The First Day of School!

What a day! One of our students was so excited he could hardly eat his breakfast. Another was bouncing around the house, eager for the family picture before heading off to Vita Nova for the first time. Head of School, Melissa Perkins, felt a combination of excitement and nervousness as she started toward the school for the first day of class, but after praying with her family, she was ready to launch into the new adventure.

While the sky poured forth a deluge during most of the day, the students at Vita Nova nonetheless had a promising first day. They opened the morning with song and then began their lessons. A break in the weather allowed for a bit of play outside, and hungry tummies gobbled up the lunches packed carefully by moms and dads early in the morning.

As a board member and dad of one of the Vita Nova Knights, I was eager to see what was going on and managed to arrive at the school before dismissal. I saw backpacks hanging neatly from tiny chairs and books carefully arranged on the table before each seat. Miss Melissa was working with the children in another room, and when I peaked in I saw a group of eager faces beaming atop their navy Vita Nova shirts and khaki skirts and shorts. The energy was contagious, and I soon found myself in a rousing game of Duck-Duck-Goose!

The best news was that all the students were thoroughly enjoying their first day at Vita Nova and were eager to return tomorrow. I know I will be back, too.

Opening Day -- August 20, 2007

After more than a year of prayer, hard work, and extraordinary blessing from God, Vita Nova will welcome its first students on Monday, August 20, 2007.



We are excited to be working with the wonderful people of the Indianpolis Latvian community to launch Vita Nova. Our school will be located at:

Indianapolis Latvian Community Center

1008 W. 64th Street

Indianapolis, Indiana 46260

We give a special thanks to Andris Berzins and his board for working with us so graciously. We look forward to a great partnership with the Latvian community.



The Vita Nova school day runs from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. If you have questions about the school or late enrollment, please contact Melissa Perkins, Head of School, at mperkins@vitanovaindy.org.



We also want to thank all those who have supported the vision of Vita Nova financially and through prayer. We would not be where we are if you had not answered God's invitation to be part of this school.



Finally, we offer a prayer of thanks to our Lord. Gracious Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us the vision of a Classical Christian school. We thank You for those who have gone before us, laying the groundwork for establishing schools that would help families faithfully live out your design for the rearing of children. You have given us the dream, the people, the resources, and even the faith to persevere when times became difficult. We acknowledge that whatever the success of this school, it can only be credited to Your gracious provision. May we always measure that success in terms of faithfulness to You, and may that faithfulness be reflected in the lives of all those who take part in this grand adventure. In the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord and our Savior, amen.

Open House Thursday, August 2, 2007

Imagine: Classical Christian Education


Thursday, August 2, 2007
5:30 pm
The Indianapolis Latvian Community Center
1008 W. 64th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46260


The board of Vita Nova invites you to join us as we explore the facility and the vision
for our pre-K through 2nd grade school opening this August.

Children are welcome, and registration packets for the 2007-2008 school year
will be available.

We look forward to seeing you and your family!


For more information:

www.vitanovaindy.org

317.440.1120
En Espanol 317.329.9827

Prayer Partners

Vita Nova continues to be blessed and led by the Lord, and we know how important it is to remain in prayer. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to pray without ceasing. We can do that when we realize that it is not up to us individually, that we can rely on the body of Christ, and that is where you come in.

Would you like to pray for Vita Nova as one of our Prayer Partners? If so, choose one day of the month and make that your day to pray for us. Please email Steve with your chosen day at sperkins@vitanovaindy.org and we can update you with any particular prayer requests. Of course, we encourage you to pray as the Lord leads.

Thank you so much for considering becoming a part of our team!

Staff Applications for 2007-2008

We are pleased to announce that we are accepting staff applications for the 2007-2008 school year. Please visit the www.vitanovaindy.org/faculty.html for more information.

Rummage Sale Success!

Our rummage sale was a huge success! Thanks to everyone who supported us in any way:

• 1st National Bank & Trust for the use of their parking lot


• The Latvian Community Center for the use of their tables


• All those who donated time and effort, as well as items for the sale

One of the best things about the event, in addition to the incredible weather, was the opportunity to meet so many people who are interested in a school like Vita Nova. We gave away many flyers and talk with lots of folks. That was truly the blessing of the day.

You can get an idea of how big and how much fun the sale was from the photo to the left. To see more pictures on our website, please visit us at www.vitanovaindy.org.

Vita Nova Rummage Sale

Want to clean out your closets for a good cause?

Want to buy great stuff you can't live without?

Come to the Vita Nova Rummage Sale

Saturday, April 21

9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Parking lot of First National Bank, corner of 86th and Payne

Want to help with the sale? Have stuff to donate? Contact Cindy Harris at charris@vitanovaindy.org.

Help us raise money for the best new school in Indianapolis!

Statement of Faith

Our Statement of Faith, which can also be found at http://www.vitanovaindy.org/about_us.html is as follows:

All that we hope to accomplish by the grace of God with students and families is rooted in the orthodox understanding of the Christian faith, chiefly expressed through the Apostles’ and Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creeds. From these creeds, other biblically-inspired texts, and the Bible itself we affirm that:

God exists eternally as three equal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

As a result of the fall of man, all creation stands separated from God and unless reunited with Him through His grace will remain eternally separated from Him

Through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and only through faith in Him can we receive the grace of God that will reunite us with Him

God has given and continues to give us instruction in how we are to live and accomplish His purposes through the works of His Holy Spirit and through His inspired word the Bible

Anything that is true comes from God, including such truths as found in mathematics, natural sciences, human sciences, history, and art, and all other areas of human knowledge and creation

God has given each of us particular, natural talents and, after we have received the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ, spiritual gifts and/or enhancements of our natural talents to achieve God’s purposes on earth

Children are given by God to families to develop for His glory

Vita Nova must work with families to help them develop the natural and spiritual gifts within their children, in order that those children may live out the purposes for which God has created themAs part of the multi-cultural world in which we live, we must guide children to use their understanding of the world along with their gifts in a variety of cultural settings, with a particular emphasis on missions

Enrollment for 2007

Vita Nova is beginning the process for enrollment of students in the fall of 2007. Please follow the link for the Letter of Intent to obtain your enrollment and application packet. There you will find a pdf of the Letter of Intent, which you can print, complete, and mail to the address on the form.

We look forward to seeing you as one of the founding families of Vita Nova Christian Academy!

Curriculum and Fundraising

If it seems as if it has been a while since the last post, it has, but that is because the Vita Nova board has been busy!

Work on the curriculum for Kindergarten and Grade 1 has been continuing. We are drawing much inspiration and many resources from Veritas Press, a renowned publisher of materials for Classical Christian schools. (https://www.veritaspress.com/store/home.asp)

We are also gearing up for significant fundraising opportunities in the days and weeks ahead. Why do we need fundraising? Well, tuition alone covers only about half the operating costs of a school, so fundraising is essential to provide for the other curricular and resource needs. In addition, it is our desire to offer scholarship opportunities so that any family who wants to be part of Vita Nova can find a way to do so. If you would like to consider prayerfully a gift to Vita Nova, please visit the Support section of our website at http://www.vitanovaindy.org/support.html.

Our goal is to begin enrolling students in mid-March, which is about a month away. Until then, please continue to pray for God's will to be done through Vita Nova.

New Posting Information

We are a bit behind updating our administrative info on the blog, but since we decided on the name Vita Nova some time ago, it seemed appropriate that future blogs should be posted using this name. From now on, blogs will posted with the name Vita Nova Board.

Our newest board member!

The newest person to join the Vita Nova board is Raimonda Balciunas. Raimonda and her husband, Otonas, have moved to Indianapolis from Lithuania. We are excited to welcome them and their daughter, Urte, to Vita Nova!

New Board Member, New Email

We are excited to welcome Sandra Reyes to our board! Sandra is a teacher at a local childcare ministry. We also welcome her husband, Cesar, and their daughter, Michelle, to the Vita Nova family!

Our web presence continues to expand become more professional. Our website, www.vitanovaindy.org, is now banners-free, and you can email us at our new email, info@vitanovaindy.org.

Please check out the website for a calendar of events for 2007. We are now just eight months from opening the doors!

At last night's board meeting, after prayerful consideration and much discussion, we decided to open with grades K-3. Applications and registration information will be available soon. If you know anyone with children who will be in these grades in the fall of 2007, please encourage them to email us at info@vitanovaindy.org.

We have a website! Please visit us at www.vitanovaindy.org. Of course, our website is still in its infancy, but as with any newborn, just watch it grow!

We also have a logo! Although it may seem obvious, the letters in the background stand for Vita Nova Christian Academy. The cross runs through the center of the logo and, as the commanding image, reminds us that this ministry is first, middle, and last to the glory of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Mission and Vision Statements

After much prayer and reflection, the board has established the following Mission and Vision Statements for Vita Nova.

Mission: Guiding families in the development of their children as lifelong students and servants of God’s diverse world

Vision: Providing a challenging educational environment where children learn to apply to the present and the future the wisdom of the past in the light of the One Who is truth, Jesus Christ

Tour of area schools.

On Friday 13 October the school board and our Head of School, Melissa Perkins, toured three Classical & Christian schools in the Indianapolis area. We visited The Summit Academy and The Oaks Academy, both in Indianapolis, and the Cedars of Lebanon in nearby Lebanon, Indiana. It was a productive time as we were able to see three schools built on the Classical & Christian model, yet at very different stages of their development. We learned a great deal about curriculum and facility issues, along with matters of fundraising and staffing.

We continued to work on our logo as well, which we hope to unveil soon.

Our first financial contribution! We praise the Lord once again for providing us our first financial support through the contribution of an individual who supports the vision of Vita Nova Christian Academy.

We invite everyone who cares about the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ, everyone who cares about children growing up with a Christian worldview, to consider giving financial support to Vita Nova. This of course must be after you have given your tithe to your local church, but we invite you to invest in the Kingdom of God through this vision that He is turning into a reality.

Perhaps another time we will post reasons why it is important to support this school (there are many!), but for now we ask God through His Holy Spirit to guide your heart as you consider how to use the financial resources that He has blessed you with.

We have a headmaster! After much prayer, God has blessed us with a headmaster for Vita Nova. Melissa Perkins comes to us with great gifts and background and will lead our school to faithful success. Melissa holds a B.S. in Education with a concentration in Classical Studies from Indiana University and an M.S. in Educational Administration from Southwest Texas State University. She has an extensive background in the teaching of Latin and in educational administration as you can see from some of her experience:

+ Teacher of Latin at Martin Luther King, Jr. Latin Grammar Middle School in Kansas City, MO

+ Teacher of Latin at Pearce Middle School in Austin, TX

+ Teacher of Latin at The Oaks Academy (a Classical and Christian school) in Indianapolis, IN


+ Assistant Principal at Pearce Middle School in Austin, TX

+ Assistant Principal at Goodnight Junior High School in San Marcos, TX

+ Director of Children's Ministries, including PromiseTown Childcare Ministry, at New Life Community Church in Indianapolis, IN

We look forward to working with Melissa in the days ahead as she helps us develop the foundational educational policies that will drive our school.

Thank You, Lord, for Your continued guidance and provision for this ministry. We glorify You through the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen

We have a name! After much prayer and discussion the board has selected the name for our school...Vita Nova Christian Academy. The phrase vita nova means "new life," and this is appropriate for a number of reasons. First, the children who will study here are new at life, exploring for the first time the mysteries of what God has created. Second, and most importantly, we hope that all those who are involved with this school...parents, children, staff, and friends...will find the new and abundant life that Jesus spoke of in John 10:10.

We also, after prayer and discussion, decided upon a motto. It is credo ut intelligam, the famous dictum from the Proslogion of Anselm. It means "I believe so that I may understand." This, too, is appropriate, since faith must precede all true understanding. Only by believing first in God can one hope to understand the life and world He created. As Anselm went on to say in his Cur Deus Homo,

Sicut rectus ordo exigit ut profunda Christianae fidei prius credamus, quam ea praesumamus ratione discutere, ita negligentia mihi videtur, si, postquam confirmati sumus in fide, non studemus quod credimus intelligere.

Just as the right order of things compels us to believe the deep matters of the Christian faith before presume to discuss them through reason, so it seems negligent to me if, after we have been confirmed in the faith, we do not strive to understand what it is we believe.

Where are we?

The start-up board has been formed and has begun meeting. We have posted an advertisement for headmaster here www.accsedu.org and here www.aclclassics.org. A job description and application may be obtained by emailing us at vitanova_indy@yahoo.com.

At the next board meeting we will discuss a statement of faith for the school, along with a name and a logo.

Throughout the month of September all those interested in our school are invited to read Foundations of Christian Education by Louis Berkhof and Cornelius Van Til, which is available through online retailers such as www.christianbook.com.

The next general meeting for all interested parties, at which the board will present its current work, will be Wednesday, October 4, 6:00-7:00 p.m. We will begin our meeting with a discussion of the Berkhof and Van Til book, then move into a summary of board action.