SPEAR

South Potomac Educational Alternatives Resource

SPEAR is a Christ-centered homeschool support group serving families of South Potomac Church and the Charles County community.  We are approved as an Umbrella School with the Maryland State Board of Education.  As space is available, members may enroll with the umbrella program and receive regular oversight from a peer advisor.  Oversight or non-oversight membership carries the benefits of participation in our weekly group classes, taught Thursday afternoons at South Potomac Church by volunteer members, as well as access to a network of fellow homeschoolers for support and encouragement.

Pertinent information:

Leadership: volunteer Board of Directors

Mission Statement: To equip and support parent/teachers as they train their children and to enable parents to home school their children without direct supervision by the Board of Education.

Educational Philosophy: Children learn by a variety of means and at varying rates. Learning has no absolute sequence of subject matter, and therefore, SPEAR will not prescribe curriculum, but will assist parents in setting reasonable, measurable objectives, selecting or creating curriculum, and evaluating progress.

Enrollment: Enrollment is open throughout the school year ONLY FOR THOSE WHO ATTEND SOUTH POTOMAC CHURCH. Non-attenders who reside in Charles County may enroll as space is available during open enrollment held every spring.

Fees: Currently, the annual fee for those with Oversight is $70.00 per family. Non-oversight members pay $40.00 per family. New members are also charged a $25.00 enrollment fee. Participation in group classes is free, with only a $35.00/year for church usage assessed per family.

Frequently Asked Questions:

I'm new to homeschooling. What do I do?

The internet is an excellent source of information - usually too much, acutally.  A great starting site for homeschooling is www.hslda.org: this is the home pages for the Home School Legal Defense Association, and there are tabs for "getting started" and offers of free materials to help.

To homeschool in the state of Maryland , you need to be registered with your county. If your children are currently registered in the public schools, or if you are simply new to the area or your children have reached school age, you need to contact the county Board of Education to request an application for homeschooling. This application will ask you whether you plan to have your oversight from the county or if you are registered with an alternate umbrella school.

Oversight means to whom you will be accountable to teach your children. Generally, under the county's oversight, most home educators have no trouble meeting the county's standards. You are required to report twice yearly the progress of your children, explaining what teaching materials you are using per subject, and providing some samples of your children's work.

However, some parents desire extra guidance and may want to find an alternate provider for oversight, called an ‘umbrella school'.

How do I find curriculum to teach my children?

There are many excellent resources for finding either whole curricula materials or just individual textbooks or workbooks to use when teaching your children. A few good sources to try:

Curriculum Guide you can order
(also available in the library)
Christian Home Educators' Curriculum Manual - Elementary Grades, and also for Junior/Senior High, by Cathy Duffy

Local Retail Sources
School Stuff in Waldorf, MD, on Rt. 925, carries Alpha/Omega
The Shepherd's Nook in Severna Park, MD 410-647-2033
www.greathomeschoolbooks.com

Traditional Curriculum
Bob Jones University Press 1-800-845-5731 www.bjup.com
ABEKA Books 1-877-ABEKABOOK www.abeka.com
Christian Liberty Press: CLASS Homeschools 1-847-259-4444
www.homeschools.org

Catalogues of Assorted Curriculum
CBD Homeschool Resources 1-978-977-5055
Timberdoodle Company, 1-360-426-0692
www.timberdoodle.com
The Elijah Company www.homeschoolmarketplace.com
Rainbow Resource Center, Inc. at 1-888-841-3456 or www.rainbowresource.com

Home School Resource Center 1-717-533-1669 www.hsrc.com
Greenleaf Press 1-615-1617 www.greenleafpress.com
Son Light www.sonlight.com

How do I find an umbrella school?

The website for MACHE (Maryland Association for Christian Home Education), found at www.machemd.org, provides a link for the Maryland approved umbrella schools.

What about SPEAR's Umbrella program (oversight)?

If you are able to enroll under SPEAR's oversight, you will have more stringent standards to meet than under county oversight, but you will also receive guidance from your advisor. The SPEAR advisors are all volunteer homeschool parents. Oversight members are required to:
* Maintain a portfolio that demonstrates regular and thorough instruction in the subjects usually taught at that grade level,
*Meet with advisor at the beginning of the school year to submit the Goals and Objectives form for each child,
* Schedule quarterly conferences with their advisor.

Those under oversight receive official Spear Academy transcripts yearly.

What other benefits will I get if I join SPEAR?

SPEAR sponsors group classes on Thursday afternoons between 12:30 and 4:30 p.m. from September until May. Teachers are either volunteer homeschool parents or, occasionally, from outside the organization and may require a fee. Classes are usually available for all grade levels, and parents are required to remain in the building while their children are taking classes. Support positions such as organizing the classes, setting up and taking down chairs and tables for classrooms, hall monitoring and teaching assistants, are all recruited from the parents of children in classes. This is a COOPERATIVE EFFORT and everyone's help is required for the program to be maintained.

Membership also gives you access to the directory of members, and an online email list for our group through which you can maintain contact with the entire group. In this way, many members come together for field trips and social events. We also publish a monthly newsletter, available over the internet for members as well as an annual yearbook. You and your children will each receive a SPEAR ID card, which will afford you a teacher's discount at certain stores. ID cards are also needed to participate in optional standardized testing (SAT, PSAT, for example) offered through other agencies. MACHE membership also comes with SPEAR membership.

Each spring, SPEAR sponsors standardized testing, which is optional. Tests cost approximately $20-40 per student.

SPEAR normally sponsors a Used Book Sale in June annually, and parents of graduates often join together for a graduation ceremony. Our high schoolers often hold a formal dinner dance or prom in the spring.

Who do I contact for more information?

You may contact spear@southpotomac.org.