Our Purpose and History
The PCS Vision
Educational Excellence to the Glory of God.
The PCS Mission
Nurturing students in Christ-like living, critical thinking and joyful service to be faithful citizens in God’s world.
Our constitution defines our purpose as follows: “To attract parents who are willing and desirous to seek for their children an education which is directed by God’s all-powerful Word, and have these children trained to help them acquire and grow in a Christian world and life view. “
The PCS Story
Founded in 1960, approximately 900 students currently attend Pacific Christian School from Preschool through grade 12. This represents approximately 500 families from over 90 Victoria area churches. Our Elementary School building houses preschool through grade seven. Grades eight through twelve are located in the Secondary School.
Show MoreFounded in 1960, approximately 900 students currently attend Pacific Christian School from Preschool through grade 12. This represents approximately 500 families from over 90 Victoria area churches. Our Elementary School building houses pre-school through grade seven. Grades eight through twelve are located in the Secondary School.
Within an atmosphere of love and belonging, PCS, as a Christian community of learners, seeks to understand relationships and live them in light of and informed by God’s Word. We acknowledge the diversity within our community and the uniqueness with which God has created each of us (Psalm 139:13-16). In love (1 John 4:18, 19) and obedience, we embrace the breadth of being the ‘new humanity in Christ’, and this is reflected in how we treat all of our students (Gal. 3:28). We promote and encourage attitudes and behaviours that reflect the mission and aims of PCS. We welcome students as diverse as the people of God and strive to create an environment in which all students feel safe to engage in respectful conversation in the pursuit of truth as we seek to be formed and reformed by God’s Word.
Pacific Christian School was started in two classrooms with 43 children and two teachers in 1960 by a group of parents determined to provide their children with a quality education from a Biblical perspective. The school was and continues to be operated and controlled by the Victoria Christian Education Society. Its members (mostly parents) were and are Christians with the same objective. Later the name was changed to Saanich Christian School. By 1977 the school had grown to four classrooms and a gym with 100 students in Grades 1-7. The next few years saw rapid growth and new additions.
Several attempts had been made to start a high school, but it was not until 1977 that Pacific Christian Secondary School was established with 45 Grade 8 and 9 students. In 1980, the two schools came under the control of the one society and were renamed Pacific Christian School. Twelve rooms were added onto the existing building on the Agnes Street site, and the Secondary division was moved into them. In 1983 an additional 1.6 acres of land was purchased to the north of the present site. In 1986 a new 45,000-sq. ft., 3-level high school was completed, to accommodate 260 students. In 1993, a Fine Arts and Music wing was added to the Secondary School, and in 1995 the Elementary school was renovated and an elevator was added. A further elementary addition, featuring two kindergarten/pre-school rooms, a learning assistance room, and additional classrooms, was opened in 1998. A major secondary expansion was completed in February 2004, adding a computer lab, library, art room, and several classrooms, as well as significant renovations to the existing secondary building. In 2007, PCS purchased the former Maria Montessori Academy on Wilkinson Road, locating Grade 1 & 2 classes (90-120 students) there for three years, and then sold this campus again in 2010 to the Discovery School. In March, 2011, PCS was finally able to purchase the “Kasapi” lot adjacent to the elementary gym, a piece of property the school has desired for many years. In the fall of 2018, a new gym was completed for the elementary campus.
The school is operated by the Victoria Christian Education Society through an elected Board. Pacific Christian is an interdenominational institution committed to providing quality education through Christ-centered curriculum taught by dedicated Christian teachers. The school caters to students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. A Preschool Program was added in 1998, with the additional development of a Junior Kindergarten in 2014.
Pacific Christian School is not a Christian school because days are started with prayer, or because praise songs are learned and sung, or because children come from Christian homes or because the teachers are Christians. All these things are present, of course, but they do not alone constitute the Christian character of the school. A Christian perspective and worldview should permeate the entire curriculum and every aspect of the school’s program.
The continued vision of the Board, Administration and Staff is to enable students to “grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18) and so mature in the application of God’s Word to the totality of daily practice that all thoughts are brought into captivity and made obedient to Christ.
PCS Students
As Christian teachers and parents, we recognize that each student is a unique creation of God, with differences in abilities and in ways of learning. The instructional program aims to respect each student’s individuality and seeks to empower each student in the recognition and use of his or her gifts.
Pacific Christian School is also a community where we learn to live together in ways which reflect the love that Christ has shown for us.
Guiding Educational Principles
At PCS we believe that education should be:
By nurturing students in Christ-like living, critical thinking and joyful service, we educate not only to inform but also transform. We create learning experiences to help shape students’ Christian faith and develop within them an understanding of their identity in Christ. We seek to develop a Christian worldview in our students by infusing their learning with biblical truths, continually orienting them toward Christ with the deep hope that they will come to love, serve and desire the Kingdom of God.
Students are drawn into the learning process when they are known and loved within a school community. We believe that each child is uniquely created in the image of God, and we delight to know them personally. As one-of-a-kind image-bearers, we recognize that students learn in a variety of ways. As such, we respond to student diversity by providing varied and accessible instructional approaches that reflect students’ curiosities, strengths, needs and personal goals.
Deep learning equips students to influence the world. Students are nurtured to be faithful citizens in God’s world by connecting their learning to diverse contexts. Students engage in creating beautiful work that has purpose, complexity and meaning. We seek relevant audiences for students to connect their work to the broader community, which deepens their learning. Through this, students experience their role as active and creative participants in God’s story.
Joyful service is a faithful response to the transformational work of God in our lives. We understand that God’s story is one of redemption and restoration, and that His plan for restoration includes us as participants. We provide opportunities for students to serve others, with the deep hope that they develop a life-long desire to be servant-workers as Christ modeled for us.