Mondays with Mike: Winter Growth
Why This Season Matters for Your Child
Dear PCA Parents,
Welcome back, and Happy New Year. I hope you had a restful and joyful Christmas season with your family. What a season of hope!
As we return to campus and finish the first semester, I invite you to a timely Mondays with Mike conversation. January can feel be a tough season for many, even heavy—but it is also one of the most important seasons of the academic year.
In this episode, Nate Paul and I talk about why winter matters, how academic growth often deepens beneath the surface, and what uou as parents should expect to see as your kids head into third quarter.
Have you ever wondered whether academic struggle is normal, how to interpret mid-year progress, or how winter work builds long-term confidence? If so, this episode is for you.
Why Listen?
- To better understand why winter is often the strongest season for academic growth
- To know what healthy challenge actually looks like in your child
- To gain confidence in how steady work now leads to momentum in the spring
- To see how this fits into our broader commitment to stability, excellence, and long-term formation
We are on a good journey. Winter invites us to engage and trust the learning and growth process. This is a season of steady, faithful work—and it matters more than we often realize.
I look forward to seeing you on campus soon this winter!
Mike Runey
Head of School
Portsmouth Christian Academy
“Academic challenge is not a sign that something’s wrong. It actually is a sign that there’s some real growth happening.”
“Winter is not a pause. It’s a season of deep formation—where roots grow strong, even when we don’t see it yet.”
Key Takeaways
- Winter is not a pause—it is a season of deep formation and rooted growth
- Academic challenge is often a sign of healthy learning, not a problem to fix
- Signs of growth include persistence, revision, deeper questions, and temporary frustration
- Third quarter is where skills consolidate and confidence begins to build
- Steady, faithful work over time matters more than short-term performance
Episode Timestamps
0:00–1:30 — Welcome back and setting the winter context
1:30–3:30 — Why winter is a powerful season for growth
3:30–5:30 — The PCA Pentathlete and the academic growth lane
5:30–7:30 — Why academic challenge is a sign of growth
10:00–12:30 — What parents should look for right now
13:00–15:00 — How winter work builds Q3 momentum
15:00–17:30 — Stability, parent feedback, and the Next 1000 vision
17:30–end — Gratitude, perspective, and looking ahead
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