Voyager’s Choice: Weekly Offerings

Welcome to our Voyagers Choice program featuring weekly offerings for homeschoolers. Our mixed-age, grade-free, small classes will spark curiosity and encourage intrinsically motivated learning in a community of friends. Our instructors lead high-quality classes that are playful and chock-full of learning – inspiring your learner to delve deeper into the subject outside of class time. Our classes allow you to customize your child’s education based on their interests and needs. At Village Home, homeschooling families enjoy learning together in a diverse and welcoming community.

Voyagers Choice weekly offerings are organized in three, 10-week terms (Fall, Winter, Spring). Classes typically meet for the entire year (30 weeks) — learners who register in the Fall, have their space guaranteed in their classes for all three terms. Classes meet for one hour per week, and most accept mid-year enrollment. We recommend letting your kids choose their classes — allowing them to drive their own education maximizes a positive learning for everyone.

Village Home classes are not-for-credit. If transferring to a traditional school, please note, academic work at Village Home will not transfer in most cases. Learners are not formally graded or tested, so we can focus on learning together. However, in “Homework Required” classes, teachers do review student work, and provide input when appropriate.  Feedback is designed for the learner’s benefit. In some cases, the learner can define the style of feedback they would like to receive. Village Home classes use an online learning management system (google classroom). 

We know that learners all grow and learn in unique ways, so most classes at Village Home have a stated age range of at least three years. To enroll,  your learner should be within the stated age range as of  Sept 1 to enroll in a class at any point in the current academic year. If your learner is outside of the stated age range you may request an age exception. 

Classes and Clubs are both important parts of Voyagers Choice. Classes are taught by paid instructors, and tend to be driven by academic outcomes. Clubs are lead by volunteer parents who want to share their family’s interests with the community. Clubs tend to be more casual and more social in nature, and are low-cost.

Club Facilitators and Class Instructors are background-checked for your child’s safety.  Village Home teachers and staff have the right to remove a learner from a class for a class period or permanently if the learner is behaving inappropriately, or is not developmentally or academically ready for the class. If a child is unable to contribute productively to class, the parent may be required to attend and actively assist their child.

Financial aid is available; applications are due in July.  More information about tuition.  

Parent Participation At Village Home

Parents, as primary educators, are responsible for tracking progress and assessing their children. We are here to enrich your family’s education plans. At Village Home, parents are welcome in class. We love to have our parents on campus, and in the classroom participating, observing, or helping. As the primary educator for your child, we encourage you to attend at least one class per term. Some classes require parent participation regardless of the age of the child. If you have a learner under the age of 5, a parent must remain on campus at all times. Learners 8 and under must have a parent on campus to assist them in class transitions. 

A GAP is when a student is enrolled in two or more classes that do not occur consecutively. During a gap, a parent or parent designee must be on campus actively supervising their child(ren). If your child has a GAP in their schedule, and is at least ten years old, you may apply for a Gap Exception to be on campus when not enrolled in a class or club.  Learner’s parents may request one one-hour GAP per week per term here.

Age Exception Requests

We know that learners all grow and learn in unique ways, so most classes at Village Home have a stated age range of at least THREE years. To enroll,  your learner should be within the stated age range as of  September 1 of the current academic year to enroll in a class at any point in the current academic year.  If your learner is outside of the stated age range, meets all pre-requisites (if applicable), and wants to be in the class, you may request enrollment when Open Registration begins.  Requests for those out of the target age range are processed after learners in the target age range have an opportunity to register first. Requests are reviewed by the office and you will be notified if your request is accepted. Please do not contact your instructor directly — they cannot process an age exception request.  For more information, see Getting Started and Registration.

Prerequisite(s)

Knowledge or skill level prerequisites are noted in the course descriptions. Please register for a course only if your learner meets the pre-requisites. Please note, it may be necessary for you to assess your child’s reading and writing levels before registering for a class. Learners who do not meet prerequisites can be removed from a class at the discretion of the instructor.

Quick, 2-Minute Reading Assessment:  Your learner independently reads and pronounces 9 of the 10 words on the list at the pre-requisite grade level.

Quick, 2-Minute Writing Assessment: (have a recent writing sample handy)

Teaching Textbooks Math Placement: These are easy to administer paper-and-pencil placement tests. There are also online placements available at Khan Academy.

Ready to see our current offerings? Go to our class listing in our Registration portal or see them in a day-by-day grid format HERE.

Comments

  1. Stephany

    Hello. I have a 5 year old who is not ready to read yet. He loves all things science, loves creating verbal stories, is very tactile, loves ceramics, loves climbing, loves the idea of martial arts but we’ve never taken a class…. What kind of offerings do you have for a child like him?

    • Lori Walker

      Hi! we aren’t taking enrollments anymore for this school year, but next fall, we will have lots of options for him. Our 2022-23 schedule comes out in July, and starts mid-september. Feel free to call us at 503-597-9100 to chat about your 5yo.

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