Community Handbook Cocoa, FL Classical Conversations Community 2014-2015

Cocoa First Assembly ~ 3757 North US 1, Cocoa, FL 32926

“To Know God and MaKe HiM Known”

WWW.COCOACOMMUNITY.WEEBLY.COM

Akiane Kramarik

At eight-years-old,

Akiane decided she wanted to paint the

face of Jesus.

Akiane’s painting of Jesus was a painstaking effort. “The ‘Prince of

Peace’ took me 40 hours to paint and another 20

hours of working

with model sketching,”

Akiane says. She

deftly works with light

and shadows to

create powerful impres-sions.

“The light side of his face repre-sents the truth, the dark side

represents suffering,”

July 2014

Greetings Classical Educators...aka: Parent/Teachers! Welcome to the Classical Conversations Cocoa Community! I hope this year will be full of many days of joy and growth in “knowing God and making Him known” in every area of your lives! Meeting on Fridays will be source of encouragement as we walk this path together and find the treasures of truth everywhere we dig. Isaiah shares with us:

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint,

and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;

but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:28-31 ESV

Knowing the source of all knowledge and wisdom...the Lord…is our most amazing strength as parent educators. I could share a million things with you on how to make this a successful year , but truly only “one thing is needed,” and that is that we stay close to our God and keep our minds growing in His Word. He will lead you as you seek Him, help you as you encounter the inevitable days of trial and rejoice with you as you see the many days of growth. Remember you are not alone, the Tutors, Directors and fellow parents have faced many of the chal-lenges you will face this year. Seek their wisdom and experience...ask a million questions and may we each humbly find answers together. Remember you will be arriving at 9:00 am each Friday morning to get nametags, take a restroom break, drop off lunch & backpack in your students room and arrive in Assembly by 9:15 am. As Foundations Director, I am here to help you in any way I can. Please do not hesitate to ask me any-thing. If I am able, I will do all that is possible to assist you or point you to someone who can! I am learn-ing along with each of you as well. I have purposed my heart to “Enjoy the journey” with you! Some days we will coast downhill and other days we will strain to get up a few steps, but we will laugh, cry, pray, and encourage one another as we find that “two is better than one.” I am praying for you dear friends and with great anticipation and great faith, knowing that God will lead us where He has purposed us and each of our children to go.

Serving in His Grace & Strength . . .

Kim Merwin

Community day

What to bring:

For Nursery Children: Labeled diaper bag containing diapers, wipes, etc. Labeled snack and drink per child For Foundations Children: (Tutor Specific) Your child’s supplies, which may include pencils, erasers, colored pencils, markers,

white-board eraser or sock, dry erase markers, ruler, scissors. Please label For Essentials Children: Essentials Guide & IEW Workbooks. (Tutor will inform you.) For Parents: Lunches for your family A snack, you need one Your Foundations Guide (weeks 7-12 Tin Whistle too!) The Essentials of the English Language (EEL) Guide (Essential’s Parents) Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) Guide (Essential’s Parents) What to Leave… Electronic devices are not needed on campus. Parents, no cell phones ringing in class please. No texting in class please.

Daily Schedule

8:00 am Facility Opens 8:30 am Challenge Program Begins 8:45 am AM Job Responsibilities Completed 9:00 am Foundations Families Arrive & Check-In 9:10 am Foundations Opening Assembly 12:00 pm Complete Family Responsibilities 12:10 pm Lunch (supervising your children) 12:55 pm Notification of time to conclude 1:00 pm Essentials Program Begins 3:00 pm Essentials Program Ends PM Job Responsibilities Completed 3:30 pm Challenge Program Ends

If your family responsi-

bilities include an AM

job, please arrive by

8:45 am.

Please take your chil-

dren to the restroom

before class begins.

All Challenge Students

will eat lunch in the

gym from 12-1pm unless

they are accompanied

by a Tutor or Parent.

Opening assembly

Opening assembly begins promptly at 9:10 am in the Main Auditorium. Children

should be seated with their tutors or parent.

Each week, one family will lead our group in prayer and pledges, and will then

present material on a topic of their choice.

Presentations may include songs, poems, demonstrations, visuals, skits, and audience participation. Use your imaginations and your talents! Ideally, each Foundations student in your family should be included in some way.

Please keep your presentations under 5 minutes. After Assembly all classes will begin. We will not use the Main Auditorium again. We will be dismissing classes one at a time so the Tutors can walk with their classes to their room.

FAMILY PRESENTATIONS: 08/22 Merwin 08/29 Manzano 09/05 Lavender 09/12 Brown 09/19 McIntire 09/26 Peshek 10/10 Schrack 10/17 Tomlinson 10/24 Heath 10/31 Bush 11/7 Shropshire 11/14 Kilpi

01/9 Barbee 01/16 Grimstead 01/23 Lehmann 01/30 Liptac 02/06 Smith 02/13 McIntire 02/27 Shinpaugh 03/06 Green 03/13 Horr 03/20 Cherry 04/03 King

(If your family is absent the day of your Family

Presentation, please call one of the families below

to take your place.

(Bontrager, Williams, Cos-tello, Feezor, Effinger,

Harrell, Compton, Phil-lips, Treder, Robinson,

Gable, Russo, )

Pledges: PLEDGE TO THE BIBLE: I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God’s Holy Word. I will make it a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, and hide it’s words in my heart that I might not sin against God.

PLEDGE TO THE FLAG: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Re-public for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

JOHN 1:1-7 In the beginning was the Word—and the Word was with God and the Word was God—this was with God in the beginning—all things were made through him—and without him nothing was made that was made—in him was life and [his] life was the light of men—and the light shineth in the darkness—and the darkness comprehended it not—there was a man sent from God—whose name was John—this man came for a witness—to bear witness of the light—that all men through him might believe

PARENTS IN THE CLASSROOM : Each parent is required to be in a class with one of their Foundations children. This may need to be a bit sched-uled b/c all the Tutors will need the parents to help.

1. EXPECT TO: help the Tutor during the class….she will need you!

2. MODEL: the desire to learn. Your children will catch the passion and be encouraged!

3. PLEASE STAY IN THE SAME CLASS: on a given day. If you must change classes, please change at the 30 minute break between classes.

4. PLEASE DO NOT: Chat with other mothers while the Tutor is instructing. This distracts and encourages the children to chatter too. No Cell phones. Thanks!

DISCIPLINE POLICY:

If conflicts arise within the classroom and on our campus, we will follow the biblical standard set forth in Mathew 18.

If there is a problem with a child disrupting the class or acting in a manner that is disrespectful to the others, he/she will be lovingly, but firmly advised to stop the behavior.

If the child continues to be disrespectful or disruptive, the child may be asked to leave the room and sit with the parent. A follow-up conversation from the tutor to the parent will occur to discuss the situation, and the Director will be advised of the situation.

“Pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.” Romans 14:19

Tutors Each tutor will be unique in her style of teaching, even though the material presented will be the

same from class to class. It is also expected that there will be different methods of instruction used with different age groups. Please keep these things in mind as you observe your child’s class. If you have any questions please talk to your child’s tutor first.

Our method of tutoring is modeling. We demonstrate to both the students and their parents various methods of memorizing grammar from all major subjects. The Tutor’s are trained to “drill-drill-drill” during New Grammar and expound a bit more during Fine Arts, Science & Oral Presentations. The parents are the ones who get to dig deeper during the week.

Lunchtime

Lunch is from 12:10 to 1:00pm in the Gym or Outdoor Picnic Area. All families are invited to join us for lunch and free time.

Parents with nursery age children—please pick up your children as soon as you can so that the nursery attendant may have lunch.

Children MUST stay seated until 12:30. This allows everyone time to eat and be still. Please keep your children with you at all times during lunch - no wandering

through the building or the grounds. At 12:30, the children are allowed to play with adult supervision. They may not go into the woods or the cemetery. The playground may have splinters in it as it is wood-en and old. So take care.

Please make sure your area is clean and cleared after lunch. Brooms & dustpans are available.

FACILITY REMINDER: Cocoa First Assembly is a wonderful facility, one that we are blessed to

share on Fridays. As members of the body of Christ, and in response to the generosity of CFA, our families are asked to ALWAYS leave the building in the same or better condition than we found it. This includes not only the classrooms, but also, the gym, the hallways and entry, the restrooms and the grounds. Please take initiative and keep things neat and tidy as you use this facility throughout the day, and remain in the areas of the facility designated solely for CC.

If you have a facility need such as a temperature concern or a maintenance issue, please let the Director know. Please do not contact the church staff unless there is an emergency.

Weekly jobs responsibilities

Each family in Classical Conversations shares the responsibilities associated with gathering as a group. This primarily involves caring for our facility.

weaTHer cancellaTion policy… If Brevard County has issued a hazardous weather warning and cancelled classes for Brevard County, then we will also cancel classes. Please check your email for a determination by 7:00 a.m. the morning of class.

Sick Child Policy Questions to ask to see if you should stay home from school?

Does my child feel well enough to participate in the program activities? Sick children who are lethargic or whiny are often giving clues that they would be better off resting at home.

Did the doctor diagnose a contagious illness? Pink eye, scabies, head lice, impetigo, strep infection, whooping cough and chicken pox are highly contagious.

Fever above 99 degrees Fahrenheit.

Signs of possible severe illness such as uncontrolled coughing, difficulty breathing, wheezing, persistent crying or lethargy.

Diarrhea (loose or runny stools), a stool that runs out of a diaper, or a sick child who cannot reach the bathroom in time.

Vomiting...recommended to keep child away from others for 24 hours (minimum).

Any sort of rash, especially when accompanied by a fever or behavioral changes. While having a sick child is a hardship for most families, it is most important that we follow the Golden Rule. This will keep our community healthier and your family as well. Thank you for following these recommenda-tions .

Memory master challenge

A Memory Master is a student who has mastered/memorized ALL 100% of the material for a given Foundations Cycle. The MM Challenge was designed to encourage excellence in sub-ject grammar memorization and recitation, which are skills that will serve students well along their educational journey. Attempting to become a MM is optional.

You will find Cycle 3 Memory Master material on pages 109-120 in your Foundation Guide.

You will find the Proof Sheets for Cycle 3 on page 20-206 and 211-212. These will help you proof your student at the end of the year.

MEMORY MASTER PROOFING PROCESS: If your student can answer all of Cycle 3 New Grammar Memory Work when you proof them on between April 1-16th, then you will pass them onto their Tutor for a Tutor Proof around April 17th. If your student passes this proof, then they are passed onto to the Director Proof on May 1st. If they pass this last proof they will be honored at the end of the year pro-gram as a Cycle 3 Memory Master.

Hint: Parents, do not tell your children that Memory Master is “hard”….they don’t know it’s hard. And they can do it!

Specific details about Memory Masters Chal- lenge will be discussed later in the year. If you have any questions, contact Kim Merwin.

Dress Code

We all have different styles and creative bends...but, let’s be a commu-nity that dresses in a way that honors the Lord. This may be an area many forget about, but clothes can honor the Lord too! Here are some suggestions that will help.

If it’s too tight, it will draw attention to the area it is “tight fitting.” That can be distracting

If the neckline is too low...that can be distracting when we lean over a million times a day.

If the skirt or shorts are really short….yikes!

If there are words or characters on our t-shirts that are disrespectful….create a new dust rag.

No hats like baseball caps in class….we just can’t see your eyes...and we love you!

Hope these ideas help. We want to be a community of grace, and yet grace protects and loves one an-

Field Trip Check-List

When planning a field trip, please double check that these items are in your email or flyer:

Name of Field Trip Who? What age groups are appropriate What? What is the trip about, what will we be doing? Where? Where is the location? Address? When? When is the date of the trip? Time? What time do we meet? Where? Cost? Is there a cost? Please be clear. Details? Do I need to have a paragraph with explanation and de-

tails? Contact Information? Who is planning this trip? Name & cell # &

email address. How? How do I sign up for your field trip? [Sign-Up sheet dur-

ing assembly?] [Sign-up sheet at Info.Table?] [Email Sign-up?]

Promoting the Field Trip Did I email my information to the Website Coordinator? Do I need to print a flyer to hand out? Should I invite the community through Facebook? Should I invite the community through email? Should I make one 8.5x11 flyer for the Info Table?

You can find field trip flyer ideas online (google images is one site)

Information Website Information Www.CocoaCommunity.weebly.com Community Directory (password protected online) Everything in this Community Hondbook you will find on the

website and more…(Oral Presentation Schedule, Field Trip Page, Calendar, etc)

Notes

At Home “Ideas Only!”

Oral Presentations

1. Eye Contact 2. Voice projection 3. Proper use of props & visual aids 4. Poise & posture 5. Content (prepare & practice) 6. Introduction & Conclusion 7. “um…” “...like” : do not use these 8. Tell, do not read 9. Time: 2-3 minutes

10. No passes...everyone speaks each wk. 11. Good audience skills

New Grammar

Your new grammar can be similar to the class-room style or you can make it all your own. Idea options:

1. White board 2. CD player or Ipod with Cycle 2 songs for

Timeline and Subjects. 3. Foundations Guide. 4. Timeline cards or Science Cards. 5. Printouts from CC Connected. 6. Flashcards. 7. A joyful heart!

Science Younger: If you want to dig deeper, find the library books that connect with the New Gram-mar Science sentences, worksheets from CC Connected and great web-based information. Older: Anatomy and Physiology by Apologia. Classical Acts & Facts Science Cards (Anatomy & Chemistry Origins) other great books as well.

History Younger: If you want to dig deeper, find the li-brary books that connect with the New Gram-mar History sentences, worksheets from CC Con-nected and great web-based information. Older: Story of the World History Series. Classi-cal Acts & Facts History Cards and great books from the library or home.

Math Finding a math curriculum that works well with your student is important. Saxon Math is recom-mended in the CC Catalog and while this might work great with your child, there are many great options in the “world” of great curriculum out there.

Combine Subjects and Do Not Over-do-it!: You may be able to combine sub-jects so when you study history, you may be able to accomplish: Reading, writing, spelling and comprehension as well. If you are stressed out each day, you may be trying to “do” to much.

Language Younger: A Phonics, Reading & Writing Program Older: You may want to include Spelling, Hand-writing, Reading with Comprehension, Typing, Beginner Logic, English Grammar….or you may not. You get to plan your homeschool! Have fun!

Notes

CC Community Calendar 2014-2015 July 2014 29 Challenge B & Challenge 1 Parent Orientation 3pm-5pm 29 Foundations Parent Orientation Night 7pm-8:30pm August 1 Foundations Tutor Planning Meeting 9am-1pm 7 Essentials Parent Orientation (3pm Cherie) (6:30 Julie) 11 Essentials Parents IEW Training 4pm-8pm 15 First Day of Challenge Program (Wk1) Semester Begins! 22 First Day of Foundations/Essentials Program (Wk1) September 22 Essentials Parents IEW Training 7pm-9pm 27 Foundations Tutor Planning Meeting 9am-12pm October 3 Mid-Semester Break - No Classes - F/E & Challenge 10 Classes Resume (F/E Wk7), (Challenge Wk8) 17 Yearbook Picture Day -All Programs Included- November 14 F/E Fall Semester Ends - Last Day of Classes 14 Olympic Review Games 12:30pm-1:30pm FUN! 21 Tutor/ Director Planning Meeting 28 Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend December 12 Challenge Wk 15 - Fall Semester Ends - - - - - -Winter Break - - - - - - - January 2014 9 F/E & Challenge Programs Spring Semester Begins 23 Yearbook Picture Make-Up Day 30 Open House Day February 20 Mid-Semester Break - No Classes - F/E & Challenge 20 Tutor / Director Planning Meeting 27 Classes Resume (F/E Wk 19), (Challenge Wk 7) March 2014 Student Achievement Testing 27 - - -Spring Break - - - No Classes 23rd-27th April 3 F/E & Challenge Classes Resume (Good Friday) 10 Foundation/Essentials - Last Day of Classes (Wk24) 1-16 Memory Master Parent Proofing 17 Memory Master Tutor Proofing 24 Memory Master Director Proofing May 1 Challenge - Last Day of Classes (Wk30) 1 End of Year Celebration 7pm

Parent Orientation Nights: You

must attend the parent orientation meet-

ings for Foundations and Essentials. Ex-

planations will be given and important

topics will be covered.

Parent Equipping Days &

Nights: Join together with other par-

ents and share your ideas, ask questions,

be encouraged and grow in your pursuit

of a Classical Christian Education!

Student Achievement Testing:

We will be administering the Stanford

Achievement Test. March Dates: TBA

Foundations Olympic Review Games! Join in the Olympic Review Games on

week 12 of the Foundations Program.

We will compete against each other to

see if we can get as many stickers as pos-

sible as we review weeks 1-12 of our New

Grammar Review Memory Work. The

students have so much fun!

Open House: Do you have a friend

that would like to visit and see what CC is

all about? Invite them to the Open

House Event.