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About CFS
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Learning Together
Our Story
In the Spring of 1999 some parents got together with the idea of starting a private school. Some had really good experiences with the School of Tomorrow curriculum through their children's attendance at another private school that used it. The School of Tomorrow has been publishing their educational materials for something like 25 to 30 years and MANY schools and homeschool familes use it all over the world. If you'd like a preview you can do a web search on the name and you'll find their website. It is workbook based, supplemented by video and PC software.
There is more than a curriculum, however. They have a whole program for setting up a homeschool classroom which we have adopted and found to work fairly well. So we agreed on a curriculum and we agreed on a classroom format. We just needed a meetingplace.
We tried to get into a commercial space in Streetsboro but we were unable to meet building requirements in time to start the school year, so we decided on a former school building in Macedonia call the Pavillion. It has turned out to be very good to start the co-op. The students have a locker in the hall and we sub-lease the gym.
We discovered that to be a school in Ohio we had to have a teacher on hand at all times with a four year degree in any accredited program, and we were not yet in the position to hire someone, so we have organized as a homeschool association. Individual families are responsible to meet all the Ohio requirements for homeschooling, and we can tell new families how to obtain all the imformation to do that.
Getting Started
An incoming student will take placement tests before the school year in the 5 core subjects to know where to start in the PACEs and any "gaps" that need to be covered. The cost of the tests is covered by the application fee.
Learning Independently and Learning Together
Students work at their own desk in the PACE workbooks at the rate set by their parents. They score their own work at an area set aside just for that where the score keys (answers) are stored, then return to their desk to rework any errors. When they complete a PACE they take a test which is scored by a parent and entered into their records.
Parents volunteering one schoolday per week are called Monitors. They help the students by answering questions, checking work, testing, and, of course, maintaining an orderly and conducive learning environment. We have at least two monitors there during our hours, 8:30 until 2:00. Field learning experiences (usually each Friday) often require a few more parents. In fact, for the trip to the Great Lakes Science Center and Omnimax it apparently required more than twice as many as usual!
Homework is usually only required if a student is having difficulty with a subject or misses days due to illness or travel, or in the higher grades when the coursework becomes more demanding. The program is designed and the schoolday arranged so that students can get their work done during the schoolday. Academics have priority over extra-curriculars.
We currently have six PCs set up for the student's use and have others waiting as we add classrooms. We have two VCRs and monitors with headphones for the instructional video. We have volunteer instructors for Art, Music, Gym, Science Lab and we have a certified instructor in Fire Safety and Personal Safety. Currently, over 30 students from 21 families make up CFS.
Cost
The cost each family contributes includes the core curriculum workbooks called PACEs and registration as home extension students of a Christian school who advises us, supplies PACEs and maintains the students' "official" transcripts (for college application or transfer purposes). Beyond that it covers rent, utilities, insurance and other minor expenses. Parents buy PACEs that their students need beyond the core curriculum, if they progress faster or if they choose to take additional coursework. We spread the payments over 12 months instead of 9, beginning July 1 to help make them a little smaller per month.
A family's contribution to CFS is less than half of most private schools' tuition. We can accept a FEW applications from working parents who are unable to volunteer in the classroom, but the number is very limited, and there is a surcharge. For further cost information, contact CFS.
Transportation to CFS is provided by the parents.
Parental Leadership
Goal cards are sent home every week for their parent's signature. We encourage parents to have their students bring home their PACEs and scored tests so they can review their work. The parents are COMPLETELY responsible for their children's work. We are homeschoolers, legally and philosophically, meeting daily to help each other and build on each other's strengths. We have no professional administrator. We have no professional teacher. We pay no salary at this time. Our Board is made up of parents of our students. This is the best way to make sure that those who have the most at stake (our children's education!) make the decisions in the best interest of our families. It keeps our focus on the quality, safety and affordability of our student's education.
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We firmly believe parental participation in a student's education is the key to maximum achievement.
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