Mondays with Mike: Mid‑Year Momentum
Growth, Mastery, and Rigor at PCA
Dear PCA Parents,
As we close the first semester this week and look ahead to parent–teacher conferences, I am speaking clearly about something that sits at the heart of a PCA education: how we think about growth, challenge, mastery, rigor, and excellence.
My conversation today is about giving shared language to work that is already happening in classrooms every day. It builds upon the Academic Vision. These ideas show up in your child’s work that unfolds over time, through disciplined effort, meaningful challenge, and strong partnership between students, teachers, and families.
My hope is that this episode helps frame the conversations you are already having about your child’s progress, readiness for new challenges, next steps, and how your child is growing into who God has made them to be.
Congratulations on completing the 1st Semester! I see your children growing in so many ways and starting to achieve mastery as a result. I am encouraged–I hope you are, too!
Mike Runey
Head of School
Portsmouth Christian Academy
“Growth and mastery are not competing ideas. They really work together.”
Key Takeaways
- Rigor is in the curriculum; growth lives in the child. These are complementary, not competing ideas.
- Excellence at PCA is defined as the discipline to pursue constant improvement, not comparison or short-term performance.
- Mastery matters. Grade-level mastery signals real readiness for what comes next, and above-grade mastery is celebrated.
- Growth is primary and is our focus. When growth stalls or it does not lead to grade level mastery, we engage with your child, with you to together provide support, structure, and accountability.
- This framework of growth primary, mastery as the result prepares your children well—academically, developmentally, and for life beyond PCA—because it builds durable habits, not brittle performance.
“Rigor really belongs in your child’s curriculum… Growth tells us whether a child is actually meeting what we’re hoping that they’ll meet.”
Episode Timestamps
00:00 – Welcome and Why This Moment Matters
Why the semester break and the weeks ahead are a natural time for clarity.
02:10 – Naming the Tension: Growth and Rigor
Why growth language can feel “soft” to some—and why that concern deserves a clear answer.
05:15 – What PCA Means by Excellence
Why excellence is a discipline, not a ranking, and how this shapes expectations.
08:30 – Why Growth Leads to Mastery
How sustained engagement, feedback, and effort produce deeper, more durable mastery.
12:10 – What Curriculum Really Is
Curriculum as the “course” your child runs—and why teacher engagement matters most.
15:40 – Mastery, Expectations, and Accountability
How we define mastery, what “meeting expectations” actually means, and what happens when students struggle.
19:30 – What This Looks Like Across Grades
Concrete examples from early grades through Upper School.
24:10 – Preparation for What Comes Next
How this approach equips students for college, career, and calling.
27:00 – Closing Reflections
Why rigorous learning, real mastery, and faithful growth belong together.
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