- New Beginnings Christian Academy (NBCA) is a small private Christian school located on Jacksonville’s west side at 7020 Ramona Boulevard. NBCA was previously FCA or Family Christian Academy and was established in 1996. New Beginnings is an accredited private school and a member of the Florida Council of Private Schools. NBCA serves students in kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12).
- The school is a ministry of the Jacksonville 2 Foursquare Church, also known as New Beginnings Christian Center (NBCC), which has its sanctuary at the front of the complex. The academy and educational department of the church share the same space. Pastor William D. Holland, Sr. serves as senior pastor of NBCC and chief executive officer of NBCA. Pastor Donna Holland serves as church treasurer and NBCA chief financial officer. Academy Administrator and Principal, Pastor J.R. Deetz, reports to the NBCC Church Council and Pastor Holland.
- NBCC is a subordinate of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel with their main offices located in Los Angeles, California.
- As a subordinate of the Foursquare Church, NBCC is recognized as a tax exempt, non-profit organization under Section (501) (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
- As a ministry of NBCC, New Beginnings Christian Academy is recognized as a tax exempt, non-profit organization as well.
Based on current guidelines, I am happy to inform you that we have a plan for reopening NBCA that I believe EVERY parent will be happy with. The staff and I have worked tirelessly through MANY emails and correspondence with the Florida Department of Education, the CDC, and Health Department. We have taken seriously the recommendations of experts, so we can keep our staff and students SAFE!
Here is our plan:
1. School days will return to Monday through Friday on campus. We will return to the same schedule we had prior to the onset of Covid-19. School will begin on August 31st. Doors will open at 8:00 a.m. and students will be dismissed beginning at 2:50 p.m except on Wednesdays when school is dismissed at 1:00 p.m. All students must be picked up by 3:15 p.m. unless prior arrangements have been made with the office. NO EXCEPTIONS!
2. Orientation will take place on two evenings – Thursday, August 27th at 7:00 p.m. for families with last names that begin with the letters “A” through “J” AND Friday, August 28th at 7:00 p.m. for families with last names that begin with the letters “K” through “Z”.
5. Any staff member or student that is exposed or tests positive for Covid-19 will be asked to quarantine for fourteen days or until doctor releases staff or student to return to campus.
6. Students will go immediately to their homeroom upon entering the building. No student will be allowed to go directly to the restroom. NO EXCEPTIONS! The homeroom teacher will either issue a handwritten pass or arrange a time for all students to go as a group to the restroom. NOTE: Please explain to your student NOW that this policy MUST be mandated. NO EXCEPTIONS!
7. Students will eat lunch in their classrooms. We are attempting to find small microwaves for each classroom. However, no foods requiring added liquids (water) or having liquids in them will be permitted. No ramen noodle soups, canned spaghetti, or any other foods with liquid base will be allowed in the classrooms. The school will NOT have ramen noodle soup cups available this year for purchase. Drinks must be consumed in their entirety if they are going to be put in the trash. Drinks with resealable lids or caps are allowed. NO LIQUIDS ARE ALLOWED IN THE TRASH CANS and no student will be given permission to dump liquid in restrooms. NO EXCEPTIONS. For $2, the school will have 2 corn dogs, snack, and a Capri Sun. We will still offer the $5 Friday Double Cheeseburger/Chicken Nuggets Lunch from McDonalds.
8. No student will have access to the water fountains. Parents will need to send a water bottle to be refilled by the teacher. NO EXCEPTIONS!
9. All students will wear a mask in the hallways and in the classrooms until they are seated. Once a student is seated in a classroom, the student will be able to remove his or her mask, because the six feet social distancing will have been maintained. When a student leaves his or her desk, he or she MUST have a face mask in place on his or her face. The masks will always be required in the hallways in going from class to class or restrooms. NO EXCEPTIONS!
10. Opening exercises with the pledges and prayer will be conducted during homeroom over the phone system.
11. No students will be allowed to congregate in the hallways or bathrooms. Please go over this with your students now, before it is time for them to return to school. NO EXCEPTIONS!
12. High school English and perhaps one of the High school Math classes will require masks for the entire 40 minutes of class. NO EXCEPTIONS!
13. All desks, door handles, toilets, and other surfaces that students or staff touch will be sprayed and wiped down daily. The school will attempt in every way to follow CDC guidelines.
14. We are unable to offer any off-campus studies. We don’t have the staff to handle it. If the CDC and/or Department of Education changes guidelines to mandate off-campus study, we will comply and do ONLY off-campus study, but we are unable to offer both on-campus and off-campus studies.
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION AS TO STUDENTS
New Beginnings Christian Academy admits students of any race, color, national, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship, loan programs, athletic and other school administered programs.