Welcome to a new year of co-op!
There are LOTS of changes to co-op this year as we continue to grow and more families offer to teach. Our biggest changes are our new location, new meeting time, and a big expansion to our offerings for the middle & high school kids. Please excuse the length of this email. There is a lot of information to share!
New Mission Statement
The North Country Homeschool Co-op a nondenominational group, open to all homeschooling families in our region. We are parent run, with parents planning, teaching, and organizing all our activities. We provide a mix of structured classes and free play time for children from preschool through high school, with a strong focus on play based, hands on, activities for all ages. We welcome children of all abilities and ages!
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New Location
Our big news is that the North Country Homeschool Co-op has a new home! The Cadyville Wesleyan Church will be hosting us this year. They are located on Rt 3, right in the village of Cadyville, next to the old elementary school building. The new building is amazing with lots of classrooms, a preschool room, full kitchen, nursery/toddler room with a private bathroom, teen lounge, rec room with ping-pong, foosball, etc, large fellowship hall, and even an elevator for handicap access to the basement where the classrooms are! The church property borders the old Cadyville school property, and we have access to the playground and fields for classes and recess time. It is also conveniently located near the Cadyville beach, and also the town park with it's rec trails, another playground, and disc golf course.
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New Meeting Time & Class Schedule
Co-op will be meeting on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month, and the 5th Wednesday in long months. Co-op has use of the building from 11:00am - 3:00pm every other Wednesday.
There is a small possibility we may occasionally have to cancel classes if there is a Wednesday funeral service. In the event that happens we will have 24-48 hours notice from Pastor Jeff at the church, and notices will immediately go out to the newsletter, event blog & Facebook group.
The regular weekly schedule will be:
11:00am - 12:00pm -- Structured class time for all ages PreK- high school.
12:00pm - 1:00pm -- Bag lunch. Recess next door at the playground (weather permitting). Indoor group games, rec room time, free play room & board games in bad weather. Children's Chorus will meet about once a month from 12:30-1:00.
1:00pm - 2:00pm -- Clubs (book clubs, board game club), additional activities & outside speakers for older kids, ongoing craft activities & other projects. Most afternoon offerings will be for the 7+ age kids, but younger siblings are always welcome to stay and play in the preschool, free play, nursery rooms, or neighboring playground.
2:00pm - 3:00pm -- This time slot is available as overflow for longer running afternoon classes, and any classes parents would like to arrange by outside teachers (such as a hired teacher coming in to offer a biweekly language class or activity like karate)
*** Please note that the homeschool support group Kari Zurlo was running out of her home will be moving to co-op this year! The support group will meet during the 1:00p - 3:00p slot, upstairs in the fellowship hall. Young children are welcome to the meeting, which will be adjacent to the nursery/toddler room. Older children can keep themselves busy with the various afternoon clubs, activities, crafts, rec room, and at the nearby playground if there are volunteers to watch them there. Please make note of the new support group times in with the class schedule below. ***
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New Class Structure
As you can see we're trying things a bit differently this year! Classes or activities will be offered for different age ranges/interests in separate classrooms. You can see in the class schedule below that we are offering a lot more classes for the older kids!
We are also adding a little more structure to the class time, particularly during the 11:00-12:00 time slot.
Each class for school age children will have activities in its own assigned classroom, with a teacher & assigned helper. Meanwhile parents will have a chance to assist in other rooms, assist with set-up & clean-up, visit in the fellowship room, or supervise younger siblings in the nursery or preschool area.
Parents of preschool & nursery age children only are welcome and encouraged to attend activities with their little ones. Most weeks there will be a designated preschool room with a short circle/story time, followed by a couple of activities & then free play. The nursery room is upstairs off the fellowship hall, and next to the kitchen. It has rockers, pack n' play, a changing table, baby swings, toddler toys, and a private bathroom.
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New Policy On Students with Disabilities
We have decided to make a formal statement about how we handle students with disabilities since this is a question that is often asked. Our policy is simple -- we welcome students of ALL abilities!!!
Our new building is fully handicap accessible, so even children in wheelchairs or with other physical limitations can easily attend co-op classes.
If your child struggles academically, socially or both we encourage you to come try co-op! Every child is asked to perform at *their* best, but we do not expect every child to perform or act the same.
If your child struggles with social situations or hyperactivity, please know that MANY of the other families who regularly attend co-op have gone through similar things with their children.
Your child is welcome to come and participate at whatever level they are comfortable. For some children this may mean "just" observing for a class or two (or more!). That is fine. Experience has shown us that most children will overcome their initial shyness after a couple classes. The free play room is an excellent option for shy or nervous children, as it gives them a chance to meet the other kids, without the pressure of a classroom environment.
Please make sure to speak privately prior to class with your child's teachers & assistants about any special things to keep in mind when teaching your child. While we are encouraging parents to allow school age children to work as independently as possible with just their teacher & assistant, if a child truly needs a parent present for comfort or assistance just let us know.
Ultimately, parents are responsible for helping their child manage their behavior. Co-op is a welcoming, but not therapeutic environment.
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New Motto: Co-op Is Cooperative! ;-)
We need families willing to help! How can you help?
1) Teach a class.
This one explains itself. If you have an idea for a class please contact Amanda Bokus at bokusfamily@westelcom.com or Holly Warren at hollyjwarren@gmail.com, or on the private North Country Homeschooling Facebook page. If you would be willing to teach or team teach a class, but aren't sure about what to teach or where to start please contact us. We would be happy to provide class ideas, match you with other parents who would prefer to team teach, and generally mentor you a bit through your first co-op teaching experience!
2) Arrange an outside speaker or teacher to lead a class
If you have an outside speaker or teacher you would like to arrange please contact Holly Warren at hollyjwarren@gmail.com or private message on Facebook to Holly Warren. It is helpful when scheduling an outside speaker/teacher to know what ages they are comfortable working with, what their fees are, and how large a time slot they need.
3) Sign-up to assist in a classroom helping others who are teaching
One of our classroom changes is we are assigning helpers to as many classes as possible. The helpers job is to assist the teacher in whatever way the teacher needs help. This will most likely be with things like set-up, clean-up, and rotating through with the teacher to answer questions or provide assistance. Room helpers will make it so that all parents do not have to attend classes with children who may need help, and allow parents to focus on assisting younger siblings who need more one-on-one attention. You can sign-up to be a room helper by emailing Holly Warren at hollyjwarren@gmail.com, private message on Facebook to Holly Warren, or sign-up on the sheets available at the sign-in table at each class session.
4) Sign-up for clean up crew
Clean-up crew helpers will be assigned a particular classroom or classrooms to help clean up & return to their original set-up. You can sign-up to be on cleaning crew by emailing Holly Warren at hollyjwarren@gmail.com, private message on Facebook to Holly Warren, or sign-up on the sheets available at the sign-in table at each class session.
5) Donate Supplies
Co-op is always in need of basic school supplies. If you are interested in donating an item or items here is a short list to consider: plain paper, construction paper, colored pencils, glue sticks, school glue, school scissors, markers, holiday stickers (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, birthday) for nursing home cards, magic erasers, case of paper towels, rubbermaid style bin for storing supplies at the church, preschool toys, puzzles & books in good condition.
If enough members volunteer to help with teaching, assisting & cleaning everyone should only have to work a couple times each year. All teaching, room helper, and clean-up assignments will be arranged prior to the class, so you know it will fit into your family's schedule. If you have a age/grade level you'd prefer to teach or be a room helper with please make a note of that when signing up
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New Membership Fee to Cover Liability Insurance (pending)
The co-op continues to be open to any homeschooling family in our region. However, due to our group needing to purchase liability insurance, there will be a yearly fee this year for families participating. The cost hasn't been set yet, as we need to hear back from the insurance agency. Once more detailed information is available it will immediately be sent out to both the newsletter & the Facebook group.
Families who have never attended co-op before are welcome to attend once before deciding if they'd like to participate regularly & contribute to the insurance policy.
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Class Fees
Fees for individual classes will still be paid weekly to cover costs of materials. Fees will continue to be collected using the honor system at the sign-in table each class day. When you sign-in, please be sure to check to see if the classes your child is attending that day have fees, and if so, please put payment in the appropriate envelope.
As class fees are generally very modest, it is best if families can bring $1's and $5's when paying for classes.
Fees will continue to be announced in the class descriptions so families can make sure they have the correct change.
Some classes, especially for the middle/high school students, may have higher fees due to the supplies the class requires. For example, we will be offering a dissection class for middle/high school kids during the spring semester, and the dissection kit & 4 specimens will run about $50 per student. While we try to keep the overall class fees low, students and parents have expressed interest in high level classes or classes that require specific items that may cost more.
Please make sure to check the announcements for any classes your children are attending to see if there is a fee or other item that should be brought in order for them to participate.
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Attendance Policy
Participation each week is not mandatory. Families are welcome to come to as many or as few classes as their schedules & interests allow.
Please note the RSVP policy for each class your family is interested in & contact the appropriate person via email or phone.
Please note that some classes this year, mostly ones for the older kids, will have limited class sizes. Again, refer to each class write up for full details.
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New General Rules
1) Parents, please do not drop off your child. Co-op is NOT a drop-off activity. Parents are expected to be on the premises at all time. Drop-offs may occasionally be allowed on a case by case basis for children 7+, with prior permission from the instructor and/or one of the co-op coordinators.
2) Please no candy treats as rewards in class. In order to be mindful of food allergies, encourage a healthy lifestyle, and mindful of everyone's various food preferences we are asking that candy not NOT be given by teachers as rewards in class. Families are certainly welcome to pack whatever they would like for their own children to eat during the bag lunch/recess period, but for rewards please consider stickers or other small tokens.
3) All classes will be meeting in the basement of the Cadyville Wesleyan Church unless otherwise stated in the class description. The church offices are upstairs, and in an effort to be respectful of this fact, and contain the mess we make, we are requesting that students stay downstairs where the classrooms area, unless there is a specific class they are attending upstairs or they are with a parent in the nursery/toddler area.
The North Country Homeschooling group seeks to provide homeschooling support and activities to those living in the Northern NY counties of Clinton, Essex, and Franklin. Activity information is available via email, blog, and Facebook. Homeschooling support is provided though Facebook and a variety of monthly support groups. The North Country Homeschooling Group is open to anyone who homeschools or who is thinking of homeschooling. There are no membership fees.