Classical Conversations Christian Curriculum

First off HOC wants to thank Marlene for bringing this opportunity to the table. She has 10 years of
homeschooling experience & was also a teacher.

Who is Classical Conversation? A North Carolina based organization started in 1997 with 11 students and their
parents now serving 45,000 families in 50 countries. They provide a consistent Christ-centered roadmap and
curated curriculum by parents for parents.

“The purpose of education is to know God and to make Him known. God trusts parents with their children, and
so should we. Wrestling with truth promotes blessing and virtue for the whole community. Education is the
responsibility of the family, with support from fellow believers. The support of community enhances our ability
to fulfill parental duties. The accountability of community both sharpens and humbles its members. Classical
education embodies the most natural tools of learning. Truth is required to inculcate wisdom, knowledge, and
understanding.”

Classical education prepares us to accept the responsibilities of Christian freedom.

Let us not focus on teaching children what to learn & what to think but rather how to learn and how to think and
pursue truth, goodness & beauty; prepared to serve the Lord wherever and however he calls them.

Work & worship are the same thing when we do them for the Lord, learning the value of relationships. There is
no greater joy than knowing our children walk with the Lord.

Education is best experienced together.

Rooted in a classical model in tune with the way children naturally learn.
Create a lifelong love of learning.

Foundations 4yo + -National Memory Master - Foundation 5th Ed Curriculum $99

History, Science, English, Geography, Math & Latin
In depth memory work
Confidence building public speaking opportunities
Experimentation & discovery
Engaging learning games to lock in core concepts and vocabulary
1 cycle per year for 3 years; cycles are not grade level oriented (6th grader covers the same
grammar as kindergarteners with more in depth home study.
Cycle 1 - Learn about the ancient world, Latin noun endings, Biology, Earth Science,
English prepositions & verbs, Historical Empires, peoples & countries and Exodus 20
Cycle 2 - Learn about Pre-Reformation to Modern History, Geography, Latin verb
conjugation, Ecology, Astronomy, Physics, English pronouns, adverbs, conjunctions,
multiplication tables, conversions, geometric formulas, algebraic laws and Genesis 1:1-27
Cycle 3 - Learn more about you home country history, translate John 1:1-17 from the
Latin Common Speech, Anatomy, Chemistry, Origins, English participles, irregular verb tenses,
clauses, multiplication tables, conversions, geometric formulas and algebraic laws.
Scribblers 4-8yo’s - Scribbler’s at Home: Recipes from Lifelong Learners $89
Promote hands-ons learning through play to develop basic literacy and practice fine motor skills with
easy to follow tutorials.
Essentials 9-11yo’s - Faces of History - Essentials 5th Ed Curriculum $95

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 The bridge between grammar & dialectic that prepares students with principles of language structure,
analysis, writing style and arithmetic speed & accuracy for the middle & high school Challenge
programs. Parents & students meet for 2 hours with Tutor for Essentials after Foundation. Tutors
facilitate community time by modeling exercises parents will do with students at home. Student emerge
prepared to tackle foreign languages, essays & pre-algebra when these skills are mastered.
Challenge - Excellence in Education
Learn to choose a curriculum, purchase coursework resources, develop high school transcripts & earn college
credit.
Develop your students' time management skills & good study habits through weekly coursework community
participation. Directors facilitate weekly conversations &model learning to support parents at home efforts.
Tutors mentor & disciple students to imitate Christ.

6 Seminars of 2 Semesters. Each Semester meets for 15 weeks. Students read, research & practice at home
and come to the community prepared for public speaking, discussion, debate & experimentation.
Students come together to practice skills instead of sitting in lectures/lessons. Directors help students see how
knowledge glorifies God, cultivating lifelong learners & lovers of His creation.
Focus on skills rather than subject: Knowledge > Understanding > Wisdom

Challenge A 12yo - Science Fair

DIscussion-charged program introducing basic rhetoric skill, grammar & dialect rooted in a
Christian worldview. Students will also work on their writing skills as they shift from parent-
directed learning to self-directed learning.
6 Strands: Logic, Research, Reasoning, Debate, Grammar, Exposition
Challenge B 13yo - Mock Trial
Students take ownership of themselves & their work by thinking deeply & communicating clearly
by participating in a class anthology & mock trail.
Challenge 1 14yo - Debate: Discipline the Cornerstone of Freedom
Students will continue to focus on thinking deeply & critically as they refine their reading, writing
& research skills. Students will cover Americal literature, government, traditional logic, Latin,
physical science, algebra, free market economics & Shakespear.
Challenge 2 15yo - Protocol: Freedom Provides Opportunities for Noble Choices
Students weigh the value & impact of choices of literary figures and historical men & women of
influence. British literature, Latin, traditional logic, Socratic dialogue, algebra, geometry, western
cultural history & biology.
Challenge 3 16yo - Poetry Cafe
Students pursue understanding and the presentation of truth, goodness and beauty by
cultivating the garden of their mind using all Five Cannons of Rhetoric. Students discover their
unique place in the overarching story of mankind’s search for knowledge and justice; all choices
bring consequences.
Challenge 4 17yo - Senior Thesis
Students sink their teeth into ancient & modern writings; translate creation through math &
physics to understand consequence defines leadership and embrace potential contemplating
duty, honor & leadership across the ages into the lives they are living today.

Area Representative - Wachula

Area & Support Representative - Jeannie Palacios

Foundation Director- Rebecca Guzman

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Essentials Director- Rebecca Guzman
Challenge A Director- Jeannie Palacios
Challenge B Director- Nicole Drake
Challenge I Director- Jennifer Landress
Challenge II Director- Nicole Drake
Challenge III Director- Raegann Bukowski
Challenge IV DIrector- Jeannie Palacios

School Board of Highlands County Regulations

As you can see HERE SBHC redirects parents to the FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION website to
obtain info on home school regulations. (https://www2.highlands.k12.fl.us/o/highlands-county-sb/page/home-
education)

SBHC currently requires that you submit a notice of intent to the county Superintendent via email
waltersc@highlands.k12.fl.us, fax 863-471-5600 or in person 426 School Street, Sebring FL 33870.

Florida Department of Education Regulations

Being on the FLDOE website can be overwhelming. So I have con through the site already and provided links
for the pages related to the different aspects you need to be aware of.

Home School Requirements

According to the Home Education Statue Section 1002.41, F.S. in addition to the letter of intent to the school
district you reside in, you must also submit an annual evaluation to the school district and submit a letter of
termination when they have completed their home education program.

Annual Evaluation - Florida Certified Teacher will review portfolio and student interview; Testing with a State
Student Assessment administered by a certified teacher; Evaluation by a psychologist holding a valid/active
license per 490.003(7) or (8), F.S.; Any other valid measurement tool mutually agreed on by the
superintendent of district students resides in.

How much will it cost?

Application Fee to Corporate $140
Facility Fee NONE
Supply Fee UNKNOWN
Enrollment Fee - Per Student Access Appx $385/year in Foundations & Essentials then $1,575/year in
Challenge. These fees are collected to pay Directors & Tutors for their time once a week.
How can I pay for resources?

2024 Federal Poverty Level annual amount per household

size….1/$15,060….2/$20,440….3/$25,820….4/$31,200….5/$36,580….6/$41,960

The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options can be used to cover the expenses of home
educated students. AAAscholarships.org Deadline May 31,2024. StepUp for Students did not have a Deadline
listed.
Florida Tax Credit Scholarship - Personalized Education Program

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Hope Scholarship
New Worlds Scholarship Accounts K to 5th

How does my student receive a diploma?

No diploma is issued by the public school system. A signed and notarized affidavit of completion
Is submitted by the student’s parent attesting to completion of student’s education per s. 1007.263(2)(a), F.S. it
is equivalent to a high school diploma and can be included on their academic transcript. You may also choose
to have your student take a GED and the FLDOE will issue a diploma.

Where can I find more support in our homeschool journey?

Florida Home School Association

Florida Parent Educators Association
Home Education Foundation
Sunshine State Homeschoolers
Public School Exit
https://hslda.org/post/how-to-comply-with-floridas-homeschool-law

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d12243709e0fd0001f89638/t/
6168514151a6d72ffd5ba9a7/1634226497526/PSE+-+Homeschooling+by+State+FINAL10.2021.pdf

Florida Unschoolers

https://www.floridaschoolchoice.org/Information/PrivateSchoolDirectory/Default.aspx > MARTIN

COUNTY

A private school is defined in Section 1002.01(2), Florida Statutes, as “an individual, association, co-
partnership, or corporation or department, division, or section of such organizations, that designates
itself as an educational center that includes kindergarten or a higher grade” and is below the college
level. Private elementary and secondary schools in Florida are not licensed, approved, accredited, or
regulated by the Florida Department of Education. Private schools are required by statute to complete
an annual online survey to gather information for inclusion in a statewide Directory of Private Schools.

Opening a Private School, General Requirements and Detailed Requirements

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Socratic Circle - Method of questioning and listening to awaken wonder & seek the truth about any idea or
concept. Go beyond habitual and repetitious answers and dive into intentional and intense searching of text for
the truth, goodness & Beauty it holds.

Inner circle - Use reasoning & injury to explore the question of the lead facilitator through discussion, listening
to each other and asking further questions to gain clarity and deeper understanding.

Outer circle - Listens, takes notes & practices their skills of accessing and reflecting on inner circles dialogue.

Circles come back together to resolve important ideas achieved, assess new definitions, overview and/or
reveal new ambiguities. Proverbs 25:2

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