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PURPOSE
To minister to the needs of homeschooling families with high school students and their younger siblings*
GOALS
- To broaden the scope of home-based education by combining parents' talents and resources
- To provide homeschooled children with the opportunity to participate with others in group activities
- To offer an economical means of enriching homeschoolers' educational experiences
- To enable homeschooling families to form supportive relationships with other homeschoolers
- To fulfill the mission of the church in winning others and making disciples for Christ
INTRODUCTION
*Although designed for high school students, Academy Days co-op includes preschool through high school classes and a small nursery so the entire family can participate.
These written guidelines will help everyone understand expectations, prepare us for certain situations in advance, ensure our safety, and help us manage the use of the facilities that the Lord has provided for us. The Leadership Team reserves the right to change policies and procedures without notice.
All families should read the guidelines thoroughly before joining Academy Days. Upon understanding how we function and what your responsibilities will be can you then determine if co-op is a good fit for your family. Your signature on the enrollment form indicates that you and your family have recently read, understand and will abide by these policies and procedures.
MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others (1 Peter 4:10). The enrolled families manage this organization and contribute to its success, so parent participation is mandatory. If your child is at co-op, then you must be too, serving as a helper, teacher, or on the clean-up crew for part of the day. If you cannot attend, you must secure a substitute for each of your co-op responsibilities; failing to do so jeopardizes your membership in co-op.
As a Christian ministry, we base our guidelines on precepts from the Bible, all classes are taught from a Christian world view, and each class begins with prayer. As an inclusive group, we welcome all families from diverse backgrounds, beliefs, church school coverings, and homeschool styles.
To keep the co-op a manageable size, we do have some requirements. Membership is open to all families home educating at least one child who turns five on or before September 1 of the current academic year. Compulsory-aged children must be enrolled in a church school; any church school is acceptable.
Academy Days Co-op is neither a substitute for nor alternative to schooling at home. The co-op supplements children's education, but does not replace parents' responsibilities. Under no circumstances will a student who has been removed from public or private school because of behavior or discipline problems be permitted to attend co-op. If this is discovered after registration, the student will be removed from co-op automatically.
LIABILITY
Grace Community Church, Academy Days co-op, its members and administrators assume no liability and make no assumptions of risk for anyone attending any co-op function. Parents are directly responsible for their children's actions. Compensation for injury or damages, deliberate or accidental, shall be borne entirely by the responsible family. Parents must sign an agreement to this effect.
LEADERSHIP
The Leadership Team is self-perpetuating, meaning the leaders serve until they step down and the existing team determines the replacement. The Leadership Team is composed of:
- Carren W. Joye
- Ashleigh Pruett
- Ellen Bartlett
- Debbie Jackson
COMMUNICATION
Academy Days co-op is independent of the church’s operation, so we ask that you do not contact Grace Community Church regarding any co-op matters. Please direct inquiries to a member of the Leadership Team.
Email is our primary form of communication, so it is your responsibility to check your email regularly. At minimum, check your email Monday and Wednesday afternoons, and check your answering machine prior to leaving for co-op. The Cancellation Call Chain is used for last-minute cancellations by phone, so please keep it in a central location in case you need it. Emails are restricted to co-op related information and events. Special notices are posted on the table in the Parents' Lounge, so be sure to check each week for news of interest. Anyone may post an announcement as long as you remove it at the end of the day.
COSTS
All fees are per semester, not per week. There are no refunds, even if a class is canceled. The cost of co-op is:
- Registration Fee per family per semester, to be determined by Leadership Team
- Any books required by classes, to be determined by the teacher and Leadership Team
- Any additional supplies or fees per class, at the discretion of the teacher and Leadership Team
We aim to keep co-op affordable. No one at co-op gets paid. The family registration fee covers insurance, facility rental, and minimal expenses. Class fees pay for supplies only. Any additional necessities are donated by members. All fees must be paid on Registration and Orientation Day in cash. We are sorry, but checks and credit cards will not be accepted. If these costs present a hardship to you, please consult with the Leadership Team in advance.
CLASSES
Co-op meets on Thursdays for 12 weekly classes spread over 14 weeks to allow for two breaks. Each day has four class periods. The mandatory, parents-only Registration and Orientation Day is two weeks before the start of each semester. Fall semester ends the week before Thanksgiving, and spring semester ends the third week of May.
Classes vary each semester based on the availability of volunteer teachers and on student interest. However, to allow families with multiple children to study the same subjects at the same time, we do maintain a 4-year history rotation: government/civics and Alabama history, world history, U.S. history, and world geography. Classes for the following semester are determined well in advance of the end of the current semester to ensure adequate teachers and student interest before pre-registration. Schedules are subject to change; classes without a minimum number of teachers or students may be canceled, but new classes may be not be started unless they cause no disruption to class schedule and student distribution.
The Leadership Team has the right to monitor, cancel or censure any class, but neither the Leadership Team nor the Church will be held responsible for content taught. Members of the Leadership Team and parents may sit in on classes at any time. If you have any questions or concerns about a class, please talk with the teacher before you contact a member of the Leadership Team. As a courtesy, please keep the Leadership Team informed.
TEACHERS
Co-op does not employ teachers. Indeed, we often refer to teachers as “facilitators” because they facilitate the education, whereas parents remain the primary teachers of their children. Facilitators volunteer their time and expertise free of charge; they may be certified teachers or parents with a degree, knowledge or passion for a subject.
Parents provide the teacher pool and are responsible for generating classes for their children. The Leadership Team does not recruit teachers, but does make the final determination regarding teachers, helpers and courses based on parent volunteers and student interest. If not enough parents volunteer to teach classes at any grade level, those classes or grade levels will not be offered. Two or more parents may elect to team teach a class. Each class is assigned a teacher and at least one helper to ensure not only two adults per class but also a ready substitute in case of teacher absence.
GRADE LEVEL DETERMINATION
All children must be in a grade-appropriate class. They are permitted to be neither teachers nor helpers in the nursery, preschool, or any other classes. Graduated homeschoolers can take on responsibilities only if co-op needs their help, upon advance approval of the Leadership Team.
Classes are divided by grade and/or age as of September 1: grades 9-12 or 14+ years old; grades 7-8 or 12-14 years old; grades 5-6 or 10-12 years old; grades 3-4 or 8-10 years old; grades 1-2 or 5-8 years old; and Preschool/K4/K5 or 3-6 years old. All preschoolers must be potty-trained. A limited nursery is available for children younger than 3 years old who are not potty-trained and still take naps.
As parents, we are aware of our children's social and academic abilities, but teachers are familiar with the levels of the courses. Posted grade limits give an idea of the level to which the class will be geared. We request that students not be more than two years below or above their grade peers in age. Exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis, if the class is not full and at the discretion of the teacher and Leadership Team. If such exceptions are made, the teacher and Leadership Team reserve the right to revoke them at any time.
If your child is either accelerated or behind more than two years, our co-op may not be right for your child at this time. Our classes are limited by the space of the rooms and by the abilities of the teachers, who may be equipped to handle only a certain age-range with an expected maturity level. Most importantly, for intense co-op classes, particularly those with high school credits, separation by age is necessary based on the skills required; after all, we want upper level courses to be challenging for high school students trying to earn high school credit. As a result, sometimes the skills required for a class outweigh the student's interest in that class. Therefore, age will be given priority when filling a class.
Because most parents are not equipped to teach children with severe disabilities or maintain discipline in a class with special needs children, please prayerfully consider if co-op fits your special needs child. It may be necessary for the parent of any child to be assigned as a teacher or helper in some or all of their child's classes, depending on the parent, teacher, and Leadership Team's assessment of a child's ability to participate in classes with minimal disruption to the learning process. On the other hand, some children behave better without the parent present; in such circumstances, the parent may opt to limit her time in her child's class, or the teacher may suggest that option.
ENROLLMENT AND REGISTRATION
You may register for one, two, three or all four classes. You do not have to register for all day, but families who register all day do have priority.
Priority is given in the following order: Leadership Team's children; teachers’ children; high school students and their siblings; children taking classes all day; children who have been in co-op longer; current co-op families who meet none of the previous criteria; then, first come, first served. Additionally, children whose parents teach two classes have higher priority than those whose parents teach one class. Basically, the more involved you are in co-op and the more consecutive semesters you have been in co-op, the higher your family's priority. Siblings of compulsory-aged children have priority for our nursery, preschool and kindergarten classes. If your oldest child is elementary age, you can “guarantee” his spot in co-op all day by teaching or team teaching at least one class.
Some classes span both semesters. If you enroll your child in a class that specifies “fall and spring,” please realize that the teacher is putting forth a tremendous effort to prepare and teach that particular subject and expects the same commitment from the student. If you do not register for both semesters, you may be asked to reimburse the instructor for her expenses second semester. However, if you did not participate in fall semester, you may still enroll for spring semester, upon teacher's approval.
If your child desires a class change after final registration, approval must be obtained from the teachers involved, and the Leadership Team must be notified. A refund will not be given for the first class, and fees for the new class will be due and payable before attending.
HIGH SCHOOL COURSES
High school and junior high school classes are college prep. Weekly class discussions and activities revolve around requisite homework assignments. For these reasons and for the sake of serious students, we request that only students who are sincerely interested in the subjects, intend to complete the assignments, and are prepared to participate in discussions sign up for the classes. Do not force your child to take a class he or she is not interested in taking.
Some high school classes are open to grades 6-8. Please prayerfully consider your child's academic and maturity levels before enrolling him or her in a high school course because your child will be expected to meet the high school requirements, including completing homework and participating in class.
Teachers and Leadership Team reserve the right to ask a student to withdraw from a class for any cause, including but not limited to academic or behavioral reasons. Please see Conflict and Discipline Policy for details on this issue.
To earn the suggested high school credits, students must complete all homework, and parents may need to assign supplemental coursework at home. According to Home School Defense Association (HSLDA), the high school credit means 120-150 hours of contact time with an instructor during the school year at the high school level. As a result, parents are still the primary teachers for all subjects taught at co-op. Teachers may grade some co-op assignments, such as essays, or provide tests for parents to administer at home, but parents determine final grades for all classes.
Study hall is available for grades 7-12 as a privilege for students who may not be interested in taking subjects offered that period. It is a class. Parents are expected to assign work from home for their child in study hall, and students are expected to work or read quietly and independently without disturbing others. No visiting or game playing will be allowed. Students may listen to music via headphones only, unless this becomes a disruption in any way; in such cases, the student will lose this privilege.
ELEMENTARY CLASSES
Unlike high school and junior high classes, preschool through elementary classes are enrichment only, not academic. While no more than two minor homework projects/assignments per semester may be given in 5th and 6th grade classes only, completion is optional and not required. The intent of co-op is to lighten our burdens, not increase them by mandating either homework or curriculum. Instead, in-class hands-on lessons, fun activities, and games should enrich any curriculum or academic program used at home. Parents have the option, and are encouraged, to follow each class's syllabus to stay on topic and devise lessons at home, but following the syllabus is not required.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others (Romans 12:4-5).
By enrolling your children, you are committing to co-op for the entire semester, so we ask you to consider your decision prayerfully before joining. Your attendance and punctuality are crucial because we depend on one another for a successful year. When even one parent is late or absent or quits, it puts a heavier burden on the rest of us, and consequently, the children suffer.
Therefore, if you already know that you may miss three Thursdays per semester due to vacations or prior commitments, please do not join our co-op as you will already miss a full quarter of classes, not including possible illnesses. We understand that illnesses and emergencies occur unexpectedly, and we do not want anyone who may be sick to attend (see Sick Policy and Substitutes Policy below), but we also respect the time and effort that facilitators put into their classes each week. They deserve the mutual respect of having their helpers and students be in class and on time, barring unforeseen situations and illnesses. Because children look to their parents to set examples and take them to co-op, we ask parents to remember their own commitment and make punctual attendance a priority. Please schedule appointments and vacations accordingly and find substitutes when you are absent for any reason.
When a student is absent, it is the responsibility of students grades 7-12 or their parents to find out what was covered and what assignments are due the next week. If you know your children will be absent, please be courteous and notify their teachers in advance.
Due to insurance and church requirements, students are not allowed at co-op without a parent or legal guardian present, or a designated adult substitute due to illness or emergency, not scheduling conflicts or errands. Furthermore, only registered, paid students and parents, or their substitutes, are allowed at co-op. Spouses may attend, but the following may not attend: visiting relatives, friends, children you are babysitting, your children in public or private school who are out of school, and your graduated children, except as substitutes. However, visitors may join you for lunch. Please do not jeopardize the co-op's insurance and church agreements or put us in the awkward position of having to ask you to send or take your visitor home.
SICK POLICY
Do to others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6:31). We cannot stress this enough: If you or your children are sick or recovering from an illness, even the common cold or a sinus infection**, please do not attend co-op that week. We do not want co-op to be a source of sickness for any family, so please use good judgment. If in doubt, err on the side of caution, stay home and get a substitute (see Substitutes Policy below).
We follow the health services guidelines recommended by the American Public Health Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. If you or your children exhibit any the following, please do not go to co-op:
- Fever of 99 degrees or greater within 24 hours prior to co-op
- Fever that needs medication to control (such as Tylenol, Advil or Motrin)
- Vomiting or nausea within 48 hours prior to co-op
- Diarrhea within 24 hours prior to co-op
- Nasal congestion, or yellow or green nasal discharge, or excessive clear nasal discharge that is heavy enough to require frequent wiping
- Common cold with sore throat or persistent coughing or sneezing
- Streptococcal infection, until 48 hours after medication has been initiated
- Antibiotics for less than 48 hours
- Infected skin or eyes or undiagnosed rash (e.g. conjunctivitis, poison ivy, etc.), until the prescribed drops, cream or treatment are complete or incubation period recommended by doctor has passed
- Acting lethargic, listless, or irritable
- Any complaint of unexplained or undiagnosed pain (not including teething)
- Other contagious symptoms, including but not limited to lice, ringworm, etc.
If your child has a clear runny nose, then use your best judgment as to whether it's sickness or allergy or teething; most likely if it's after sickness, it's still contagious. If you decide to bring your child with clear runny nose due to allergies or teething, please be diligent about wiping your child's nose often and washing your hands immediately afterwards.
**Although a sinus infection is not contagious, the cold that preceded the sinus infection is highly contagious. As a result, with a sinus infection, please stay home until fully recovered from cold symptoms as stated above. The same applies to strep throat. If you still have cold symptoms even after 48 hours on medication, please stay home until cold symptoms end.
If you or your children have any of the symptoms listed above, you will be asked to return home. Please do not put us in the awkward position of having to ask you to go home or take a sick child home.
If you need to stay home with a sick child, you must keep children through grade 2 at home with you. You may send your well children in grades 3 and above to co-op with a supervising adult (See Substitutes Policy).
Notify teachers if your child has any medical conditions or allergies, especially in any class that may serve food.
SUBSTITUTES POLICY
We cannot stress this enough: As soon as you know that you will be absent, you must find a replacement for every job you hold at co-op. Not doing so three times in a semester constitutes grounds for losing your family's priority in co-op for the following semester.
- The Substitutes List is the far right column on the Academy Days Class Schedule. All parents on break are available substitutes that period, except Leadership Team.
- Teachers should call (do not email) their helpers to fill in, as helpers function as automatic substitutes for teachers, and then call another parent to help in the class to maintain the required two adults per class.
- Helpers and nursery staff should call a parent on break that period (see the Substitutes List column on the Class Schedule), preferably someone with a child in that class.
- If you are on the clean-up crew, call someone on the Substitutes List at fourth period to fill in for you, or call someone else on the crew so they will know to do your responsibilities.
- Do not ask someone to fill in for you if she is already committed to a class that period.
- If you are asked to substitute during a period in which you are scheduled as a helper, you must decline or find a substitute for your class.
- If you are ever the only adult in a class, go to the Parents' Lounge and ask for a volunteer. (Take your class with you if necessary.)
- Do not call the Leadership Team as they will not find a substitute for you. However, please inform the Leadership Team when a team teacher or helper consistently neglects to get a substitute.
If you must leave co-op in an emergency, not an errand or scheduling conflict, you may ask another parent to be responsible for your children. If so, please tell a Leadership Team member and your children to whom they will be responsible.
CONFLICT AND DISCIPLINE POLICY
If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that “every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector (Matthew 18:15-17).
Please help us deal with inevitable personality conflicts and misunderstandings in a proactive, Christian way. If a conflict arises, parents should pray first and then try to resolve the issue together. If a resolution cannot be met, the parties then need to seek the assistance of the Leadership Team.
Students and parents should conduct themselves so as to reflect the virtues of Christ. Children should respect authority and honor the Lord's house. If your child cannot adhere to a standard of first-time obedience, co-op may not be your best opportunity at this time. Parents are responsible for their children at all times, so it is your responsibility to handle any misbehavior.
In cases of inappropriate behavior, these steps will be taken by the teacher or helper:
- For the first offense, the teacher or helper will give the student a verbal warning.
- For the second offense, the teacher or helper may send the student to study hall (junior high and high school only) or may take the student to his parent for five minutes, explain the situation and allow the parent and child to work it out alone according to their family's rules. In the former case, the teacher will inform the parent and a member of the Leadership Team by that afternoon of the circumstances involved.
- If the inappropriate behavior continues, the teacher will notify the Leadership Team so the issue can be discussed with the parents.
- If the situation still does not improve, the Leadership Team will notify the parents that the student is suspended from co-op. The student may return to co-op after proper apology and restitution are made.
- If behavior problems persist, the student will be expelled from co-op for the remainder of the semester.
Parents and students in junior high and high school classes sign an agreement to attend diligently, be on time, participate willingly, and bring all completed assignments and required materials to each class. Please be aware that teachers may send any student who is late, disruptive, disrespectful or unprepared for class to study hall or to his or her parent. This is as much a respect issue for the teacher and the child's fellow classmates as it is an academic issue.
In cases when a student is not prepared for class or does not participate as required, these steps will be taken by the teacher:
- For the first offense, the teacher will send the student to study hall to complete the work. As soon as that particular assignment is finished, the student may rejoin the class.
- The teacher will inform the parent at co-op or via email that afternoon of the situation and allow the parent and child to work it out alone according to their family's rules to ensure it does not happen again. In some cases, a legitimate family emergency, other than poor time management, may have been involved, and this gives the parent a chance to explain the child's reason for negligence, assist in rectifying the situation, and prevent a recurrance.
- At the second offense, the teacher will again send the student to study hall to complete the work. The teacher will inform the parent as well as a member of the Leadership Team by that afternoon of the circumstances involved as the student is now in jeopardy of suspension from class.
- At the third offense, the teacher will send the student to study hall to stay and will notify the parents and Leadership Team that the student is suspended from class for one week. The student may return to class only after proper apology, suitable restitution, and resolution to reform are made.
- If the problem persists, the student will be expelled from class for the remainder of the semester. The student may join another class that period that has space, upon approval from that class's teacher and Leadership Team and after paying the class fee, or take study hall if the student is in grades 7-12. It is not the responsibility of the teacher, Leadership Team, or co-op to make accommodations for the suspended or expelled student that period.
- The Leadership Team and teachers reserve the right to refuse enrollment of a previously expelled student.
PARENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others (Philippians 2:4).
- Families must be at co-op before 9:15 a.m. to help move any necessary tables into classrooms and to fellowship before classes begin. Families must be at co-op for third period classes by 12:20 p.m. Classes begin in the morning at 9:30 a.m. and resume after lunch at 12:30 p.m.
- Parents must read course descriptions and purchase all necessary books, supplies and other specified items prior to Registration Day because some classes will have homework due the first day of class.
- As primary teacher, you have the responsibility to supervise your child’s work and assign grades, so stay in contact with your child's teachers regarding assignments and progress. High school and junior high classes have homework, but elementary and preschool classes do not. Use each syllabus to help you devise lessons at home, and to ensure that your junior high and high school children prepare for their classes. To earn high school credits, students must complete the homework, and you may need to assign supplemental coursework.
- By registering your children, you agree to work at co-op, with at least one break, for the entire semester. During your free period you may socialize in the parents' lounge or observe in your child’s class after ensuring that no class needs a substitute. The Leadership Team reserves the right to use you on your free period if additional help is needed.
- Please respect church property as a house of worship and use only items and areas sanctioned for our use (upstairs classrooms, nursery rooms, playground, P.E. areas, downstairs kitchen for class and lunch only, parking lot for vehicles only, but not the church offices, stage, fellowship hall/sanctuary, or woods). Church personnel are often working while we are there, so no roaming around and no running indoors.
- Parents are responsible for their children's behavior and any damages or injuries incurred by their actions.
- Children must be directly supervised at all times, whether outside or in the building. As a result, please watch your children during playtime or ensure that an adult supervises their play.
- Label your personal possessions and do not bring anything of value to co-op. Neither the church nor co-op will be held responsible for lost, stolen, damaged, or forgotten belongings. We cannot open the building after closing for forgotten items. We do not believe in banning cell phones, as relatives may need to reach you in an emergency; just please be considerate with cell phone use by muting sound, activating voice mail, and returning calls or texts between classes.
- Parents and students should wear appropriate modest clothing. As in every area of our lives, we desire the way we dress to honor the Lord, so please choose clothing from a spiritual point of view. If in doubt, choose something else. If the Leadership Team gets complaints, a dress code will be established.
- To prevent spills and pest infestation, food is confined to the kitchens and Room 212, unless part of a class function. Due to carpeting, only clear beverages (water, Sprite, etc.) are allowed at co-op. If your family eats lunch at co-op, be sure to clean up afterwards. Please verify that your teenagers have cleaned up from their lunch.
- After the last class of the day, please help your children return tables and clean up. We strive to leave the church in better condition than when co-op started.
- To conserve energy, please make sure lights are off in any empty room and all outside doors are kept closed.
- If Elmore County or Millbrook schools are closed due to bad weather, co-op will be canceled, and we will activate the Cancellation Call Chain. Please keep the Cancellation Call Chain in a handy location so you will know the procedure and whom to call.
- All parents are responsible to enforce co-op rules, monitor hallways and correct any child in a loving manner. Please understand that anyone in your family violating the rules will jeopardize your family's membership in co-op. The Leadership Team reserves the right to deny or revoke participation to any student or family.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity (1 Timothy 4:12).
Students in junior high and high school and their parents must sign an agreement to abide by these standards. Parents should review these responsibilities regularly with their children.
- Be on time, participate willingly, and bring all completed assignments and required materials to each class. Your teachers have the right to send late or unprepared students to study hall or to their parents and to suspend or expel habitually unprepared students.
- Anyone talking aloud, whispering to friends, texting, talking on a cell phone, or in other ways disrupting class will be asked to leave. Disrespectful or inappropriate conversation and gestures and aggressive physical contact will not be permitted and will jeopardize your membership in co-op.
- Participating in co-op means attending diligently. If you must be absent, you or your parent must contact the teacher to find out what was covered and what assignments are due the next week.
- Respect church property as a house of worship and use only items and areas sanctioned for our use (upstairs classrooms, nursery rooms, P.E. areas, playground, downstairs kitchen for class or lunch only, parking lot for vehicles only, but not the church offices, stage, fellowship hall/sanctuary, or woods). Church personnel are often working while we are there, so no roaming around and no running indoors. You will be held accountable for any damages caused by your actions.
- To conserve energy, please turn off lights in any empty room and close all outside doors.
- Label all supplies with your name and do not bring valuables or anything that does not pertain to class, such as toys, electronics, bikes, skateboards, skooters, laser pointers, pocketknives, drugs and weapons (real or play). Students may listen to music via headphones during study hall; otherwise, listening devices must be kept in their parent's car. Cell phones must not be used in class, unless receiving a call or text from family members. Please set cells on mute and return calls or texts between classes. Any of these items may be confiscated by an adult and returned after class or at the end of the day.
- Students should wear appropriate modest clothing. As in every area of our lives, we desire the way we dress to honor the Lord, so please choose your clothing from a spiritual point of view. If in doubt, choose something else. If the Leadership Team gets complaints, a dress code will be established.
- Be in class at all times while at co-op, with the exception of lunch, and do not leave the classroom without the teacher’s or helper's permission.
- Help clean up at the end of each class and return any tables at the end of fourth period. Do not leave the room until both are completed. We strive to leave the church in better condition than when co-op started.
- To prevent spills and pest infestation, food is confined to the kitchens and Room 212, unless part of a class function. Due to carpeting, only clear beverages (water, Sprite, etc.) are allowed at co-op. Please clean up after your lunch if you eat at co-op.
- Please follow the courtship standard for boy-girl relationships by respecting one another as brothers and sisters in Christ and refraining from public displays of affection.
- Students are expected to encourage and support one another in a gracious and loving environment. Name calling or destructive comments toward one another, even in jest, will not be tolerated.
Any student not honoring these standards for two weeks in a row will be removed from class for one week. Upon return to class, if the student habitually fails to honor these standards, the student will be removed from the class for the remainder of the semester.
TEACHER RESPONSIBILITIES
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom (Col. 3:16).
- By volunteering to teach or team teach, you are agreeing to participate in co-op for the full semester, so please prayerfully consider before committing. Go to AcademyDays.com to read Tips for Teachers.
- Although teachers may teach their classes the way they see fit, they should take into consideration the desires of the students' parents and should strive to avoid teaching subjects that may contradict the beliefs and opinions of other families. Defer any questionable discussions to the students' parents. The Bible is the standard to determine the appropriateness of subject matter.
- Six weeks before registration, the teacher will determine class descriptions, books, supplies, and minimal fees, including copying costs. Any incurred costs above fees will be covered by the teacher.
- If teacher's manuals or other materials are purchased by class fees, they become the property of Academy Days co-op. They will be stored when not used.
- Teachers must prepare a syllabus and lesson plans by Registration Day. One copy of lesson plans, along with everything necessary for two “back-up” lessons for substitutes, will be kept at co-op, and one copy should be given to the teacher's helpers. This will aid helpers or another substitute in the event of teacher absence.
- The teacher must distribute and adhere to a syllabus beginning on the first day of class. Parents use the syllabus to assign suitable coursework at home and ensure their children are prepared for class each week.
- Please abide by the Copyright Guidelines for Teachers at www.halldavidson.net/chartshort.html.
- Classes are not canceled due to a teacher's absence (See Substitutes Policy). You must call your team teacher, if you have one, or your helper to fill in for you. Additionally, to ensure two adults per class, you must call, not email, a parent on the Substitutes List to help in the class. Not doing so three times in a semester automatically forfeits your family's membership in co-op the following semester. The Leadership Team will not find a substitute for you.
- All teachers have at least one helper because two adults per class are required. If your absent helper or team teacher neglects to get a substitute, go to the Parents' Lounge and request a volunteer to help you.
- Elementary classes should not follow a lecture format. Limit handouts and textbook lessons, and instead, prepare hands-on activities, projects, experiments, and games, and invite dynamic guest speakers.
- High school and junior high classes may include lecture, but should primarily involve students in discussions, debates, simulations, re-enactments, experiments and labs. Please limit games, such as Jeopardy, to the end of chapters, units or semesters as rewards for hard work. Tests are not given during class, but teachers may provide tests for parents to administer and grade at home.
- Only junior high and high school teachers may require the purchase of books and assign homework. No more than two minor homework assignments may be given in 5th and 6th grade classes only, but completion is optional.
- Teachers may send students who are late, disruptive, disrespectful or unprepared for class to study hall (for junior high and high school) or to their parent. This includes whispering among friends and texting during class. Please see Conflict and Discipline Policy for details.
- The teacher will notify the parent if a student repeatedly fails to complete homework or participate in class. Upon the third offense, the teacher can suspend a student from class. Please see Conflict and Discipline Policy for details.
- Grades 2 and below must have their parent take them to the bathroom. Teachers should send older children to the restroom one at a time to prevent disrupting neighboring classes or send a helper to go with two or more as they may need to be supervised or reminded to be quiet.
- Teachers will delegate responsibilities to the helpers. Teachers should ask helpers to teach at least one class session per semester if they are not already teaching another class.
- In the event of a fire alarm, the teacher and helpers will take the class directly and calmly out of the building through the nearest exit to the playground, where they will take attendance. If someone is missing, please notify a Leadership Team member or another person of authority.
- Teachers, helpers and students are responsible for cleaning the room at the end of class and returning tables at the end of fourth period. At the end of each class, be sure the room is better than when class started and do not leave or allow students to leave until then. Return tables and chairs; help put away craft supplies, lab materials, or computers; erase boards; put debris in the trash; wipe tables and sweep if necessary.
- To help conserve energy, please make sure lights are off when your class leaves the room and all outside doors are closed.
- As part of a Christian co-op, teachers are encouraged to begin their classes with prayer.
- Additionally, the teacher is expected to:
- Print handouts and prepare copies before co-op as we do not have access to the office copier.
- Arrive a few minutes early to set up and to ensure that someone is present when students arrive.
- Start class on time. Do not wait for latecomers.
- Maintain order and focus in the class and avoid side conversations with the helpers.
- Be alert to help students who may have trouble but may be too shy to ask for help.
- End class on time so students will not be late to their next class.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF HELPERS
- Helpers are just as important to the success of co-op as the teachers. Every class has at least one helper for the teacher because two adults per class are mandatory.
- If you will be absent, you must call, not email, a parent on the Substitutes List at that period to fill in for you. (See Substitutes Policy.) Not doing so three times in a semester automatically forfeits your family's membership in co-op the following semester.
- When the teacher is absent, helpers will fill in, using the syllabus or back-up lesson plan for that class kept in storage. If you fill in for an absent teacher and find that you need an extra adult to help, go to the Parents' Lounge and request a volunteer.
- Helpers, teachers and students are responsible for cleaning the room at the end of class and returning tables at the end of fourth period. At the end of each class, be sure the room is better than when class started and do not leave or allow students to leave until then. Return tables and chairs; help put away craft supplies, lab materials, or computers; erase boards; put debris in the trash; wipe tables and sweep if necessary.
- To help conserve energy, please make sure lights are off when your class leaves the room and all outside doors are closed.
- Additionally, helpers are expected to:
- Help the teacher gather supplies, implement lessons and handle discipline.
- Participate actively in class and avoid side conversations with the other helpers.
- Assist students who need extra help.
- Help the teacher keep track of time so students will not be late to their next class.
- Teach one class during the semester, either alone or with the other helpers.
NURSERY
The nursery is limited to 7 children and is staffed and managed by their parents, under the guidance of the Leadership Team. Two adults per period are required in nursery. If there are not enough parents to man the nursery prior to the start of any semester, the nursery parents will hire their own worker(s) or the nursery will close for that semester. The nursery will not be staffed by children or teenagers, even as substitutes, although other co-op parents may volunteer to work the nursery.
The schedule of working parents for the nursery will be determined after the schedule for teachers and helpers of preschool through high school classes. Every effort will be made to give nursery parents one break during the day, but this may not be feasible every semester.
Designated nursery leaders will determine fees necessary for any crafts or snacks, what parents should bring each week, any activities, and additional rules. At minimum, parents will label every item belonging to the baby and bring a nap mat, diapers, wipes, and healthy snacks for their child.
Nursery children are not allowed in co-op classrooms, and children not enrolled in the nursery are not allowed in the nursery, except with their parent at lunch. If a baby needs his or her mother, the parent will go to the child in nursery and will find a substitute for her class from the Parents' Lounge.
For co-op fellowship gatherings, such as lunch each week, babies may join their families. However, during educational gatherings of co-op, nursery parents will join their babies in the nursery and may ask another parent to supervise their older children at the co-op event. If their older children become disruptive, they will be taken to their parents in the nursery. This is to ensure that co-op stays focused on the education of our school-aged children.
All children in nursery must have a parent or legal guardian at co-op at all times, no exceptions and no substitutes. If a parent is home with a sick child, she must keep her baby home, although she may still send her children in third grade and above to co-op with a supervising adult. In case of your absence, call (do not email) a parent on break during the period in which you need a substitute for the nursery. See Substitutes Policy for details.
Only the parent or authorized adult substitute or siblings will be allowed to drop off or pick up a child from the nursery.
All parents with children in the nursery will be the clean-up crew for the nursery each week. The co-op clean-up crew will not be responsible for the nursery.
SET-UP/CLEAN-UP CREW
At least four parents will serve on the co-op set-up/clean-up crew to ensure that the work is evenly distributed. They will divide the responsibilities as they see fit and maintain a checklist so substitutes may fill in easily. Their responsibilities do not include the nursery rooms, which are cleaned by all nursery parents.
- Members of the crew who set up should arrive at co-op at the scheduled time for the church to be opened to ensure that everything is ready for classes to begin on time. Therefore, punctuality is a primary commitment for set-up crew members.
- Please keep your children with you if their teachers have not arrived yet. They may help you set up, but please do not delegate set-up responsibilities to them.
- Setting up includes turning on the lights in the stairway and upstairs hallway; putting up all signs; turning on the AC/heat; putting out the co-op supplies of paper towels, toilet paper and soap in the upstairs bathrooms; and checking to see what classrooms need tables. When the older boys arrive, the set-up crew should direct them to move necessary tables.
- Set-up crew and the Leadership Team member who opens the church will check all rooms before classes start. Any rooms found out of order will be itemized, photographed if necessary, and reported to church leadership immediately.
- When set-up is complete, initial the set-up sheet.
- Members of the Clean-up Crew should expect to stay at co-op until 2:45 p.m. The job will likely be finished earlier, but could take the whole time. Therefore, please do not schedule appointments or events that would conflict with your commitment to the cleaning crew.
- After classes have ended, please keep your children with you if you still have work to do. They may help you clean up, but please do not delegate clean-up responsibilities to them.
- Starting about 2:15 p.m., please collect all signs, return thermostats to original settings, and take items from the Parents' Lounge to storage.
- To prevent duplicating your efforts, wait until after everyone has left the classrooms (about 2:35 p.m.) to: collect co-op supplies of paper towels, soap, and toilet paper from the bathrooms and return them to storage, check all rooms for scattered debris, put forgotten belongings in Lost and Found, make sure any furniture has been moved to its original position, turn off lights, take out trash, sweep rooms and wipe tables only if needed.
- The bathrooms, kitchens and fellowship hall should be checked only after everyone has left the building (about 2:40 p.m.) to prevent duplicating your efforts.
- When completed, initial the clean-up sheet.
- A clean-up crew member and Leadership Team member will be the last persons to leave upstairs after checking all rooms and turning off lights.
- Periodically display Lost and Found items in the Parents' Lounge, and take those items not claimed to a charity facility.
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