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| Heading Off to Class |
William attends Edmonds Heights K-12 . It's a public school funded program for homeschoolers. It is NOT a Charter School, it is NOT traditional public school and it is NOT a private school. It's something all its own.
The easiest way for me to describe the way William's program works is to say that it's very much like Community College. There's a nice campus (school) with kids and people of all ages. There are classes taught by certified teachers like math, science, foreign languages, social studies. There's also some great workshop classes taught by experts in the field- pottery, musical theater, martial arts, Lego engineering etc. The classes are offered on specific days & times- there is NOT a Monday through Friday 9-3pm traditional schedule. You sign up for the classes each semester that you want to participate in, just like you would for Community College.
Last year William's schedule looked like this:
Tuesday
10-10:55am Martial Arts
11-11:30 Musical Theater (Spring Semester was Jewelry Making)
12pm Lunch and he participated in a Pokemon Club during lunch hour
1-2pm 1st & 2nd Grade Math
Thursday
10-10:55am Martial Arts
11-12 Lego Engineering & Lab
12pm Lunch w/participation in Pokemon Club
1-2pm 2nd & 3rd Grade Science
William is also signed up for an online only program called Compass Odyssey which is available as a class that you register for through the school program. The discounted cost to us is just $15 per year. For those of you who are familiar with Time4Learning- it's very similar.
There are classes offered Monday through Thursday. So if I wanted- William could participate 4 days per week. However, because we also do homeschool at home, I don't feel it's necessary to be here everyday. Plus it's a 40 minute drive to and from school- so 2 days per week is enough driving for me!
Because this program is run through our local school district, it's a publicly funded program. As a result, each child gets an annual budget. Last year it was $500- to be used for workshop classes, curriculum and school supplies. Before you get all excited- WOW $500!!! You should know- we blew through that by the end of Fall Semester. Bummer...
Now, there are some of you who are totally opposed to anything with the public school districts. I understand you, really I do. But I think you're missing out on a great opportunity here.
The Good:
- William has access to a school environment- there's a cafeteria, a library, a principal, computer lab, playground and more. Oh and something totally awesome called the SNUG Room! Watch the video- it's pretty cool!
- It helps me keep track of state requirements through a yearly Written Student Learning Plan (WSLP) and a monthly review. The WSLP is seriously the bane of my existence but hey- at least I won't have the law showing up on my door!
- The classes are totally integrated. Technically William will be entering 3rd grade in the Fall. His classes will include 1st graders, 2nd graders, 3rd graders and 4th graders. There's a few workshop classes that are K-6th or K-12th. There is also no real separation for those with special needs. Everyone participates together and helps each other learn when needed.
- The ability to use some of that public school money for things like martial arts, pottery, musical theater and other workshop classes. A few years ago he took swimming lessons at the YMCA- the school budget paid for it! Now that's awesome!
- Parents are required to be on campus for the younger grades. So most times, not only do I personally know my son's friends- I know their Mom's, sometimes Grandparents, Aunts and even their siblings. I know exactly the quality & values of the people my son is socializing with. Can you say the same about your public schooler?
- There's lots of great co-ops to participate in- all parent led. Sweet!
- Parents are simply more invested in their child's education. It is truly a family affair and the support and sense of community is amazing.
The Bad:
- It's a 40 minute drive to school. On a cold, wet Seattle morning this can certainly be a major pain in the butt.
- I'm also not fond of the WSLP and frankly feel that my son's school advisor is a joke. But now that I know she's more about chatting & offering cookies to the kids- I can maneuver around it. She's really a very nice lady but not "advisor" material.
- There are also some silly rules and hoops to jump through and many times the school staff doesn't even know about them. This can be frustrating.
- It's missing some organized sports teams. While the program is very heavy on the arts (which I love) it is severely lacking in the sports arena. Keeping my fingers crossed that they add this in the future!
As with any educational decision, I encourage you to do your research. This program works well for us and after a rough first year- we are enjoying all it's benefits and like being a part of this community. Here's to year 4 and counting! It's just one of many learning tools we personally use in our homeschooling.
So- I hope that answers some of your questions. Best of luck to you all in making the right educational choice for your family!
*For some fun additional reading on William's program, click the links below.
I have a few questions. Do you use the allotted money for the fees listed by classes? Or are the fees out of pocket? Can you describe the tracking required for the wlsp? And us it hard to get in if you are out of district? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteEach year we get an allotted amount of money, called our "budget". We can use this budget money for the classes that have fees (in this program ONLY), for approved curriculum, for books from the book fairs & supplies like art materials. However, we MUST put these expenditures that are not classes at the program into the WSLP. They must then be approved ahead of time & the purchases are made through the EH program & not by us personally. We are out of district & have been for the last 5 out of 6 years- very easy to transfer in. Simply fill out a district variance form, get it signed & return to EH. As far as the WSLP, I actually just did a recent blog post on it. Hope this helps! http://homeschooledhousewife.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-wslp.html
DeleteI should also mention that a typically class fee is $175 per semester. So if you've got just a couple of these "workshop" classes that have fees, you've run out of your budget money. The way they work the classes & determine what has a fee & what does not is pretty simple. All classes taught by certified teachers that are "core" classes like a foreign language, math, social studies, science etc are typically free. Classes that are more exploratory in nature are considered workshop classes & have a fee. So classes like pottery, martial arts, sewing etc are considered workshop classes. I usually try to limit our workshop classes to one or 2 each semester in order to not run out of budget money. I've gotten better at doing this the longer we've been here. :)
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