CO-OP POLICIES
SEEDS OF PROMISE CO-OP POLICIES
Courses will only be taught by Seeds of Promise FSG members who have complied with the Seeds of Promise FSG leadership policies, and a minimal fee per family, per semester will be implemented and paid no later than the 1st co-op of the semester schedule. Students and families who would like to take advantage of these courses will also need to be a Seeds of Promise FSG member with all completed forms and signatures. Classrooms are available for nursery through high school ages. We will be utilizing Piney Grove Baptist Church’s fields for PE if on the semester schedule to accommodate the different ages.
CO-OP COURSE PARENT RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Show up, be on time and be prepared to assume your assigned responsibilities if any.
2. All absences must be reported to the Seeds of Promise FSG Co-op Coordinator or designated person, as soon as the absence is realized. Attendance is expected unless illness or justifying circumstances prevail. Persistent attendance problems will be addressed on a one-on-one basis and your Seeds of Promise FSG Co-op participation accordingly.
3. Be alert and aware of all classroom activities as we are all hall monitors and traffic controllers.
4. Read, understand and enforce all building policies and adhere to proper codes of conduct and behavior while at the co-op location.
5. ALL parents are volunteers who serve in a teaching position or in another position of service within the co-op while their child(ren) are in co-op.
6. Be familiar with tuition and fee schedules and make sure all fees are paid on time.
7. Be willing to serve as a substitute when needed.
8. Check your child’s backpack at the end of each co-op day.
9. Parents of children attending co-op are expected to remain on the premises while children are participating in the co-op. If you must leave for any reason, you must designate another parent who will be responsible for your child(ren) and record that information on the parent sign-out sheet at the front desk.
10. All visitors to the co-op must be approved by the Coordinator prior to Friday. If the visitor is a student, the teachers of each of the classes the visitor will be attending must be notified so appropriate arrangements can be made. If the teacher does not feel comfortable accepting a visiting student, then those wishes will be honored.
11. Each family will be allowed TWO planned absences in which their can be left in the care of another co-op parent for the day. This privilege should be utilized only in cases of extreme sickness or other emergency. Additional days may be considered by the Board on a case-by-case basis.
12. Parents are to monitor their children at all times. Children are not permitted outside the building after co-op or during our lunch fellowship without adult supervision. The parking lot can be a very dangerous place. Please be aware of ALL children, not just your own.
13. All personal items brought from home should be labeled clearly for ALL students. This includes all backpacks, pencil boxes, coats, etc. Any personal items irrelevant to co-op participation such as electronic games, trading cards, headsets, etc. must not accompany participants into the facility. (Laptops allowed for parents ONLY, and cell phones are not to be used during class times, please).
14. Parents must read “Course Descriptions/Supply List” and purchase all necessary texts, materials and other specified items prior to the start of classes.
15. Each family must provide proof of Seeds of Promise FSG membership to receive the discounted price.
TEACHER RESPONSIBILITIES (PARENT TEACHERS)
1. Be punctual, be prepared for each class, and do a job of excellence.
2. Find your own substitute (from the volunteer list) and provide a quality substitute lesson plan in the event of your planned absence. Notify the Seeds of Promise FSG Course Director and your cooperating teacher/aide (if applicable) before the beginning of the school day in case of illness or emergency. Prepare a class description and a semester syllabus for each class you are teaching.
3. Please ask students to address you as Mr. and Mrs. and last name.
4. Be willing to communicate with parents regarding their child’s progress and behavior while in your class.
5. Incident reports are to be filled out and given to Coordinator/President for family file and Board follow up.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Be on time.
2. Be prepared.
3. Walk in the halls between classes. Absolutely no yelling.
4. Honor parents and teachers by addressing them as Mr. and Mrs. and last name.
5. Be respectful of others and their property. Keep hands and feet to yourself.
6. Be respectful of the church property. Failure to respect the host facility can result in discipline from the Board and possible dismissal.
7. Complete class requirements and cooperate with teachers at all times. Due to the nature of the “once a week” classes, it is imperative that students stay current with their assignments. Students are also responsible for class material missed in the event of absence. It is the responsibility of the student and/or parent to contact teachers in the event of a sudden absence to find out about any material missed and catch up with missed material prior to the next meeting date. Late or missing assignments put extra burdens on the teachers, allow the student to fall behind, and are an inefficient use of the time and energy for both the student and teacher. The following policy is used for missing assignments: First missing or late assignment: teacher notifies and informs parent via e-mail; Second missing or late assignment: teacher notifies and informs parent via telephone; Third missing or late assignment: teacher notifies parent and Board, at which point the Board will determine necessary action between parent/student/teacher.
8. Students are expected to have self control and respond appropriately to the teacher’s directives.
9. Students are expected to encourage and support one another in a gracious and loving environment. No name calling or destructive comments toward one another will be tolerated.
10. Students who disregard any classroom expectation are to be dealt with immediately. Teachers are to quickly remind student of proper classroom behavior, no matter what the offense.
11. No gum is allowed.
12. No cell phones, other electronic games/equipment, or personal items such as trading cards, headsets, etc. should be brought to class unless approved by the teacher. Each teacher reserves the right to confiscate any such items until the end of classes should this policy be violated.
STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
Seeds of Promise FSG Homeschool Co-op is not set up to accommodate students with special needs for the following reasons:
· Teachers are primarily parents who teach in their special areas of interest, education, or expertise, but most of whom are not trained as professional teachers.
· Due to several classes being scheduled once a week on Fridays, there is not extra time to spend with an individual student who regularly needs extra help. In some instances, students with special needs are capable of participating in a co-op class, but parents should be in close contact with the teachers and may be required to sit in the classroom with their student.
If your student has a special need that teachers should be aware of, please be sure to let your teachers know.
SIGNING IN AND OUT POLICY
Children should never be dropped off at the door. A parent or guardian must always accompany the child(ren) into the building and sign them in at the welcome desk as you walk in the Piney Grove Church facilities. This will be the location where parents obtain current information and take care of necessary business issues.
LUNCH POLICY
Seeds of Promise FSG morning courses end at 12:30 pm. Seeds of Promise FSG afternoon class courses end at 4:00 pm. Group teachers, assistants, and students may bring their own lunch, and all food is to be confined to the park area during PE and should not be taken into any of the classrooms. Food brought to the Seeds of Promise FSG course co-ops should be as simple and easy to clean up as possible. Due to carpeting in this area, we must adhere to the policy of CLEAR BEVERAGES ONLY! (i.e. water, clear juices, Sprite/7-up, etc.) Please, NO RED LIQUIDS OR DARK SOFT DRINKS! Each co-op member is responsible to set up and clean up their own eating areas. Please keep in mind that during this time, all children are under the authority of their own parents or the respected leaders/teachers and/or church authority who need to ensure that all conduct complies with proper respectful behavior. Children are to remain with their parents or their respected teachers/leaders at all times during this fellowship opportunity. There are church employees who work on Fridays, so we need to be respectful of the work environment. Also, unattended children tend to become injured, especially in the gym.
ILLNESS POLICY
Participants should not attend Seeds of Promise FSG co-op or group events if they are sick or are experiencing any of the following symptoms:
1. Colored mucus
2. Diarrhea, vomiting or nausea (within last 24 hours)
3. Eye drainage
4. Virus or infection (known to be contagious)
5. Rashes (contagious)
6. Head lice
7. Fever (within last 24 hours - unmedicated)
Should there be any questions, the teacher of the class or head teacher of the nursery and/or Pre-K/Kindergarten will determine if any student fails to meet the health guidelines. Please keep in mind that this policy is essential for the health and protection of all of our children and families.
If one of your children become ill and you must leave the Piney Grove Church facility, you may choose to remove all of your children for the remainder of the day or find another parent who agrees to be responsible for your other child(ren) while they are on the premises. With that parent’s consent, you must sign yourself out at the information table and name the other parent as guardian for the remainder of the day.
In the event of your planned absence, another parent may assume guardianship of your child(ren) on the co-op day and must notify the information table of such an arrangement immediately upon arrival.
EMERGENCY/SNOW DAY POLICY
In case of severe weather or other extenuating circumstances, please follow your local news channels for public and private school closings. If the local schools are closed due to inclement weather, then Seeds of Promise FSG Co-op might be closed as well. Announcements will be made regarding co-op closings via:
1. Announcement listed on the front page of the Seeds of Promise FSG website at www.seedsofpromisefsg.com
2. Phone call/text from a fellow co-op member before 7:45 a.m. on the day of closing/delay
3. A group email announcing the closing/delay.
Make up classes will be announced on the site within the week of said closing.
STUDENT DISCIPLINE POLICY
“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the parent, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields fruit of the righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11)
1. Every student is expected to behave in a proper and respectful fashion at all times. If a child is disrupting a class session, he or she will be removed from the class and the parent notified.
2. If a parent fails to control the child’s disruptive behavior, the co-op reserves the right to dismiss the child from that class.
*An incident report will be filed and a meeting may be requested by the Board with the parents to discuss necessary actions if there was no proper resolution or correction in the child’s behavior.
CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY
Every individual has the right to complete confidentiality. We request that no grievance EVER be handled in front of students. We also request that everyone involved keep the matter confidential. There should be no outside involvement without the knowledge of all parties involved. This includes talking to other parents/teachers. Should this happen, it is grounds for corrective procedures.
SHERRILLS FORD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH FACILITY POLICY
Piney Grove Baptist Church has graciously offered the use of the facilities. To follow are the guidelines with respect to these facilities:
A. Undesignated Areas:
1. Main Building:
a. Absolutely no entering the church offices, daycare offices, or closets.
b. No use of microwave and/or oven.
2. Fellowship Hall/Multi-Purpose Building
a. No entering or use of kitchen facilities.
b. No entering library or closets.
c. Absolutely no playing or moving any of Piney Grove's instruments, furnishings on or off stage. Stay off stage area.
3. Outside
a. Absolutely no entering/playing on the cemetery grounds.
b. No unsupervised playing in the parking lots, fields, etc.
2. Seeds of Promise FSG Leaderhip/Teachers are the only ones that can put lunches in refrigerator and/or remove them for lunch time.
SUPERVISION
During co-op teachers are responsible for their classes and students in and on the Piney Grove Baptist Church premises. It is the responsibility of the parent to supervise their own children during lunch and while afternoon co-op classes are in session. If a parent is unable to be there, a temporary guardian for the family is responsible for the children.
COURSE POLICY
Courses are scheduled on Fridays and run during 2 semesters; Fall and Winter/Spring over a 7-8-month period, with breaks for Holiday/Christmas, and Spring break. Seeds of Promise FSG will not meet when Piney Grove Baptist Church is not in session due to snow or other emergency. The first snow date will be considered an act of God and fees will not be refunded. Make up times will be announced through the co-op site. *See Emergency/Weather Policy.
MEMBER COURSE COMMITMENT
Because we plan our co-op per year, the commitment between the members and the co-op should be for each academic year. While we realize that extenuating circumstances may arise which prevent your continued attendance, please be committed to the classes in which you are registered. We are dependent on each of our members to make the co-op work. If we have members leave after courses have been established, it makes it difficult for the co-op to run smoothly.
Please pray before you make this commitment.
PAYMENT POLICY
Fees are collected on or before the first co-op Friday of the semester. Payments can also be prepaid for the semester or year. Details regarding the schedule of fees can be accessed through our site at www.seedsofpromisefsg.com
REFUND POLICY
Registration fees are non-refundable. Course fees will not be refunded after the second week of the new semester.