Sunland - Home School Program
13216 Leach St., Sylmar, CA 91342
1-800-525-4419 / 818-523-6791 / fax: 818-362-1489
National / Accredited
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Sunland Handbook
ACCOUNTABILITY
Accountability is a key component of Sunland's program, providing the support to exchange ideas, ask and answer questions and offer support to our families and students. Record keeping and good communication is a vital part of Sunland in helping families succeed in homeschooling. Each month Sunland mails handouts to their families and provides social activities, encouragement and school schedule information. Monthly accountability can occur through, mail, emails, phone conversations, and meetings with parents.
ENROLLMENT and RE-ENROLLMENT
Enrollment is open year-round. Students may enroll as a full time, part time, or summer school student. To enroll your child(ren) in Sunland you can fill out an application online, fill out enrollment application form, or call the office for an appointment. A non-refundable family registration fee is due upon enrollment. Families are automatically re-enrolled each year, unless we are notified otherwise. (Read school policies)
TUITION, FEES and PAYMENT
Tuition can be paid yearly, quarterly, or monthly. Regular tuitions are computed on 10 monthly payments, from September through and including June and are due by the 1st of each month. Extended school year and summer school fees can be paid in one payment or scheduled in monthly payments. See Costs for more information.
EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY
The responsibility for education rests jointly upon the parents and Sunland. The average parent is qualified to teacher their children. In areas where parents may lack necessary teaching skills, they can learn those skills, delegate this responsibility to another, or use educational resources available to them in their community.
Learning can be exciting, should be thoughtfully done, and diligently supervised. Creative utilization of all available resources, and flexibility of scheduling, are important for maximizing individual educational opportunities. Each student is considered to be a spiritual physical being, capable of learning. They are at the same time a social being in relation to others, having moral, intellectual and emotional needs. The curriculum (not always school books) is the medium through which the student learns. The curriculum should include studies from religion, science, language arts, mathematics, history and geography, physical education, the arts and electives.
Record keeping helps families to mark and record student progress. A simple process has been designed to tell what will be done, what has been completed, and how a student has scored. Each family maintains an attendance record for each student. The State of California requires 175 schooling days per year, with a minimum of three hours per day. See Record Keeping for more information.
STUDENT RECORDS
Creating appropriate records and interfacing with other established schools, both public and private, is part of SCS's purpose. SCS requires the maintenance of records, requesting records from other schools and sending of
Sunland offers all the services of a private school, providing the support and guidance needing in assisting families as they teach their children at home.
Sunland will create an individualized program per student through an interview with the family. Identifying the needs and determining a method for meeting them can be discussed.
Reasonable costs will be charged on a monthly basis for advanced services.
Online Courses are available for any student to take all of their schooling online or just one or more courses. Online Courses are an innovative educational approach to teaching using the internet as the textbook or curriculum. Read more.
records to be handled in a professional manner. Students enrolling in Sunland or transferring to an other school may have their cumulative folders forwarded (public, private or Independent Study Programs) by means of an authorization sent to our office. Sunland does not forward records to individual families.
PRESCHOOL/KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM
Families with preschool/kindergarten age children may enroll in Sunland and participate in its record keeping and programs. A fee of $25.00 for registration is required. Attending to your child’s development and learning, a $15.00 monthly tuition fee and a quarterly progress report are required. Special preschool - elementary grade activities are periodically scheduled. Sunland provides all of its regular support and counsel to preschool/kindergarten families.
CAMPUS DAYS
Sunland hosts Campus Days throughout the school year. Student oral reports, guest speakers and science fairs are examples of campus day activities.
SEMINARS
Seminars (open to the general public) are periodically hosted by Sunland. They are geared toward parenting skills, marriage communication, child development, curriculum counseling, educational approaches and other schooling issues. Most seminars have a registration fee.
HONOR'S PROGRAM
Sunland's Honor's Program lends itself to the unique structure of the homeschool setting. The Honor's Program is based on participation in an oral report, a science fair exhibit, and two written reports of field trips attended. Student's completing this program will be recognized at the end of the school year.
ACHIEVEMENT TESTING
Testing can be a helpful tool in analyzing your child's knowledge mastery. Sunland requires yearly testing for all students 3rd, 5th and 7th grade and above (IOWA Test of Basis Skills for 1st - 6th grades, and Stanford Achievement Test for 7th grade and older). The SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test), administered by a third party, may be necessary for high school students desiring to go on to college or university. Testing is not available for kindergarten. All students will be tested around the beginning of the 4th quarter. The testing fee is $40.00 per student enrolled in Sunland and $45 for those outside of Sunland.
SUMMER SCHOOL
While summer school has a traditional meaning, students can make up failed classes during the summer. Sunland’s summer school program is available to all students from any school! Many families homeschool their children “year-around,” even during the summer. Children who attend public or other private schools, may enroll in Sunland during the summer to make up a course. Some students dually enroll in Sunland during the school year (concurrent enrollment) also to make up a course.
Sunland’s High School Manual explains courses required for graduation, how to obtain work permits, accomplish Driver’s Education, enroll in college classes, where to take the PSAT or SAT tests, and much more. Families with high school or junior high students can become well informed about the high school years by reading through the manual or contacting Sunland’s high school counselor. Developing a strategy for graduation and preparing for college or university, can be a helpful and important part of your homeschool experience. See Sunland’s High School Manual.
TEACHING OTHER CHILDREN
Homeschooling families sometimes teach other children in addition to their own. In some cases, grandparents, aunts, or siblings may even be the instructor. Many families call Sunland’s office looking for someone else to homeschool their child. It becomes a matter of finding the right person for teaching your child or the correct setting for one to teach other children. Usually a fee is paid each month to the person teaching your child. Personal discretion should be exercised in each educational arrangement. Parents should feel free to decide whether another teacher will work for their child, and whether or not a family wants to add another student to their setting.
"CO-OP" SCHOOLS
Individuals and families may desire to administrate a private school which provides an alternative education, emulating homeschooling, as a business or ministry outreach. Sunland administrates a program for these schools and works much like a school district office in providing accountability, direction, counsel and assistance in starting and operating such a school. Anyone interesting in starting and operating such a school should contact Sunland for an appointment to discuss these goals. Necessary steps for starting a school and the relationship between Sunland and the school will be a part of an initial discussion. Contact the office for more information.
Successful homeschooling requires that parents direct their child’s education on a daily basis. Sunland believes planning your student’s lessons on a weekly basis minimizes the daily stress of figuring out what to do. This includes having a schedule, knowing what topics a student should be studying, and directing the use of curriculum by assigning work for each day. Sunland provides families with lesson plan instructions, a sample plan and blank forms for scheduling weekly lesson plans for the year. Upon enrollment, when a family secures curriculum, Sunland offers helping plan one’s first week of lessons. Most families then plan their own lessons during the year. Families desiring assistance (on a regular basis) can purchase lesson planning services from Sunland for $10 per weekly lesson plan. Families set an appointment, bring their student and the curriculum, and a lesson plan for a week is written. Some families choice to use this service throughout the year, incorporating having their student answer directly to the school by proving they completed the assigned work. Parents continue to check their student’s progress on a daily basis and grade the work completed.
EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Sunland encourages families to gain homeschool support from a variety of sources: office staff, school staff families, families from one’s local parent meeting, others met at field trips, and the homeschool community at large. In addition to emotional and spiritual support, there is an enormous array of extra curricular activities available.
Our encouragement is to only use what is necessary and avoid becoming stretched too thin by over involvement. It can be easy for homeschool families to become over-socialized, find themselves running “all over kingdom come,” and overlook helping their children develop regular study skills and habits.
SPECIAL STUDENTS and I.E.P.S
Definition: Special Students - Students having challenges in their academic learning process, whether due to physical handicap, Downs Syndrome, learning disabilities, or other like hindrances, who would qualify for a public school Individualized Education Program (IEP). Special Students who are taught at home can receive assistance through a variety of resources. Depending on a family's situation, assistance can be provided in conjunction with home education through hiring private educational therapists, utilizing the professional help of friends or relatives, or sometimes receiving assistance through the public school system. Every student, who is enrolled in a Sunland, can request a full IEP or annual review from their local school or school district. The school has 50 days in which to provide an IEP screening from the day a formal request was made to the local school or district. The IEP screening usually includes the public school principal, psychologist, parents, student and other school therapists and teachers representing the areas of your student's special needs.
PROMOTION NIGHT
Promotion Night is a school wide graduation where students receive Certificates of Completion, Diplomas and various other forms of recognition. This is an evening to bring your family and friends to see your students graduate! Sign-up is required for promotion certificates.
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
Sunland Christian School will confer a diploma to any student who completes the Course of Study requirements for High School graduation and passes a proficiency test with scores of 10 grade or better in English and Math.
CURRICULUM
There are three ways in which families may determine and obtain curriculum for their students:
1. Evaluate and decide curriculum on your own.
2. Purchase all of your curriculum through one distributor, such as Alpha-Omega, Bob Jones, ABEKA, etc. (Curriculum conventions and fairs are a forum for this.)
3. Contact our curriculum counselors for assistance in evaluating, tailoring, deciding and/or purchasing curriculum.
GUIDELINES for SELECTING CURRICULUM
(Written by Linda Beeson)
1. Curriculum includes any item that helps you teach a subject (Example: coins and dominoes for math, a globe for social studies).
2. Not all curriculum needs to be purchased. Library books can be used for social studies, science, health and safety and language arts (i.e., literature). Games can be exchanged between home schooling families.
3. Most families buy more curriculum then they need. The fear of not doing a good job can contribute to impulse spending.
4. Don't buy anything that doesn't appeal to you personally. If you don't like it, you won't use it (even if you think the child needs it or that he would like it.)
5. Keep in mind your personality when considering a purchase. Do you like research and intricate projects that require prior preparation time? Then you might enjoy the unitstudy method (Example: Kono or Weaver curriculum), or do you want everything spelled out and simplified? You should look for a traditional textbook and possibly the teacher's manual.
6. Keep in mind your child's personality. Would he experience a sense of accomplishment from completing a work book? Or does he hate to even write his name on the page? This child could learn better with handson materials and oral work.
7. Don't buy curriculum sight unseen. Use catalogs to provide an overview of what's available, but remember that they are designed to motivate you to purchase their products.
8. Buy Language and Math items first.
9. Buy only for present needs. Your enthusiasm for using an item is highest at the time of purchase. You could push a child past his capabilities in your desire to use the item.
10. Plan to buy items throughout the year (Christmas, birthdays or when enthusiasm is lagging).
11. A good secular textbook is better than a poor Christian one. (check ahead of time for possible humanistic overtones).
12. Before going to a curriculum faire or teacher supply store, decide exactly what you want to buy. This should keep you from impulse spending and
being overwhelmed by hugh selections of items.
13. Talk to other home schooling families to learn what is available (keeping in mind that someone else may need an item that might only gather dust at your home).
14. If you don't like a subject (math for example), ask the Lord to increase your interest and ability. A teacher's enthusiasm about the subject motivates the students.
15. Finally, teachers teach, books don't. The item is only as valuable as the amount of use it receives. How much is learned depends on you and your child.
CONTACT by LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
It is possible that a neighbor, friend, or even a relative could "turn you in" to your local school district for not having your children "attend school". If this happens, don't panic. Do the following:
1. Relax. Do not be intimidated. Be reassured, you are not doing anything illegal. If you are contacted and your local school district pursues the matter, notify the office immediately. (We have been able to set these concerns to rest before they went any further). If you are harassed by a school district official, be polite and truthful in what you say. If the district wants to pursue this, there are several definite steps, spread over several weeks, that the district must take. Harassment is not one of those steps!
2. If contacted directly, ask for the person's name, phone number and his position. Tell him your school will contact him. Contact the school with this information.
3. When asked why your children are not enrolled in school, let them know that your children are enrolled in SUNLAND. Give them and school address and phone number.
4. If asked whether or not you are home schooling, you can do one of two things: a. Refer them to SUNLAND. b. Yes, you are currently doing an independent study program through SUNLAND and refer him to the school.
RESPONSIBILITIES of PARENTS
Below are listed some of the responsibilities of the home schooling parents and/or teacher, some of which can be accomplished with the assistance or expertise of others.
A. The duty of caring for your child (and other children in your charge) during school day and school events.
B. Awareness of the education process, and its application to your child's development.
C. Determination of your child's educational needs.
D. Choice and purchase of curriculum.
E. Education of your child.
F. Maintenance of record keeping, attendance at the parent meetings, and the payment of fees and tuition.
G. Notification to the school of difficulties in legal, academic or other school related areas.
RESPONSIBILITIES of SUNLAND
Below are listed some of the responsibilities of Sunland.
A. Supervise each student's cumulative/school file.
B. General supervision of the teaching process.
C. Program field trips, park days, campus days, seminars, Friday School, teacher's accountability meetings, testing, and other special events.
D. Coordinate resources for curriculum and academic guidance.
E. Administrate interaction between parents/students and other educational institutions or organizations. (Some examples Work permits, attendance of a class in a public or other private school, or community college, or dealing with the public school system.)
Character Traits Which Should Be Taught To Children
(from Dorothy Moore)
"To be pleasant, loving, trusting, honest, obedient, cheerful, content, forgiving, patient, kind, unselfish, quiet in the home, respectful to authority, grateful for a simple life (food, clothes, possessions), helpful, efficient, prompt, industrious, orderly, friendly but not bold, thoughtful to others, polite and courteous, quiet and respectful before visitors, compassionate and tenderhearted, sociable to people of all ages, pure in morals, selfcontrolled, selfdisciplined, consistent, temperate, economical, firm in convictions of right and wrong (even when ridiculed), and a joy and blessing to parents and others. Acts become habits, habits become lifestyles. Habits become unconscious actions. To undo habits requires strong conscious work. Children are likely to become how the parents relate to them. Subdue selfwill in a child. Punish no fault truly confessed."
NEED HELP?
There are times during the home schooling process when one might feel overwhelmed. THIS IS A NORMAL FEELING, NOTHING IS WRONG WITH YOU. During these times, do not withdraw and isolate yourself from others. Let someone know how you are feeling and reach out for direction, encouragement, understanding and empathy. Many times others cannot tell what you are going through, and it takes courage for you share your thoughts. As scary as it might seem, reaching out to someone you trust can be the most rewarding thing you can do. The staff of Sunland exists for the purpose of assisting you in your home school endeavor. Others in the school also are in a position to have an open heart to you. Find out who they are and interact with them according to their availability. As strength and experience become a part of your home schooling life, begin to be available to others, but never at the expense of your own spouse and children. There are people who care; call someone when you NEED HELP!