Regular Registration Ends June 15th!
The Threads Juniors Program is a once-a-week morning class geared toward 4- and 5-year-olds and their attending parents. This hands-on exploratory program is ideally designed for the younger siblings of students in other Threads programs, as it connects with the learning in the Primary program. Classes run for 12 weeks in the fall and 12 weeks in the spring and include beginning phonograms, pre-writing development, read-alouds, learning songs, show-and-tell, and classroom behavior lessons.
Elementary School Programs
In our Elementary Threads program, families are given three high-quality class offerings based on age and ability to help foster academic, social, and faith development.
The Threads Primary Program is a supplemental once-a-week morning class geared toward elementary-school-aged children that runs for 12 weeks in the fall and 12 weeks in the spring. It is part of a three-year rotating and building curriculum that emphasizes strong foundations in core subjects such as English, Grammar, History and Historical Timelines, Geography, Language Learning, Mathematics, Great Words, Public Speaking, Science, and Fine Arts. This approach gives students a broad, cohesive understanding of essential academic concepts they will build upon throughout their entire education.
Students in 4th and 5th grades have the option to enroll in our once-a-week supplemental afternoon Language Arts program that features engaging literature discussions, step-by-step skilled grammar instruction, and an IEW writing program that will help your student gain confidence and bloom as a young writer. Students gather basic strands of data as building blocks needed for future understanding. Language Arts runs for 12 weeks in the fall and 12 weeks in the spring and is a program favorite for families!
Middle Level Program (6th-8th)
As students progress from elementary grades, they enter the logic stage of their learning. In this stage, students ask ‘Why?’ and begin to weave strands of data together to make connections between knowledge. In the Threads classes, for example, they might wrestle with the question of why the church went from a small house gathering to the Holy Roman Empire in history, or analyze the motives of the main characters in their literature discussions. Goals for these ages include working toward more educational ownership and academic autonomy, including parental help in learning time management and academic responsibility at home.
Threads Connections is recommended for 6th graders and runs for 12 weeks in the fall and 12 weeks in the spring. Classes meet in the morning and afternoon, with a 45-minute break for lunch. The subjects taught are intended to be a complete curriculum, with the exception of Math, and include Science, Government, Geography, History, Historical Timeline Presentations, Literature, IEW Writing, and English Grammar.
Threads 7 is recommended for 7th graders and offers six high-quality subjects as well as a variety of enrichment opportunities. At this age, families are allowed to pick and choose their students’ class offerings to meet their families’ individual needs. Students meet weekly for 15 weeks in the fall and 15 weeks in the spring. Course offerings include Study Skills, Logic, Science, Literature/Composition, History, and Geography.
Our 8th-grade program meets once a week, 15 weeks in the fall and 15 weeks in the spring, and families are allowed to pick and choose the classes and enrichment classes that work best for their family. Our current subject offerings include Current Events/Mock Trial, Logic, Science, Art, Literature/Composition, and History.
Our college-prep program is a 30-week supplemental educational program designed to equip high school students with the knowledge, skills, and habits necessary to excel in college and beyond. This refers to the Rhetoric stage of learning. In this stage, students learn to use language persuasively and eloquently, express ideas, debate, synthesize information into a coherent worldview, and focus on communication, critical thinking, and wisdom to defend truth.
Master instructors provide engaging discussions, debates, experiments, and collaborative work settings that are very difficult to replicate in a standard home educator format. Students learn to analyze new information, think critically, and apply knowledge across disciplines, and then complete their coursework at home the remainder of the week.
Freshman/Sophomore
As students enter their first and second years of our College Preparatory Program, there are several small-group classes that are extremely beneficial for their academic success. Courses rotate on an every-other-year basis and, for the 2026/2027 school year, will be as follows: Biology from a young-earth perspective, Financial Literacy/Consumer Math from a biblical worldview, Improvisation, Chemistry, World Religions, Economics/Government, and British Literature, IEW Composition, and Advanced Art.
Junior/Senior
Students at this age often are beginning to transition from Threads to classes at local community colleges; however, Threads offers many upper-level courses in small class sizes taught with a Biblical worldview for you to consider. High-level classes offered this year include Computer Programming, Economics/Government, Advanced Writing, Advanced Art, Physics, Apologetics, and Statistics.
Extracurriculars
Threads of Ames is excited to offer a rich variety of creative opportunities for our community, including Choir, Theater, Art and Spanish classes, Theater, STEM, and the Science Olympiad. We are also thrilled to provide individual Art and Piano lessons, as well as various day camps, allowing students to grow their gifts in a personalized and encouraging environment.
Juniors / Primary / Language Arts Assistance
In our Juniors class, our youngest learners transition to the classroom, and parents are vital to helping their students make that transition successfully. For that reason, we ask that parents assist their student in the preschool room. As students advance into Primary, we ask that you remain in the building for assistance if needed, but direct involvement is optional. In our Language Arts program, many students need assistance in navigating the IEW structure of writing, and parents observe so that they can best help their student throughout the week; however, this decision is up to you. In addition to providing your student assistance, we would love to welcome you to join our supportive community and other parents for a book club or Bible study on Tuesday mornings.
Parent Involvement
Discover how to best support your child and set them up for success in every age and stage of their development!
Involvement in the Middle Levels
At the 6th-grade level, parents continue to play a vital role in supporting students at home, particularly with executive functioning skills such as planning assignments, completing homework, and ensuring that work is submitted on time. This guidance helps students gradually develop the independence needed for higher-level courses. At the 7th- and 8th-grade levels, students are generally excited and ready to take more responsibility for their learning. Parents are encouraged to monitor assignment completion and adherence to deadlines, support executive functioning skills such as planning and organizing study time, and provide guidance as needed, but are also encouraged to allow students to practice independence and problem-solving.
College Prep—Letting Them Fly
High school students enrolled in our Threads College Prep program are encouraged to take increased responsibility for their learning. Parents support their students by monitoring assignment completion, encouraging good study habits, and helping them manage time and projects. Unlike in younger grades, students are expected to plan, organize, and complete most work independently, with parents serving as mentors and accountability partners rather than daily supervisors; this helps them gain the confidence and skills needed to prepare for college.