We are proud to share this guest blog post by Stephen and Jaci Moody (parents), Faye Fletcher (a student), and Sharon Samplaski (a teacher) sharing their perspectives about Grace Christian School San Antonio.
Parent Perspectives: Stephen and Jaci Moody
Hello! We are Stephen and Jaci Moody and live near Devine, Texas, just south of San Antonio. Our daughter Mackenzie is six years old and has a zest for life and a “No Fear” attitude to go along with it. We are enjoying the adventure of navigating life with her vivacious, passionate, and large personality. She is a first grader at Grace Christian School San Antonio. We have been blessed to be a part of the Grace Christian family since she started kindergarten.
We researched and talked to a lot of schools leading up to making the decision on where to enroll Mackenzie for kindergarten. Based on what we knew about her, we sought a school that would provide the type of environment she seemed to thrive in – one that would help nurture her good qualities. As parents who raise their children in a strong church home, we wanted a school who on one hand had great academics, but also sought one whose other hand rested firmly on God and the qualities He expects of us. We sought a school that had structure to help bridle Mackenzie without smothering the fire in her.
We stumbled upon Grace Christian via a Google search, and then we made contact with a current family through the San Antonio Charter Moms Discussion Group. Their feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with high praise for the school’s academics, class sizes, positive learning environment, and student character qualities. Next, we scheduled a tour without Mackenzie, which gave us the opportunity to ask some tough questions about the school’s methods, curriculum, and teacher recruitment. Mrs. Farmer, the principal, was able to field all of our questions without any issues. We met a few of the teachers and before we left and we both knew this was the place for our daughter.
As Mackenzie’s dad, I worried that she would hate school like I did; I was a public-school kid and my wife a home school kid. I can remember dreading going to school everyday growing up because of the other kids or teachers that didn’t seem to like us. From the first day, Mackenzie loved it at Grace; so much so that she was sad she had to take a summer break. We had her on a 4–day week with Fridays off. Imagine my surprise when she asked if she could go five days a week this next year! But do not think it is all fun and games; she learned a ton. I can remember being taught cursive as a third grader, so I was in utter shock when she came home from kindergarten one day writing cursive.
I mentioned my hate of school as a kid and how some of it was the kids I was with. What we found at Grace from day one is the kids no matter the age help each other. Being a COVID kid, Mackenzie had never been away from mom and dad much, so being left alone at school was a bit tough at times. One particularly bad day she was crying and having a hard time letting mom go; out of the sea of kids materialized a sweet high school young lady who calmed Mackenzie and got her to let mom go. She was there almost every day that Mackenzie had a rough day. It showed us exactly what type of citizens Grace is committed to helping build.
Grace Christian School has so many wonderful attributes. From day one, it was apparent that all the teachers and staff truly have a passion for education and meeting each student’s unique learning needs. There is a deep commitment to clear communication between teachers and parents to help work together for the common goal of helping the student succeed academically as well as nurturing good character and citizenship. This commitment makes the school feel like a family.
Student Story: Faye Fletcher
What I Love About Grace Christian School: I go to Grace Christian School, and it’s the best! As a student, I like being able to worship in chapel every morning. We sing praises and hear amazing stories about Jesus from Ms. Farmer every day. We also hear from different speakers about God and the Bible weekly. I like the advanced learning experience that is offered. We also get to do fun things like a foam party, bike races, and have snow cones. Isn’t that awesome? Another thing I like is that kids from Pre-K all the way to high school come to our school. I especially enjoy spending time with the little ones in Pre-K. They’re so cute!
How My School Is Helping Me Reach My Goals: We get a really good education here, and I’m learning Bible verses and scriptures which help me grow in my faith and understanding of the Bible. I will be in 6th grade this coming school year, and I don’t know yet what I want to study once I go to college. I believe Grace Christian will help support me once I do know by giving me opportunities to learn about new things. Middle and high school students are able to attend college and career fairs and they have visitors at the school from different jobs talk to them about what they do. I am excited about that!
Why We Chose GCS: My younger sister and I have both been at Grace Christian since we were in kindergarten. We chose this school because our parents wanted us to go to a place where we could grow academically and spiritually. A friend of my parents told them that her kids did really well at Grace Christian, both in their studies and their faith. We liked that Grace Christian focuses on God’s word and helps build a strong foundation for us to grow in Christ.
What I’ve Done Outside the Classroom: I’ve been really busy with different activities outside of class, too. I have played volleyball for two years, tennis for one season, and I started an after-school Bible Club for students in grades 1–3, where I taught about the Bible and connected it to science. We also did Christian arts and crafts and learned worship songs. It’s been a lot of fun and I’ve learned a lot about leadership and how to work with others.
Thinking About the Future: One thing I really like about Grace Christian is that the teachers talk to us about what we can do after we graduate. I’ve thought about becoming a teacher someday and the school has let me teach others, which I think is great!
So that’s a little bit about my life at Grace Christian School. I’m super happy to be here and excited about what’s to come. Thanks for reading about my school adventures!
Teacher’s Tale from Grace Christian School: Sharon Samplaski
My name is Sharon Samplaski and I am a second grade teacher at Grace Christian School in San Antonio. I have been a teacher for 36 years and have been at Grace Christian for 6 years. My reason for choosing to work here is that it fits well with my personal belief in how to teach children. I also appreciate the family atmosphere.
At Grace Christian School, we believe that academics and faith go together. Therefore, our Mission and Vision both center on spiritual and academic foundations.
Mission Statement: Grace Christian School is a ministry that seeks to provide a training center to teach students how to live according to God’s principles, to be passionate followers of Christ and to find and fulfill the destiny and purpose God has for their lives. As the Lord Jesus Christ, in His youth, grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52), it is our desire for our students to reach maturity in all areas.
Vision Statement: The vision of Grace Christian School is to affect our community and the world by training young people in the ways of God, providing a strong academic foundation, and guiding them to find and fulfill their purpose in the Kingdom of God thus equipping them to make a significant impact on the lives of others for Christ.
What Makes Grace Christian School Special? As a teacher, one of my favorite things about Grace Christian School is that we begin each and every day in corporate worship of our Lord and Savior. Bible truths are taught during this time as well as in our daily Bible classes. These Biblical truths are woven into our daily routines, allowing us to follow through with our mission and vision statements. This makes our school extra special!
Academics: Our desire is that each child will gain knowledge and grow in their academic learning. We use a curriculum that allows our students to apply that knowledge on a strong foundation. Teachers are constantly making sure that each student is successful. If a child struggles in any area, a teacher does not hesitate to find a solution that best helps that child. We take academics seriously.
Relationships with Parents and Students: Not only are our academics strong, but the staff of Grace also works hard to build relationships not only with students, but with parents as well. These relationships allow us to come alongside families and support them as they raise their children. One of the biggest blessings that comes out of these relationships, is that we are able to pray for our students and their families. Our administrators and staff meet every morning before school and do just that . . . pray!
I love and support the vision of Grace Christian School and it is with great joy that I recommend this school to you.
Connect with Grace Christian School
Grace Christian School San Antonio has a website, gracechristianschool-sa.com, where you can learn more about us. You can follow Grace Christian School on social media on Facebook and Instagram. Contact us by email at gracecstx@gmail.com. Our phone number is 210-265-8166. The campus is located at 8635 Callaghan Rd., Bldg. 2, San Antonio, TX 78230 (map).
Charter Moms Chats
Watch Stephen Moody, father of Mackenzie, a first grade student at Grace Christian School San Antonio, speak with Inga Cotton on Charter Moms Chats on August 27, 2024 at 4:00 PM Central live on Facebook and YouTube.
Stephen Moody is firefighter with the City of San Antonio and has been for just shy of 19 years now. He is a public school graduate who went on to UTSA to secure a BA in English with a concentration in writing. He married his wife, Jacqueline, in 2012; she was homeschooled her entire life and then went on to secure a Masters in Accounting from UIW. They have two children together: Mina, age 9, and Mackenzie, age 6. Stephen has an older daughter named Maggie who is 24. As a parent it is sometimes tough to decide what your kids need; Stephen’s oldest child did a combination of public school and homeschool over her years. His middle daughter Mina has always been homeschooled by her grandmother and attends a homeschool co-op and that seems to fit her personality. But for their youngest, Mackenzie, Stephen and Jaci realized early was not going to fit in the public school mold, and trying to homeschool her was going to result in lots of chaos. Exploring options for her is what led them to discover Grace Christian School.
Read More About Private Schools
- “Guide to Enrolling in Catholic Schools in San Antonio for 2024–25,” San Antonio Charter Moms, January 30, 2024
- “Gifted with Dyslexia: Kelly Shy-Maranca Shares a Parent’s Perspective on The Winston School of San Antonio,” Kelly Shy-Maranca, San Antonio Charter Moms, January 11, 2024
- “Learn About The Circle School from Teacher Jason Gossard and Student Niko del Valle,” Jason Gossard and Niko del Valle, San Antonio Charter Moms, January 10, 2024
- “The Discovery School of San Antonio Fosters a Love of Learning,” San Antonio Charter Moms, May 3, 2023
- “Rose Parham Shares a Parent’s Perspective From the Keystone School,” Rose Parham, San Antonio Charter Moms, April 23, 2023
- “Jerrel Williams Is a Teacher, Coach, Chef, and Leader at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran School,” Jerrel Williams, San Antonio Charter Moms, March 8, 2023
- “Megan Garcia Shares a Parent Perspective from Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran School,” Megan Garcia, San Antonio Charter Moms, February 14, 2023
- “Anna Koalenz Searched to Find the Right School for Her Son,” San Antonio Charter Moms, September 8, 2022
- “Jennifer Semanko Shares Her Pre-K Teacher Tales from Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran School,” Jennifer Semanko, San Antonio Charter Moms, March 23, 2022
- “Erin Stinson Offers a Parent Perspective from Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran School,” Erin Stinson, San Antonio Charter Moms, February 23, 2022
- “St. Anthony Catholic School: A Fresh Look at Catholic Education,” Patricia L. Ramirez, San Antonio Charter Moms, March 30, 2021
