School/Home Collaborative

Transcription

1 The School/Home Collaborative At Zeeland Christian School Parents and teachers working in partnership for student success Contact: Bill VanDyk, Principal Julie Walters Program Coordinator and Elementary Teacher Now offering classes in Kindergarten through eighth grade

2 What is the School/Home Collaborative? The School/Home Collaborative is an educational opportunity, in which families partner with Zeeland Christian to enroll their children in a 3-day parent-teacher cooperative program. The program, beginning its fourth year at ZCS in , is an exciting alternative in education. This model combines two proven elements: the instruction of a classroom teacher and the one-onone guidance of parents at home. The program also integrates the strengths of traditional Christian schooling with the strong moral values of home education. In the School/Home Collaborative, parents partner closely with their child s teacher. Students attend Zeeland Christian three days a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and participate in solid academic instruction as well as specials such as Spanish, choir, and gym. On the alternate days, students receive 2 instruction at home using curriculum supplied by ZCS, which enables students to continue the learning process that was taught at school. This also provides consistency and momentum between home and school. Parents are assured that the curriculum meets national standards and has been developed from the same curriculum goals as the traditional classes. In this parent partnership program, with a unique parent and teacher dynamic, parents enjoy the blessing of guiding and nurturing their children at home, while partnering with ZCS teachers to provide a strong, Christian education.

3 Teacher/Parent Partnership The unique partnership dynamic of this collaborative model makes it necessary to maintain a close working relationship between the classroom teacher and parents. This partnership requires continual communication and commitment to participating together in the educational process as teachers partner with parents. We truly become a community of educators, closely teaching and guiding each individual student not only for academic success, but emotional, physical, and spiritual growth as well. Teachers and staff are committed to developing a strong sense of community within the students and families represented at Zeeland Christian. This is accomplished through the many opportunities to participate in activities throughout the year. Some of these activities for families include: new-family ice cream social, hillside prayer and praise service during the first week of school, Grandparents Day, chapels, fun night, and the school auction. Students also have opportunities to interact together in other activities such as family groups, writing, and shared reading activities across grade levels from first grade through eighth grade. Teacher Responsibilities The ZCS teachers strive to use the best instructional methods based on research and training. Teachers evaluate students using curriculum assessment tools to monitor progress and share student achievement through report cards and parent teacher conferences. ZCS teachers are closely involved in the training and equipping process for parents. Curriculum training resources and lesson strategies will create consistency in curriculum expectations and maintain the high academic standards at ZCS. Teacher communication is essential in the school/home collaborative in order to inform parents of curriculum expectations and lesson requirements. Teachers will communicate regularly with parents through a blog and , and are available to Parent Training and Participation Throughout the year, parents are strongly encouraged to attend meetings to equip parents with specific teaching resources, skills, and strategies pertaining to specific content areas, such as science, social studies, math, reading and writing. This enables parents to successfully implement the ZCS curriculum at home and continue the learning process that was implemented on the days that their child attended school. Parents are also encouraged to participate in their child s classroom at designated times throughout the school year. This helps create a bridge between the home and school, and provides opportunities for parents to see first-hand what the learning process at school looks like. Parent participation in the classroom also fosters a sense of community within the school/home collaborative classroom, within families, as well as the greater ZCS community. 3

4 What makes the School/Home Collaborative unique? One-To-One Laptop Program In Zeeland Christian s School/Home Collaborative students participate in the one-to-one laptop program, which is also implemented in the middle school. This program equips students with an Apple laptop computer and enables students to develop a strong foundation of technology use and application for learning. Students use the laptop in both the traditional and online curriculum to complete assignments and projects. As a strong cooperative partnership program, students use the laptop for learning both at school and at home. Parents also are equipped to successfully instruct their children through consistent communication with teachers, and ease of online curriculum implementation. Traditional and Online Curriculum Zeeland Christian has an almost 100 year history as a strong, Christian school,with a solid academic commitment. The SHC curriculum combines the time-tested ZCS curriculum and additional online offerings to develop a more blended learning environment. Students work both at home and at school to complete a full-five day program. Lessons taught in school are continued the following school day. Specials and Extra-Curricular Opportunities Students work both at home and at school to complete a fullfive day program. Lessons taught in school are continued the following home day. On the days students are at school, they have the opportunity to participate in specials, such as music, P.E., and Spanish. Students attend these specials with students within their grade level from a traditional class of students. On home days, parents may choose to have their students participate in specials with no additional fees. In addition, students may participate in the elementary musical, math pentathlon, the spelling bee, 5th-8th grade band, middle school camps, the eighth grade play and sports for 7th and 8th grade, such as soccer, basketball, baseball and track. 4

5 Schedule Classes are held on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday for students from Kindergarten through eighth grade. On the alternate days, students are homeeducated, following the lessons provided by the classroom teacher. When students attend classes at ZCS, the School/Home Collaborative teacher gives individual and small group instruction to students, and provides families with curriculum support for content, lessons, and assignments. On the alternate learning days at home, students continue their academic studies under the guidance and instruction of parents, based on the lessons provided by the classroom teacher. This partnership between teacher and parent creates a unique collaborative dynamic in the student s educational process. Kindergarten-Fifth Grade Math-Math Expressions; Houghton Mifflin Reading-Balance Literacy Program; Based on Guided Reading, Read- Aloud, Independent Reading, and Interactive Readaloud as well as teacher assessment of reading progress Writing-Lucy Calkins Units of Study; Heinemann School Day Start and End Times Elementary (Grades K-5): 8:40 3:30 Middle School (Grades 6-8): 7:40 2:40 Curriculum Sixth - Eighth Grade Math-Holt McDougal; Online Curriculum Reading-Integrate in other subject areas; Novels connect to other core areas Writing-Writer s Workshop and Content Integrated Themes Language Arts-Teacher and Online resources integrating word study and grammar skills Language Arts-Phonics-based approach using Word Wall Words, Word Sorts, and Words Their Way Spelling; Pearson, Merrill, Prentice Hall and Handwriting Without Tears Bible-Walking With God and His People; Christian Schools International Science-Science Fusion-Online/Text Curriculum; Houghton Mifflin Social Studies-Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum (MC3),Online Curriculum; 5 Bible-Walking With God and His People; Christian Schools International Science-Science Fusion-Online/Text Curriculum; Houghton Mifflin Social Studies-History Alive-The Ancient World; Teacher s Curriculum Institute

6 Tuition Information Number of Children in Family 3-Day SHC Tuition 1 $5,321 2 $7,982 3 $9,845 4 $11,175 5 $12,195 6 $14,634 6

7 What makes Zeeland Christian different? When you walk into Zeeland Christian, you may see an eighth grader give a high five to a first grader. Often teachers will be chatting with groups of students in the hallway. You may even see a couple of students quietly talking and praying in the niche outside their classroom. When you enter Zeeland Christian, you get a sense that there is something different about this place. Christ s love is modeled here everyday and as a result, students sincerely care about each other and their teachers. Relationships are vital to what happens here at Zeeland Christian. The staff at ZCS understands genuine relationships with students are essential in order to make an impact on students lives. Once there is a relationship - a mutual feeling of care and respect for each other - students will then desire to work hard in school. They also begin to understand how to show Christian love and respect for each other. When teachers and students know and understand each other, then everything in school starts to look different. Prayer requests in class seem more important, discipline problems begin to diminish, academic excellence is celebrated, worldviews are broadened, and God s grace is passed from one person to the next. When you walk into Zeeland Christian, you will get a feeling that there is something different about this place and that s because there is. At ZCS, Christian community is alive and well. ~ ZCS Teacher 7