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Sunland’s Handbook for home school, independent study, and alternative education programs CONTENTS
IS HOME SCHOOLING RIGHT FOR MY FAMILY? There are a variety of things to be considered. Homeschooling may be the best educational and social approach for every child, but it might not work for every family. Many families see positive changes in their children’s education and behavior as a result of homeschooling, and wish they had begun homeschooling earlier. Here are some things to consider. First, families may undergo changes as a result of choosing to home school. Homeschooling is not a quick fix, but requires parental involvement. Communicating with your student, check their school work, setting boundaries, discussing life issues, all become a part of what makes homeschooling work. Finding the balance between being a “free spirited” parent or a “control freak” is important, but can take time, effort and require sharpening your parenting skills. Secondly, even though you may not have "teaching credentials," being capable of teaching your children at home merely requires your willingness and some hard work. But the benefits well outweigh the work. Homeschooling is sometimes an opportunity to get in touch with your children in a way that can last a lifetime. You can learn to identify your children's needs and discover resources or ways for meetings those needs. Needs can be spiritual, developmental, academic, physical and/or social. It is important to know that you are not going to ruin your child or create a socially backwards person by choosing to teach them at home! Finally, there are many questions a family may face before determining whether or not to home school. Some families jump in and ask questions later. Others wait until they are satisfied with their preparation process. Doing what works best for your family and considering each child's needs may even result in homeschooling some of your children while others continue in a traditional class setting. Home schooling does not need to be an all or none situation. It is not necessarily the cure-all. It may be something your family tries for a year, or a semester and then reviews the overall outcome. Sunland is accredited by the National Independent Study Accreditation Council (NISAC). Accreditation is an accountability process among peer organizations, establishing recognition that a school has met certain educational and operational standards. NISAC was established by homeschool administrators with the assistance of California public school officials. High school credits from homeschool programs can be denied by other schools. While this can be a concern for families who want to homeschool, Sunland has been successful in dealing with this issue. Accountability is a key component of Sunland's program, providing the support to exchange ideas, ask and answer questions and offer support to our families and students. Record keeping and good communication is a vital part of Sunland in helping families succeed in homeschooling. Each month Sunland mails handouts to their families and provides social activities, encouragement and school schedule information. Monthly accountability can occur through, mail, emails, phone conversations, and meetings with parents. Enrollment is open year-round. Students may enroll as a full time, part time, or summer school student. To enroll your child(ren) in Sunland you can fill out an application online (www.home-schooling.org), fill out enrollment application form, or call the office for an appointment. A non-refundable family registration fee is due upon enrollment. Enrollment Fee $90.00 per family Tuition can be paid yearly, quarterly, or monthly. Regular tuitions are computed on 10 monthly payments, from September through and including June and are due by the 1st of each month. Extended school year and summer school fees can be paid in one payment or scheduled in monthly payments. Monthly tuition fees are: $40.00 for 1st student Other fees include the cost of curriculum (Appr. $50 - $400 per student per year), testing fee ($40.00 per student: 3rd, 5th, 7th-11th grades), field trips ($2 - $10 per person), Lesson Plans or tutoring ($10 per half hour), and graduation costs for seniors. As a benefit to each of our families, Sunland provides FREE home school legal defense memberships to its families. Sunland’s legal defense provider is California Home Educators Legal Defense (CHELD). CHELD holds the greatest success rate among home school legal defense associations for resolving concerns outside of a court of law. Sunland began in 1986, with 24 students, as a para-church ministry to assist families who wanted to teach their own children. Since then, Sunland has served thousands of students and families in southern California. Sunland provides accountability, resources and counsel. In our course of study, family values are of primary importance. Sunland is a private school recognized by California Department of Education, is a member of the National Independent Study Accreditation Council (NISAC) and affiliates with other public and private schools offering support to homeschool and alternative educational programs. Sunland requires families understand and respect school policies, retains the right to approval all applications, and has a non-discriminatory policy; it makes no distinction in its admission or educational services on the grounds of race, color, national origin, or disability. The responsibility for education rests jointly upon the parents and Sunland. The average parent is qualified to teacher their children. In areas where parents may lack necessary teaching skills, they can learn those skills, delegate this responsibility to another, or use educational resources available to them in their community. Learning can be exciting, should be thoughtfully done, and diligently supervised. Creative utilization of all available resources, and flexibility of scheduling, are important for maximizing individual educational opportunities. Each student is considered to be a spiritual physical being, capable of learning. They are at the same time a social being in relation to others, having moral, intellectual and emotional needs. The curriculum (not always school books) is the medium through which the student learns. The curriculum should include studies from religion, science, language arts, mathematics, history and geography, physical education, the arts and electives. DEPARTMENT of CHILDREN SERVICES Homeschooling families are not exempt from possible accusations from well-meaning family, friends, or neighbors concerning parenting issues. While most accusations are false, some of them unfortunately may require intervention. A family’s choice to homeschool is NOT a sign of irresponsible parenting. But homeschooling families may be confronted by the Department of Children Services over anonymous accusations. Sunland’s believes: 1). If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to be afraid of if ever falsely accused; do not panic when responding to a call from the DCS. 2). The DCS does not have a right to enter your home without either a warrant or probable cause of an emergency, and is prohibited from illegal searches and seizures. 3). Sunland has an article on our website called, “Homeschooling and the Department of Children Services,” to help you respond in a favorable manner to resolve any concerns in this area. Record keeping helps families to mark and record student progress. A simple process has been designed to tell what will be done, what has been completed, and how a student has scored. Each family maintains an attendance record for each student. The State of California requires 175 schooling days per year, with a minimum of three hours per day. This information is used when filling out the Report Card. 1ST 8TH GRADE RECORD KEEPING FORMS INCLUDE: Report Card Filled out at the end of each quarter and a photo copy is turned in at the following parent meeting. The original is turned in at the end of the year. 9TH 12TH GRADE INCLUDE: Course Descriptions This form lists the courses being taught, curriculum used, the length of the course (semester or full year) and the credits to be earned. Families with high school students should read through "Sunland High School Manual". Transcripts A transcript, reflecting courses completed, grades received and credits earned, is maintained and updated at the end of each semester. Creating appropriate records and interfacing with other established schools, both public and private, is part of SCS's purpose. SCS requires the maintenance of records, requesting records from other schools and sending of records to be handled in a professional manner. Students enrolling in Sunland or transferring to an other school may have their cumulative folders forwarded (public, private or Independent Study Programs) by means of an authorization sent to our office. Sunland does not forward records to individual families. PRESCHOOL/KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM Families with preschool/kindergarten age children may enroll in Sunland and participate in its record keeping and programs. A fee of $25.00 for registration is required. Attending to your child’s development and learning, a $15.00 monthly tuition fee and a quarterly progress report are required. Special preschool - elementary grade activities are periodically scheduled. Sunland provides all of its regular support and counsel to preschool/kindergarten families. Sunland hosts Campus Days throughout the school year. Student oral reports, guest speakers and science fairs are examples of campus day activities. Field trips (Southern California) are scheduled on a regular monthly basis. Signup is required and field trips are sometimes limited to a specific age group. A student must attend with his/her parent or another adult. If you sign-up for a field trip and are unable to attend, please call the office to cancel. Field trip expenses must be paid in advance and are non-refundable. For the courtesy of others, be on time. The field trip coordinators will progress with the event at its scheduled time! When you arrive, keep your children with you at all times. Please, as tempting as it may seem, do not let them climb on, over or between any areas not designated as climbing areas! Seminars (open to the general public) are periodically hosted by Sunland. They are geared toward parenting skills, marriage communication, child development, curriculum counseling, educational approaches and other schooling issues. Most seminars have a registration fee. Sunland's Honor's Program lends itself to the unique structure of the homeschool setting. The Honor's Program is based on participation in an oral report, a science fair exhibit, and two written reports of field trips attended. Student's completing this program will be recognized as an honor student at Sunland's annual promotion night. Testing can be a helpful tool in analyzing your child's knowledge mastery. Sunland requires yearly testing for all students 3rd, 5th and 7th grade and above (IOWA Test of Basis Skills for 1st - 6th grades, and Stanford Achievement Test for 7th grade and older). The SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test), administered by a third party, may be necessary for high school students desiring to go on to college or university. Testing is not available for kindergarten. All students will be tested around the beginning of the 4th quarter. The testing fee is $40.00 per student enrolled in Sunland and $45 for those outside of Sunland. While summer school has a traditional meaning, students can make up failed classes during the summer. Sunland’s summer school program is available to all students from any school! Many families homeschool their children “year-around,” even during the summer. Children who attend public or other private schools, may enroll in Sunland during the summer to make up a course. Some students dually enroll in Sunland during the school year (concurrent enrollment) also to make up a course. Sunland’s High School Manual explains courses required for graduation, how to obtain work permits, accomplish Driver’s Education, enroll in college classes, where to take the PSAT or SAT tests, and much more. Families with high school or junior high students can become well informed about the high school years by reading through the manual or contacting Sunland’s high school counselor. Developing a strategy for graduation and preparing for college or university, can be a helpful and important part of your homeschool experience. Contact the school office for a copy of Sunland’s High School Manual. Homeschooling families sometimes teach other children in addition to their own. In some cases, grandparents, aunts, or siblings may even be the instructor. Many families call Sunland’s office looking for someone else to homeschool their child. It becomes a matter of finding the right person for teaching your child or the correct setting for one to teach other children. Usually a fee is paid each month to the person teaching your child. Personal discretion should be exercised in each educational arrangement. Parents should feel free to decide whether another teacher will work for their child, and whether or not a family wants to add another student to their setting. Individuals and families may desire to administrate a private school which provides an alternative education, emulating homeschooling, as a business or ministry outreach. Sunland administrates a program for these schools and works much like a school district office in providing accountability, direction, counsel and assistance in starting and operating such a school. Anyone interesting in starting and operating such a school should contact Sunland for an appointment to discuss these goals. Necessary steps for starting a school and the relationship between Sunland and the school will be a part of an initial discussion. Contact the office for more information. Students (or parents) needing assistance in understanding the academics of any given topic may purchase tutoring service from a variety of sources. In every community there are tutoring services available. Some of the best tutors can be honor students from the local public or private school who are available for tutoring at a minimal fee. Tutoring services, resources from the local community college (college programs or students), retired teachers, interested family members, and teachers from local schools are just some of the resources available. Parents should retain the right to determine if any specific tutoring resource is properly assisting their student. Sunland offers tutoring services for $25.00 per hour. For assistance in finding a tutor, or to inquire about Sunland’s tutoring, contact the school office Successful homeschooling requires that parents direct their child’s education on a daily basis. Sunland believes planning your student’s lessons on a weekly basis minimizes the daily stress of figuring out what to do. This includes having a schedule, knowing what topics a student should be studying, and directing the use of curriculum by assigning work for each day. Sunland provides families with lesson plan instructions, a sample plan and blank forms for scheduling weekly lesson plans for the year. Upon enrollment, when a family secures curriculum, Sunland offers helping plan one’s first week of lessons. Most families then plan their own lessons during the year. Families desiring assistance (on a regular basis) can purchase lesson planning services from Sunland for $10 per weekly lesson plan. Families set an appointment, bring their student and the curriculum, and a lesson plan for a week is written. Some families choice to use this service throughout the year, incorporating having their student answer directly to the school by proving they completed the assigned work. Parents continue to check their student’s progress on a daily basis and grade the work completed. Sunland encourages families to gain homeschool support from a variety of sources: office staff, school staff families, families from one’s local parent meeting, others met at field trips, and the homeschool community at large. In addition to emotional and spiritual support, there is an enormous array of extra curricular activities available. Our encouragement is to only use what is necessary and avoid becoming stretched too thin by over involvement. It can be easy for homeschool families to become over-socialized, find themselves running “all over kingdom come,” and overlook helping their children develop regular study skills and habits. Definition: Special Students - Students having challenges in their academic learning process, whether due to physical handicap, Downs Syndrome, learning disabilities, or other like hindrances, who would qualify for a public school Individualized Education Program (IEP). Special Students who are taught at home can receive assistance through a variety of resources. Depending on a family's situation, assistance can be provided in conjunction with home education through hiring private educational therapists, utilizing the professional help of friends or relatives, or sometimes receiving assistance through the public school system. Every student, who is enrolled in a Sunland, can request a full IEP or annual review from their local school or school district. The school has 50 days in which to provide an IEP screening from the day a formal request was made to the local school or district. The IEP screening usually includes the public school principal, psychologist, parents, student and other school therapists and teachers representing the areas of your student's special needs. Promotion Night is a school wide graduation where students receive Certificates of Completion, Diplomas and various other forms of recognition. This is an evening to bring your family and friends to see your students graduate! Sign-up is required for promotion certificates. Sunland Christian School will confer a diploma to any student who fulfills the following criteria: 1. Completes the requirements for General Education.
There are three ways in which families may determine and obtain curriculum for their students: 1. Evaluate and decide curriculum on your own. GUIDELINES for SELECTING CURRICULUM 1. Curriculum includes any item that helps you teach a subject (Example: coins CONTACT by LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT It is possible that a neighbor, friend, or even a relative could "turn you in" to your local school district for not having your children "attend school". If this happens, don't panic. Do the following: 1. Relax. Do not be intimidated. Be reassured, you are not doing anything illegal.
If you are contacted and your local school district pursues the matter, notify the office immediately. (We have been able to set these concerns to rest before they went any further). If you are harassed by a school district official, be polite and truthful in what you say. If the district wants to pursue this, there are several definite steps, spread over several weeks, that the district must take. Harassment is not one of those steps! Below are listed some of the responsibilities of the home schooling parents and/or teacher, some of which can be accomplished with the assistance or expertise of others. A. The duty of caring for your child (and other children in your charge) during Below are listed some of the responsibilities of Sunland. A. Supervise each student's cumulative/school file. Character Traits Which Should Be Taught To Children "To be pleasant, loving, trusting, honest, obedient, cheerful, content, forgiving, patient, kind, unselfish, quiet in the home, respectful to authority, grateful for a simple life (food, clothes, possessions), helpful, efficient, prompt, industrious, orderly, friendly but not bold, thoughtful to others, polite and courteous, quiet and respectful before visitors, compassionate and tenderhearted, sociable to people of all ages, pure in morals, selfcontrolled, selfdisciplined, consistent, temperate, economical, firm in convictions of right and wrong (even when ridiculed), and a joy and blessing to parents and others. Acts become habits, habits become lifestyles. Habits become unconscious actions. To undo habits requires strong conscious work. Children are likely to become how the parents relate to them. Subdue selfwill in a child. Punish no fault truly confessed." There are times during the home schooling process when one might feel overwhelmed. THIS IS A NORMAL FEELING, NOTHING IS WRONG WITH YOU. During these times, do not withdraw and isolate yourself from others. Let someone know how you are feeling and reach out for direction, encouragement, understanding and empathy. Many times others cannot tell what you are going through, and it takes courage for you share your thoughts. As scary as it might seem, reaching out to someone you trust can be the most rewarding thing you can do. The staff of Sunland exists for the purpose of assisting you in your home school endeavor. Others in the school also are in a position to have an open heart to you. Find out who they are and interact with them according to their availability. As strength and experience become a part of your home schooling life, begin to be available to others, but never at the expense of your own spouse and children. There are people who care; call someone when you NEED HELP! |
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