FAQs
Q: |
How to I begin to homeschool? Laws and Info |
A: |
HEAV, Home Educators Association of Virginia is a great resource to point you in the right direction concerning the law and the how-tos http://heav.org and HSLDA, Home School Legal Defense Association is a wonderful avenue of protection and guidance through legal matters concerning homeschooling families http://hslda.org |
Q: |
What is a homeschool co-op? |
A: |
A homeschool co-op is a group of families who meet together and work cooperatively to achieve common goals with their children. Co-ops can be organized around academics, social time, the arts, activities, crafts, service work, or projects — or some combination of these. Activities and classes that are part of a co-op may be led by parents, or the parents may chip in to pay all or some of the teachers and activity leaders. |
Q: |
What is your statement of faith/policy? |
A: |
To see our policy which includes our statement of faith, please click the link below. |
Q: |
Does this co-op offer core classes (Math/Language Arts) or elective classes (PE, Art, Music)? |
A: |
The Orchard offers elective classes for enrichment twice a month while the bulk of the homeschool requirements happen at home under parents instruction. We offer elective classes for Kindergarten through High School. Our PreK classes enjoy the Before Five In A Row curriculum. We offer nursery with families of mulitple children enrolled in this co-op. |
Q: |
Do I need to volunteer as a parent for The Orchard Homeschool Fellowship? |
A: |
Yes. We are a parent led group where we depend on parents to teach and help in classrooms. At least one parent from each family needs to stay on site for the duration of co-op time and needs to complete a background check. |
Q: |
When does this co-op meet? |
A: |
We meet every 1st and 3rd Thursday from September through April from 10 am-2:40 pm. |
Q: |
Do you have planned events like field trips and/or social gatherings? |
A: |
Yes!! We love to extend our learning outside the walls!! We try to plan 2-3 field trips per month. We also have co-op social gatherings like our Meet & Greet kickoff cookout in August, Christmas celebration and Valentines day exchange! |
Q: |
How do I register for the 2023-2024 co-op year? |
A: |
Click the JOIN button upper right corner during Open Registration time, and that will bring you through the registration process with the payment and background check link. |
Q: |
Do I need to pay dues to be a member of The Orchard Homeschool Fellowship? |
A: |
Yes. It's $150 per NEW family per year, this includes: teacher curriculum, class supplies, parent background check (every 3 years @ $21.95)), group insurance, building rental, and website access. It's $128.05 for every returning family per year not needing a background check. The family dues are NON-REFUNDABLE
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Q: |
Can I choose just one class for my children to attend or am I registering for all classes? |
A: |
When you apply to our co-op, you are registering for ALL classes. Families come for the whole experience, including an opening chapel, 3 class blocks, lunch, and recess. |
Q: |
Do you offer High School classes? |
A: |
Yes!! We offer elective homeschool classes for High School students. They will have 3 one-hour blocks of formal classes. This high school group can be a drop-off group. Parents do not need to stay on site with high school student--unless you would like to volunteer. |