Cottage School
Mondays 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
Located at a secured church in South County
Every day is started with outdoor community-wide free play, followed by the pledge of allegiance, and chapel. Students then break out into their divisions for morning lessons. We meet together for lunch where we eat and play outside before breaking into their respective divisions again for afternoon lessons. The day ends with mixed age outdoor free play and an opportunity for parents to connect with each other before heading home. Programming is available for children ages 4 (and potty trained) to 13 years old.
"A child...must have a living relationship with the present, its historic movement, its science, literature, art, social needs and aspirations.”
-Charlotte Mason, Volume 3
We shall endeavor to present a feast of art and culture, history and geography, science, literature, memory work and recitation, social skills, and character education.
Cottage School Divisions
Pre-K/K
Ages 4 & 5
This is a gentle precursor to formal academics and is comprised of an abundance of nature study as well as exploration, art, music, and read alouds. Students gather for tea time daily, practicing service, responsibility, accountability and more. Students are held to age appropriate standards with regard to habit formation, respect, and safety. There is one teacher leading their day, with an assistant joining when needed.
Lower Division
Ages 6 & 7
This is a gentle transition into formal academics. Students will participate in exploration and discovery through experiments and hands-on activities, learning Natural History and Early American History together. One teacher is leading their day but they will also spend 1 hour in Art & Culture.
Middle Division
Ages 8 & 9
Observation, exploration, and discovery are encouraged and celebrated in the middle division. As students develop relationships with writers, creators, characters, and ideas, they are encouraged to connect with their peers, care about what they are learning, and become lifelong learners together. This division prepares students for the class rotation that comes in the Upper and Preparatory Divisions, so while they do have one teacher leading their day, they will also have 1 hour in Art & Culture, History, and Science with teachers specializing in those subjects.
Upper Division
Ages 10 & 11
Students in this division will have one teacher leading their day, but will also have 1 hour in Art & Culture, History, and STEAM with teachers specializing in those subjects. This division will investigate the world through hands-on activities and good literature while also sharing their knowledge through open-ended projects, and presentations. We prioritize establishing a respectful, inviting culture built around good character and habits so while there will be a component of work, the goal will be to grow with one another in knowledge, ability, and character.
Preparatory Division
Ages 12 & 13
This division focuses on preparing students for their futures academically and socially, so while they do start and end the day with the community, they do not have a single teacher leading their day. Instead, they will move together as a class between STEAM, Language Arts, and History with teachers specializing in those subjects.
Professional Communication Program
Ages 14 + 15
This program is designed to be the next step for our students before they potentially transition into the workforce or advanced studies at college and we consider it an opportunity for them to gain and master skills needed to become a purpose-driven, socially responsible leader in life.
Skills such as communication, problem solving, people management, critical thinking, and serving will be used daily, preparing them for their first real jobs and any other professional pursuits they may have. This program will highlight what the daily operations of running a small business entail, and these students will get to assist in the classrooms with opportunities to lead, gaining confidence in a leadership role amongst peers and younger students.
We believe this program is vital to the success of our students as they graduate from our regular programming, so as our way of continued investment into their lives, we only charge $5 for tuition.
Please e-mail Krystal@homeschoolwithintegrity.com to inquire on openings in this program.
Community
The goal of this program is to support the whole family and not the student alone, so community is a space we are really intentional about. There are family social events, nature meet-ups, mother culture nights, a summer book club, opportunities to serve together and more!
What if I have a toddler?
We do not enroll toddlers in our program as drop off students. However, if a parent joins our team as a lead teacher, co-teacher, or teachers assistant, there is an option for children under 4 years old to be involved in our toddler program. If you are interested in learning more about teaching or assisting please contact Krystal at Krystal@homeschoolwithintegrity.com