Why would I get excited at buying my children’s shoes you ask? Well, I am a Super Member with Sunshine Rewards and because of that I earn a whopping 13% back at my all time favorite online shoe store, Shoebuy.com! How awesome is that? The reason the percentage back was so high is because Sunshine Rewards was running a back-to-school special rate increase.  Tricia has all sorts of specials, contests, and other goodies going on all the time at Sunshine Rewards. 

Shoebuy.com is an AWESOME shoe store.  They offer a 110% money back guarantee along with free shipping.  Sunshine Rewards also has a coupon for 10% and then when you log in and become a customer of Shoebuy.com, they offer another 10% coupon.  It just can’t get any better than that.  I order all of our shoes there.  They arrive very quickly and we have never had any problems with our orders. 

What on earth do I do with all of my earnings from Sunshine Rewards? Well, my options are plenty from cashing out to my PayPal account to getting gift cards from tons of different stores.  I save my earnings for our Disney vacations.  Believe it or not, I was able to pay for over 1/2 of our trip this past spring with my Sunshine Rewards Disney gift cards!