Mr. Althage is a favorite of the students I know. Mr. Bradley, who is teaching Logic 2 next year, is also a favorite. My daughter did Logic 2 (Mr. Vierra), Rhetoric 1 (Mr. Colvin), and Rhetoric 2 with senior thesis (Mr. Vierra) at WHA. All of the classes and teachers were fabulous. I would definitely recommend doing a senior thesis. It was a growing experience that put her ahead of her peers in college. AP Art with Mr. Colvin was also a highlight of her senior year as well as Modern Literature & Thought with Mrs. Crawford.

I've heard great things about Galloway and Tuin for Physics 1.

Has anyone taken Formal Logic at Schole Academy this year with Mr. Schambach, Mr. Bradshaw, or Mr. Quinodoz? I'd love to hear reviews of the class and teachers.

Has anyone taken Geometry at Schole Academy this year with Mr. Bradshaw? I'd love to hear reviews of the class.

This was not our experience at WHA, but my daughter's teacher is no longer teacher there. Mrs. Paul was her teacher for Physics 1 at WHA, and they did an enormous amount of math. She also learned to write amazing lab reports.

My daughter has done all her science classes at WHA. She started in 9th grade with Physics 1. In 10th grade she did Honors Chemistry. This year she is doing AP Biology. The thing I like about doing Physics 1 in 9th grade is the algebra-based math. 9th grade is usually the year of geometry for math, so it helps keep algebra skills sharp. I also like that that Novarre science is mastery based. My daughter still remembers the formulas from Physics 1 and enjoyed it so much that she is choosing to do Physics 2 next year as a senior.

Regarding submitting work, I choose to correct the homework assignments with my son instead of having him self-check. He then makes corrections and highlights any questions he has. Each class begins with a quiz that covers answers they got in the homework and is followed by students questions and review. Students are also involved in working problems during class. The Waucom tablet is recommended, but if you have an iPad it works better because it mirrors the computer screen which my son finds easier to use. The writing is also neater and more ledgible. (My son uses a $10 stylus from Amazon.) I downloaded the app Astropad for $29.99 on the iPad and then downloaded the computer version for the iMac. (Astropad only works with Apple computers.) Duet Display is cheaper and is designed to work with Apple or Windows computers but after a couple hours of troubleshooting, I never had success getting it to work. I need to call the company and get help, but I haven't taken the time. Astropad was more expensive, but I had it downloading and working in minutes. It also allows the iPad to connect wirelessly which is convenient.

Sorry for the delay in responding. I have not been able to log onto this website for some reason... The math load of Math 6 is very manageable. They do a mixture of problems from the textbook and pages in the extra practice book. The word problems are the toughest (and my son's weakness) and the reason I decided to try Math 6 which uses Math in Focus. I thought the 1.5 hr math classes may be too long, but my son stays engaged and never complains. The teacher is encouraging and fun. The only thing I don't like about Math in Focus is that there is only review at the end of a chapter and a cumulative review at the end of each book. I'm used to a spiral curriculum. There are tests at the end of each of each chapter. Sometimes the teacher grades them and sometimes parents do and report the grade to the teacher. Tests are about every 2 weeks and are usually open notes and open book. It has been a good learning experience for my son to search the chapter for help during a test. It's usually the word problems that require him to do so. On his first test, he ignored using his book for help and missed several problems. I let the teacher know and she emailed him the page numbers and problems to look at in the book for each of the problems he got wrong on the test, and she encouraged him to resubmit his test. The teacher is very responsive to emails and encourages the students to contact her with questions.

LA1 is the introductory level in this sequence, typically appropriate for 5th graders or advanced 4th graders. Throughout the year, discussions, debates, and projects will assist the students, and encourage a love of reading as they connect personally to the unique characters and storylines. Poetry, memory work, dictation, and copywork are incorporated weekly, providing opportunities for the students to be involved in the class in a myriad of ways. As biblical truths are discussed and identified within each story and its characters, students are encouraged to share how this impacts their daily lives. The Grammar & Writing curriculum is available as a PDF for downloading. Typical Reading: The Trumpet of the Swan, E. B. White Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster Old Yeller, Fred Gipson Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, Robert C. O’Brien Just So Stories, Rudyard Kipling Prince Caspian, CS Lewis The Sign of the Beaver, Elizabeth George Speare There is a grammar test for LA 1, 2 & 3 at WHA. It doesn't make you ineligible to take the class, but it helps parents know what they need to work on during the summer to help prepare for the class they chose, or they can switch to a different class. I have a friend with a gifted 5th grade girl who left private school this year and did LA2. She said LA2 has really challenged her. Regarding LA1, I don't think you need to add more literature. More is not always better and limits the depth you can go into for each book. If you find you need more reading, Veritas Press Self-paced has suggested books that go with the lessons. I don't know what age you are able to start the WHA Fundamentals of Western Civ. They have added some elementary history courses, but I'd do Veritas Press self-paced instead. They are fun and the kids learn so much. For me, history and science are the "candy" of our curriculum. I try to make choices that will be fun at this level. I really focus on reading, writing & math. My son learned to like writing with Writing & Rhetoric. HE doesn't want to stop that curriculum because he loves the stories they read and write about. He still doesn't read for pleasure, but he likes the books and discussions about them in LA3, and I like that dication, copywork, vocabulary, grammar, recitations & writing are all tied to the literature they are reading and woven together. He is doing more in LA2 than I could have ever gotten him to do. I have learned with my high school daughter, to try and do Algebra 1 in 8th grade to be on track for college entrance exams. She ended up doing two maths in one year to get caught up. Many families are more laid back about math, but I don't want to limit college choices because I didn't stress the importance of pursuing high mathematics. If your child isn't developmentally ready, however, you shouldn't push. If they are just lazy...that's another story. My son leans toward lazy. That's why I am so exited about the Pre-Algebra teacher at Schole Academy. Dr. Riley addresses character development and the sin of being slothful. She also celebrates failure because it's the first step to success. She may have some helpful advice on elementary curriculum.https://www.scholeacademy.com/open-house/

Incase anyone is interested in Touch-type Read and Spell. Homeschool buyers Co-op offers it at a significant discount. https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/touchtypereadspell/?source=taf-cp

Like your son, I enrolled my son in online classes because he needed to be pushed. My son is in 6th grade this year. He is doing both W&R 3 and LA2 this year. They go so well together. He is also doing Math 6 at WHA and Spanish 2B at Schole Academy. LA at WHA has the literature & grammar I was looking for because my son is a reluctant reader and needed some competition and someone else to be accountable to. The writing is completely different from W&R, but uses some of the same concepts. I was a little concerned about LA being 1.5 hours long, but he is completely engaged and the time flies by. My son is going to continue with LA3 and W&R4 because they are both fabulous and I feel it is beneficial to do more writing. Personally, I'd do both instead of adding online science. My son had Mrs. McGahey this year who is energetic, encouraging, and knowledgeable. One thing I would do different in 6th grade is to enroll my son in Fundamentals of Latin at WHA instead of Spanish 2B. I have heard Kelly Songer is a fun teacher. Veritas Press Self-paced history and Bible are wonderful. My son started them in 3rd grade and did them year round, even on weekends. I just kept buying them during sales and he had them all completed by September 2018. He loved to do them while he was eating breakfast, and I loved listening to them while I cooked and cleaned up. If you are starting in 5th grade, I'd start with his interest. My son's favorite was Old Testament & Ancient Egypt. Julie Etter at WHA teaches Fundamentals of Western Civilization which covers all the VP history levels so if you don't have time for history you can catch up. I have a friend's daughter who is taking it this year in 7th grade and LOVES it. If you think your son will be ready for The Great Conversations 1 in 7th grade, I'd take her class in 6th grade. I'm going to have my son to Omnibus 1 Primary (Veritas Press self-paced) and not add any writing assignments because he is taking two writing classes next year. My daughter is in high school and has taken the high school level The Great Conversations classes and can't fathom doing them self-paced. I just don't know if he's ready and it's cheaper to do Omnibus self-paced for the exposure until he is ready for live. We used an online self-paced science curriculum I highly recommend - Experience Astronomy https://experienceastronomy.com We are going to do https://www.scienceondemand.info with Catie Frates next year. Catie is a creation scientist. She is passionate about science and a lot of fun to listen to. I'm not a fan of Math-u-see, but many parents like it for their children if they are not STEM bound. I know several families that are redoing Algebra 1 & 2 in high school after using Math-U-See. I haven't found any math curriculum I totally love though. Math 6 at WHA has been a challenge for my son, but he needed it and will be well prepared for pre-algebra next year. I am really excited about Pre-Algebra at Schole Academy next year though. Eric Reini at WHA is great, but I like that the Schole Academy class is 3 times a week and I think the teacher will be a good fit. I did not do formal spelling this year. Instead he is doing Touch-type Read and Spell https://www.ttrsonline.com/Account/LogOn?ReturnUrl=%2fDashboard

My daughter greatly enjoys Mr. Vierra as a teacher, however, she also has Mr. Colvin this year and is really enjoying Rhetoric 1 with him. She is planning to take AP Art History with him next year because she likes his teaching style so well.

Eric Reini at Wilson Hill Academy makes math class fun. I was planning on my son taking pre-algebra with him next year until I attended the open house for Schole Academy. My son is very gifted but lazy. I like how the pre-algebra teacher at Schole Academy addresses sloth, perseverance, learning from mistakes, and the importance of showing work. It also meets 3 times a week for about 1 hour a session rather than twice a week for 1.5 hours.

Anyone have a student take the Programming Harmony class at Schole Academy?