JOIN THE FAMILY! PRIVATE SCHOOL ENROLLMENT & HOMESCHOOLING FOR YOUR FAMILY
At FAMILY TREE PRIVATE SCHOOL we believe it is a parent's God given right and duty to exercise judgment and control over the personal and social goals of their children, the skills which they should learn, the childhood experiences which they should enjoy, and the community resources on which they should draw. We invite all to enroll whether "churched" or not.
Many people are becoming more and more excited about "parent directed" education models of schooling as a viable alternative to conventional or traditional, teacher centered education. This model of parent directed education is done while registered under a private school. In 1985, the Florida legislature allowed students to also register with the state as a "homeschooler", yet many private schools that had these "homeschooled" students registered with them remained.
Students enrolled in Family Tree Private School are not considered "homeschoolers" for all intents and purposes of the law. They are considered 100% private school students, but they may join homeschool support groups for activities, and are encouraged to do so while registered in Family Tree.
Our "traditional classrooms" of today were actually only introduced in our country as recently as the early 1900's. Back then, one-room school houses served about 4 families each on average, and only half of the population chose to educate their children this way. The rest of the population home educated their students. With proven statistics of high academic achievement and rich social and moral development, www.nheri.org, many are willing to introduce strong Biblical precepts to their children, and give homeschooling a try.
Florida home educators are all accountable to someone, in some way. While some list with the district superintendent (as public homeschoolers), others will register with a private 600 school, (as private school students) for the added benefits of documentation, privacy and support. These added benefits are aimed at supporting the continuity of the homeschooling experience, as well as giving formal documentation.
WHY OUR "600 SCHOOL" ?
The term: 600 school, is used affectionately among homeschoolers to refer to a private school organized exclusively for homeschoolers. The name "600" reflects Florida statutes that relate to incorporation. This was the original way families registered when they "homeschooled" before the option of registering with the district became available in 1985.
Unlike many other "600" schools, Family Tree Private School strives for excellence, maintains accreditation and numerous affiliations for academic involvement, and makes it a point to strongly encourage our families to join active support groups. This way, our students experience the fellowship and enriching activities that other organizations, and their local homeschool support groups can provide. We are not in competition with other organizations, but rather prefer to work in concert with them for the benefit of students. We even depend upon these groups to assist and serve our families.
Some of the advantages for students who enroll with Family Tree Private School are:
1. Have complete privacy with private school enrollment. Withdraw from the District.
2. Pick from a choice of excellent, reputable curricula and activities.
3. Receive accredited official School Transcripts and an accredited High School Diploma.
4. Receive guidance for testing.
5. Have access to teacher in-service training and public school book depositories.
6. Receive credit for hobbies, interests, on the job training, and apprenticeships.
7. Receive documentation of Community Service Hours.
8. Earn credits toward high school graduation as you work toward a college degree through dual enrollment, & it's Free!
9. Access free on-line classes for upper level subjects through Florida Virtual School.
10. Qualify for Bright Futures and other scholarships available to most private schools, and with a lower required score (District homeschool enrollees must have a higher score to qualify for the same scholarship).
11. Receive coordination for free Special Education testing and services (sponsored by your tax dollars).
12. Have the ability to enjoy some discounts as teachers.
13. Receive ongoing, one-on-one personal and professional support.
Since Family Tree Private School is statewide, we encourage and assist our families in joining a local support group in their area, and explore community resources so they may enjoy a large array of activities. Not all 600 schools are reputable, just as there are varying levels of quality with all types of educational institutions. We at Family Tree Private School have a long standing, excellent reputation statewide. We have worked with many community leaders and support groups statewide, as well as the Florida Department of Education and our legislators. With our expertise, we are also able to offer optional fee based services for testing, tutoring, scholarship processing and special education services if needed.
Following is a list of some of our credits:
Dept. of Education School ID. # 3292
Natl. College Board Test ID. # 101-618
Florida Teaching Certificate # 542928
Fla. Name Registration # G00236900044
Fla. Non-profit Corp. # N00000005146
I.R.S. E.I.N. # 65-1030629, 501(c)(3) status
Accredited by The F. C. C. P. S. A.
Family Tree Private School is sponsored by Family Tree Ministries, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
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A SUMMARY OF THE SPECIAL THINGS WE DO FOR YOU!
Family Tree Private School is a high quality, accredited private school program established in 1999. We have 4 diploma options. We enjoy a great reputation and our diplomas are accepted in any Florida public school, as well as public and (most) private colleges. We provide one-on-one assistance and academic guidance, as well as official Transcripts and Report Cards. We enjoy several articulation agreements with a variety of educational institutions and organizations, such as free special education services with the district, free courses with Florida Virtual School on-line, and free Dual Enrollment opportunities for 11th and 12th graders at colleges. Students must meet specific program requirements and standardized testing. We do not hold exclusive classes, nor assign only one curriculum, though we do help parents pick a curriculum to use. We research relevant & important information to homeschoolers, and refer our enrollees to support groups, on-line learning events, local classes, scholarships and other important information.
Basic fees are $125 to register per year and $45 monthly for tuition. (10 months per year). Tuition for the entire year is due no matter how late in the year a student joins. There is a $50 fee for Graduation, and if applicable a nominal fee of $30 per year of credits to be reviewed or "tested in" for incoming highschoolers. (We do not enroll new students as seniors). Annual standardized testing is required, but several options are available and parents may choose their method of standardized testing. Parents must purchase their own curriculum, and pay for the testing of their choice. We are happy to refer families to tutors and courses tailor made for them, and we have a many contacts for either free or very inexpensive curriculum and learning opportunities.
Outside Scholarships used at Family Tree Private School
Family Tree Private School will process scholarships that may be available to your student, and for which Family Tree Private School is eligible. We simply charge a flat rate School Fee of 10% of the scholarship money received for overhead and administration, in addition to the regular tuition and other fees that may apply. We arrange all purchases and services and make payments to qualified teachers, learning activities and contractors for educational services at approved sites, at your direction. The 10% school fee is the basic administrative costs for arranging these services, i.e. processing contacts, documenting credentials of the service providers, scheduling and paying for services, processing tax forms, and providing on-going program evaluations - considered an inherent part of the costs for tutoring and therapies. The other 90% is spent where the parents choose for all of the relevant educational classes or therapies.
We evaluate services obtained with these monies based upon evaluation of, and matching to the Individual Education Plan (IEP) goals for students with disabilities. Parents may never receive student scholarship money directly, nor do we reimburse receipts. Parents must know the amounts and dates of payments for scholarships and keep track of the money they can expect to receive. Evaluation includes involvement, cooperation, and availability of tutors and therapists to determine if progress is being made. Identifying a lack of progress commensurate to students' abilities (for regular and special education students) is grounds for discontinuing enrollment and/or scholarship involvement.
We processed the McKay Scholarship for 4 years until senator King, teacher's unions & others wrote a law that declared students must attend one school building all day to use the Mckay Scholarship. After years of success, passing two audits and open accountability, we were stopped by this one "line" in the bill, that was put there on purpose to stop our parents from having so much autonomy. I believe this was based upon greed by those who would benefit. After it passed, it stopped parents from having this choice in our school.
Please CLICK ON THIS LINK for The School Profile for detailed information on Family Tree Private School. If you have any questions or wish to discuss enrollment, please CLICK ON THIS link to email the Director, Nancy Moral.
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