Pongo Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 (edited) A new principal is coming in this year. He believes very strongly that homeschoolers should be given EVERY opportunity that public school kids have. Including access to curriculum, clubs , classes , etc. So, he sent out a letter to homeschooling families, stating he will have home school registration day. Basically, you come in pick whatever classes, sports and activities you want your child to participate in, and they will give you a schedule and try out information. We have a state of the art HS, and A LOT of home-school parents put their kids in the HS. He is trying to make that an easier transition. He said we don't have to do any classes, and they can come in for just music lessons if we wish or nothing at all. He said whatever you like, there is not minimum or maximum, and your not obligated to register. This is too go to be true. I am already thinking, music, Spanish and art would be amazing!!!! Edited July 30, 2010 by Pongo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Wow! That would be enough to make it worth registering with the public schools and doing the state testing in the required grades! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pongo Posted July 30, 2010 Author Share Posted July 30, 2010 Wow! That would be enough to make it worth registering with the public schools and doing the state testing in the required grades! I asked about testing, and he said they would be required to pass their classes they are in but would not be expected to do testing to move up in grades. He felt very comfortable with parent done portfolios, because he feels testing does not test what the child does know, but what they don't know. He added, he felt the only time testing would be required is if the parents want a HS diploma, then they would be required to do the required state testing for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 I'm jealous and my dd is only in 2nd grade! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 In my state, if you register with the public system, you have to do state testing at the same grades that schools are required to give it (3rd, 5th, 8th, and certain high school classes-and if the test scores aren't at grade level, a parent can be forced to set up a remediation plan or send the child to ps). We don't get any access to school programs-only a doorway by which they can restrict our homeschooling, so most of us choose to spend the $50 or so a year to register with an Umbrella school instead, just out of the principle of the thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pongo Posted July 30, 2010 Author Share Posted July 30, 2010 In my state, if you register with the public system, you have to do state testing at the same grades that schools are required to give it (3rd, 5th, 8th, and certain high school classes-and if the test scores aren't at grade level, a parent can be forced to set up a remediation plan or send the child to ps). We don't get any access to school programs-only a doorway by which they can restrict our homeschooling, so most of us choose to spend the $50 or so a year to register with an Umbrella school instead, just out of the principle of the thing. Oh my, that's a pain. I live in Massachusetts, and it really varies district to district. Some areas go to the very limits of the homeschooling law boundaries. Then others, like this new principal, takes the "at your schools discretion" to make life much easier. I am shocked, I will go next week and see how they have it set up.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdie Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Okay, I am moving to your school district. Music, art and Spanish is what I would pick, too - plus sports and science. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pongo Posted July 30, 2010 Author Share Posted July 30, 2010 Okay, I am moving to your school district. Music, art and Spanish is what I would pick, too - plus sports and science. LOL....if she wasn't taking online science, I would have done that;) She is a soccer player, so soccer and ski club are also in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 That is so...incredible! Our local schools are anything BUT homeschool friendly. We're the enemy here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 Nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FourSweetBoys Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 WOW! I am so jealous! That truly sounds like the best of both worlds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 How wonderful! I can't understand why more schools won't do this. Don't they get credit for even partial admissions (and hence, more money)? It seems to me that the greater their enrollment, the greater the dollars they have to spend.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pongo Posted July 31, 2010 Author Share Posted July 31, 2010 How wonderful! I can't understand why more schools won't do this. Don't they get credit for even partial admissions (and hence, more money)? It seems to me that the greater their enrollment, the greater the dollars they have to spend.... My understanding is, if we register for 1 class, or even 1 sport they can qualify us for part-time students. So yes, they get more money. I was getting ready to sign up for coop, now I don't have to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyWifeandMommy Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 I am planning on doing this with my children at our school. I talked to the principle and was told when we register we can use the library, host nations class, art and music. I look forward to it this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dm379 Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 We'll be starting that when school starts in Sept. The kids are assigned to a teacher and they can come and go with whatever subjects they please. Since we have to go there twice a week for ds's speech therapy anyway, dd is going to be going to art and music during those times. They purposely put her in a class so she can do the activities we requested and I won't have to be there any extra. They're both eligable for all clubs and we can change our minds at any time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebug_1976 Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 That is so...incredible! Our local schools are anything BUT homeschool friendly. We're the enemy here. :iagree:Wow, must be nice! Homeschoolers are not allowed to participate in anything with our schools. Here your either in or out, 100% either way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athome Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 Wow! That sounds great. Keep us posted on your thoughts as you go along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 One high school in our county is doing the same thing. They can take as many or few classes as they want. The only limitations are thouse put on the students by governing organizations for atheltics and such. For example, the student may practice with the basketball team but can't play in sanctioned games unless they are a full time student in the school. Same thing for band/choir competitions. I see it as a win win situation personally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschoolva Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 That sounds great! I know the DODDS schools overseas offer the same thing and our schools here are pretty similar. In fact my kiddos (9th and 11th grades) are attending a homeschool academy that is one day a week and free for homeschoolers. We can even register if we are in another district (there are 15 school districts in our county - it is incredible). We maintain our homeschool status, take no tests and the kids take art, technology, Spanish, history, science and language arts. They also do trips monthly to enhance something they are studying and have a partnership for extra arts and sports that they pay for us to take if we choose. This area is very homeschool friendly and we are fortunate to be able to take advantage of these opportunities. We are military and have notice every state and every county is very different. It is a shame they can't implement some of these things nationwide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meet me in paris Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 How wonderful! I can't understand why more schools won't do this. Don't they get credit for even partial admissions (and hence, more money)? It seems to me that the greater their enrollment, the greater the dollars they have to spend.... It probably depends on the state, but in my experience they do. The DoD schools overseas loved it if we enrolled our kids "part time" because they could count them as a student and get more funding. I always wondered why more school districts didn't operate this way... we never had any negatives in dealing with the school (i.e. give them an inch and they'll take a mile in terms of reporting/supervision, etc.) and had lots of positive interactions with the guidance team, librarian and extra curricular teachers. I think it's a win-win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2squared Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 My kids are still little, but it sounds just like my local little elementary school. Last year my 2nd grader took PE & music at the school. She also went on all the field trips in the big yellow bus and participated in many of the special activities. It was the best of both worlds for us. We were very welcomed at the school, and I am sure I am better known to the staff than many of the public school parents! The only thing that got old was taking her into the school every day. I dropped her art class at Christmas time so I only had to drive her 3-4 days/week. This year I am seriously considering sending her on the city bus (which, in a town of 1500, is pretty humorous calling it a city bus when it's anything but!) so I don't have to drive our newborn around so much. I found dd's art, music, and PE classes to be top-notch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara R Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 Utah schools have to do this by state law. It's called dual enrollment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 I'm going to be a wet blanket. When something is too good to be true, it's too good to be true. I wouldn't have my kids involved with our ps on any level, anytime, anywhere. It's a trap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemary63 Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 That WOULD be a dream come true. Wow, you are blessed. We can't have access to ANYTHING in our public schools in AR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 That WOULD be a dream come true. Wow, you are blessed. We can't have access to ANYTHING in our public schools in AR. The school I was talking about earlier is in Arkansas. However, it is the only one in the county doing it - the others still think homeschoolers are terrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Goldwater Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 A new principal is coming in this year. He believes very strongly that homeschoolers should be given EVERY opportunity that public school kids have. Including access to curriculum, clubs , classes , etc.So, he sent out a letter to homeschooling families, stating he will have home school registration day. Basically, you come in pick whatever classes, sports and activities you want your child to participate in, and they will give you a schedule and try out information. We have a state of the art HS, and A LOT of home-school parents put their kids in the HS. He is trying to make that an easier transition. He said we don't have to do any classes, and they can come in for just music lessons if we wish or nothing at all. He said whatever you like, there is not minimum or maximum, and your not obligated to register. This is too go to be true. I am already thinking, music, Spanish and art would be amazing!!!! yikes...four classes?????? just enroll them full time already... I'm with remudamom. It stinks to high heaven...if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is...they'll regulate you to death or beat you into submission to eventually enroll full-time...but if you are okay with that...your business, of course... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckens Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 Your assignment: Find out how the new principal acquired these opinions and report back here to us!!! Does he have homeschoolers in the family? Cousins? Nieces/Nephews? College friends? A spouse? Himself? Did he have a specific professor in college that discussed the educational benefits for everyone due to homeschooling (higher test scores; homeschoolers challenging peers with higher achievement when they return to public school; overall benefits to society; saves $$ in the district)? Has he read the WTM? Did someone anonymously send him a year's subscription to their favorite homeschooling magazine??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 yikes...four classes?????? just enroll them full time already... I'm with remudamom. It stinks to high heaven...if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is...they'll regulate you to death or beat you into submission to eventually enroll full-time...but if you are okay with that...your business, of course... Our school district has done this for many years. That hasn't been my experience with dual enrollment. My DD & DS go for Art and the gifted program along with a number of other homeschoolers. Standardize testing isn't required with the dual enrollment. They have never tried to regulate or twist our arm to get us back into public school. The principals have been friendly and approachable. And if they started to regulate or get pushy I would pull out right away. Our state laws provide the protection we need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 Your assignment: Find out how the new principal acquired these opinions and report back here to us!!! Does he have homeschoolers in the family? Cousins? Nieces/Nephews? College friends? A spouse? Himself? Did he have a specific professor in college that discussed the educational benefits for everyone due to homeschooling (higher test scores; homeschoolers challenging peers with higher achievement when they return to public school; overall benefits to society; saves $$ in the district)? Has he read the WTM? Did someone anonymously send him a year's subscription to their favorite homeschooling magazine??? Our principal stated that she believes that doors should be open to any child for any educational opportunity. It is public education. We still pay taxes and we should be able to use those free resources even on a pick-n-choose level. So the door is open for my children to go for any subject. I don't know that she supports homeschooling per se. But she certainly didn't give me a hard time when I told her my children wouldn't be returning to school full-time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2squared Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 (edited) Our school district has done this for many years. That hasn't been my experience with dual enrollment. My DD & DS go for Art and the gifted program along with a number of other homeschoolers. Standardize testing isn't required with the dual enrollment. They have never tried to regulate or twist our arm to get us back into public school. The principals have been friendly and approachable. And if they started to regulate or get pushy I would pull out right away. Our state laws provide the protection we need. :iagree: My elementary school welcomes us with open arms. They have never even hinted at trying to get us to enroll in public school. Our principal is truly interested in what is best for each child, and he believes that should be more time spent with parents and more time on childhood pursuits like climbing trees. ETA: Our warm welcome might be helped that my children are super well-behaved and seemingly at the top of their respective classes. I suppose if they had behavior struggles or were "behind" academically the school may have a different opinion of our schooling decision. Edited August 1, 2010 by 2squared Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 How wonderful! I can't understand why more schools won't do this. Don't they get credit for even partial admissions (and hence, more money)? It seems to me that the greater their enrollment, the greater the dollars they have to spend.... Not in Texas, they don't. Schools even lose funding if full-time students miss more than a certain number of days. There's no money given for part-time students. I'm not sure if I want that to change or not. Homeschooling is so incredibly easy in Texas. Our PS doesn't even know we exist! I'm afraid of the slippery slope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 I'm really not understanding the schools getting excited over extra funding. In theory, the extra funding would go to pay for the extra children, so take away the children, and you wouldn't need the extra funding. Right? Or is the extra going somewhere else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my4boysmom Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 I hate to be a kill joy but I feel this hurts homeschooling. The purpose of homeschooling for me is the control over the education my boys get and if I'm doing testing to get some Art, Drama and etc then it's too high of a price. We have access to sports and such already but my boys don't want to do it at our high school. They get lots of money for part timers and some school districts as discussed get nothing or maybe not enough to warrant it. Arizona is homeschool friendly and we don't have to provide anything to the state except an afidavit with the intent to homeschool. I'm afraid that if I submit to testing through them that I will help the laws change by giving them access to scores and then they will ask for more of us homeschoolers here later down the road because of choices I made now. It starts somewhere because they lose funding from us so now with the economy they are find ways to appeal to us and it is all about the money by offering enrichment programs. I thought about it this year because of what they offer but then I just found a way to do it here. I'm not trying to shoot it down for anyone because it's a personal choice and this is my personal choice. This is a way to ask for more from you later down the road Arizona requires Math, English, Science and History to be taught at home to be considered a homeschooler and if you are being taught any of that at a PS then you are considered a PS student and no longer a homeschooler. I'm just sharing because it helped me make my decisions. Great that you were offered these options and it meets your needs. I know that I'm lucky I live here in AZ because of all of our great resources. I hope no one is mad at me for bringing it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 We are not required to take the standardize tests to have dual enrollment with our public school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beetkvass Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 That's incredible! I can't imagine that being done in our district. I have a friend in KS though who has a similar situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pongo Posted August 1, 2010 Author Share Posted August 1, 2010 Your assignment: Find out how the new principal acquired these opinions and report back here to us!!! Does he have homeschoolers in the family? Cousins? Nieces/Nephews? College friends? A spouse? Himself? Did he have a specific professor in college that discussed the educational benefits for everyone due to homeschooling (higher test scores; homeschooling challenging peers with higher achievement when they return to public school; overall benefits to society; saves $$ in the district)? Has he read the WTM? Did someone anonymously send him a year's subscription to their favorite homeschooling magazine??? He goes to a Church that has a home-school coop. He is VERY friendly and close to many homeschooling families and thinks the kids are great. I think he is coming in with his own positive expierences of knowing homeschooling kids and that will be transferred over in his middle school...yay for me. That's all I know, I will have a meeting the second week of Aug. I'll let you know:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pongo Posted August 1, 2010 Author Share Posted August 1, 2010 yikes...four classes?????? just enroll them full time already... I'm with remudamom. It stinks to high heaven...if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is...they'll regulate you to death or beat you into submission to eventually enroll full-time...but if you are okay with that...your business, of course... The four classes will be Soccer, which is not really a class, it's the middle school sports team and it's after school. Art once a week, Spanish four times a week for 45 minutes and Music, which again is once a week. I hardly see the need to consider that full-time or even part-time, so I don't plan on enrolling her. I am treading very cautiously here, I have asked many homeschooling groups if they have heard of this, and this is a first for many. I think, if done correctly, this can be a wonderful additional resource for homeschooling. I am done with coops, having started one and participated in one, it's just to much work. I like the little amount of time spent with someone else instructing her, plus the homework she'll be getting from the Spanish class. I am hoping the class will give her a glimpse to what would eventually expected of her at the secondary level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeanne in MN Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 That would be wonderful! Our school here allows no less than part time. So they have to go at least half a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 That is so...incredible! Our local schools are anything BUT homeschool friendly. We're the enemy here. I'm working with my local junior high school to get my oldest signed up for French and maybe art. They are thrilled to have him if only for one or two classes. I checked in with my local homeschooling board and found that a dozen or so kids had taken classes (at junior high and high school) level at the local schools without any problems. They will even allow him to take the bus (electives are first thing in the morning). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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