Parent Handbook

PA R E NT/ S TUD E N T H A N DBO OK

Revision Date 1/1/09 Page # 1

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Welcome (from Head of School) ………………………………………………………. 3 Vision Statement ………………………………………………………………………… 3 Mission Statement ……………………………………………………………………….. 3 Philosophy ……………………………………………………………………………….. 3 What Makes Sevenstar a Christian School? …………………………………………….. 4 Sevenstar Core Values ……………………………………………………………………. 4 Sevenstar Benefits ……………………………………………………………………….. 5 School Personnel …………………………………………………………………………. 5 School Contact Information …………………………………………………………….. 6 Registration Process …………………………………………………………………….. 6 Computer and Technology Requirements ……………………………………………… 6 School Policies …………………………………………………………………………… 6 

Refund Policy



Student Progress Policy



Plagiarism Policy



Course Extension Policy

Communication …………………………………………………………………………… 6 Grading System ………………………………………………………………………….. 7 Pacing …………………………………………………………………………………….. 7 Textbooks and Supplies …………………………………………………………………. 8 Graduation Requirements ……………………………………………………………….. 8 List of Courses and Prerequisites ……………………………………………………….. 8 Support ……………………………………………………………………………………. 8 Final Grades & Transcripts ……………………………………………………………… 10 FAQ’s …………………………..………………………………………………………… 11

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WELCOME From Dr. R. Mark Beadle, Head of School

We are so glad that you and your family are a part of Sevenstar Academy. We commit to doing all we can to help you be successful. Please read the information below. This establishes our working relationship and keeps us on the same page. Welcome to Sevenstar!

VISION STATEMENT Sevenstar Academy’s vision is to make disciples of Christ through a global learning community that glorifies God.

MISSION STATEMENT To work toward its vision, Sevenstar uses this mission: to provide outstanding online education that instructs the mind and heart of each student.

PHILOSOPHY Sevenstar believes that all students and staff should be involved in fulfilling the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20). Therefore, the continuous evaluation and assessment of students and staff—in order to foster improvement—will be part of the Sevenstar experience. Sevenstar also wants to involve parents as partners in the learning experience; for though Sevenstar serves the Christian family, the academy feels that parents have primary responsibility for their children’s education.

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WHAT MAKES SEVENSTAR A CHRISTIAN SCHOOL?          

Opportunities to share the Good News and to accept Christ The Bible is the foundation for all learning, and content includes a Christian perspective The vision is to Glorify God Courses are built on Christian principles Teachers are carefully screened; dynamic Christian instructors; excited about Biblical integration Many students are from Christian homes Outreach and service projects are part of learning Devotions are available everyday On staff is a school chaplain who personally addresses students' spiritual needs Students build a spiritual community in which prayer requests are shared

SEVENSTAR CORE VALUES 1. Christ-centeredness All Sevenstar does and all it teaches will be rooted in Christ. 2. Christ-likeness Like the Son, Sevenstar seeks to glorify the Father in all relationships and activities. 3. Excellence Sevenstar desires excellence in everything, but most importantly in academics, thereby maximizing each student’s potential to grow. 4. Student-centricity Sevenstar will value students as individuals, and endeavors to make decisions based upon what is best for students. 5. Cooperation Sevenstar believes quality education involves sharing among students, parents, instructors, organizations in providing programs, materials, and services. 6. Service Sevenstar understands that demonstrating love through serving others encourages learning and maturity. 7. Sensitivity Sevenstar will be attentive to the Holy Spirit in appreciating the diverse world God has created, recognizing how and where the academy fits into God’s plans.

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SEVENSTAR BENEFITS The academy celebrates education alternatives, such as homeschooling. Related to homeschooling, then, Sevenstar provides many benefits to the family. The first benefit is Sevenstar’s complete curriculum offering. The entire curriculum is biblically-integrated, and each course was designed by professional Christian educators, wellexperienced in their respective fields. Further, Sevenstar’s curriculum may be customized by each parent to fit the educational dynamics of his or her family. Sevenstar is designed to make homeschooling easier on the parent beyond providing academically-excellent courses for all levels of students. Primarily, Sevenstar can ease the workload of homeschooling parents by providing well planned, engaging lessons for each course a student takes. Parents may modify any lesson, and lessons are designed to accommodate a variety of enriching activities that parents may choose to add. To view sample Sevenstar courses, please email [email protected]. If parents choose, Sevenstar can provide the teacher for each of its online courses. The benefit of using a Sevenstar teacher—all of whom are trained in online education—often increases as a student advances in school (and begins to take advanced courses such as calculus, physics, and various foreign languages). By offering experienced instructors in all subjects, Sevenstar readily assists parents in extending the homeschool experience through the high school years. Further, Sevenstar truly wants parents to remain in control over the education needs of their family. For that reason, the academy’s instructors partner with parents by regularly communicating with them regarding the progress of their children. That is, by interacting both with their children and Sevenstar instructors, parents can continue to actively influence their children’s education. Further, parents have access to all lessons and all course work submitted by their students. SCHOOL PERSONNEL Outstanding Christian teachers and staff will make Sevenstar an enjoyable and interesting educational experience for students, families, and school partners. Sevenstar teachers have: applied; been interviewed; had their references checked; had a drug screening; and had a criminal background check. After this, teachers were trained and mentored. Sevenstar's team loves their Lord and their students. They display a "partnership" mentality, and are excited to work together with all Sevenstar students, families, and schools. Information about the Sevenstar team can be found here: http://www.sevenstaracademy.org/default.asp?contentid=482

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SCHOOL CONTACT INFORMATION www.sevenstaracademy.org 707 276 3472 REGISTRATION PROCESS IS EXPLAINED AT: http://www.sevenstaracademy.org/default.asp?contentID=492

COMPUTER AND TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS ARE EXPLAINED AT: http://www.sevenstaracademy.org/default.asp?contentID=551

SCHOOL POLICIES Sevenstar Refund Policy is found at: http://www.sevenstaracademy.org/downloads/Refund%20Policy.pdf . Student Progress and Login Policy is found at: http://www.sevenstaracademy.org/downloads/Student%20Progress%20Policy.pdf

Sevenstar Plagiarism Policy is found at: http://www.sevenstaracademy.org/default.asp?contentid=580

COMMUNICATION In order to be successful in the online world, students and parents and teachers must communicate frequently. If you have a question concerning the class or grade, please address them directly to the teacher. It is helpful for parents to also be available periodically for phone calls made by the teacher and ask any questions they may have. Sevenstar teachers are required to answer emails, SKYPES, and phone calls within 24 hours. After trying the teacher without the success you believe you need, you can then contact the Principal, Mrs. Bird ([email protected]) to explain your concern. 6

GRADING

Grading Scale If a student is working through a school, that school may set the grading scale if they inform the student AND the Teacher within 5 days of the start of the class. Otherwise, the scale below will be used. Grading Scale Sevenstar Academy Letter Grade A AB+ B BC+ C CD+ D DF

Numeric Grade 93-100 90-92 87-89 83-86 80-82 77-79 73-76 70-72 67-69 63-66 60-62 Below 60

1 credit quality points 4.00 3.67 3.33 3.00 2.67 2.33 2.00 1.67 1.33 1.00 0.67 0.00

0.5 credit quality points 2.00 1.84 1.67 1.50 1.34 1.17 1.00 0.84 0.67 0.50 0.34 0.00

Parents are encouraged to take an active role in the education of their children. Checking grades in Maestro periodically will help you stay updated on your children’s progress in each of his/her classes. All students using a Sevenstar Teacher should expect most grading to be completed within a 48-hour time period. PACING All courses are either one or two semesters long. Students may choose to complete their course using one of two tracks: 

Traditional Pace (16-18 weeks per semester)

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Accelerated Pace (6-10 weeks per semester)

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Students who need more time than either the Traditional or Accelerated Pace allows, may fill out a Course Extension request form. These forms as well as the Course Extension Policy are found within the course information area of each course, and also at our website at: http://www.sevenstaracademy.org/downloads/Policies/Course%20Extension% 20Policy.pdf Each request is taken on an individual basis and must be filed with the teacher of the class at least 2 weeks prior to the original end date. TEXTBOOKS AND SUPPLIES INFORMATION may be found at: http://www.sevenstaracademy.org/default.asp?contentID=629 GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS Any student wishing to receive a diploma from Sevenstar Academy must meet the minimum requirements for graduation. They may be found at: http://www.sevenstaracademy.org/downloads/Policies/2008%20Sevenstar%20 Grad.%20Requirements(2).pdf

COURSES OFFERED AND PREREQUISITES Course List and Course Descriptions can be found at: http://www.sevenstaracademy.org/default.asp?contentid=486 AP & Dual Credit Course List: http://www.sevenstaracademy.org/default.asp?contentID=487 Demo Courses can be found at: http://www.sevenstaracademy.org/default.asp?contentid=489

SUPPORT Working with the Support Team

Reporting Problems Sevenstar’s intention is that technical problems or “glitches” within the courses never stop the progress of students and teachers. The support structure within the environment serves this purpose. The following steps and instructions will help you understand the Sevenstar support structure:

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Researching a Problem The student orientation course directs students to address all support issues first to the teacher. It is important that the teachers always know what is going on the academic life of students and know the problems they face with the environment. When a student reports a problem within the course (broken link, page error, missing content, etc) teachers research that complaint and determine the extent of a problem. They may then give instructions about moving forward in the course or waiting for a resolution from support (whichever is appropriate). Provide Direction Students have their own direct interface with Sevenstar support through the “Support” tab in each course to report problems they found. Students are encouraged to work with the teacher (or parent) to effectively communicate the problems they have discovered. Student Support Access In the “Support” tab (located at the top of each course), you will notice a section for “Student Resources.” In this section, you will find the link to the support form. In the support form, students have the ability to describe the problem they encountered and submit that issue directly to the Sevenstar support team. They will receive an automated message immediately to confirm that their support ticket has been received. Someone will respond to the case promptly. The normal resolution time for issues within a course is 24 hours. If the problem you encounter is anticipated to take longer than that, a support team representative will make that clear and give you an estimated time of resolution. Cases that you feel have not received sufficient attention or communication, escalate the issue to the support team leader by emailing [email protected]. *NOTE: There is more important information about the Sevenstar support structure and the basic system requirements before beginning work online in the FAQ section of the Sevenstar website. Visit that page here: Support FAQs 9

FINAL GRADES & TRANSCRIPTS Sevenstar recommend that schools and parents simply transfer grades from Sevenstar grading system to their own transcript when the course meets the requirements of the school or family. Upon request Sevenstar Academy will apply grades to an official Sevenstar Academy transcript only for courses that are taught by Sevenstar teachers. Any course that is taught by a parent or partner school teacher will not appear on an official Sevenstar Academy transcript. To request a transcript, contact Admissions for a transcript form (or copy and paste the request form below into a Word document), then fill out the form and return it to [email protected]

Transcript Request Form Student Name/Grade

Student Email

Parent Email

School Email (if it is to be sent to a school)

(i.e. 9th)

Course 1

Course 2

Course 3

Add more columns if needed

Course Name Date Completed Final Grade * Modules Completed Teacher’s name Credit expected (.5 or 1.0)*

*- to be verified. Transcripts are currently free if requested by email and are being sent by email.

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FAQ’S can be found at: http://www.sevenstaracademy.org/default.asp?contentID=490

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