ACCHE Rules and Guidelines

Please arrive at 10:00am and plan to stay until 1:15 pm.

Please attend every co-op unless significant illness prevents you. This a cooperative, which means that we all come together to provide this experience for our children. Everyone is needed and your enrollment implies a commitment to co-op sessions. A parent of each child must help with the co-op and be on premises during co-op.

Announcements begin at 10:00. Please be on time or a few minutes early. Announcements concerning co-op classes, field trips, and other activities, as well as other topics that may be of interest to homeschoolers are sent out via email on the Monday before co-op. Please make certain you check your email Monday evening or Tuesday morning before co-op. We will limit our circle time announcements to only the most immediate and most pressing issues.

Classes will run from 10:15 until 12:40. Co-op participants are expected to attend all classes on the schedule for their ages. They can not pick certain classes to attend and sit out of others. Please help your children come prepared for classes. Double check to ensure that they have what they need and are taking home all their belongings, including home work and art work. Unfortunately, the church does not have storage for co-op, so items that are left at the church may be lost before our next meeting.

During co-op, children should not be taught or led to support any beliefs contrary to the ACCHE Statement of Belief, although presentation of educational information about other belief systems is permissible. Nothing that glorifies wickedness, magic, or sinful behavior is permissible and will be grounds for expulsion from the Co-op and all ACCHE activities. If you doubt the appropriateness of the material, it’s best to err on the side of caution and choose something else. Alternatively, you can check with co-op directors who will bring the questionable material to the guidance committee for approval.

Lunch time and free play will be from 12:40 until 1:15 in the gym. Please pack a lunch for you and your children and plan to stay for fellowship. This unstructured time gives the kids and parents time to chat, play, and build friendships.
　
FEES
Fees are charged to cover the cost of classroom materials, snacks, administration costs and other expenses as they may arise. Fees vary based on the costs of classes offered each semester. Current fees for preschool and school -aged children are $12 per child per semester. Fees should be paid no later than the 2nd co-op session. Cash is preferred. Checks will be accepted.

CLEAN-UP
The church has been very generous in allowing us to use their building. We are the only outside group the church allows to use their facilities and they can disallow their permission at any time. We should always plan to leave the church looking better than we found it. All participants are expected to help clean up every time!!!

Make certain that your classroom is back to the original furniture arrangement; floors and tables are clean; and trash cans are empty. There is a cleaning cart in the gym designated for our use. It includes cleaning products, a sweeper, and new trash bags.
In addition to your classroom, please take the initiative to clean any messes you notice in the bathrooms, hallways, or gymnasium. Make certain your children are cleaning up their crumbs and wrappers from lunch and that they take home all their belongings, including art work.

RULES OF THE BUILDING
Please instruct your children on the rules of the building that we are graciously being allowed to use:

• No running except in the gym
• Participants must stay out of the main part of the church building
• Students may only be on the balcony while going to/from upstairs classes
• Students should not loiter in bathrooms or the hall leading to the bathrooms
• Students may not play on or behind the bleachers or racks of chairs/tables
• The only exit door that should be used is the main gymnasium door (or else the alarm may sound)
  CLASSROOM RULES
• Students should be kind and respectful to classmates and teachers
• Students should be attentive to instruction and participate to the best of their abilities
• Students should be respectful of the church and its property

Parents are expected to enforce these rules, whether it be your child or someone else’s child who needs correction. A gentle reminder is always appropriate.
Parents will be financially responsible for damage caused by their children.

ACCHE Legal Waiver

The following indemnity waiver was drawn up to protect all volunteers, parents, and the church from liability. All participants must sign the waiver as a condition of participation.

In consideration of your accepting myself and my child or children for participation in the Appalachian Christian Cooperative of Home Educators (hereafter referred to as “ACCHE”), I, my child, my heirs, executors, and administrators, waive and release any and all rights and claims that I or my child may have against ACCHE and its agents, volunteers, teachers, employees, representatives, successors, and assigns for any and all injuries and damages of whatever kind suffered by myself or my child or children that arise from participation in any ACCHE programs or activities.

For the consideration stated above, I further agree that, in the event my child or I should incur any damages arising from participation in ACCHE, I will personally indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the organization and its agents, volunteers, teachers, employees, representatives and assigns against any and all loss and damage occasioned thereby, including, but not limited to, attorney fees.

I warrant that I am the parent or legal guardian of the above named children and that I have the right to authorize the foregoing and do hereby agree to hold ACCHE and its agents, volunteers, teachers, employees, representatives, successors and assigns harmless of and from any and all liability of whatever nature which may arise from or result from such participation.

ACCHE Discipline Policy

With the high Christian standards of discipline set by our current families, we do not anticipate any disciplinary problems from the students involved in the Co-op. However, even children who know the standard sometimes like to push the boundaries to make sure they are still in place. So that we may assure them that the boundaries are, in fact, in place, we are setting forth this policy.

• Our program does not have a set of rules so rigid that we have a penalty that applies to each offense. However, just as “co-op” applies to the parents and their responsibility to the group to share in the duties, we want our children to understand that “co-op” applies to them also. Their responsibilities are to be attentive to the instruction they receive, considerate of their classmates, and respectful of the church and its property.
• It is not our desire to be harsh, but we want to ensure an environment that is conducive to academic growth for all the students. We recognize that our co-op exists on the good will of all of the families who participate, and it is only fair that no one student be allowed to create an atmosphere that detracts from our children’s ability to learn and form lasting friendships. It is for this reason that the leadership retains the right to take any reasonable disciplinary action to maintain a warm and friendly environment.
• When a student is disruptive in class, he will be sent to the gym to the administration table and monitored by an available parent. When his own parent is available, he will be advised of the child’s offense. The child will be able to return to his class that day at the teacher’s discretion. If the offense occurs repeatedly, the parent may be asked to meet with the ACCHE Leader Team. The leader team has the authority to recommend that the student be expelled form the co-op. If the child is asked to leave, the remaining portion of his fees will be returned. It should be noted that only the most severe offenses should result in expulsion.
• Any dispute arising from discipline issues or this discipline policy will be referred to the ACCHE Guidance Committee. The decision of the ACCHE Guidance Committee is final. The parties understand that this method shall be the sole remedy for any controversy or claim arising from this agreement and expressly waive their right to file a lawsuit in any civil court for such disputes.

Statement of Faith

• As Christian home educators, we believe that God is our inspiration and that all glory belongs to Him. We desire to reflect the Lordship of Jesus Christ, our one and only Savior, in all of our efforts. We are guided by the Bible, recognizing the Scriptures as being inerrant, infallible, and authoritative in all matters of faith and practice.

• We believe that God, in six days, created everything simply by speaking it into existence and, thus, each creature was specially made by God and did not evolve from another. We believe that man has dignity and worth as bearer of the image of God and has been given by God dominion and stewardship over the earth.

• We believe in one God, eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. We believe that salvation cannot be earned by humans and is achieved by grace through faith in Christ—a free gift bestowed by God on all who believe in Christ, repent of their sins, are born again, and walk in newness of life.

• We believe our students should study good literature written by both Christian and non-believing authors. Such work will be appreciated for its outstanding literary qualities and also provide students the opportunity to recognize and critique unbiblical perspectives. We will not study any literature that glorifies wickedness or sinful behavior.

• We believe that the study of history should confirm that our Almighty God upholds, directs, and governs all things for His own purpose and glory. Within this divine plan of God, human beings operate freely and are responsible for what they think and do. Historical material should be presented against the backdrop of God’s providence and the standards of Scripture.

• In conclusion, we realize that, as a homeschooling Co-op, we are composed of several Christian denominations and, therefore, must show consideration, respect, and sensitivity to any denominational differences that we might have. However, we believe that God created man and woman in His image to be sexually different and mutually complementary. Marriage is designed by Him to be between one man and one woman, and children benefit most from the love of a mother and a father. Ultimately, we realize that education is the responsibility of the parents and that we must respect the role of families in addressing issues that arise in forming a Biblical view of life and the world.

April Faculty Lounge

Faculty Lounge will be this Friday night, April 16th, at 6:30pm.

Dorothy Heffner will be the hostess.

Please brink a dish to share and enjoy a fun evening with friends!

Rsvp to Dorothy for driving directions.