Beginning Our Journey - How does someone get started in PA Homeschooling?

Beginning Our Journey

May. 28, 2006

How does someone get started in PA Homeschooling?

I was reading all of my printed out articles last night before I went to bed and thought about how I know NOTHING about starting out homeschooling. Well I am learning but I am going to owe a LOT to friends. How can I help someone when I am still learning myself? I figured I would blog all my journeys. That way once I am finished and through all the PA hoops I come against, I can put my blog entries in more of a sequence to them. Edit out some, add some and make a real step by step guide to what one has to do. Every step of the way. That way I can help someone clueless like me.

So this is post #1 of my journey. For now I am waiting, praying, blogging and reading all I can. As I find things I think needs blogged on getting started, I will put it in this catagory.

Hopefully I can get a nice guide going here.

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Comments

May. 28, 2006 - What do you need to know?

Posted by StonyHillHomeSchool

What do you need to know about getting started in Pa?
I have been homeschooling in Pa for 13 years, would be glad to help.

Darlene

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May. 28, 2006 - well..

Posted by LindaI

Some of the things I would like to gather info on ...

How do you START? Like just walk up to the school board and say - hello here is a notarized affidavit. And that is it?

What is required. I have heard PA History is a must in elementary ages. But how do you KNOW this stuff?

Who do you go to? Like who do you even take the notarized affidavit too?

Everything and anything. I want to know about homeschool groups. I want to know laws. I want to know where to get forms. etc etc.

I guess as my kids get older I will come up with more and more questions. For now I am in the clear as Alyssa is only going on 4. So far I have a few years still to worry. As long as the House Bill 377: An Act Lowering the Compulsory Attendance Age does not pass. If that happens I am down to only 2 years. For now I have time.

I just want to get it all in one place. :)

I would love to hear anything you think is important for a newbie to know!

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May. 29, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by StonyHillHomeSchool

http://www.chapboard.org/
Here is a site that has a lot of the information needed for homeschooling in Pa. I believe that they have downloadable forms there to for the affidavit and so on.

Mainly, to get started, you will need a notarized affidavit, with your name and the students name, address where you will be homeschooling, and phone number. Along with that you will need a list of Objectives by subject, of what you plan to teach that year. Now, some people go into great detail on that list, but it is not necessary to be very detailed. I look at a list of standard things that are covered in that grade, and just take a couple of those things and put on 3 - 4 things under each subject. For example: (depending on the grade)

English
to include reading aloud and silently
to include basic capitalization
to include basic punctuation
to include spelling / vocabulary

History
to include local and Pa history
to include geography
to include cultural studies

etc...

Like I said, nothing too specific, because I have been known to change my mind half way through the year if something catches our interest or something is not working out for us. LOL

I believe you have to show a copy of your diploma the first year also.

Depends on the school district weather you will have any problem or not. At the end of the year, you have to show an evaluator samples of the childs work in a portfolio, and they have to write a report, stating that the child is receiving an appropriate education according to the law, and then (depending on the district) the law says you have to take the portfolio, and the evaluation to the superintendants office. Where we live, they do not want to see it, they just want the evaluator to make sure the education is taking place, and then they want a copy of the evaluation, and if it is a testing year, (3rd, 5th, and 8th) you have to give a copy of the test scores.

As for who to turn it in to, you have to turn it in to the superintendants office of the school district that you live in. (I also have them sign a paper saying that they received it - that way they can't say they lost it or never received it )

Yeah, right now you do not have to turn anything in until they are 8 years old. So yeah, you have a little while to go :0)

I have a daughter who will be 4 in September also... so I am going to be starting again :0)
For the most part, if you know the law, the districts do not bother you if you are in compliance to the law. But like I said, it depends on the district you live in how much they are wanting to see from you. I think they have a copy of the law on that link, to read up on.

We have never had any negative problems with our district, but I have heard in the past of them telling people things that are not in the law, which is why you do need to know what is in the law as required.

My personal favorite : I'm sorry, you can't homeschool because the homeschool quota is filled.

LOL

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May. 29, 2006 - Thank you

Posted by DanielleW

I too am starting the homeschool process in PA. DS is only 5 and we have already started Kindy. Thank you for all the information that you shared.

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May. 30, 2006 - AWESOME Darlene!

Posted by LindaI

Thank you so much!

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May. 30, 2006 - homeschool groups

Posted by StonyHillHomeSchool

I forgot that you asked about Homeschool groups. That is something that will depend on the area where you live, you can search online and sometimes if one of the local groups has a website you can find them that way. Or you can ask around if you know of any homeschoolers in that area.

When I first started homeschooling, I joined every homeschool group within 50 miles LOL just so I could get as much info as I could.

Mostly back then, we did park days in the fall and spring when the weather was nice, and once in awhile we would have group classes that one of the parents would teach. We didn't charge for them, everyone paid for copy costs if there was anything like that involved. Then there were a lot of field trips done as a group back then too.

Those days I miss, not only for the kids, but for the moms to be able to find answers to their questions, or encouragement when they hit rough spots.

Nowadays, lol, the homeschool groups have all gone to co-ops - they hire in teachers and charge small fortunes. They have occasional field trips, but their time is mostly in classes.

Can you tell I miss the "good old days" haha
I think there will be park days at the local park this fall ;0)

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May. 30, 2006 - homeschool groups

Posted by StonyHillHomeSchool

While I was thinking about homeschool groups, I found
http://www.pahomeschoolers.com/supportgroups/

http://www.homeedmag.com/groups/9.html

http://www.home-school.com/groups/PA.html

http://www.mdhsa.pa.net/

a few to get you some information ....

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May. 30, 2006 - oh yeah...forgot about the logs

Posted by StonyHillHomeSchool

I forgot about the logs, you are supposed to keep a log of days or hours in pa also, along with the portfolio. I forgot about that because our district doesn't ask for anything... but most of them do, i guess.
You are supposed to keep a log of days or hours, depends who you talk to how much detail you have to have in this also. Some people say it has to be a very detailed list of what you do every day, others say it can just be an attendance chart type of log. I have done the detailed log, but I usually just do the attendance log now. You can read more about that one on some of the websites that i gave ya.

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May. 30, 2006 - samples of affidavit and objectives

Posted by StonyHillHomeSchool

http://www.phen.org/index.html

http://www.phea.net/

both of these sites have samples of objectives, affidavit, etc...

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May. 30, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by DanielleW

WOW, what a wealth of information you are!

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Jun. 3, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Dini

Something VERY important: DO NOT report that you are homeschooling before you absolutely have to! Once you are "in the system," you can't choose to stop reporting.

I am a minimalist. I do what the law requires and no more, as far as reporting goes. In June of every year, we do our portfolios (one per kid), print out the forms we need for the next year, along with the list of objectives, have our evaluation, and get the form notarized. Then we take portfolios, evaluator's report, notarized form with list of objectives attached and test scores when required (copies in the portfolios) to the school superintendant's office. Once the paperwork is turned in, we are ready to go for the next school year, although we don't start until July. I also take a receipt form that I have the person accepting the portfolio sign, and I make sure it lists everything I am leaving with them.

During the schoolyear, we track days,. We have never been asked for our detailed log, but if we were, it's all on my computer, which is one reason I use Homeschool Tracker. HS Tracker also has an attendance form that we print out and put in the front of the portfolio, along with our list of reading materials, and resources used.

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A place for me to gather thoughts, keep memories and gain sanity as I embark on the homeschooling journey. Also a place to update my friends and family on my son's journey with fighting a.l.l. Leukemia.

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