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Members:
Glenn Cesa
Karen Cesa
Dawn Perry
Glenn PerryLINKS SECTION
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| FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES |
| GREEN POND BIBLE CHAPEL |
| SONLIGHT CURRICULUM |
FAQs of CHHS
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NOTE!!: THIS PAGE NOT YET UPDATED FOR HOMELINK!
The Christian Homeschoolers' Hybrid School: Helping Keep Homeschoolers at HOME!
1. What is a Hybrid School? A "hybrid school" is a term coined by a homeschool mom referring to "a cross between a private school and a homeschool" situation. A hybrid situation is actually a tutoring resource for homeschool parents to partner with professionally trained educators to provide an ideal academic experience for their children. In a hybrid, homeschool students attend academic classes taught by qualified, professional teachers, and then are responsible to independently carry out assignments at home during the week. In most hybrid-type schools, only Junior and Senior High classes are available, held once a week, for 60-90 minutes each class (thus a maximum of four to six classes in a day) with a Christian, professional teacher trained in each academic area.
2. Why consider a Hybrid? Many homeschool moms feel that they can adequately teach their children up to a certain point, then they feel they begin to “tap out” somewhere at the Jr. High or Sr. High levels. While preferring to homeschool, many end up putting their children in a school, either public or private, simply “by default”, however, as they feel their adequacies fail. A hybrid is designed to meet the need of homeschooling parents: to partner with professionals for higher academics, yet not on a full-time basis, so that schooling can continue at home. The demand for outside help could be for any subject matter, but from a homeschool survey, highest interest is in the subject areas of Math, Sciences, Foreign Languages, Writing Composition and the Classics (Logic, Rhetoric, Debate, Latin, Greek and Great Books Literature).
3. What about the "partnering" between the parent and the professional teacher? In partnering the professional teacher with the parent, the two actually work together to complete the educational process. Both roles, those of the parent and of the teacher, vary from class to class, but in general run along the same lines. The professional teacher is primarily responsible for TEACHING: conveying the academic content to the students, thus relieving the homeschool parent of having to learn/know all the specific content in order for the student to receive that class. The teacher also often does the grading of the more difficult pieces of work (research papers, mid-terms and finals, and lab reports in the case of Science). The parent, on the other hand, MANAGES the student: the parent has the advantage of being with the student day to day, and has the role of making sure the student is regularly completing his work, is understanding the work, and often does the correcting of the lighter assignments at home (quizzes, unit tests, editing of initial drafts of work, underlining mistakes so the student can self-correct, etc.). Ultimately, unlike in a traditional setting, the parent is the primary teacher and can make final judgment calls on course requirements, however, working within the realm of what the CHHS teacher has laid out so as not to disrupt class homogenity.
4. Can I see an example of a Hybrid School? There are several other programs such as the CHHS: two are in South Jersey, called the "Homeschool Academy of South Jersey", and the "Westminster School". There are no websites at the present time for these New Jersey schools, but contact information can be provided upon request. Another example of such a school is called the "Knox Academy" in Tennessee. While Knox Academy refers to its program as a tutorial service, the description of Knox and its set-up is quite similar to the educational setting called a “Hybrid”.
5. Description of the CHCC/S and CHHS: The Christian Homeschoolers' Classical Co-op/School is a successful and rigorous academic co-op, run and taught by HOMESCHOOLING MOMS (all participants teach; each family's contribution is CO-OPERATIVE TEACHING). The Co-op (CHCC/S) runs in Monday mornings and has LIMITED SPACE and enrollment. Interested participants should refer to the Hybrid Administrators for more information on the CHCC/S.
The CHCC/S (co-op) actually added the Hybrid program as an extention to their existing program which opens up enrollment to more families since participation in the CHHS (Hybrid) is based on tuition rather than co-operative teaching. This extension of the co-op is called the "Christian Homeschoolers" Hybrid School" (CHHS). Unlike the Co-op, the CHHS uses professionally trained teachers, and the families participating in the Hybrid pay tuition for their classes rather than provide cooperative teaching themselves.
6. What does the Co-op/Hybrid union look like? The Co-op begins in the morning on Mondays and runs for four, 60-minute periods of Logic, Latin, History and Science, for 30 weeks. The Hybrid coincides with the Co-op's schedule for some of this time and continues on where Co-op officially ends; Hybrid runs for a total of seven periods, each 70 min. for 33 weeks.
7. Where does the Hybrid take place? The Green Pond Bible Chapel provides their facility for the CHCC/S and they graciously extend the homeschool time on Mondays to accomodate the Hybrid School. Green Pond Bible Chapel is located along Rt. 513 (3 miles south of Rt. 23 in Newfoundland and 6 miles north of Rt. 80 at Denville); a map of their location can be seen on their website or on the MapQuest link at the bottom of our CHHS home page.
8. What kind of fees are required? Fees are necessary to cover the cost of paying the professional teachers, providing a donation for Green Pond, insurance coverage, operating costs, etc. The Hybrid fees attempt to be commensurate with online course fees, which generally run between $300-$400 a year, per course, per student. The Hybrid tuition fees are actually $250 per year, per course, per student. Along with a tuition fee there is both a $50 non-refundable registration fee per year, per student (not per course) and a "building use fee" of $75-$100 per student, per year (depending upon enrollment). Fees do NOT include school materials, texts, etc. Tuition payments can be made on a 3-part payment plan, paying ahead, per trimester; registration and building use fees must be paid upfront. There is no discount for multiple students within a family but there are, however, discounts per course fee as enrollment increases in each class. Finally, because the CHHS is a non-profit organization, there is no profit; monies coming in as tuition go out as teacher salaries, insurance, etc. Any and all late tuition payments incur a 10% late charge.
9. What about refunds? Refunds are not necessary since payments are made on a trimester-by-trimester basis. Any move or otherwise legitimate reason to withdraw from the school must be made known prior to the next trimester; once the trimester has begun and payment received, no reimbursements will be made. No refund is given, either, in the event of withdrawal from a class, in fact, a $50 withdrawal fee is required (see Fees Page. No refunds will be made for any student, in the rare case, who is expelled due to repeated misconduct.
10. What are some of the benefits to participating in the Hybrid?
- a large portion of the academic needs of 7th-12th grade students being met in one place;
- broaden the base of Christian student peers for homeschooled students;
- qualified professional teachers for courses that homeschool parents want for their children but feel less qualified to teach;
- hired teachers decrease the amount of extended learning homeschool moms need in order to keep up with oldest children;
- Hybrid takes on the burden of searching for qualified teachers instead of individuals or smaller co-op groups each searching;
- professional teachers can provide greater expertise and higher expectation levels than many homeschool parents;
- professional teachers can provide outside-the-home accountability, which can prepare older homeschool students for college;
- Hired teachers have greater income potential with pooled students in Hybrid rather than working for just individual students alone.
11. What classes are available? All current courses each year can be seen on the Home Page, but the general list of included courses are listed below. Details on each course can be found under the section of "Course Descriptions":
- General Science, Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Advanced Biology
- Saxon 8/7, PreAlgebra, Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Adv. Math, Calculus
- Grammar 7, Writing Comp 1, Writing Comp 2, Writing Comp 3, Great Books Lit 1, Great Books Lit 2
- Spanish 1, Spanish 2, Spanish 3
- Latin 1, Latin 2, Latin 3
- Logic 1, Logic 2, Material Logic, Rhetoric
- Study Skills, SAT Prep, Public Speaking
12. Do parents have to be on the premises during classes? No, parents are not required to remain on the premises: The Hybrid is a "drop off" situation. However, there are strict "Arrival and Dismissal Policies" that must be adhered to for the safety of all students. In summary, these policies state:
- EVERY student, regardless of age, must be escorted into the building by the parent or other accompanying adult and proceed to the Information Station where attendance and any special communications and/or announcements take place. No student, regardless of age, will be dropped off outside the building to enter alone. Upon this arrival, the escort will inform the Director/Hall Monitor of who will be picking up the student at the termination of his classes that day if different from himself.
- All parents are required to arrive at the CHHS roughly 15 minutes prior to the first class in order that they may register their students' attendance for the day and also check for any communications/announcements. HOWEVER, students are not allowed to come significantly more than 15 minutes prior to their first class.
- All students, regardless of age, are required to be picked up by the designated parent or escort no later than 15 minutes after the completion of their last class.
13. Are there any provisions for younger children during the Hybrid time? The Hybrid Board has designed a "Sibling Club" for parents who are involved in the operations of the Hybrid and who have children too young to be enrolled in the Hybrid; these younger siblings must be at least 5 years of age. These children can be enrolled in the Sibling Club for an annual tuition fee that covers their insurance, and their parent MUST be on the premises at all times that they are in the Sibling Club. The Sibling Club is NOT open to just any siblings of Hybrid students and is NOT a drop off program for participating Hybrid parents who are not actively working in the Hybrid (teacher, administration, helpers, etc). Sibling Club enrollees are limited to specific areas and specific activities at specific times during the Hybrid hours. This provision will continue as long as volunteering parents are able/willing to coordinate and supervise it. Other policies also exist; more information on the Sibling Club can be obtained through contacting the administration.
14. Can homeschool moms teach in the Hybrid for pay?
- If a homeschool mom has a professional degree AND teaching experience in a certain subject area, she can apply and be interviewed amongst the other candidates for a teaching position and be paid at a "Professional" level of the pay scale;
- A homeschool mom who does not have a professional degree but does have significant homeschool/co-op teaching experience in a certain subject area can be considered for teaching in the Hybrid, to be paid at a "Experiential" level of pay (see the Teacher Pay Scale).
15. What if a Hybrid teacher has his/her own children enrolled in the Hybrid? Hybrid teachers would receive free tuition for any of their own children who are enrolled in the class/es they themselves teach; their children would pay the standard rate for Hybrid classes that they themselves do not teach.
16. What are the Specific Requirements to Participate?
- All participating families must demonstrate a desire to strive for excellence in home education;
- All participating members must be able to agree with the CHHS Statement of Faith;
- Participants must have homeschooled for at LEAST one year prior to joining the CHHS, and
- Participants of High School age students must be familiar with current graduation requirements for the State of New Jersey,
- The minimum grade level (not age) of youngest participant must be 7th Grade coursework;
- Families must be referred by a CURRENT CHHS member; member needs to vouch for the family's commitment to strive for excellence in education, Christian character and commitment to homeschooling in general;
- Families must submit student references that demonstrate quality academic achievement as well as positive character;
- The overall course needs of the student must fit with the overall student needs of the existing Hybrid courses;
- The homeschooling parent agrees to pay all designated fees in a timely fashion and agrees to pay late fees (10%) when payment exceeds the given time limit;
- The homeschooling parent realizes that s/he is still primarily in charge of the education of enrolled student/s and complies with the overseeing requirements of all participating parents, as specified for each individual class (indicated in "Parental Roles");
- Disciplinary Policies and Student Behavior are understood; parent and student BOTH agree to adhere to these policies set forth in the CHHS and;
- Participating parent realizes that a student's repeated failure to adhere to behavioral guidelines will result in expulsion from the CHHS with no monetary compensation to the parent;
- Contract and Statement of Faith are both signed for the given school year;
- All participants realize that a minimum of five Tuition Students are required in order to effectively operate a given class; classes will be run as teachers are found to be available;
- All participants must submit a provided Character Reference Questionnaire;
- All members must have access to regular email use, join the CHHS email loop and agree to check loop emails a MINIMUM of three times weekly and respond promptly when indicated for all CHHS communications.
17. How Do I Determine My Candidacy?
This section is designed to help you determine how well you and/or your student would fit into the Hybrid situation and for you to understand how the CHHS administration processes new applicants. Read through each set of points. The more you have in the top portion, the more likely of a fit you are in the Hybrid. If you agree STRONGLY with any ONE of the points in the lower section, you are more than likely NOT a good fit for the Hybrid situation.
You are more likely a good candidate for Hybrid if:
- _____ You desire to continue to keep your Junior High and Senior High students at home, but feel that you are losing the ability to "do it all";
- _____ You’ve used online courses, co-op classes, community school courses but “piece-mealing” your program is exhausting; you would like to get more classes in one place.
- _____ You desire to have a professional TEACH the material while you provide ASSISTANCE with your subject matter for your older students;
- _____ You would like some classroom experience (teachers, other students, deadlines, comprehensive testing) but you don’t want FULL TIME, 5-day a week schooling for your child;
- _____ Your student is well motivated and works well independently;
- _____ You have never homeschooled; you need to understand the role of a homeschooling parent before participating in the Hybrid;
- _____ You are tired, and weary of homeschooling and you are wanting to "wash your hands" of homeschooling all together; you want to defer completely to someone else. In Hybrid, you are PARTNERING with the hired teacher, and in essence assisting that teacher to his/her specified requirements, and thus if your desire is to DEFER, the Hybrid is not for you;
- _____ You enjoy the control of homeschooling and still really desire to "do it all" yourself: you still want to teach all the subjects yourself, pick all the curriculum, etc yourself;
- _____ You still want/need total flexibility in your homeschool schedule; conforming to a rigid schedule would not work for you;
- _____ Your student would not be able to keep up the pace of a predetermined week-by-week coverage of material and set schedule.
- _____ Your student has indicated a strong dislike for, or disinterest in joining, the CHHS.
- _____ The homeschooling parent works full time or a heavy load of part time work; homeschooling at the Hybrid DEMANDS a degree of involvement on the part of the homeschooling parent that we have found dual working parents cannot provide.
- _____ You are not able/willing to commit to email use 3x a week or more.
18. What about students with Learning Disabilities? Students musts be able to work independently and keep up the pace of the class; unfortunately there is no provision in a once-a-week school for extra help or special attention for special needs students.
19. What steps do I take to enroll? Interested participants must fill out a registration form and follow all registration steps as described on that page. Class placement is determined by best fit in classes available, after CHCC/S and Green Pond member students. Filling out the form ensures inclusion on the CHHS emailing list for updates as classes are established.
20. What must I do if I think I would possibly like to teach in the Hybrid School? We are always looking for qualified Christian teachers in the subject areas for Junior/Senior High levels of: Math, Science, Foreign Language, Writing Composition and Classical Studies. Currently, we need teachers only for Monday afternoons. Applicants must contact the CHHS for an interview (use the comment box on the home page, and also be able to provide: evidence of teaching training/experience; a letter of recommendation, and; sign a Statement of Faith. Please request a Teacher's Application form.
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