HEART Christian Academy Overview Thank you for your interest in HEART Christian Academy s unique educational model and Christ-centered community! This Overview is designed to paint a picture of our distinctive school and hopefully answer most of your questions. Please don t hesitate to contact us to discuss specifics regarding your family and the admissions outlook for the upcoming academic year. Lori Borden & Heidi Fritz The Admissions Team (949) 412-4060 admissions@heartchristianacademy.org HEART Christian Academy Overview as of 2-28-15
Our Vision As Christian parents, we are always seeking the best discipleship and educational opportunities for our children. Thankfully, we have many excellent options available to us including home schooling. Depending on your background, the term home school conjures a variety of different images. At HEART Christian Academy, our programs provide an excellent balance of spiritual, academic and social opportunities for families desiring to make a greater investment in their children s all-around development. Spiritual Development Our most important role as parents is to raise godly young men and women. Our mission at HEART is to aid parents in the Christ-centered education of their children. We are not an outreach organization; rather we ask that families who apply for membership already be committed to raising their children in Christ and with a Biblical worldview. Before enrollment all families are asked to sign our Statement of Faith and we urge applicants to read this carefully to ensure it describes your family s beliefs. Legal Covering HEART Christian Academy files an affidavit with the state of California that gives us the status of a Private School Satellite Program. This means that HEART Academy maintains a Cumulative File and all other legally required paperwork for every student enrolled in our programs, while each student s education is provided by or under the direction of their parents. Legally and practically speaking, the parent is the Primary Instructor for their students. The role of HEART Academy is to provide the support, advice and accountability to allow parents to teach their children confidently and successfully. Due to our status as a Private School Satellite Program, we cannot allow dual enrollment with any other home school group or charter school (public or private) which provides state-required record keeping. Academic Structure To achieve our goal of supporting home schooling parents, HEART Academy provides two distinct collaborative educational models. Two Day Program: Junior Kindergarten-8th Grade Children in our Two Day Program spend Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday of each week in grade-level classes at our Mariners Ocean Hills Church campus. As their children s primary instructor, the parent teaches at home the other three days of the week. Using HCA s curriculum lists, the classroom instructor for each grade creates lesson plans for use throughout the week. The parent-teacher and the oncampus instructor work as a team to provide a multi-faceted learning experience. Two Day students are required to wear a simple, inexpensive uniform to classes on campus. Grade Level School Hours Student Teacher Ratio Junior Kindergarten* 8:30am 12:30am 12:1 Elementary Kindergarten* through 2nd Grade 8:30am-2:45pm 15:1 Elementary 3rd through 6th Grade 8:30am-2:45pm 16:1 Junior High 7th through 8th Grade 8:00am 3:00pm 20:1 *Students must be age 4 to apply for Junior Kindergarten and age 5 to apply for Kindergarten by September 1st of the enrollment year Home School Partnership (HSP): Kindergarten-8th Grade Our Home School Partnership (HSP) provides the same state-required legal covering as our Two Day Program but students are educated by the parent at home full time. Additionally, HSP families receive the guidance and support of a Master Teacher, the option of using our curriculum lists and lesson plans as well as a host of extracurricular opportunities. HEART - Academy Overview Page 2
Kj;k Academic Partnership Curriculum HCA does not choose curriculum based on ever-changing state standards but rather on the fundamentals of age-appropriate learning. Our curriculum has been tested and adapted over many years to ensure it is both easy to use for the home school parent as well as academically and biblically sound. Families enrolled in our Two Day program utilize HCA s curriculum, literature and supply lists and the lesson plans created by the classroom teacher to provide continuity as they home school. HSP families have more flexibility and may use HCA s curriculum or choose their own. Families involved in both programs will purchase their own books each year which gives them the option to keep, loan or sell their materials at the end of the year. The chart below gives an overview of the curriculum used in each grade. Junior K Bible Phonics/ Grammar Spelling/ Vocabulary Writing History Science Math Teacher Developed & I m Going to Write! Teacher Developed Singapore Kindergarten First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Teacher Developed Based On Monthly Biblical Character Traits and Memory Verses A Beka & Zaner Bloser Handwriting A Beka & Zaner Bloser Handwriting Easy Grammar Spelling Workout Latin & Greek Roots Institute for Excellence in Writing A Heart for Writing A Beka Self Government Mystery of History BJU & A Beka Unit Studies Answers in Genesis Apologia General Apologia Physical Singapore & Mad Dog Math Saxon & Mad Dog Math Cyclical Learning To help create a rich learning environment, History and Science are taught in a four year cycle in 2nd through 6th grades with the upcoming year highlighted as shown below. Additionally, Junior High History rotates between World and US History. This allows parents who are home schooling multiple children to have cohesive family discussions throughout the year about these fascinating topics. Our school-wide field trips emphasize the current year s History and Science topics to reinforce these concepts in a hands-on manner. History 2nd-6th Grades Ancients: 5000BC 40AD Middle Ages/Early Renaissance: 40AD 1496AD Explorers/Early U.S. History: 1495AD -1707AD US History: 1707AD - Present History 7th-8th Grades BJU World History A Beka US History HEART - Academy Overview Page 3 Science 2nd-6th Grades Biology Earth & Space Physics Chemistry
Academic Advantage Our distinctive combination of classroom and home-based instruction optimizes academic success for children of every different temperament and learning style! Writing Unfortunately, many traditional full-time schools have had to limit writing assignments due to large class size. At HEART, every 2nd 8th grade parent is trained to work with the classroom instructor to teach and assess student writing. This team effort allows us to assign writing projects weekly throughout the school year. Structure and style, fiction, non-fiction and poetry of all types are covered in a grade-appropriate manner while both summary and critical analysis skills are emphasized as writing matures. Literature At HEART, real works of modern and classic literature are read and analyzed rather than literature textbooks. Our part-week schedule allows students the time to read far more books than would be possible in a traditionally scheduled school. Grammar Our rigorous grammar curriculum includes not only the basic parts of speech and sentence structure but parsing and diagramming of sentences in the upper grades. These skills which are frequently overlooked in traditional programs improve student writing, allow for more insightful editing and criticism of written work and provide amazing preparation for standardized testing. Vocabulary Simply memorizing a list of words and meanings for a test does not tend to actually increase a child s usable vocabulary. In the upper grades, HEART teaches the Greek and Latin roots that most of our language is built on. This allows students to continually build their word base far beyond the weekly list of test words. Math Many parents fears about home schooling stem directly from their insecurities about teaching math. Our math curriculum is designed for home schooling and is scripted to provide the parent an easy road map to follow. Additionally, our classroom teachers understand parents concerns in this area and organize the lesson planning to ensure tricky topics are covered during on-campus days. Finally, our curriculum in the upper grades includes the option of online and DVD-based teaching as well. Science Can a person be both a Bible believer and a scientific thinker? Absolutely! Experiments, dissections and multistep projects make science facts come alive at HEART. Our curriculum challenges students to go beyond memorization to application of scientific approaches in the study of biology, chemistry, earth and physical science. History Students need to go beyond boring memorization of historical facts in order to grasp the real consequences of our past and the lessons that can be learned from them. At HEART, children in 1st-8th grade study the same period in history each year. This allows for field trips, history-based game days, and dinner table conversations with the whole family to bring our past to life! Standardized Testing HEART offers standardized testing in 1st-8th grades each spring to help parents assess their children s academic progress and to help students practice test taking skills. We choose a nationally-based rather than a HEART - Academy Overview Page 4
state test to gain a broader comparison base and our students have consistently beaten national averages in every subject! m The Junior High Difference The Junior High years can be incredibly challenging for teens and parents! Social and academic pressures escalate while teens begin seeking independence they may not be prepared for. Here are some important reasons why these two years are the best possible time try something different with HEART! Time Management If an adult worked all day then came home and continued to work all evening, we would call him a workaholic and counsel him to seek balance in his life. However, this is exactly what we ask our traditionally-schooled Junior High students to do! While HEART s Junior High academics are rigorous, our Two Day schedule makes it possible for teens to accomplish more during school hours than can be done while stuck in a classroom all week. Afternoons and evenings can then be devoted to family, church, sports, music and the arts allowing for well-rounded development. Discipleship Christian character development during the teen years is critical. Unfortunately, even in a five day Christian school, your teen is still spending most of their time with other teens and will tend to absorb their beliefs and habits from the group. While teens are known for being surly, argumentative and emotional, these stereotypes can be challenged by creating a more balanced social and spiritual environment which includes more time with parents and siblings. Family devotional time, church attendance and missions trips can now be an integral part of your teen s development rather than the first thing to get cut from a busy schedule. The Apprentice Program In addition to our foundational academics, the Apprentice Program is a four-semester, whole-person, Christcentered, enrichment program designed in a collaborative effort with teachers, parents and students. These real life development classes intentionally target areas which are vital to living out God s purposes. Unfortunately, these subjects are frequently overlooked in the traditional classroom and difficult to teach in a pure home school environment. Logic Public Speaking Biblical Finance Christian Worldview Leadership Styles Academic Study Strategies Inductive Bible Study Personal Health Am I being swayed by common logical fallacies used in media and politics? What are my leadership and learning styles? How does my worldview affect every area of my life? HEART s Junior High students will be able to answer these questions and much more after understanding the fundamentals in these unique classes. At the culmination of The Apprentice Program classes, students are challenged to work in teams to identify a need in our community. The teams must use the skills they ve developed in the program to research the problem, debate what HEART Academy might to do help, decide on possible solutions and professionally present their ideas during an all-school assembly. The student body votes and the winning project becomes an outreach ministry for the school led by the 8 th graders. You ll be amazed at the innovation, professionalism and leadership that a group of young teens can offer after the training provided in The Apprentice Program! HEART - Academy Overview Page 5
Enrichment Opportunities Monthly Chapel Each Two Day program enjoys their own Chapel on the first Monday or Tuesday of the month. A time of worship and devotion is followed by teachers honoring students with Character Awards based on the Biblical character trait of the month. One class develops and performs a skit each month to introduce the new character trait and parents are encouraged to bring their cameras and enjoy the fellowship and photo opportunities! Elective Classes A variety of exciting enrichment classes are offered after school each day from 3:00pm 4:00pm. These classes change each semester but in the past we have offered options such as PE, painting, chess, gymnastics, music lessons, cooking, yearbook, drama, foreign language and many, many more. Electives are open to students in all programs and are priced individually and reasonably. Field Trips A wide variety of monthly field trips are available to all HEART students and their families, usually reflecting or enhancing our History and Science studies. All field trips are optional, generally inexpensive, and add an enriching element to the home school experience. Science Camp Through a Christian company called Mountain & Sea Adventures, our 6th 8th graders can experience science in the field. We rotate every other year between Catalina and local mountains, allowing for student labs in both settings. Class Parties & Theme Days Two Day classes celebrate holidays and special days (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine s Day and Easter) with parent organized parties in their classrooms. HSP families are encouraged to organize similar events if parent support is available. Two Day students also enjoy fun-filled dress-up days throughout the year to a given theme (50 s Day, Crazy Hair Day, etc.) Evening Events All students are invited to participate in special evening events throughout the year. Our Christmas Program, Patriotic Evening and Talent Show give students a chance to become comfortable as part of a group on stage, learn traditional Christian songs and give the option to speak or perform individually in a high-quality production. In June, the Graduation Celebration wraps up our year with live music and a food truck picnic. Students in each grade are honored and promoted with special emphasis and ceremonies for Kindergarten, Sixth and Eighth graders. Invite the grandparents and don t forget the video camera! School Pictures and Yearbooks Picture Day is open to all students! Our yearbook captures the highlights of the year and is distributed on the last day of school to all Two Day students. HEART - Academy Overview Page 6
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2015-2016 New Family Financial Information Please prayerfully consider the following financial obligations commensurate with applying to and enrolling in HEART Christian Academy. The costs listed below are projections which may change slightly before school begins in the fall. Financial Obligation Two Day Program Home School Partnership (HSP) Application Fee Per Family This fee is non-refundable Registration Fee Per Student March 1 to July 31 $75 $75 August 1 & Later This fee is non-refundable once a position has been offered and accepted Tuition Per Student Payable Annually, Bi-Annually, or Monthly March 1 to July 31 August 1 & Later $200 $225 $125 $150 JrK: $2050.00 ($205 per month) K-6: $2550.00 ($255 per month) 7-8: $2850.00 ($285 per month) Shown as an annual amount with the option of paying over 10 months Tuition Due Dates All Programs HSP with Lesson Plans (all grades): $500 ($50 per month) for all services including lesson plans and curriculum lists HSP Records Only (all grades): $300 ($30 per month) for all services except lesson plans and curriculum lists 1 st of each month, August through May. If enrolled after August 10 th, last payment is June 1 st Materials Fee Per Student JrK-6: $60 7-8: $45 Due August 1st or upon enrollment if enrolled after August 1st None Late Fees (All programs) 10% of overdue balance after the 10 th of the month. Unless previous arrangements have been made with the Financial Administrator, if an account is 60 days past due the student(s) will not be able to attend class or receive lesson plans until the account is brought current. Chronic failure to pay promptly may result in disenrollment. Written notice must be given to the school at least 30 days prior to withdrawing a student or transferring a student between the Two Day and HSP programs. Tuition will continue to be assessed at the regular rate for 30 days after receipt of written notice of withdrawal or transfer from Two Day to HSP. Two Day tuition will begin immediately for transfers from HSP into Two Day. HEART reserves the right to withhold report cards, test scores or other documentation generated during membership in our organization if a balance is still owed at the time of withdrawal. A $25 fine will be assessed for each check returned unpaid by the bank for any reason. HEART Academy offers the following tuition discounts for families with multiple enrolled children: 3rd child: 10% discount, 4th child: 20% discount, 5th and subsequent children: 40% discount. All discounts will be applied to lowest tuition. When you enroll, you will be asked to choose between the following payment options. This choice may be changed at any time: One Annual Payment (due August 1st) Bi-annually (due August 1 st and January 1 st ) Monthly Payments (10 mos beginning Aug. 1st) HEART - Academy Overview Page 8
Frequently Asked Questions Does HEART cover my legal paperwork as a home school family? Yes, we file the appropriate documents with the state and maintain your student s official academic records as would any private school. Why do I have to sign the Statement of Faith on your Enrollment Application? HEART is a discipleship school which means we ask that parents already acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and Savior and seek to lead their families in Him. If this does not describe your family, there are many other wonderful home school options available in our community. Can I take classes at HEART and also enroll in a public charter school to receive funds from the state? No. As a member of HEART Christian Academy, you are not eligible to enroll with another school that files an affidavit with the state. Are there any mandatory meetings parents must attend? Yes. In late August and early September we also hold Classroom Procedures Meetings which cover specifics unique to each grade. Also, we ask parents to attend curriculum training or view it online for a few critical subjects. What is the time commitment for the home school parent? We tell parents to consider home schooling a part time job. During the three days off-campus, your job is not to monitor your child doing their homework but to be prepared by utilizing the teacher handbooks and reviewing the lessons for the day and teaching them to your children. While many students are very self-sufficient and may be able to make it through the assignments independently, teaching the lessons with parent leadership and oversight is crucial for optimum learning. Do you require credentialed classroom teachers? As with all private schools in California, a credential is not a requirement to teach. While many of our teachers are credentialed, we hire based on both the ability to utilize curriculum and manage a classroom as well as honor our parents role as primary instructor and provide support for them to succeed. Some of our most successful teachers have backgrounds as home school parents or in the corporate world. I ve heard your classes fill quickly, how do I know if there is a spot for my child? HEART is strict about small class size so classes do fill quickly. Contact our Admissions Team at admissions@heartchristianacademy.org for details. If you find your child on a wait list for a particular class and feel confident the Lord has led you to partner with HEART, we highly recommend you consider following along with the classroom lesson plan utilizing our HSP program. That way, the day a spot opens for your child they are ready to move seamlessly into the classroom. Close to 100% of families on a wait list in the spring or summer are placed in a class by fall. Do I have to buy my own curriculum? Yes. In the Two Day Program or in HSP with Lesson Plans, you will be using the books and lesson plans created by our amazing team of classroom teachers. The great thing about buying your own books is that if you are interested in saving money, you can buy the books used and sell them again at the end of the year. We have a used curriculum sale each spring on campus and there are numerous websites for discounted curriculum also. What subjects are taught in class versus at home? The lesson plan for each class directs parents for their home days, but generally speaking the whole curriculum (bible, math, language arts, science, and history) is covered on each day by either the classroom teacher or the home school parent. HEART - Academy Overview Page 9