About GCS
Our Vision
To provide educational excellence for each covenant child to achieve their learning potential, grow in spiritual discernment, and glorify God in their lives as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Our Mission
The mission of Grace Christian School is to assist Reformed parents in educating God’s covenant children for a life of service to God’s glory.
The mission of GCS is based on the infallible Word of God, as confessed in the Three Forms of Unity; namely, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, and the Canons of Dort. The specifics of that mission can be summarized in the following goals:
- to lead students to know the Triune God, His creation, grace and redemption;
- to foster recognition of the Bible as infallible, authoritative, and normative for all of life;
- to identify and develop each student’s unique God-given talents;
- to promote spiritual discernment through instruction and guidance, thereby giving students the ability and means to guide themselves in the basis of God’s Word;
- to equip students for their task of stewardship in fulfilling the cultural mandate; and
- to instruct students in discipleship as exemplified by Jesus Christ.
The staff will be supported by the School Board, its committees and the supporting school community in achieving this mission.
Our Theme Text
1 Peter 4:10 (ESV)
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace”
Our Membership and Supporting Community
Grace Christian School is operated by the Canadian Reformed School Society of Flamborough, Inc. and is blessed with a dedicated and generous membership and donor base primarily living in the Burlington and Flamborough areas.
Enrolment is open to the children of the Society membership. All other enrolment applications are subject to the approval of the Board of Directors as outlined in the school’s admission procedure.
Please contact the school for more information or to initiate the application process at office@graceschool.ca
Society membership is limited to communicant members of a Canadian or United Reformed Church. Click on the links below to learn more about these church federations:
- Canadian Reformed Churches (www.canrc.org)
- United Reformed Churches in North America (www.urcna.org)
Our History
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” is the quotation from Proverbs which served as a motto for John Calvin Christian School. It was with this thought in mind that a group of parents, belonging to the Canadian Reformed Church of Burlington, established a school society in 1954. After years of planning and saving, the society was finally able to open the doors of its school building in September of 1962. Four combined-grade classrooms were prepared to supplement the instruction of children in the home and the church, “in the fear of the LORD”.
Under the LORD’s blessing, there was rapid growth and the school soon had to expand. That expansion took place in three phases, resulting in the building that will also house us this school year. The growth continued at such a pace that further expansion was desirable, but limited by the available property. As a result, a second campus known as Covenant Christian School was established in Flamborough. The John Calvin Christian School society, through its Board of Directors, operated both schools from the opening of Covenant Christian School in September 1987 until June 30, 1995. On July 1, 1995, the Canadian Reformed School Society of Flamborough, Inc. came into being and took over operation of Covenant Christian School as a separate entity, while the Canadian Reformed School Society of Burlington, Inc. continued to operate John Calvin Christian School in Burlington.
In 2008 the John Calvin Christian School membership voted to add Kindergarten to the school. It became evident that the addition of Junior Kindergarten was also desired by parents, and in September 2013 the first Junior Kindergarten students began their instruction at JCCS.
Starting in approximately 2000, it became increasingly apparent to both the JCCS society and the CCS society that it would be advantageous to re-unite the two schools into one school society under one roof. The process leading toward amalgamation was long and featured many seemingly insurmountable roadblocks and detours, but on June 17, 2014 it finally came to fruition when members of both school societies voted in favour of amalgamation. The 2014/2015 school year was spent working under the leadership of the interim Board of Grace Christian School on all the steps required in order for amalgamation to occur officially as of July 1, 2015.
Even through all the changes that have occurred since 1962, the purpose and mission of what is now Grace Christian School remains firmly fixed on its original foundation: The Word of God. In addition to Grades 1 through 8, GCS operates a combined JK/SK programme, and includes a senior band and a Special Education Resource Centre. The school is a member of the League of Canadian Reformed School Societies in Ontario, an association of like-minded Reformed Christian individuals and school societies operating schools throughout the province. The school is governed by an eight-member Board of Directors, elected annually in a Fall Membership meeting; its members are required to subscribe to the school’s constitution, and must have paid and continue to pay a stipulated amount towards its support.