Classical Learning Resource Center

Interesting. I didn't realize there was such a think as free notary services. Here we pay $10-$20 when we go to them and $60+ when they come to us. Crazy.

It varies by state. I would follow the same guidelines as my local public schools. Here you do not get credit for sports, but you do get to opt out of the required physical education credits.

Did anyone take the Blue Tent Intro to Literature class with Anna Harvey this year? If so, could you give a review? I am particularly interested in her feedback on written work. My daughter took the class when Brigid Thompson was teaching it. Thanks!

It's really going to depend on where you live and what type of home you are trying to insure. Is it a block home, stilted home, wood frame, modular, etc? Mobile homes are really hard to insure. Houses on the water that are not stilted are also very hard. Wood frame is more expensive than block. Homes with roofs over 15 years old are really hard to insure without first replacing. Price is also going to depend on how high above sea level your lot happens to be. Houses in the same neighborhood have different prices just because the elevations are different. Our flood insurance is separate from homeowner's insurance. I think that is more common, at least around here. I know a lot of people (most in fact) that are at the $3000 or less price range, but I also know people that are way over the $13000 range, especially in the Keys.

This is especially important if you are in a state with guaranteed state scholarships such as Florida. Giving a high school graduation date before the end of the college semester disqualifies you from the state scholarships (for Florida residents that would be Bright Futures scholarships). You cannot earn any college credit between the date of high school graduation and the start of the scholarship - usually the following fall semester, though some students do get approved to start in summer.

Classical Learning Resource Center is offering summer courses. We've taken several classes through them. My son is in an art class right now that began in April. It has been quite good.

Alachua County elementary schools do have early release every Wednesday. Also, schools in Florida receive a "grade" each year (though they are not going to be graded this year do to the coronavirus) and schools that receive a low grade have an extra hour of school each day- it's called the WIN hour. I'm not sure whether or not teachers in those schools get paid any extra for that added hour per day of school.

Starting pay is low, especially compared to the cost of living in Alachua County. The schools are over capacity. There is strong emphasis on state mandated testing. Schools here are underfunded. Those are the basics. There are other more specific local issues as well. However, the school system in general is considered very good. And it is a nice place to live.

My dd took classes at the state flagship university and at the local CC. The credit screening that was involved for her had to do with whether or not the classes she took at the CC were AA classes or AS classes. Her university did not give her credit for two photography classes from the CC that were considered AS classes. They gave her credit for all of the others. She was accepted to all of the colleges to which she applied, but I would not consider them overly competitive colleges.

Did you receive a blueprint survey? Easements show up very clearly on ours.

Critical Thinking Company

If you think your kids might want to join a swim team, summer swim is great. Around here, it is usually taught by the coaches of the year long team and there are two or three "fun meets" so the kids can get a feel for what the swim team would be like. Swim teams are usually an all year commitment and can get expensive. If that won't be an option you might want to mention it to your kids up front, the coaches here try and recruit the kids that do well in summer swim. 🙂

As stated in the title, I am looking for an online class that teaches how to analyze short stories. My girls all took a similar class in the past. I think it may have been through the Well Trained Mind Academy. But I've looked and they are not offering such a class this coming school year. I did see a short story class through Memoria Press, but it sounds like that is more about plot summary work. The class I am remembering was more in-depth on how to analyze short stories but also included discussion of the stories. Any ideas?

I had two short DE classes like that on my eldest daughter's transcript. One was plant identification, I can't remember the other one. I listed them on her high school transcript, but where there would be a grade I put NC (no credit issued) and wrote that into my key at the bottom of the transcript.

Did anyone have a student take this last summer that could provide thoughts? I told my son he could take it this summer as we were out of town last year. I had a bit of 'sticker shock' at the price. $360 (+$100 in fees) for seven hours of instruction/discussion? Is it worth that price? Are there any other Japanese film classes through other providers that I could consider? (If we do take this class we would also take the Shakespeare class as well, assuming it fits into his schedule, so the fees would actually be $50 per class.)

Just finished our plan yesterday. Updated 4/9/20 Algebra I (Saxon Math) Great Books I (Classical Learning Resource Center) Quest for Middle Earth: Works of Tolkien (Classical Learning Resource Center) Art in Literature: Lord of the Rings (Classical Learning Resource Center) Intermediate Drawing (Classical Learning Resource Center) - Fall semester only Meteorology (Classical Learning Resource Center) - Spring semester only World History (Florida Virtual School) His passion is athletics so 30+ hours per week are devoted to athletic training of some sort.

We have always had a $10 per child limit for Halloween costume purchases. The remainder of the costume has to be put together with things we already own or the kids can spend their own money.

This is my thought, too. I feel like there is fine print on most competitions that prizes may be substituted at any time and only the value has to be awarded, not the actual cash. However, my son is also an athlete and maybe it happens more in that field. My son just won first place in a summer long event that required participating in four triathlons. He won a $50 gift certificate and was super excited to use it when we arrived home. He told me he couldn't find the online store and could I help him. He was rather disappointed to find out that the certificate was $50 off next year's races. 🙂 As I'm the one that pays, it really had no value to him. We had a good laugh about that. I would be creative about what he did win. Can he redeem it for birthday gifts for his siblings or something fun like that? Bake a big victory cake with the supplies?

Favorite - Chipped races - 5K / 10K / Triathlons Don't Mind - Christmas Wreath / Winter Holiday Plant and Gift - only the fundraisers where the company sends your orders directly to the addresses you provide

I submitted an ACT score and letters of recommendation from her athletic coaches. I do not think she would have been accepted without them. I also made a transcript that covered seventh and eighth grade. For classes taken at home I just used my best judgement as far as giving grades. However, every situation is different. I would speak to people locally that have had their children accepted into the program. What are their thoughts on acceptance procedures and requirements?

Florida doesn't test homeschool students so that won't be a worry. If your dd is a minor and your (parent) residency remains in another state it is unlikely that you will need to register in FL nor will you receive any of the benefits of Florida homeschoolers. In this county homeschoolers can sign up for the PSAT with their zoned public high school. DE is free to Florida homeschoolers if they are registered with their school district or belong to an umbrella school that has a contract with the local college. I don't have any information about AP exams as none of my children have ever taken them, however, if the ballet school takes out-of-state, homeschooled students regularly they likely have information about how to take the PSAT, AP exams, etc.

Won't your son qualify for Bright Futures? It is a state university. Is the double cost due to room & board? I would definitely tour and meet the actual professors your son would be working with. It seems to be a love/hate university. Almost everyone I know that has gone to New College either absolutely loved it, or transferred out after the first or second year. The professors involved have a lot to do with that. And the fact that there is very little hand holding. The students are expected to be very self motivated and able to work well on their own time schedule. Often times nothing is due until the end of the semester. It makes it easy for students on their own for the first time to suddenly be looking at a major project due and only a week left in the semester. If the student doesn't pass the course it can be discouraging to have to retake it a second time. Most of the people I know that did graduate went on to a master's program in another university without issue. It is liberal arts based, so the people I know went on to advanced degrees in humanities/education areas and all found good jobs without issue. I don't know as much about the math/science degrees. I looked at it myself when I was a teen and didn't connect with the professors in my major. My children have all been there (as we have relatives that have attended) and they all feel/felt it is too small for them. The size does limit the social options as well as the diversity of students on campus.

We officially start the new school year tomorrow, so hopefully this is the final plan.

My two youngest are athletes. My dd 15 spends 20 hours per week in actual practice and another 3-5 hours per week working out on her own. Meets are additional and take up huge chunks of time as well, probably 20+ hours per month. My ds 14 spends 18 hours per week in actual practices. We have been spending the past month trying to figure out how to add another 7-9 hours of practice per week to his schedule this year. His meets add another 20+ hours per month as well. The current intention for both is to participate in sports at the club level in college. We consider physical health to be just as important as academics. We have always encouraged our children in great amounts of outside time and physical activity for their mental, emotional and physical well-being. It is a struggle to balance the academics, but we always tend toward the shifting of the academic choices and not the physical ones. Both of my children are quite good at their sports and this adds to their passion for athletics. I like the lessons they learn in hard-work, endurance, discipline, team play, disappointment, discouragement, long term goals, and respect among many others. Their commitment to their sports is a huge part of who they currently are, whereas, they see academics as more of a requirement for long term goals. They take academics seriously and do well, but if a corner needs to be cut it will be cut in that area.