Good Shepherd School

General Homeschooling FAQs are answered in our Bulletin.  Download it here.  Download applications for admission here.

Tell me about the Community Service Award  Outreach has long been a hallmark of the ministry of Cathedral of the Cross.   From reaching the needy, the jails, the world’s poor and homeless, to apologetics training and Evangelism Explosion, we believe that Christians should be engaged in helping the poor, the widows, and the orphans.   Students who participate in community service have the opportunity to compete for the Community Service Award and recognition for their service.  Candidates should submit a 500-1000-word essay on

and

• A letter of support from the church or agency where you volunteered

Is the Good Shepherd School program accredited or state approved?  Is this important?  Accreditation is a voluntary procedure whereby a school has its faculty, curriculum, facility and so on examined and approved by an accrediting agency.   There are many accrediting agencies, some recognized by state educational authorities, others are not.   Not all public schools are accredited.

Home educators may choose to purchase curriculum recognized by SACS/CITA and approved by educational authorities in Alabama.  Good Shepherd School is happy to share those resources with you.  You may also choose to have your curricula conform with the Alabama Course of Study.   The two are not mutually exclusive.

Which brings us to the bigger picture, is this important?   Alabama's public schools consistently rank in the lowest five or ten in the country.   About one-quarter of Alabama high school students drop out, and a sizeable number who attend college need remediation.   Why would you want to emulate the equivalent of an educational train wreck? 

Instead, we encourage you to pursue a rigorous, hands-on course of study.  We're happy to help our faculty design a program for our students.

Where do I find arts classes?  Your church or community center probably offers arts, choir, or drama activities.   Dance classes are offered at Briarwood Presbyterian, Dawson Memorial Baptist, Trussville First Baptist, Westwood Baptist in Forestdale, Cathedral of the Cross, and possibly others.  There are many private instructors of piano and other instruments, and you might choose to participate in the Birmingham Homeschool Band at Shades Mountain Independent Church.   Various co-ops and tutorials also offer arts classes.   Art curriculum is also available at Lifeway and through Veritas Press.

What is the maximum number of credits that high school students may earn in one school year?

A student may earn a maximum of ten credits during a year (the regular academic year plus the following summer school), in accordance with Alabama Administrative Code Rule 290-3-1-.02(9)(d). This includes credits earned in the regular school program, the dual enrollment program, the summer school program, and correspondence programs.[1]

Do you require Home School Legal Defense (HSLDA) membership?  What if I am contacted by an attendance officer?  According to Alabama law, home educators are “church schooling” not homeschooling.   GSS neither requires HSLDA membership, nor discourages it.    Group memberships are available at a discount through www.chefofalabama.org

If you are an enrolled family (with an acceptance letter, a signed, sealed CSEF)  and you are contacted by an attendance officer, call Anne Boyd, your academic coordinator, immediately at home office 836-0979.

My student took sign language at church.  Does that count toward a foreign language?   Yes.  Keep up with the hours studied on the “Calculating Carnegie Units” worksheet. 

 Are meetings required?   Yes, a parent orientation meeting & two meetings a year to turn in grades. 

Withdrawal from GSS  As soon as you know you plan to withdraw,

• Notify our office in writing as soon as possible.   Include your student/s’ attendance record and grades up to the point of withdrawal.
• Please include a forwarding address and new school address if possible.
• Records will not be sent until the new school requests them.
• All books must be returned and account up-to-date, or records will not be released.
• Parents are responsible for paying remaining tuition, regardless of when the student withdraws.

This process can take several weeks.   Notification of withdrawal will be sent to the family’s local board of education.  Withdrawal that is not followed by subsequent enrollment may result in the loss of a driver’s license for licensed teens.    Records will not be released until the account is fully resolved. 

What if attending a required meeting, making a payment, or submitting records by a deadline is a hardship to my family?  Ordinarily, a phone call to the office at 278-8343 is all it takes to defer a payment or sending records.   However, failure to maintain a current account or records is a violation of your enrollment agreement.  Upon a violation, a family will be sent a letter and have 21 days to rectify the situation.  If the situation is not corrected within twenty-one days, the account will be closed and student administratively withdrawn.   A letter of non-enrollment will be sent to the student’s public school district and records will not be released until the situation is cleared, including any late fees.