Charles County, Maryland residents
may request membership without oversight
for the 2013-2014 year.
Please feel free to click on the "Request Membership" tab
and complete the requested information.
We will respond with availability information.
PLEASE NOTE: Oversight through SPEAR Academy is presently closed for the 2013/2014 academic year!
SPEAR's Annual New Member Meeting was held
on Monday, April 8, 2013.
We are so excited and encouraged about
the coming 2013/2014 school year.
Thank you to all the families that attended.
Thank you for visiting our website.
SPEAR (South Potomac Educational Alternative Resource) is a Christ-centered homeschool support group serving families of South Potomac Church and the Charles County, Maryland, community. We are approved as an Umbrella School with the Maryland State Board of Education. As space is available, members my enroll with the SPEAR Academy Umbrella Program and receive regular oversight from a peer advisor.
Benefits:
Oversight or non-oversight membership carries the benefits of participation in:
- Weekly group classes, taught on Mondays at South Potomac Church by volunteer members.
- Access to a network of fellow homeschoolers for support and encouragement.
- SPEAR sponsored Used Book Fair.
- Back to School and End of Year picnics at Gilbert Run Park.
- Field trip opportunities.
- Middle School Council
- Kindergarten and middle school graduations as desired by SPEAR members.
- Group PASS test orders
- Administration of Stanford testing (nationally standardized) through Bob Jones University and provides the pre-approved Stanford testers that have completed the application and training.
- Senior sponsored PROM for all high school students.
- Ceremony for all graduating seniors.
- Robotics opportunities.
- Transcripts for all SPEAR Academy oversight students.
- MACHE Membership (Maryland Association of Christian Home Educators)
- Yearbook
Leadership: Volunteer Board of Directors
Mission Statement: To equip and support parent/teachers as they train their children and to enable parents to home school their children without direct supervision by the Board of Education.
Educational Philosophy: Children learn by a variety of means and at varying rates. Learning has no absolute sequence of subject matter, and therefore, SPEAR does not prescribe curriculum. Parents are responsible for choosing their own materials. We are happy to offer advice based on our experiences.
Enrollment: Open enrollment for Charles County residents is held in the spring for the following academic year. Those who attend South Potomac Church may enroll at any time throughout the year, but we highly recommend spring enrollment.
2013/2014 Fees:
The SPEAR Academy annual membership fee for academic oversight is $75.00 per family.
SPEAR families not requiring oversight pay a $45.00 annual membership fee per family.
There is a $25 one time, non-refundable enrollment fee for all new members.
Participation in group classes carries a non-refundable $75.00/year registration fee for church usage assessed per family, and some classes have varying fees.
