Homeschool Support Program
Raven Rangers Homeschool Support Program- Ages 6 to 13- Class limit 10 children
Outdoor and child led learning tailored according to each child and family’s needs
Program Description
Parents will be responsible for submitting letters of "intent to homeschool" to the state/superintendent before September 1st and then submitting progress or assessment before September 1st of the next school year. Maine requires a record of 175 days of attendance. Ready Set Go Outside will provide at least 2 hours of lessons per day of attendance and will work with families to tailor each child’s experience. Each child will be provided with a binder to manage goals and record progress information throughout the school year. Ready Set Go Outside will provide documentation of learning activities and/or progress to be kept in the binder. Parents can use this binder to submit proof of progress to a certified teacher or may opt to submit an assessment test. The Maine state learning results for each child's grade will be included in the binder for guidance but may not be strictly followed depending on the child's educational background.
Parents are welcome to bring in curriculum to be used or rely on what Ready Set Go has to offer. Homeschooling is a great opportunity to fit the curriculum to your child so feel free to mix and match! Some families prefer to have their child do an assessment at the beginning of the school year to find out what needs to be focused on. We will be sharing many resources throughout the school year as each family finds what works best for their child.
Marisa Tobey will be the lead teacher for this program. Please see the about page for information about Marisa's qualifications.
Field trips will be a big part of our program. Examples include the Maine Maritime Museum, Norlands Living History Center, Maine Audubon, Mount Apatite, Mr. Drew and His Animals Too, Maine Wildlife Park, Gray’s Equestrian, and local conservation lands.
Electronics: Ready Set Go Outside has a few devices available to use for learning. Children are welcome to bring devices from home to use for learning and writing. Use of devices will be monitored and may be limited. We do occasionally allow children to "play" on devices toward the end of the day or at nap/rest time. This would only happen if going outside was not an option, a child is the last one to be picked up/has no one to play with, and/or they had completed their learning activities for the day. Children will be asked to opt for learning games unless the teacher feels the child needs a mental break or some time to center him/herself. Speaking of breaks: yoga mats and yoga cards are always available, and teachers often encourage children to take breathing breaks. A list of choices to self-regulate will be designed by each learner and included in their binder.
This program is available weekly except for holidays, school vacations, and the days from Christmas Eve Day to New Year's Day. Please see our Google calendar for specifics. Our school year usually begins the last week of August and ends the first week of June. This schedule includes extra “make up” days for attendance. Families can always record attendance on their own if it better fits their schedule or flow which means that your child can choose to get some schoolwork done on a Saturday or holiday if they wish.
We provide snacks and homemade lunches. Parents sign up to bring in bulk foods through a weekly SignUp Genius. In the winter we cook together over an outdoor fire. Meals may include chili, hot dogs, or Mexican quinoa. During warmer months we offer sandwiches and homemade lunchables. Cooking sessions will be part of our homeschool lessons. Students are welcome to prepare their own snack boxes when they arrive in the morning.
