Our Name Says It All....
Why are we called a "Parent Partnership?" Because NWA believes that every student is unique, and that education can be adapted to fill the unique needs of students and their families. They realize that students are best served with a variety of choices, and support your decision to homeschool. We partner with you by providing outstanding elective educational opportunities at no cost to you!
How does this program work?
This a free program paid for by your tax dollars and generously provided and supported by Northwest Academy. The Partnership is available to homeschool families from Emmet, Charlevoix and Antrim counties.
Students, grades 1-12, sign up as part-time Northwest Academy students. According to HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association), they retain their status as homeschool students as long as parents provide 51% of the students' total education including all core subjects: language arts (reading, spelling, English grammar, writing, literature), arithmetic, science, history, and federal and state government. The school district receives tax dollars and in turn provides extremely valuable and fun non-core (elective) educational opportunities families might not otherwise be able to enjoy.
The novelty of our program is that you choose how you want to benefit from what the Partnership has to offer. Benefits of participating in the Partnership include:
Only 1-2 virtual classes are required per semester, depending on your student's grade level. All Community Classes are optional, and each student may choose up to 4 per semester, depending on grade level. Please refer to the following enrollment options:
Elementary (grades 1-5)
Must choose 1 virtual and then may choose up to 4 Community Classes
Middle School students (grades 6-8)
Must choose 2 virtuals and then may choose up to 4 Community Classes
High School students (grades 9-12)
Must choose 1 virtual unless taking 3 Community or Dual Enrollment classes
High School options:
1 virtual
1 Community or Dual Enrollment class + 1 virtual
2 Community or Dual Enrollment classes + 1 virtual
3 Community or Dual Enrollment classes* with no virtual class requirement
* see Dual Enrollment tab for possible grade level restrictions
** A student may take any combination of Community and Dual Enrollment classes
Important Considerations:
Students must be 5 years of age by September 1st of the academic year for which they are registering, so that applies not only to Fall semester, but to Spring as well.
Students may not be enrolled in any public or private school, including online public academies. This program serves strictly homeschooled students.(see FAQ's).
Online registration is required for every student, every semester. A copy of each student's birth certificate is only required when registering for the first time. We do notrequire SS# or vaccination records.
Students must maintain weekly contact with their mentor teacher and comply with minimum attendance - the number of virtual class log-ins related to count day each semester. (see below and the Virtual Classes tab for more information).
Mentor Teacher Requirement:
To comply with state requirements and keep our program alive and well, we require weekly certified teacher contact with every student (mentor teachers). Homeschool, family friendly certified teachers (mostly Partnership parents!) will be assigned to each partnership family to establish once a week, 2-way communication via phone, email, or community class site visits with each student. Be assured, these teachers will understand their role as simply a point of service for any instructional issues or help that a certified teacher may offer. Mentor teachers will not inquire about any of your classes or schooling other than those electives you have signed up for with the Partnership. They will have nothing to do with your regular homeschool curricula or activities. Even though communication has to be between the mentor teacher and student, of course that can and should take place in the presence of parents when at all possible. The mentor teacher's job is to record that weekly contact (how are your classes going? etc.) has been made. The teachers will report to Sharon Haynes if there are any issues that arise such as poor attendance. They will also be aware of our attendance policy that all families agreed to at registration; the expectation that students attend at least 80% of classes for which they have registered. They will understand the occasional illness or missed class due to a field trip.
Count Day Virtual Log-in Requirement:
Next, because we don't require that students take a class on campus, we are required to comply with a new procedure for all virtual classes: logging in during a certain time period we call Count Month. Count day is a special day for public schools; it is the day they officially count the number of students they can claim as enrolled. For all programs such as ours, in order to show we are enrolled and active, all students have to log in on each semester's count day, and again 9 times within the following 30 day period. We will send reminders prior to this time as well. Mentor teachers will remind students and we will call parents in the second half of the period if logins are not keeping adequate pace. It doesn't matter how much time you spend online on count day or the following times, nor does it matter from where you log in, just that you logged in to each of your virtual classes. We will be able to see and track that activity. Compliance with this process is very important in order to be accountable for the few parameters we have that make this awesome program a reality.
Program Compliance:
In order to remain active in the Parent Partnership a student must:
* show good faith in maintaining 80% attendance record in all community classes for which they are registered.
* complete all dual enrollment classes with a passing grade. Drop outs will require parents to reimburse the school or be disqualified from the program.
* meet the virtual class completion goals as outlined on the virtual class policy on the virtual page of this site.
* log in the minimum number of times required for count day attendance as outlined in the paragraph above.
* maintain weekly contact with assigned mentor teacher. A different mentor teacher may be assigned if this would increase success of contacts.
Great! What do I need to do to register?
Step 1: Registration for the spring semester will open Sunday, Nov. 17th at 6:00 p.m. Use our online link to visit our friendly registration system: Go to: Registration
Step 2: Send birth certificate to:
shaynes@homeoftheshamrocks.org OR
Parent Partnership, P.O. Box 130, Berrien Springs, MI 49103 OR
Bring your forms in an envelope to BS Middle School, Central Office (not MS office) OR
Fax: 888-498-1848
When do classes begin?
The Partnership runs on a semester basis: Fall (Sept. 3 - Dec. 20) and Spring (Jan. 6 - May 30)
Although our semester officially begins Sept. 3rd., not all classes begin at the same time.
Community Resource Classes: see class descriptions
Virtual Classes: Classes begin as soon as you receive your username and password, usually within 1 week after the start of the semester.
FAQ's
Where is the school located?
If I join, am I committed for the year?
Registration is on a semester by semester basis. You may change any or all classes at the start of a new semester.
Do I need to use a certain curriculum at home?
No. The curriculum you choose for your core classes or any other class is entirely up to you. The school does not inquire about your homeschooling. You may use curricula from anywhere, including online homeschool providers unless that provider is a public school (K12, Michigan Virtual, etc).
Are there any limits on the Community Classes we choose?
The only restrictions are:
1. No more than 4 per student in grades 1-8 and no more than 3 for high school students.
2. Each student is limited to only 2 classes from any one category such as phys ed, art, technology, music.
I'm new to homeschooling, where do I find curriculum?
If you want your kids to be at home, but don't want to be responsible for teaching the core subjects, Berrien Springs' Virtual Learning Academy may be right for you. At this time they serve students in grades 6-12, providing all curriculum and live mentor teachers through online access and testing at the Lab across from the Middle School. For more information on this program, contact Brandon Waggoner at 473-0500 or 921-1057.
Does the Partnership provide books or computers for students?
All core classes (Math, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, Government and History) are taught by parents at home, using any curriculum they choose. Partnership classes are strictly elective in nature. The school does not supply books or such materials. Laptops are available to borrow in rare cases where the internet is not available at the student's home and the student is unable to come to the Virtual Lab during after school hours to work on their virtual classes.
Where are classes held?
All field trips, unless otherwise specified on the trip's itinerary, originate in the Middle School cafeteria. The Colonial/Ballroom Class is held in the Middle School cafeteria. Consult the Community Resource Class links for individual class locations and details.
All these classes are free?
Yes! There are no class fees for any of our virtual or community resource classes except for private music lessons lasting longer than 30 min. (parents pay the difference). The only expenditures are for adult and/or non-enrolled sibling discounted admission fees for field trips (if that class is chosen), and expected items that may need to be purchased as a natural consequence of participating in a particular class. For example, if your student begins guitar lessons or ballet, you will need to borrow or buy a guitar or ballet shoes. Dual enrollment college classes: tuition, regularly assessed fees and books (if you choose to turn them in to BSPS) are paid for by BSPS.
*Please note: it is important to make as informed a decision as possible when choosing your student's Community Resource classes. Most locations will allow a student to drop a class after one meeting, at no charge, if it wasn't a good fit for the student, but not all. Some classes plan ahead based on the number that have signed up and have purchased materials, hired teachers, etc. and there might be a fee for class time or materials given to the student if the student drops after one or two sessions. The school cannot pay for classes that students do not complete, so there might be a rare instance that a family would be asked to pay for the class time incurred prior to dropping the class.
Are grades or credit given for any classes?
Traditional grades or credits are not given for any class (except college classes), they are either pass/fail or complete/incomplete as appropriate. Attendance for field trips is kept by partnership staff as parents sign in on the morning of each trip. To maintain the integrity of the program, we need to demonstrate an overall excellent rate of completion of classes taken by our students. Each CRC (Community Resource Class) teacher takes their own form of attendance; if a student consistently doesn't show, then we will drop them from that class, not the partnership. Failure to consistently attend any of the classes chosen, including virtuals, jeopardizes continuation in the Partnership for the following semester. Academic achievement in each class is ultimately determined by the parent, with feedback and/or tangible evidence from teachers and projects in CRC's.
Can my student be part of another school and this Partnership?
Students must be homeschooled. Students may belong to any homeschool program, such as co-ops and networks, and be members of the Partnership. Studentsmay not be registered in any public school, including publicly funded (free) virtual (online) schools, academies, and so on. Students may not be counted in any private or parochial school. Students may not be part of another partnership at the same time because by the time the virtual requirements of both programs are fulfilled, the student has reached the maximum reimbursement the state allows, and there is no room for taking any other classes.
Why are we called a "Parent Partnership?" Because NWA believes that every student is unique, and that education can be adapted to fill the unique needs of students and their families. They realize that students are best served with a variety of choices, and support your decision to homeschool. We partner with you by providing outstanding elective educational opportunities at no cost to you!
How does this program work?
This a free program paid for by your tax dollars and generously provided and supported by Northwest Academy. The Partnership is available to homeschool families from Emmet, Charlevoix and Antrim counties.
Students, grades 1-12, sign up as part-time Northwest Academy students. According to HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association), they retain their status as homeschool students as long as parents provide 51% of the students' total education including all core subjects: language arts (reading, spelling, English grammar, writing, literature), arithmetic, science, history, and federal and state government. The school district receives tax dollars and in turn provides extremely valuable and fun non-core (elective) educational opportunities families might not otherwise be able to enjoy.
The novelty of our program is that you choose how you want to benefit from what the Partnership has to offer. Benefits of participating in the Partnership include:
- Fellowship with other homeschool families in educational and social pursuits
- Up to 3 degree based college courses, including books, free per semester for high school students(see dual enrollment)
- Up to 4 valuable and exciting community resource classes (CRC’s) per semester for all ages that may be too costly or inaccessible otherwise. (see Community Resource Classes)
- Free Rosetta Stone and k12 PowerSpeak foreign language access (see Rosetta Stone) (see k12 Power Speak)
- Access to other exciting non-core virtual classes for all ages (see virtuals)
- Free (student admission) to exciting field trips (see Field Trip class)
- Greater understanding of Berrien Springs Schools and the support and diversity in our community.
Only 1-2 virtual classes are required per semester, depending on your student's grade level. All Community Classes are optional, and each student may choose up to 4 per semester, depending on grade level. Please refer to the following enrollment options:
Elementary (grades 1-5)
Must choose 1 virtual and then may choose up to 4 Community Classes
Middle School students (grades 6-8)
Must choose 2 virtuals and then may choose up to 4 Community Classes
High School students (grades 9-12)
Must choose 1 virtual unless taking 3 Community or Dual Enrollment classes
High School options:
1 virtual
1 Community or Dual Enrollment class + 1 virtual
2 Community or Dual Enrollment classes + 1 virtual
3 Community or Dual Enrollment classes* with no virtual class requirement
* see Dual Enrollment tab for possible grade level restrictions
** A student may take any combination of Community and Dual Enrollment classes
Important Considerations:
Students must be 5 years of age by September 1st of the academic year for which they are registering, so that applies not only to Fall semester, but to Spring as well.
Students may not be enrolled in any public or private school, including online public academies. This program serves strictly homeschooled students.(see FAQ's).
Online registration is required for every student, every semester. A copy of each student's birth certificate is only required when registering for the first time. We do notrequire SS# or vaccination records.
Students must maintain weekly contact with their mentor teacher and comply with minimum attendance - the number of virtual class log-ins related to count day each semester. (see below and the Virtual Classes tab for more information).
Mentor Teacher Requirement:
To comply with state requirements and keep our program alive and well, we require weekly certified teacher contact with every student (mentor teachers). Homeschool, family friendly certified teachers (mostly Partnership parents!) will be assigned to each partnership family to establish once a week, 2-way communication via phone, email, or community class site visits with each student. Be assured, these teachers will understand their role as simply a point of service for any instructional issues or help that a certified teacher may offer. Mentor teachers will not inquire about any of your classes or schooling other than those electives you have signed up for with the Partnership. They will have nothing to do with your regular homeschool curricula or activities. Even though communication has to be between the mentor teacher and student, of course that can and should take place in the presence of parents when at all possible. The mentor teacher's job is to record that weekly contact (how are your classes going? etc.) has been made. The teachers will report to Sharon Haynes if there are any issues that arise such as poor attendance. They will also be aware of our attendance policy that all families agreed to at registration; the expectation that students attend at least 80% of classes for which they have registered. They will understand the occasional illness or missed class due to a field trip.
Count Day Virtual Log-in Requirement:
Next, because we don't require that students take a class on campus, we are required to comply with a new procedure for all virtual classes: logging in during a certain time period we call Count Month. Count day is a special day for public schools; it is the day they officially count the number of students they can claim as enrolled. For all programs such as ours, in order to show we are enrolled and active, all students have to log in on each semester's count day, and again 9 times within the following 30 day period. We will send reminders prior to this time as well. Mentor teachers will remind students and we will call parents in the second half of the period if logins are not keeping adequate pace. It doesn't matter how much time you spend online on count day or the following times, nor does it matter from where you log in, just that you logged in to each of your virtual classes. We will be able to see and track that activity. Compliance with this process is very important in order to be accountable for the few parameters we have that make this awesome program a reality.
Program Compliance:
In order to remain active in the Parent Partnership a student must:
* show good faith in maintaining 80% attendance record in all community classes for which they are registered.
* complete all dual enrollment classes with a passing grade. Drop outs will require parents to reimburse the school or be disqualified from the program.
* meet the virtual class completion goals as outlined on the virtual class policy on the virtual page of this site.
* log in the minimum number of times required for count day attendance as outlined in the paragraph above.
* maintain weekly contact with assigned mentor teacher. A different mentor teacher may be assigned if this would increase success of contacts.
Great! What do I need to do to register?
Step 1: Registration for the spring semester will open Sunday, Nov. 17th at 6:00 p.m. Use our online link to visit our friendly registration system: Go to: Registration
Step 2: Send birth certificate to:
shaynes@homeoftheshamrocks.org OR
Parent Partnership, P.O. Box 130, Berrien Springs, MI 49103 OR
Bring your forms in an envelope to BS Middle School, Central Office (not MS office) OR
Fax: 888-498-1848
When do classes begin?
The Partnership runs on a semester basis: Fall (Sept. 3 - Dec. 20) and Spring (Jan. 6 - May 30)
Although our semester officially begins Sept. 3rd., not all classes begin at the same time.
Community Resource Classes: see class descriptions
Virtual Classes: Classes begin as soon as you receive your username and password, usually within 1 week after the start of the semester.
FAQ's
Where is the school located?
If I join, am I committed for the year?
Registration is on a semester by semester basis. You may change any or all classes at the start of a new semester.
Do I need to use a certain curriculum at home?
No. The curriculum you choose for your core classes or any other class is entirely up to you. The school does not inquire about your homeschooling. You may use curricula from anywhere, including online homeschool providers unless that provider is a public school (K12, Michigan Virtual, etc).
Are there any limits on the Community Classes we choose?
The only restrictions are:
1. No more than 4 per student in grades 1-8 and no more than 3 for high school students.
2. Each student is limited to only 2 classes from any one category such as phys ed, art, technology, music.
I'm new to homeschooling, where do I find curriculum?
If you want your kids to be at home, but don't want to be responsible for teaching the core subjects, Berrien Springs' Virtual Learning Academy may be right for you. At this time they serve students in grades 6-12, providing all curriculum and live mentor teachers through online access and testing at the Lab across from the Middle School. For more information on this program, contact Brandon Waggoner at 473-0500 or 921-1057.
Does the Partnership provide books or computers for students?
All core classes (Math, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, Government and History) are taught by parents at home, using any curriculum they choose. Partnership classes are strictly elective in nature. The school does not supply books or such materials. Laptops are available to borrow in rare cases where the internet is not available at the student's home and the student is unable to come to the Virtual Lab during after school hours to work on their virtual classes.
Where are classes held?
All field trips, unless otherwise specified on the trip's itinerary, originate in the Middle School cafeteria. The Colonial/Ballroom Class is held in the Middle School cafeteria. Consult the Community Resource Class links for individual class locations and details.
All these classes are free?
Yes! There are no class fees for any of our virtual or community resource classes except for private music lessons lasting longer than 30 min. (parents pay the difference). The only expenditures are for adult and/or non-enrolled sibling discounted admission fees for field trips (if that class is chosen), and expected items that may need to be purchased as a natural consequence of participating in a particular class. For example, if your student begins guitar lessons or ballet, you will need to borrow or buy a guitar or ballet shoes. Dual enrollment college classes: tuition, regularly assessed fees and books (if you choose to turn them in to BSPS) are paid for by BSPS.
*Please note: it is important to make as informed a decision as possible when choosing your student's Community Resource classes. Most locations will allow a student to drop a class after one meeting, at no charge, if it wasn't a good fit for the student, but not all. Some classes plan ahead based on the number that have signed up and have purchased materials, hired teachers, etc. and there might be a fee for class time or materials given to the student if the student drops after one or two sessions. The school cannot pay for classes that students do not complete, so there might be a rare instance that a family would be asked to pay for the class time incurred prior to dropping the class.
Are grades or credit given for any classes?
Traditional grades or credits are not given for any class (except college classes), they are either pass/fail or complete/incomplete as appropriate. Attendance for field trips is kept by partnership staff as parents sign in on the morning of each trip. To maintain the integrity of the program, we need to demonstrate an overall excellent rate of completion of classes taken by our students. Each CRC (Community Resource Class) teacher takes their own form of attendance; if a student consistently doesn't show, then we will drop them from that class, not the partnership. Failure to consistently attend any of the classes chosen, including virtuals, jeopardizes continuation in the Partnership for the following semester. Academic achievement in each class is ultimately determined by the parent, with feedback and/or tangible evidence from teachers and projects in CRC's.
Can my student be part of another school and this Partnership?
Students must be homeschooled. Students may belong to any homeschool program, such as co-ops and networks, and be members of the Partnership. Studentsmay not be registered in any public school, including publicly funded (free) virtual (online) schools, academies, and so on. Students may not be counted in any private or parochial school. Students may not be part of another partnership at the same time because by the time the virtual requirements of both programs are fulfilled, the student has reached the maximum reimbursement the state allows, and there is no room for taking any other classes.