LAS VEGAS – Changing schools is hard. Imagine doing that six, seven or eight times by high school graduation day.
For military families, this is life. Demands and duties of the U.S. military change frequently, meaning the men and women who serve, and their children, must adapt. Schools can play important roles in helping these families in transition.
Mountain View Lutheran School is one of those schools. It has been named one of just seven schools, and the only private school, in Nevada to receive the Purple Star School designation from the NV Department of Education. The award honors Mountain View Lutheran, Nevada’s only elementary school with accreditations through both WASC and National Lutheran Schools Accreditation, for going the extra mile to assist military children and parents in ways that respond to their unique academic and social/emotional well-being needs.
Kids who change schools frequently can experience gaps or overlaps in course work and differing graduation requirements, among other issues. The disruption in their networks of friends and mentors can lead to emotional struggles. Parents, too, need the support and resources of a school whose staff understand that they, too, might be without a safety net of friends and family in their new city.
“We’ve been assisting military families for years, connecting them to local resources, such as tutoring and childcare, obtaining transcripts from their child’s previous schools, and providing referrals for emotional support services. We want to do everything we can to help military families and their children make a smoother transition to a new school, make more friends and thrive in a new community,” said Mountain View Lutheran School principal Kris Schneider. “We’re honored to be recognized as a Purple Star school.”
“Mountain View Lutheran School has really helped my kids since my husband was deployed three years ago. Everyone is so friendly and caring and the teachers keep you involved. Principal Schneider created a special online photo file so my husband can see pictures of our kids at school each day, especially helpful as my husband is deployed several time zones away from us,” said MVLS parent and Purple Star mom Jessica. “I would 100% recommend MVLS to any military family.”
Mountain View Lutheran assists not only active-duty families, in which one parent may be deployed, but also reserve duty and veteran families.
The Nevada Purple Star School Award is a recognition of that commitment to serving military-connected students and families. The Purple Star School designation is proudly displayed at Mountain View Lutheran’s West Cheyenne Avenue campus. Military installations across Nevada will highlight Mountain View Lutheran’s inclusion in the program, as will the Department of Education’s website and social media.
About Mountain View Lutheran School
Mountain View Lutheran’s elementary school features co-curriculars including instruction in the visual and performing arts and computer/library for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, and sign language instruction for third to fifth grade students.
Core-subject teaching lets students learn widely and advance quickly. In math, for example, fifth-graders can enter accelerated learning in the second semester and regularly qualify for prealgebra for the sixth grade. Social studies lessons start local and widen. Fourth-graders study Nevada history; fifth-graders focus on American history.
Mountain View Lutheran School also offers a full-time Silver State 4-Star preschool for children ages 2 to 5. It has openings for children starting at age 2, as well as full-day and half-day preschool for 3-year-old and up. For enrollment information or to view a virtual tour or schedule an in-person tour, please visit mvlcs.org/school or mvlcs.org/preschool for information.
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