ABOUT COLUMBUS ACADEMY

A Non-profit Support Group for Catholic Home Schooling Families in Iowa

Statement of Faith

(All references are to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. [CCC))

As a practicing Roman Catholic, I fully accept and profess my faith as defined in the Apostles' Creed (CCC167,196):

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.

With firm faith, I believe as well that the seven sacraments were instituted by Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind, namely: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. (CCC 1113,1117,1129)

I firmly accept everything contained in God’s Word, written or handed down in Tradition and proposed by the Church, and reject every error and schism which she condemns. (CCC 76-78, 81, 85, 88, 95, 100, 890)

Furthermore, I affirm that the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, is the sole Vicar of Christ on earth, that he is the supreme visible head of the whole Church, that he teaches infallibly in matters of faith and morals, and therefore I pledge my loyalty to him, and to the bishops in communion with him, as to Jesus Christ himself. (CCC 816, 862, 869, 870, 880-884, 889-892, 895, 896)

Mission Statement

We the parents, teachers, administrators, and board at Columbus Academy

recognize and believe that, "the matrimonial covenant...is by its nature

ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of

children." (1983 Code of Canon Law 1055.1)

Believing that "in Christian marriage... spouses are strengthened and, as it

were, consecrated by this special sacrament for the duties and dignity of their

state," (Canon 1134) and that "parents have a most grave duty and enjoy the

primary right of educating to the very best of their ability their children

physically, socially, and culturally, and morally and religiously as well,"

(Canon 1136) then the Christian parents of Columbus Academy will "...take

care for the Christian education of their children .. .according to the teaching

handed on by the Church" (Canon 226.2).

Columbus Academy operates in accord with the Church's educational mission which states: "As it is the parents who have given life to their children, on them lies the greatest obligation of educating their family. They must therefore be recognized as being primarily and principally responsible for their [children' s] education. The role of parents in education is of such importance that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute." (Vatican IL Gravissimum Educationis, No.3)

Benefits of Columbus Academy Membership

v Sharing our Faith and lifestyle choice with a community. Columbus Academy is a support system to exchange knowledge, practical ideas, and prayers for each other.

v The opportunity to provide service to others by promoting awareness in the Catholic population of the benefits and blessings of Catholic homeschooling.

v Opportunities for socialization via scheduled activities.

v Access to the Columbus Academy website detailing scheduled events, weekly updates, a list of CA families, information of interest to Catholic homeschoolers, and a forum for your contributions.

v A Family Directory of all member families which includes addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, home parishes, and (if permission is granted) children’s names and ages.

v E-mail forum and bulletins, which make announcements of area events of interest to homeschoolers, communicate information on CA events, provide legislative alerts, and provide a forum for support.

v Discount off membership in Home School Legal Defense Association.

Interested in joining Columbus Academy?

Please read the Statement of Faith, then print and complete the registration form and mail with payment.

CA REGISTRATION FORM 2010-2011

Parents’ Names:_________________________________________

Address:________________________________________

City,State,Zip:____________________________________

Area Code and Phone:_____________________________

E-Mail Address:_______________________________________

Name of Parish to which you belong:_________________________________________

Children’s names and ages: ______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________

Curriculum:_________________________________________________________________________________

Are you joining Columbus Academy for the first time? Yes__ No__

(When joining for the first time, you automatically receive the “early-bird” price of $25.)

Are you a member of Home School Legal Defense Association? Yes__ No__ (You will find the group number on the FAQ link of our website for your $20 discount.)

Members are required to be in compliance with the Iowa Administrative Code for children ages 6-16.

CPI forms may be found at the following address: http://www.iowa.gov/educate/content/view/301/504/

Please check the option you are using:

__Supervising Teacher Name:_________________________________________

__State of Iowa Approved Correspondence School - Name of School:_________________________________

__Testing

__Portfolio

__School District Home Assistance Program - Name of School District:_____________________

I support the mission statement of Columbus Academy and wish to become a member for the 2010-2011 school year.

I understand that the annual membership fee of *$30 entitles me to receive access to the CA website, a CA family directory which is for members’ use only, and the newsletter.

To provide for better networking between families, in addition to the parents’ names, address, phone number, and e-mail address, I give my permission to include in the family directory:

My children’s names and ages: Yes__ No__ My family’s curriculum choices:Yes__ No__

Signature(s):_________________________ Date:__________

__________________________________Date:__________

Send this form and a check made out to “Columbus Academy” to:

Gina Conrad, 12128 NW 130th Ct., Madrid, IA 50156-8021

*Regular registration fee is $30. Registration fee for first time members and early-bird registrations (postmarked by Aug. 23rd) is just $25.

(All references are to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. [CCC))

As a practicing Roman Catholic, I fully accept and profess my faith as defined in the Apostles' Creed (CCC167,196):

MISSION STATEMENT