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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.

Summer

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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!

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Coming Of Age

Guilford Christian Academy is working hard to serve the families of Maine. We have updated our sight, joined many social media services and are looking forward to a new year.

We have come to know many folks over the last 12 1/2 years. We have watched families grow and our students graduate, get married or go to college, and have children of their own. What a blessing it has been.

Now that we are established and have many students graduating every year we have determined that we need to focus on streamlining a few things. To have credibility we need to be consistent with our documents that go out to colleges and government schools. We appreciate the patience and understanding that all our members have shown as we make this transition.

We now provide official transcripts and diplomas from GCA. We have put on our first graduation and it was wonderful! We had 5 graduates in attendance, Mike and Paulie Heath provided the commencement and music. Our final graduate from our home received her diplo10155331_756646634368207_8423101867106345934_nma and is getting ready to get some college under her belt.

We have been blessed with the testimony that people are sharing about what we do. Here is something from Meg Richards one of our members:

“So nice to be re-enrolling for another year! No more paperwork hassles, certified letters and return receipts to keep track of, portfolio reviews to schedule and prepare and organize materials for, and drag the littler ones along to, no more urgent sense of having to do things on a school-year schedule, because our year-round relaxed pace is reflected in the online form reporting, done in January and June. That they also offer transcript preparation services and diplomas for a modest fee for those who plan for that in advance, takes a load off my plate for the coming years. It’s nice to be able to focus on the fun stuff, which is the learning. That I can enroll the whole family for less than doing annual portfolio reviews for 2 kids, makes it even better. So glad we gave it a try!”

With our new online semester report submission getting information to us is easier that ever, one member shared that -“The online form took me about 10 minutes to fill out, and it’s pretty much up to you: you can list materials like books used, online classes taken, learning pay sites subscribed to, field trips you took, projects they did. Formal or informal learning still counts, and it’s very flexible.”

Transcripts are now available for all homeschool families for a small fee. We have sat down with many families this past year to sort out their information. Transcripts are a vital part of furthering the education of your student.

Summer is upon us here in Maine but our work does not stop. We will continue to answer questions and gather paperwork, help those that need assistance and plan for the upcoming year.

Watch for field trip announcements, classes, and events in the upcoming year. Happy Homeschooling!