Welcome to Harvest Homeschool! Harvest Church of God is pleased to offer this new ministry of teaching our children at home and in the way of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As any ministry hopes to reach and win lost souls to Jesus Christ, Harvest Homeschool offers its coverings to any family. It is our hope that any family covered by Harvest Homeschool would believe or come to believe our basic tenets of Christianity listed below:

• In the verbal inspiration of the Bible.
• In one God eternally existing in three persons; namely, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
• That Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of the Father, conceived of the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary. That Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead. That He ascended to heaven and is today at the right hand of the Father as the Intercessor.
• That all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and that repentance is commanded of God for all and necessary for forgiveness of sins.
• That justification, regeneration, and the new birth are wrought by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.
• In sanctification subsequent to the new birth, through faith in the blood of Christ; through the Word, and by the Holy Ghost.
• Holiness to be God's standard of living for His people.
• In the baptism with the Holy Ghost subsequent to a clean heart.
• In speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance and that it is the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
• In water baptism by immersion, and all who repent should be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
• Divine healing is provided for all in the atonement.
• In the Lord's Supper and washing of the saints' feet.
• In the premillennial second coming of Jesus. First, to resurrect the righteous dead and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air. Second, to reign on the earth a thousand years.
• In the bodily resurrection; eternal life for the righteous, and eternal punishment for the wicked.

In addition to the basic tenets of Christianity listed above, Harvest Homeschool believes that homeschooling is a calling from God to bring up our children in a way pleasing to God.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6. We also believe that the lessons learned in childhood will last a lifetime. Whether or not the child learns to follow the Lord, depends on the choices he or she makes in their lifetime. But lessons driven home at the crucial stage of childhood will not go away, hence the need for parental discipline and guidance. We believe that God promises to enable parents for their task. We believe that dedicating a child to God’s ways is the best course to set. This is a parent’s main task, to receive a child as a charge from the Lord, then dedicate, guide, discipline, and encourage them in God’s ways.

Homeschool Help

1. Getting started

Now that you have made the decision to homeschool, getting started on the right track is very important. Deciding what curriculum to use is the first step to take. There are several curriculums available to home educators. You can decide to use one, more than one, or even mix and match subjects from different resources. Listed below are a few providers of homeschool curriculum. Please understand that every family and child is different, and may have different ways of learning, and in no way are we endorsing the use of any of these curriculums, but rather offer these as possible resources. It is your family’s responsibility to decide and acquire homeschool curriculum.

• A Beka 1-877-223-5226 www.abeka.org
• Abundant Homeschool Resources 1-256-729-1489 www.abundantresources.com
• Christian Liberty Press 1-800-348-0899 K-12 Curriculum Kits
• Greenleaf Press 1-800-311-1508 Teaching materials
• KONOS 1-205-274-0823 K-6 unit study curriculum
• Rod and Staff 1-606-522-4348 K-8 curriculum materials
• Sonlight Curriculum 1-303-730-6292 K-10 Christian Curriculum

As a member of Harvest Homeschool, you will be automatically enrolled in CHEAHA (Christian Educators At Home of Anniston) support group which holds curriculum fairs and used book sales each year. You will receive newsletters every other month to inform you of events and activities in the area for homeschoolers, and other resources to help you in your homeschooling journey.
There are many other resources that can be found online to help out homeschoolers and is very worth looking into. Should you find yourself in circumstances you cannot find help for, please call the administrators and we will do our best to help or point you in the right direction.

2. Alabama Law

There are very few laws in the state of Alabama concerning homeschoolers. One of these laws is that for each child ages 7-16 must be enrolled in either a private, public or church school. Homeschoolers fall under the category of church school. For each child age 7-16 a Church Enrollment form must be submitted to the Superintendent of the Board of Education in which the student(s) would be enrolled in public school. Harvest Homeschool will provide the form for each student enrolled in our church school, and will submit these forms to the Superintendent of the Board of Education. For those who wish to start their educating their child or children before the age of 7 will fill out the form for church records, but will not be sent to the Superintendent.
Other records that must be kept, but not submitted, is attendance records. Public and private schools require 175 days of attendance each year and 140 days required for private tutor. Attendance for homeschoolers is determined by “school days.” School days are any day you designate as a day of learning whether you are actively pursuing your educational objectives or simply going on a field trip in which education is going on. Harvest Homeschool requires a minimum, but not limited to 160 days a year. Harvest Homeschool will provide an attendance chart if needed. We do not require attendance records be submitted to the school, but rather kept in your own files.

3. Keeping Records

As stated above, the only records required by the state and Harvest Homeschool is an attendance record. If this is your first year homeschooling after having been in public school, you will be required to withdraw your child from the public school. Harvest Homeschool will provide the form in which you are to submit to the public school in order to withdraw your child and receive his or her school records. It is not the responsibility of Harvest Homeschool to keep records for you. The school records will be sent to you to keep should the need ever arise that they be transferred to another school. Your child’s records are your responsibility. Should your child graduate from Harvest Homeschool, we will keep a permanent record of his or her transcripts and or other pertinent information. Although not required by law, Harvest Homeschool suggests that you keep good records of your child’s education. Should the need arise that your child’s records be submitted, you will have them ready.

4. Testing

Testing is a great way to see how your child is doing academically. Although not required of homeschoolers, Harvest Homeschool recommends that your child be tested around the 3rd or 4th grade, and from then on. There are many tests available to homeschoolers. Listed below are tests available for different grade levels. Harvest Homeschool is not responsible for administering or providing these tests.

For Grades 3-6

• Personalized Achievement Summary System (PASS) 1-360-835-8708
• California Achievement Test (CAT) administered at home 1-847-259-4444

For Grades 7-12

• Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) Offered Through CHEAHA yearly
• ACT or Scholastic Aptitude Test Check with local college
• IOWA Basic Skills Test 1-800-845-5731
• California Achievement Test 1-847-259-4444

The parent may administer the PASS and CAT test at home. If your child will be going on to college, the college ACT or SAT are required, but only administered through local colleges or high schools. Alabama colleges typically require the ACT.

The Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) provides legal services for homeschool families from all over the nation. Membership in HSLDA is optional and the responsibility of each family covered under Harvest Homeschool. The cost of membership is about $100 per family per year. With membership, HSLDA will provide legal counsel ad pay all legal fees if you are taken to court for an education related issue. Applications are available by calling 1-540-338-5600, or by contacting Harvest Homeschool. Being a member of CHEAHA allows you to receive a membership discount.
If you do not wish to use HSLDA, you can get a referral by contacting the Alabama Bar Association.

6. Progress Reports

Harvest Homeschool, is in no way, responsible for the rate of progress of your child. However, we think it is a good idea to make a progress report on your child’s year. This will be an evaluation of how your child is progressing in his or her education. Each child is different and each child will learn at his or her own rate. Setting educational goals at the beginning of the year, and evaluating the progress of reaching those set goals can be a good way to determine how well you and your child are doing. Although we recommend you make a progress report on your child, we do not require it.  You may send a copy to Harvest Homeschool if you desire.

7. School Fees and Information

The fee for Harvest Homeschool is $55 per family.
   Your family will receive each year:
   Membership and 6 newsletters a year from CHEAHA Support Group
   E-mail updates where applicable
   Enrollment for grades K-12
   Student ID (if requested)
   Spiritual prayer and Support
 
* $10 late fee for enrollment after September 30th of the school year.
 
IF PAYING BY CHECK, YOUR ENROLLMENT WILL NOT BE COMPLETED UNTIL CHECK HAS CLEARED.  ALL RETURNED CHECKS WILL BE CHARGED A $35 SERVICE CHARGE AND MUST BE TAKEN CARE OF WITHIN 10 DAYS OR THE SCHOOL BOARD WILL BE NOTIFIED OF POSSIBLE TRUANCY.

8. High School Diplomas

Harvest Homeschool is not a state accredited school. We offer 2 types of diplomas to Harvest Homeschool graduates, Academic Achievement Diploma, and a Life Skills Achievement Diploma. Lack of Accreditation should not hinder the acceptance of our diploma and transcripts for higher education. Many Colleges and Universities are now seeking out homeschool graduates. Keeping good records during high school years is very important if your child is to pursue a higher education.

Academic Achievement Diploma
Listed below are the minimum requirements to receive this diploma.
Submit record documenting a minimum of 25 credits of study.

• English 4 credits
• Mathematics 3 credits
• Science 4 credits
• Social Studies 4 credits
• Bible 4 credits *( may be met through a daily bible reading program and church attendance)
• Health 1 credi
• Electives 5 credits *(should include foreign language)
• Electives can be Computer, music, art, driver’s education, home economics, electronics, wood shop, and auto mechanics class.

Remember! This is a minimum requirement! The more you accomplish towards a higher education the better!
Note: certain additional fees may apply to cover the cost of diploma, and or graduation ceremony.

Life Skills Achievement Diploma
This diploma is offered to those students who plan to enter a certain occupation or life skill that does not require a college degree (i.e. homemaker, trade skill, etc.)
Requirements for this diploma are as follows:

Submit records documenting a minimum of 25 credits of study to include the following:

• English 3 credits
• Mathematics 2 credits
• Science 2 credits
• Social studies 3 credits
• Bible 4 credits (met through a daily bible reading program and church attendance)
• Health 1 credit
• Electives 10 credits ( should be oriented towards students specific life skill)

Note, certain additional fees may apply to cover the cost of diploma, and or graduation ceremony.

9. Attendance Records

Harvest Homeschool requires that each family submit a copy of your child’s yearly attendance to be kept on file. If you are in need of a blank attendance record, we can supply you with one. The attendance record should be mailed in yearly to:

Harvest Homeschool
520 Golden Springs Rd.
Anniston, AL 36207