FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions:

• What is the difference in Cornerstone Christian Academy and a homeschool co-op?

CCA is a homeschool tutorial program that meets once a week. You sign your student(s) up for the classes you choose, and you will not have any co-op responsibilities. At a co-op, parents work ‘cooperatively’ to teach the classes and make everything happen. At CCA, parents will pay tuition for their students’ classes, give their students help and support with their homework when needed, and bring them to classes at CCA each Tuesday. Parents do not stay on campus or have classes to teach.

• Will CCA classes have homework?

This depends on the grade level and the class. CCA elementary classes are usually designed to supplement what you are already doing at home. We do offer some core classes for grades 4 through 12 that would require homework.
For grades 7 and up, students will receive daily homework in most of their classes. Grades for these classes will be recorded, and homework should be taken seriously. Homework is to be turned in to the teachers on time, and students’ best work is expected. Some secondary electives may not require any homework, depending on the class. More info can be found in class descriptions.

• Will students receive grades for their classes?

Elementary students will not receive grades. Students in grades 4, 5, and 6 who take core classes (science, history, math, English – generally classes with a few hours of homework per week) and jr. high and high school students will receive their grades through Schoology, our online grading and learning management system.

• How often do you meet for classes?

Elementary students (kindergarten through 4th) will meet for classes 24 times per year, as well as other meeting dates for field trips, parties, and extra activities. Grades 5th-12th will meet 30 times for class days, plus field trips, parties, and activities. Field trips are not mandatory, but are, of course, recommended. Field trips will be planned and coordinated by CCA staff, so families can sign up through CCA to keep it simple for everyone. UEC (Upper Elementary Core) students will meet 30 Thursdays during the school year.

• Why is there a charge for elementary classes at CCA?

CCA is not a co-op. In a co-op, parents ‘pay’ for their students’ classes with their time. Our time is precious, so at a co-op, you are still paying for co-op classes. The question is this: Would you prefer to pay with your time, or your money? Some of us would prefer to participate in a co-op and work off our students’ tuition. If you are one of those families, perhaps a homeschool co-op would be a good fit for your family. There are several co-ops in the area already. CCA is looking to fill a different niche in the homeschool community. We, the teachers at CCA, have been involved in several different co-op programs in which we paid for our children’s classes with our time, and yet did not always have an option of the classes we truly wished our children could take.

For your $88 per elementary class, per semester, you receive:

• 12 classes of instruction, which divides out to just $7.33 per class. Our teachers are creating all of their lesson plans themselves, making your children’s classes a unique and enriching experience they will not get anywhere else. The tuition pays the teachers for their time in the hours researching and planning every lesson, plus the time spent in class discussing homework and preparing activities, games, experiments, etc.
• A number of CCA planned and coordinated field trips per year.
• Holiday parties, activities outside of classes, and special social events for CCA students, and a wonderful peer group to share them with.
• A safe and wholesome environment for your students to attend and have a positive “school” experience, while still being homeschooled.
• Some extra guidance and help in lessons done at home, as parents may choose to delve deeper into the subjects they are learning at CCA on their own.
• Extra CCA days for occasions such as the Christmas party after first semester classes are complete, as well as other gatherings such as the end of the year Performance Night and Field Day.

• What about lunch?

Each Tuesday we will have an option for lunch to be purchased at CCA. These lunch options will be at low cost – around $5, not including a drink. We will typically have one lunch option per Tuesday, and will let you know ahead of time what that lunch will be so you can sign up and pay via Venmo until 9am on Tuesday. If your student would prefer to bring a lunch, they are welcome to do that. We will sell bottled water for anyone who needs a drink. If we are gone for lunch on field trips, then students will be responsible for providing their own lunches. As each field trip will be unique, there may be times we have an option of purchasing a lunch elsewhere. We will communicate lunch options about individual field trips as those field trips approach. **We are a NUT FREE facility, as we have several students with severe allergies, so do please keep that in mind when packing a lunch for tutorial or a field trip.**

• Are snacks allowed?

You may pack a snack to send with your child or purchase a snack at tutorial. They may be allowed in some classes if the teacher permits them. Again, all snacks must be NUT FREE.

• How did you choose your teachers? Do they all have degrees?

While many of our teachers do have teaching degrees, it is not a requirement of CCA. All CCA teachers have teaching experience in their specific subjects and have many years experience teaching homeschool classes. Several of our teachers, while they do not have teaching degrees have an area of expertise in the areas they are teaching. For example, our anatomy and biology teachers both have degrees and work experience in the medical field. The Criminal Justice teacher is a CCA dad who also works at the local sheriff’s office. And our woodworking teacher owns his own cabinet-making business. We could go on bragging about our teachers, but the simplest way to explain it is this: I did not even originally plan these classes with the intention of beginning a tutorial program. I planned them because this is what my husband and I wanted for our children. And the wonderful people who are teaching the classes are the teachers we chose to teach our children. We meet all kinds of homeschool parents in our lives. And there are hundreds of amazing parents we know who homeschool their kids! The adults who are teaching CCA students are parents who are making lesson plans 5 and 6 months before classes even begin. They do extra reading and research on the topics they teach, they scour the internet and books upon books for the ‘coolest’ science experiments or literature lessons. They do uniquely designed art projects and create projects to make history come to life, and make the lessons memorable to our students. They genuinely care about the students in their classes, and they sincerely realize the trust that is being put into our staff in teaching and loving all of our kids. Teachers at CCA will connect with the students. And above all, we chose them prayerfully.

• How do I register?

We begin interviewing new families for the upcoming school year in January and February. Current CCA families are given priority in class choices, then registration is done in order of interview date. We will hold a registration day in March for the upcoming school year.

• What is your disciplinary policy?

We expect all CCA students to be respectful of all individuals directly or indirectly involved in classes with CCA or The Journey Church. We expect CCA students to come to classes with an opened mind and heart, to show kindness and respect to other students as well as adults, to arrive on Tuesday’s prepared for classes, and to behave in a manner befitting a well-mannered, homeschooled student. In the case of a student consistently showing disrespect to others or not following the rules, we will enforce the policy of “Three strikes, and you’re out.” After three disciplinary measures being needed for any student throughout the year, that student will be dismissed from classes at CCA with no refunds given. A more thorough explanation of behaviors that result in a behavioral strike can be found under the Rules and Student Conduct link at the top of this page. Overall, the strikes are given for behaviors that are deemed not befitting to a CCA student. **This is not subject to a vote, and parents may or may not agree whether their child should have received a behavioral strike in any case. It is strictly up to the CCA staff.** Please understand that the rules and expectations will be the same for every student, whether the parent is present or not. In other words, if you’ve come to pick up your student and give them permission to do something against CCA rules, the student will still receive a behavioral strike. This will also be true if classes are dismissed for the day, or your child’s classes are complete, and you have not yet left the property of The Journey Church. The same guidelines and expectations are to be met. We are grateful for the space and church property The Journey Church is sharing with CCA. We are determined to be good stewards of their generosity, and expect all CCA families to adopt a thankful attitude, showing respect for the opportunity we have been given. We ask that you help us to return the favor by being good stewards of the facilities as well, and by blessing the staff of The Journey Church and of CCA with your prayers.