At St. Barnabas Episcopal School, we work together. We see our school as a partner to families, and through this partnership, we aim to create a comprehensive and balanced educational experience for our students. This close school-family connection shines through in all that we do, from the classroom to our extracurricular activities. When your student attends St. Barnabas, you’re not just signing them up for classes; you’re signing your whole family up to be part of a community that cares.

Shared Community Values

Why does our partnership with families work so well? For one thing, we all agree to operate under the same values: A system of Faith, Virtue, and Excellence. We’ve found that by keeping these values in the forefront of our lives and interactions, we can maintain a private school culture in which each family and each individual feels seen, cared for, and supported.

Faith

Through our shared faith, we guide students in deepening their own understanding of Scripture. We give them the space and support they need to explore the meaning of His Word and its impact on their lives. Our faculty, staff, and parents all serve as examples for the students. We are adults who have all walked our own faith paths, not always perfectly. All of us are here to offer guidance and understanding along the way.

Virtue

What is virtue? To us, virtue represents truth and honesty. In our school-family partnership, we are truthful in our words and honest in all our dealings with one another. Virtue not only helps deepen the partnership between parents and school staff, but it has also shaped our connections within the larger community. The community knows our DeLand private school to be dependable and honest – and we’re proud this is the reputation that precedes us!

Excellence

What does “excellence” mean? To us, it means showing up and doing our best for each other. It is amazing what we can achieve when we all work together and use our unique, God-given talents as a community.

Our extracurricular activities are the perfect example of the way excellence allows us to achieve. Some of our families include talented athletes, and they support students by volunteering for our sports teams. Others are talented in science and contribute their excellence during our science fair or field trips. This way, we can all grow and learn from one another’s examples of excellence.

Involving Parents

Our connection with parents goes both ways: we involve them, and they get involved!

Our faculty and staff always keep parents informed and in-the-know – more so than at other schools. In our younger grades, we share the weekly theme with parents so they can foster it, in a parallel way, at home. Newsletters keep parents in the loop not only on classwork, but also on the activities and successes of our clubs, athletic teams, and summer camps.

We’re also deeply grateful for the many parents who volunteer at our after-school activities, on field trips, and even with classroom projects. By volunteering, our parents not only help support students’ day-to-day learning needs, but also set an example of our Christian school values. Because our families volunteer and participate, they get to know one another and truly feel like they’re part of our community. We all have each other to depend on: students, staff, and parents alike.

Community Reputation

Our students graduate and move on, but they always remain a part of our family at St. Barnabas. Many of our former students come back to serve as mentors, coaches, and volunteers. We welcome them with open arms, and they’re always excited to meet and support our current students. It’s helpful for these former graduates to serve as role models and mentors; students feel assured of the future they, too, can have as a part of our school community partnership.

Our graduates and their families also continue to represent us in the broader community. You’ll be surprised just how often you run into someone who has attended our DeLand private school. You might end up working alongside them, joining a recreational sports league with them, or attending one of their concerts. As a member of the St. Barnabas family, you are part of a network of like-minded folks you can reach out to for the rest of your life.

At our DeLand private school, students are not our only priority; we also want to involve and get to know your entire family. Schedule a tour and experience the family-school connection for yourself. Our curriculum covers K4 through 8th grade, and we support a wide variety of talents with our extensive extracurricular programs.