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Guilford Christian Academy is a private school that allows the students to be taught in their own homes by the parents.

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Workshop / Classroom and Office Space

Here it is, the future office of Guilford Christian Academy.

Office closet

The map above shows where the H&R Block business used to be. This is the location of GCA soon. Not in the H&R Block office but in that building.

As you walk in the front door, you can see it on the right of this picture,  there is a little foyer area. You can enter the workshop / classroom from that foyer as well. You can also see the closet where the curriculum and science equipment will be stored. It is a nice big storage closet.The door against the wall is going to go on the doorway to the foyer for private sessions with new and veteran homeschoolers.

 

Office

The next picture shows the office space and while it has been freshly painted I will need to paint it something a little brighter because there is no windows in it. The door you see is to the next office which is vacant at the moment. I will be removing the paint from the glass on the door to allow the light to come in from that adjoining office. Once the office next door gets filled we will rethink that but for now I really would like the light. What color do you think it should be? Please comment below with your suggestions.

 

Office 2

 

In this picture you are looking into the office from the workshop /classroom area. There is a door from the workshop area to the office and then another one from the classroom to the entrance. So, the workshop / classroom area can be completely closed off from the office and the foyer for sound purposes. The layout is perfect for our needs.

 

 

workshop

 

And lastly this is the workshop and classroom area, the room has a nice big window over the sidewalk of down town Dover-Foxcroft. We will have a blind installed and a curtain. The heat and AC unit will be installed over the next month while we get it ready and moved in. We will leave the color as is in this room. The door on the right is the one into the office space.

We will also have a display window right down on the sidewalk outside the mall for everyone to see what we are up to.

 

What would you like to see for a workshop or class? Comment below. Do you need a space to hold an activity or class? We can offer the space for you to use for a small fee. We plan to get a copier/printer and a laptop for students and parents to use if they need one, come in and get online do your copying and visit.

This is going to be a hub for homeschoolers in Central Maine, we have needed this for so long and we look forward to all the visitors and activities. So, if you see the lights on even as we are getting it set up, stop in and say hello. We are upstairs in the mall by the Rt 7 and Rt 15 lights. The fourth window from the left. You can access the office by entering the door on the right of the building on the sidewalk. #66, go up the stairs and we are suite 5 on the left.

First order of business is a coffee pot! We will be looking for a small refrigerator and a microwave if anyone has one that they would be willing to donate. Printer and copier are on the list as well.

Guilford Christian Academy members will have discounts on workshops and classes whenever possible.

Happy Homeschooling!

P.S. Share our GoFundMe at www.gofundme.com/GCAMaine

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Free HTML 101 for Kids class offered.

HTML 101 for Kids:

Basics of Web Programming

Free 14 Lesson Course starts September 08

How this class will work:  – fboys htmlrom the website.

 

  1. Students will log in to the web site and download a “cheat sheet” of HTML tags.
  2. Students will watch a video presentation of each component of the HTML Lesson. (Course can be self-paced, with students moving to next lesson after completing the previous)
  3. Students will use HTML tags and create/modify web pages using an online “sandbox”.
  4. Students will receive feedback from Instructor (Frazier) on web pages created and modified.
  5. Students can submit questions and issues and receive feedback from Instructor.
  6. Students’ completion of Lesson Steps will be tracked for certification.

 

 

Schedule:

The class will go live on Monday, September 08.  A new lesson will be available each day after that for the next 3 weeks; students can catch up and review missed lessons on their own schedule.

Students will learn:

  • Basic HTML Tags
  • Understanding of fundamentals of Web Design and Internet Pages

Visit the website to sign up and get more information. This looks like a great basic class for students 9 and up to learn the beginnings of how to design a website.

 

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Discounted Laptops

Guilford Christian Academy has been given the opportunity to organize a bulk homeschool purchase of laptops. We will provide the documentation needed to support this discounted purchase. As a group we get a greater discount than if they are purchased individually.
The order will be placed by us and you will receive an invoice and can pay online once you receive that invoice.

All laptop packages include:

  • 4-year warranty
  • Each Laptop is installed with Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64 -Bit OS
  • Microsoft Office University 365 $30.00 PC & Apple
  • Every Laptop is provided with a laptop case and 8GB flash drive
  • Hard drive and Memory Upgrades are available at a deeply discounted cost

If you are interested I will send you information and what is available for laptops.
Brands to choose from are :

  • Dell
  • Lenovo
  • HP
  • Apple
  • Toshiba

Each laptop has a great software package as well.
The more that are purchased the better the discount. The best discount comes whlg_6910pen we get 30 units.
Basic Dell package is $195 this is the lowest price for this package, no bulk rates.
Specs:
1.8 Ghz Intel Processor
14.1” screen
2GB ram
60GB hard drive
Win XP
There are many options to choose from.

Orders must go through GCA to get the bulk rate. I would like to have all orders in by August 15th so that you will have your laptops for September.

Here is the link to the inventory, the prices are less the more that get ordered. The prices listed are higher than what we would pay, for the lowest tier it averages $25 less but we should be able to get to at least the next tier. http://notebooksforstudents.org/Inventory.htm . If we get 30 or more ordered we get the cheapest rate.

For the discounted price you will need to order through me, the laptops will be shipped to you and you will pay for them through the invoice they will send you.

If you have had a chance to look at the list and you are interested in a purchase please fill in the form below to include your order in the bulk list.
[ccf_form id=”858″]

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Preparing For the New Year – Curriculum.

Many are preparing for the new school year. Some are stressing about it and some are at ease with it. It doesn’t necessarily come with time but more with confidence of knowing what you are doing for your children is the best thing you could do. Is the child going to like the curriculum? Do I need all this curriculum? Where am I going to get the money for the curriculum? Is this curriculum going to cover everything that is needed? There are many questions that come to mind when I think of this topic.

As a veteran homeschooler I struggled with this for several years after we decide to home educate our three children. I purchased a “canned curriculum” (a curriculum that is all chosen for you by grade, you purchaseLooking at bugs everything for that grade and get a discount price ) for our middle child to start first grade with. We tried to do everything that there was to do and we burned out fast, I felt like we were not doing it right, it took us all day to complete the studies and my student started to dislike “school”. It just didn’t seem right to be working 6-8 hours a day with a first grader.

As time went on we realized that there is really only an hour to an hour and a half that the students in the government schools were actually doing academics. The rest of the time is spent going from class to class, getting the class settled, handing out papers, oh and don’t forget the assemblies. 🙂 There is recess and lunch as well. Times when the teacher has to deal with a crisis and much more.

So, when it comes to choosing your curriculum remember that learning does not have to be all books, there are those that do not use but one or two books to teach. The rest is life and hands on learning. Getting outside and exploring the world and grabbing the insect identification book from the local library or you book shelf and finding the name of that really cool 3″ bug with large pincer looking things, Ewww. The same with flowers or trees, birds and animal tracks (you can get an identification poster free from the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife).

We found the best learning comes from doing. We found that our children would remember more if we let them touch, taste, see, things around them and then sit down and discuss or 100_1482look up what it was we were touching, tasting, seeing. This may not work for all students for every subject but you get the idea.

To wrap this up, do not stress about your curriculum, use what works and think out of the box, it does not have to be expensive, magnetic letters and numbers purchased at a yard sale are awesome, the teens love them, I am always finding someones name or an expression written on the fridge left by someone that stopped by.

Oh and by the way, the “canned curriculum” that we used, I sold off the last reader- untouched – about 3 years ago when my first grader graduated from high school. To think that we purchased it 10 to 11 years ago and never used it. I am thankful that we started enjoying life and relaxing about our children’s education. Kids are just naturally going to learn, we as adults are still learning. Preparing for the New Year – relax, don’t fret, you can do it and you will do it better than anyone else can do it for your children.

Happy Homeschooling.

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Summer Time!

It is FINALLY summer here in Maine! It seems to take so long to get here and then it only lasts for a short time. There is gardening, camping, swimming, and other outdoor activities going on and the busyness of life seems to pick up.

This is still a time of learning for your students, even though we don’t necessarily think it is. So, look at things a little differently and document the things you do over the course of the summer. You will be amazed. I know some of you do “school” over the summer months so that your students don’t loose everything they have spent 9 months learning. We did that from time to time.

We came to the realization over the years that our children learned a lot by doing. They would make movies, work, help in the garden, go to the state park, family vacation, shop (yes shopping is learning), and more. They got together with friends and went fishing or to the movies. It is a time full of learning. LearHPIM1998ning about different plants and what they produce, how to care for them so they don’t die (or the wildlife eats them). How to edit a movie so that it flows well and remove the bloopers, the worth of money (which isn’t much today) and how to spend it wisely. Socialization and lots of it, how to cook over an open fire and what foods are best to do that, and much more.

Many tend to think we do not do enough with our children as homeschoolers but the fact is they are learning all the time. We expose them to real life skills and situations that develop them into leaders and not followers. We allow them to fly with their passions and really enjoy learning about the things that interest them. We give them the opportunity to be what they want to be and help them to accomplish their dreams and goals. WE ROCK! as they would say.

So, enjoy the summer, make every moment a learning moment and have fun doing it. Make the memories that will last through their adulthood and share the love of learning with your children.

Happy Homeschooling!