Pacific School's Home Study Program - Frequently Asked Questions
Mrs. Joy Haas - Home Study Teacher
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Social Studies Materials for Distance Learning 2020-21
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What are the goals for Pacific School's Home Study Program?
This program is designed to serve families who are looking for a quality elementary education without a classroom component. The goals for each student are to achieve the skills outlined in the California State Standards at or above grade level (Course Descriptions) and to make considerable gains in their overall academic skills each year. We hope to support families in creating a successful, calm, and educationally rich academic environment for their student. We also hope to facilitate students' social connections with local peers through optional online small group classes and opportunities.
What grades does the program serve?
Transitional kindergarten* through sixth grade.
*Transitional kindergarten is a program for students who turn five between September 2 and December 2. Students who complete a year of transitional kindergarten either continue into kindergarten or first grade depending on their readiness.
Who is the consultant teacher?
The consultant teacher for home study students is Joy Haas, who also serves as the coordinator for the Independent Study program. Mrs. Joy has multiple years of experience teaching at diverse grade levels. She is especially passionate about hands-on parent-involved education and making alternative models for education practical and successful for families.
How do the program logistics work?
Parents, students, and the teacher sign a Learning Agreement before the first day of school. The teacher works with families and students in designing the assignments so that students’ and families’ needs are met and students are challenged to grow and learn to their maximum potential. The teacher gives new assignments each week throughout the year. Students are responsible for completing each assignment within the given time period. Parents will need to support their student(s) in completing and submitting their work to their teacher. Per state law, late work cannot be accepted for attendance credit, however it can be used to demonstrate educational progress.
Students' education is supported with a combination of resources including but not limited to: optional small group online classes led by the teacher, Joy Haas; online curriculum resources (e.g. Khan Academy, BrainPop, DreamBox, Mathletics, Mystery Science, FOSS Web Science, Benchmark Language Arts, among others); school-provided textbooks and instructional materials; and parent-provided resources (for example, home science experiences). Parents are invited to utilize the combination of resources that best serves their student in achieving the outlined academic goals.
Mrs. Joy will meet with students frequently through online conferencing software, by phone, or in person. This can happen through optional online small group classes, online tutoring with the teacher, a check-in phone call, etc. The teacher will also meet with the parents online, by phone, or in person at least once every three months, or more frequently if desired by either the teacher or the parent, to discuss progress.
All meetings, paperwork, and assignments can be completed and submitted entirely online if desired. However, if internet access is challenging for families, logistics can also be handled by phone, in person, or through delivery at the school office.
The parents of students requesting the Home Study Program at Pacific School should recognize that home-based education at the elementary level must include commitment and dedication on their parts.
How do the online classes work?
For 2021-22, all students will have opportunities to participate in online classes or meetings with Pacific School staff daily. All home study and independent study students will be offered an online class with Mrs. Joy each day. While online classes are optional, home study students are encouraged to attend as a way to interact with their peers and approach their learning from a different perspective.
What subjects do students study?
Families are expected to provide regular documentation of student work and progress in these six areas:
While documentation must be in a form approved by the teacher and district, there is flexibility in the types of activities that qualify for each of these areas. Ways to document work include:
How much flexibility is there with the curriculum?
The goals of the program are for each student to achieve the skills outlined in the California State Standards at or above grade level (Course Descriptions) AND to make considerable gains in their overall academic skills each year. While the teacher provides adopted and supplemental curricular materials to each family, there is flexibility about how each student achieves these goals. Families who wish to provide their own materials or design their own projects may do so as long as these materials or projects support the student in achieving the goals above. (Please note that no materials with religious content may be counted towards the student’s official school work, unless they are part of a social studies unit on history or comparative religion.)
Are there opportunities for students to advance above their grade level?
Definitely. If your student can demonstrate grade-level skills, they will be encouraged to continue to learn, grow, and develop their skills above grade level.
Does my student need to own a computer?
No. If your student does not own a computer adequate for their educational needs in this program, Pacific School will lend your student a Chromebook for the school year. Families are responsible for following all school rules regarding computer and technology use and returning the Chromebook in working order at the end of the year, or at the time of disenrollment.
Does my student need reliable internet access?
No, although it is helpful. However, if you do not have reliable internet access, there are several options. First, the school can provide equivalent offline educational materials. For younger students, this may be an excellent option. Second, the school provides all families with internet access at any time in the parking lot across Highway 1 from the school. They can also access the internet from school grounds after school hours. Finally, in some cases, the school may be able to provide internet hot spots or other solutions for home use, although this can be challenging depending on the family’s location and cell service, and is not guaranteed to be a viable option.
Do we need to be residents of the Pacific Elementary School District to participate?
No. Students in the program must be a resident of Santa Cruz County or any county adjacent to Santa Cruz County. Students who live out of the district boundaries must complete the appropriate Interdistrict Transfer Form. For families within Santa Cruz County, the Interdistrict Transfer Form and instructions are here. Families outside the county need to obtain the correct form from their school district of residence. The program can only accept students from Santa Cruz County or a neighboring county.
My family lives in the Davenport School District. Are we guaranteed a spot in the Homeschool Program?
Generally yes, as long as your family can support your student to accomplish their schoolwork within the terms of the agreement. If your student has an IEP, please see the additional comments below.
My student has an IEP. Can we participate?
Generally yes, if all of the following are true:
I’m worried that my student won’t learn everything they need to know and will get behind.
This is a common fear of many first-time homeschooling parents. However, there is considerable evidence that home-based education is a successful educational model and that students educated at home in general are as likely or more likely to flourish in their future pursuits as traditionally schooled students. Families generally find that students can learn and retain more new skills in shorter amounts of time with tailored curriculum and one-on-one or small group instruction. One of the advantages of joining Pacific School's program is that a credentialed and experienced teacher will be available to support you and your student.
How will my student be evaluated?
The teacher will conduct a variety of formal and informal assessments of students' academic progress. Home study students do not receive traditional report cards or letter grades. Instead, regular parent meetings serve as a time for families and teachers to discuss student progress. In addition, students in third through sixth grade will participate in state-mandated testing.
If one or more of the following conditions occur, the teacher will convene a meeting with the parent and student to review the student’s learning agreement and reconsider the independent study program’s impact on the student’s achievement and well-being:
How will the program fit into the larger Pacific School community?
Pacific School makes every effort to make its Home Study students feel welcomed and integrated into the Pacific School community, despite the challenges of participating in a home-based program. The teacher encourages Home Study students to develop social connections with each other through optional online classes. Parents are welcome to share their passions by organizing online classes or activities for interested students. Families receive the Pacific School weekly memo, and are encouraged to participate in fundraising and to join or attend meetings of Parents’ Club, Site Council, and the Board of Trustees.
In addition, fully vaccinated students will have the option to join independent study students on their field trips, which generally occur three Fridays per month, plus two overnight camping trips per year.
Finally, all Home Study students, and their unenrolled siblings age 17 or under, are invited to pick up free freshly made to-go meals each day from our award-winning FoodLab (school lunch) program.
I like the idea of being more involved in my student’s education, but I would prefer they have some in-person class time with peers.
The Home Study Program is designed for full-time home-based education with no in-person classroom experiences. If you want in-person class time, you should consider Pacific School’s Independent Study Program, which is a hybrid program offering a combination of in-person classroom experiences and home-based education.
I’m confused. Is this Home Study Program an independent study program? But you also have an Independent Study Program that’s different?
We have two separate programs:
California Education Code allows schools to offer independent study programs which can be structured as 100% offsite home-based learning, 100% in-person classroom-based learning, or anywhere in between.
Are students in the Home Study Program required to be fully vaccinated?
No. Parents must give the office a copy of the student's vaccine records at the time of enrollment, but because there is no classroom component to the program, students are not required to have completed all of their vaccines. However, if you wish to participate in any school-sponsored field trips or transfer into any program with an in-person classroom component, whether at Pacific School or elsewhere, your student will need to be fully vaccinated. For more information, see www.shotsforschool.org.
What if I sign up for Pacific’s Home Study Program but later want to transfer my student into one of Pacific School’s other programs (traditional classrooms or Independent Study) or another school?
It is our hope that families who chose any of our three programs (home study, IS, or traditional) will stay with that program throughout an entire school year, as frequent transitions can be disruptive to the student as well as the community each teacher tries to build.
That said, Pacific School will accommodate any request to change from Home Study to a classroom-based program (IS or 5-day) if:
Requests to transfer from home study to IS or 5-day which meet the requirements above will be processed in five school days or less. Midyear requests to transfer from IS or 5-day to Home Study will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Again, we emphasize our hope that all families minimize program changes within a school year as much as possible.
We are an out-of-district Pacific family. If we enroll in the Home Study Program, will my student lose their spot in the 5-day or IS program?
Yes, as a tiny district, Pacific School cannot afford to hold spots for students. However, as a currently enrolled family, your student will have priority for transferring back into IS or 5-day the following school year, IF your student meets the vaccine requirements AND you complete the required steps by February 1st. In this situation it is very likely, but not completely guaranteed, that the student will be offered their first choice program for the following school year. So, although you may lose your spot for the current school year, you are not very likely to lose it for future years, assuming you complete the required steps by February 1.
Do you give families money for educational supplies or programs?
No, although we do provide Chromebooks, curriculum materials, supplemental materials, distance-learning programs, and live classes for small groups or individuals through phone or teleconferencing technology. Charter schools such as Ocean Grove are regulated differently than public schools such as Pacific. By law, Pacific cannot provide things of value to one group of students that it does not provide equally to all of its students.
Why should I choose Pacific School over other programs?
Pacific School is unique in many ways. As a single-school district averaging only about 140 students in K-6, each student is personally known to the staff including the Superintendent/Principal. Our goal for the Home Study Program is to maintain that tight-knit community feeling despite the challenges of students learning off site. We have 15 years of success with our existing Independent Study Program, and know how to support families in achieving an outstanding education. During the 2020-21 school year, Pacific School earned a reputation for quality and flexible distance learning, accommodating the diverse needs of its families during the pandemic.
Our Home Study Teacher, Joy Haas, is highly experienced at supporting multiple grade levels of students in different subject areas, and is excited to be offering this program at this time. Mrs. Joy is a creative and flexible teacher committed to bridging the Home Study students and the larger Pacific School community. She also serves at the Independent Study program coordinator, and attends many of the IS program's field trips, which vaccinated Home Study students are welcome to attend.
I may want to sign my student up. What do I do now?
To express interest in joining the Home Study Program, please complete the appropriate Interest Form, and indicate your interest in the full-time Home Study Program. This applies to both new and returning families.
This program is designed to serve families who are looking for a quality elementary education without a classroom component. The goals for each student are to achieve the skills outlined in the California State Standards at or above grade level (Course Descriptions) and to make considerable gains in their overall academic skills each year. We hope to support families in creating a successful, calm, and educationally rich academic environment for their student. We also hope to facilitate students' social connections with local peers through optional online small group classes and opportunities.
What grades does the program serve?
Transitional kindergarten* through sixth grade.
*Transitional kindergarten is a program for students who turn five between September 2 and December 2. Students who complete a year of transitional kindergarten either continue into kindergarten or first grade depending on their readiness.
Who is the consultant teacher?
The consultant teacher for home study students is Joy Haas, who also serves as the coordinator for the Independent Study program. Mrs. Joy has multiple years of experience teaching at diverse grade levels. She is especially passionate about hands-on parent-involved education and making alternative models for education practical and successful for families.
How do the program logistics work?
Parents, students, and the teacher sign a Learning Agreement before the first day of school. The teacher works with families and students in designing the assignments so that students’ and families’ needs are met and students are challenged to grow and learn to their maximum potential. The teacher gives new assignments each week throughout the year. Students are responsible for completing each assignment within the given time period. Parents will need to support their student(s) in completing and submitting their work to their teacher. Per state law, late work cannot be accepted for attendance credit, however it can be used to demonstrate educational progress.
Students' education is supported with a combination of resources including but not limited to: optional small group online classes led by the teacher, Joy Haas; online curriculum resources (e.g. Khan Academy, BrainPop, DreamBox, Mathletics, Mystery Science, FOSS Web Science, Benchmark Language Arts, among others); school-provided textbooks and instructional materials; and parent-provided resources (for example, home science experiences). Parents are invited to utilize the combination of resources that best serves their student in achieving the outlined academic goals.
Mrs. Joy will meet with students frequently through online conferencing software, by phone, or in person. This can happen through optional online small group classes, online tutoring with the teacher, a check-in phone call, etc. The teacher will also meet with the parents online, by phone, or in person at least once every three months, or more frequently if desired by either the teacher or the parent, to discuss progress.
All meetings, paperwork, and assignments can be completed and submitted entirely online if desired. However, if internet access is challenging for families, logistics can also be handled by phone, in person, or through delivery at the school office.
The parents of students requesting the Home Study Program at Pacific School should recognize that home-based education at the elementary level must include commitment and dedication on their parts.
How do the online classes work?
For 2021-22, all students will have opportunities to participate in online classes or meetings with Pacific School staff daily. All home study and independent study students will be offered an online class with Mrs. Joy each day. While online classes are optional, home study students are encouraged to attend as a way to interact with their peers and approach their learning from a different perspective.
What subjects do students study?
Families are expected to provide regular documentation of student work and progress in these six areas:
- Language Arts (reading, writing, handwriting, spelling, grammar, oral skills, etc.)
- Mathematics (number skills, operations, geometry, algebra, estimation, measurement, data, graphing, etc.)
- Science and Engineering (experiments and observations, design thinking, measurements and record keeping, physics, nature studies, etc.)
- Social Studies (foreign language, economics, government, people and societies, history, holidays, world religions, etc.)
- Arts and Special Studies (art, drama, dance, music, skills and crafts, cooking, other applied arts, etc.)
- Physical Education (exercise, sports, health topics, etc.)
While documentation must be in a form approved by the teacher and district, there is flexibility in the types of activities that qualify for each of these areas. Ways to document work include:
- Originals, photocopies, or scans/photographs of student work (writing, math pages, worksheets, artwork, etc.)
- Photographs of students engaged in an activity (hands-on math or science, building a sculpture, etc.)
- Lists of books read independently or aloud
- Dictation (for younger students) of student stories or responses to questions, transcripts or notes about discussions, etc.
- Copies of books and resources used (or covers/title pages), sheet music, activity guides, etc.
- Reports generated by online learning software
- Activity logs, such as reading or PE logs
- Descriptions, brochures, attendance records, etc. for classes and programs participated in.
How much flexibility is there with the curriculum?
The goals of the program are for each student to achieve the skills outlined in the California State Standards at or above grade level (Course Descriptions) AND to make considerable gains in their overall academic skills each year. While the teacher provides adopted and supplemental curricular materials to each family, there is flexibility about how each student achieves these goals. Families who wish to provide their own materials or design their own projects may do so as long as these materials or projects support the student in achieving the goals above. (Please note that no materials with religious content may be counted towards the student’s official school work, unless they are part of a social studies unit on history or comparative religion.)
Are there opportunities for students to advance above their grade level?
Definitely. If your student can demonstrate grade-level skills, they will be encouraged to continue to learn, grow, and develop their skills above grade level.
Does my student need to own a computer?
No. If your student does not own a computer adequate for their educational needs in this program, Pacific School will lend your student a Chromebook for the school year. Families are responsible for following all school rules regarding computer and technology use and returning the Chromebook in working order at the end of the year, or at the time of disenrollment.
Does my student need reliable internet access?
No, although it is helpful. However, if you do not have reliable internet access, there are several options. First, the school can provide equivalent offline educational materials. For younger students, this may be an excellent option. Second, the school provides all families with internet access at any time in the parking lot across Highway 1 from the school. They can also access the internet from school grounds after school hours. Finally, in some cases, the school may be able to provide internet hot spots or other solutions for home use, although this can be challenging depending on the family’s location and cell service, and is not guaranteed to be a viable option.
Do we need to be residents of the Pacific Elementary School District to participate?
No. Students in the program must be a resident of Santa Cruz County or any county adjacent to Santa Cruz County. Students who live out of the district boundaries must complete the appropriate Interdistrict Transfer Form. For families within Santa Cruz County, the Interdistrict Transfer Form and instructions are here. Families outside the county need to obtain the correct form from their school district of residence. The program can only accept students from Santa Cruz County or a neighboring county.
My family lives in the Davenport School District. Are we guaranteed a spot in the Homeschool Program?
Generally yes, as long as your family can support your student to accomplish their schoolwork within the terms of the agreement. If your student has an IEP, please see the additional comments below.
My student has an IEP. Can we participate?
Generally yes, if all of the following are true:
- The student’s IEP states that independent study is an appropriate educational option.
- The parents are able to support the student in completing their work to the best of their abilities.
- The student is willing to participate in independent study and do their work to the best of their abilities.
- The accommodations of the student’s IEP do not require Pacific School to create a new program or expand an impacted program.
I’m worried that my student won’t learn everything they need to know and will get behind.
This is a common fear of many first-time homeschooling parents. However, there is considerable evidence that home-based education is a successful educational model and that students educated at home in general are as likely or more likely to flourish in their future pursuits as traditionally schooled students. Families generally find that students can learn and retain more new skills in shorter amounts of time with tailored curriculum and one-on-one or small group instruction. One of the advantages of joining Pacific School's program is that a credentialed and experienced teacher will be available to support you and your student.
How will my student be evaluated?
The teacher will conduct a variety of formal and informal assessments of students' academic progress. Home study students do not receive traditional report cards or letter grades. Instead, regular parent meetings serve as a time for families and teachers to discuss student progress. In addition, students in third through sixth grade will participate in state-mandated testing.
If one or more of the following conditions occur, the teacher will convene a meeting with the parent and student to review the student’s learning agreement and reconsider the independent study program’s impact on the student’s achievement and well-being:
- The student fails to make satisfactory educational progress.
- The student misses three or more assignments within one week.
- The student has three or more unexcused absences from synchronous or in-person classes, teacher meetings, small-group instructional meetings, or tutoring sessions within two weeks.
How will the program fit into the larger Pacific School community?
Pacific School makes every effort to make its Home Study students feel welcomed and integrated into the Pacific School community, despite the challenges of participating in a home-based program. The teacher encourages Home Study students to develop social connections with each other through optional online classes. Parents are welcome to share their passions by organizing online classes or activities for interested students. Families receive the Pacific School weekly memo, and are encouraged to participate in fundraising and to join or attend meetings of Parents’ Club, Site Council, and the Board of Trustees.
In addition, fully vaccinated students will have the option to join independent study students on their field trips, which generally occur three Fridays per month, plus two overnight camping trips per year.
Finally, all Home Study students, and their unenrolled siblings age 17 or under, are invited to pick up free freshly made to-go meals each day from our award-winning FoodLab (school lunch) program.
I like the idea of being more involved in my student’s education, but I would prefer they have some in-person class time with peers.
The Home Study Program is designed for full-time home-based education with no in-person classroom experiences. If you want in-person class time, you should consider Pacific School’s Independent Study Program, which is a hybrid program offering a combination of in-person classroom experiences and home-based education.
I’m confused. Is this Home Study Program an independent study program? But you also have an Independent Study Program that’s different?
We have two separate programs:
- The full-time Home Study Program
- The hybrid Independent Study (IS) Program
California Education Code allows schools to offer independent study programs which can be structured as 100% offsite home-based learning, 100% in-person classroom-based learning, or anywhere in between.
Are students in the Home Study Program required to be fully vaccinated?
No. Parents must give the office a copy of the student's vaccine records at the time of enrollment, but because there is no classroom component to the program, students are not required to have completed all of their vaccines. However, if you wish to participate in any school-sponsored field trips or transfer into any program with an in-person classroom component, whether at Pacific School or elsewhere, your student will need to be fully vaccinated. For more information, see www.shotsforschool.org.
What if I sign up for Pacific’s Home Study Program but later want to transfer my student into one of Pacific School’s other programs (traditional classrooms or Independent Study) or another school?
It is our hope that families who chose any of our three programs (home study, IS, or traditional) will stay with that program throughout an entire school year, as frequent transitions can be disruptive to the student as well as the community each teacher tries to build.
That said, Pacific School will accommodate any request to change from Home Study to a classroom-based program (IS or 5-day) if:
- vaccine requirements are met AND
- the student is a Davenport resident OR there is space available in the program and grade level desired.
Requests to transfer from home study to IS or 5-day which meet the requirements above will be processed in five school days or less. Midyear requests to transfer from IS or 5-day to Home Study will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Again, we emphasize our hope that all families minimize program changes within a school year as much as possible.
We are an out-of-district Pacific family. If we enroll in the Home Study Program, will my student lose their spot in the 5-day or IS program?
Yes, as a tiny district, Pacific School cannot afford to hold spots for students. However, as a currently enrolled family, your student will have priority for transferring back into IS or 5-day the following school year, IF your student meets the vaccine requirements AND you complete the required steps by February 1st. In this situation it is very likely, but not completely guaranteed, that the student will be offered their first choice program for the following school year. So, although you may lose your spot for the current school year, you are not very likely to lose it for future years, assuming you complete the required steps by February 1.
Do you give families money for educational supplies or programs?
No, although we do provide Chromebooks, curriculum materials, supplemental materials, distance-learning programs, and live classes for small groups or individuals through phone or teleconferencing technology. Charter schools such as Ocean Grove are regulated differently than public schools such as Pacific. By law, Pacific cannot provide things of value to one group of students that it does not provide equally to all of its students.
Why should I choose Pacific School over other programs?
Pacific School is unique in many ways. As a single-school district averaging only about 140 students in K-6, each student is personally known to the staff including the Superintendent/Principal. Our goal for the Home Study Program is to maintain that tight-knit community feeling despite the challenges of students learning off site. We have 15 years of success with our existing Independent Study Program, and know how to support families in achieving an outstanding education. During the 2020-21 school year, Pacific School earned a reputation for quality and flexible distance learning, accommodating the diverse needs of its families during the pandemic.
Our Home Study Teacher, Joy Haas, is highly experienced at supporting multiple grade levels of students in different subject areas, and is excited to be offering this program at this time. Mrs. Joy is a creative and flexible teacher committed to bridging the Home Study students and the larger Pacific School community. She also serves at the Independent Study program coordinator, and attends many of the IS program's field trips, which vaccinated Home Study students are welcome to attend.
I may want to sign my student up. What do I do now?
To express interest in joining the Home Study Program, please complete the appropriate Interest Form, and indicate your interest in the full-time Home Study Program. This applies to both new and returning families.
