Red River Enrichment Classes meets in Gainesville for two semester per year: a Spring semester (January-April) and a Fall Semester (September - November). Each semester is 10 weeks. All classes take place on Fridays.
Goal - The goal of Enrichment Classes is to enrich the
lives of our children through classes taught in a group setting by
parent/teachers willing to volunteer their time to share of their knowledge in
a particular subject area. The key to
success is cooperation. At least
one parent from each family is expected to be involved and on the premises
during the time his/her children are in class.
Description - Red River Enrichment Classes is a cooperative
teaching and learning experience for home schooling families in the surrounding
area. Parents teach a variety of classes
on Fridays to small groups of home-schooled children. Children of all ages are
welcome to attend, providing there are openings in his/her grade level. School
aged children are divided as follows; K-1st grade, 2nd -3rd
grade, 4th -6th grade, 7th-8th
grade, 9th-12th grade.
Classes are taught from a Christian perspective (no New Age ideas,
evolution, humanism, etc.), but in deference to others’ religious beliefs, denominational
doctrine is not taught.
Current Class Schedule: Each semester brings a new variety of classes for each age group. All classes are volunteered by our parents, and are unique and exciting! To get an idea of what may be offered, you may request a copy of a past or current schedule. New class schedules are released about 2-4 weeks before Registration.
Interested in joining Enrichment Classes? We look forward to
having you as a part of our group.
How to Apply for
Membership in Red River Enrichment Classes
- Read
the Admission Policy
- Print,
fill in, and mail the Application Form and have the Reference Form completed (be
sure to include the $18.95 per
parent payment for background checks)
Application Form
Applications will be considered on a first-come
first-served basis. You will be notified by email of your acceptance into the
program and will be given the current class schedule and information.
A Board Member will hold your application until time
to fill any openings that our classes have for the upcoming semester. At that
time, a Board Member will telephone or email you
• To extend you an invitation to join us or
• To ask if you would like to wait to join us at a later
time if we don’t have any openings
for the upcoming semester.
ADMISSION POLICY
New membership is limited and applications will be
accepted based upon class availability. We will continue to take applications
for the waiting list if the membership limit is reached.
To keep EC a manageable size, we do have some requirements.
Membership is open to all families home educating at least one child who will
be 5 years old AND in Kindergarten or above during the current academic year.
Nursery and preschool classes are reserved for their younger siblings.
Under no circumstances will a student who has been removed
from public or private school because of behavior or discipline problems be
permitted to attend EC. If discovery is made after registration, the student
will be removed from EC automatically.
EC is neither a substitute for nor an alternative to
schooling at home. The program will facilitate the educational process to a
high degree and relieve burdens, but it does not replace parents'
responsibilities in the process. In fact, your participation and supervision
will be integral to your child's success at EC.
Background Checks
In an effort to protect our
children, we require that all new parents (both
Mom and Dad) submit to a background check prior to acceptance. Since we all
benefit equally from this policy, we ask that each person pay for his or her
own. Nationwide criminal searches are conducted through Criminal Watchdog.
Additionally, any adult who might
replace you on the premises in your absence must have a background check
conducted prior to their visit (Grandma, grown son or daughter, etc.).
Grade levels
- As parents, we are aware of our children's social and academic abilities, but
teachers are familiar with the levels of the courses. Posted grade limits give
an idea of the level to which the class will be geared. We request that
students not be more than two years below or above their grade peers in age.
Special Needs
- Because most parents are not equipped to teach children with severe
disabilities or maintain discipline in a class with special needs children,
please prayerfully consider if co-op fits your special needs child. It may be
necessary for the parent of any child to be assigned as a teacher or helper in
some or all of the child's classes.
Why
do we have such strict admission rules?
The
longevity of EC and the positive impact it has on families’ lives is due to the
grace of God and the hard and selfless work of all of our volunteer parents.
Having families drop out after registration causes holes in our organization
and causes a strain on the rest of the group. Our goal is to enrich the lives
of homeschoolers, not to cause stress.
If
you withdraw from EC before or during the semester, then your jobs (either as
cleaner or teacher or as helper) will remain open for the semester unless they
are covered by another volunteer member of EC. If you are scheduled to teach a
class, then that class will have to be cancelled or taken over by another mom
who should not have to take on additional responsibilities over and above her
other EC responsibilities. If you are scheduled as a cleaner for the semester,
then your cleaning team will be short one person for the entire ten weeks of
the semester if you drop out before the final week of the semester. These
cleaning crews should not be penalized by having to do more than their share of
work because of your absence. EC students should not be penalized by having
their class cancelled at the last minute because of your absence.
Please strongly consider your ability to
fulfill your commitment to our group BEFORE accepting an invitation to join our
membership.
It is our strongest desire to support
Christian homeschoolers in all aspects of their development, but the good of
the program remains the principle responsibility and the primary concern of the
Board Members.
By enrolling your children, you are committing to EC for the
entire semester, so we ask you to consider your decision prayerfully before
joining. Your attendance and punctuality are crucial because we depend on one
another for a successful year. When even one parent is late or absent or quits,
it puts a heavier burden on the rest of us, and consequently, the children
suffer.
Therefore, if you already know that you may miss three or more Fridays per
semester due to vacations or prior commitments, please do not join our program
as you and your children will already miss a full quarter of classes, not
including possible illnesses. We understand that illnesses and emergencies
occur unexpectedly, and we do not want anyone who may be sick to attend, but we
also respect the time and effort that instructors put into their classes each
week. They deserve the mutual respect of having their helpers and students
present in class and on time, barring unforeseen situations and illnesses.
Because children look to their parents to set examples and take them to co-op,
we ask parents to remember their own commitment and make punctual attendance a
priority. Please schedule appointments and vacations accordingly, secure
substitutes when you are absent for any reason, and leave your home in plenty
of time to be punctual each week.
Fees - Registration per
semester is currently $40 per family. $25 of this is paid to our host church for the use of their facility. The remaining $15 covers administrative costs. No one in EC receives any compensation for
their services.
Additionally, there is a one-time background check fee of
$18.95 per parent (Mom and Dad).
If you withdraw from EC at any point after Registration, you
will forfeit your $40 Registration Fee. If you withdraw one month before the
first day of classes, you will also forfeit your class fees, as these will already be
paid to the teachers.
Teaching -
Once your family has attended for one full semester, we invite you to teach
classes. This is not required, but it does have its benefits (early
registration, not being on the cleaning crew, etc.). Announcements about class
submissions will be made during the semester.
Red River Enrichment Classes welcomes you to our group. We
look forward to meeting you!
If you have any questions about this information, do not
hesitate to contact a Board Member at redriverenrichmentclasses@gmail.com.
