So What Do I Do Now?
So What Do I Do Now??
You decided to homeschool and registered with AliYah Academy and you’re wondering what is next? Here is a check list to get you on your way with questions that many parents have when they first join.
Questioning Registration?
First, were you able to login to your account with no problem? If you received an error notice of any kind, or if you have paid and it says you are unpaid contact the school. Do not panic, it is almost always a simple fix. It is best to call or text for this kind of thing so that we can resolve any issue right away.
We do request your records from your previous school and notify the county that you are registered with us. You do not need to contact the school board and you only need to sign a with draw form at your previous school if you un-enroll mid-year.
It can take a day or 2, sometimes up to a week in Aug, when everyone is registering, for us to request your records and notify the school board. You are a legal homeschooler as of the date you registered and paid your membership fee, so don’t panic.
If you are being contacted by the school board or anyone at your past school, after we have had time to notify them, please call us so that we can take care of it right away.
If you were previously homeschooled and do not have records anywhere else, please email or mail your child’s birth certificate and vaccine records or exemption form to the school. You can find our contact info on the contact page.
If your child is in high school request that we add back years for you and you can enter all high school records on your account for the high school transcript.
I’m all registered but what do I do now?
First pick out your curriculum. We have put our best recommendations on the Resource page of our website. You can buy a packaged grade level set from companies like Masterbooks, Sonlight, or Christian Book Distributor or you can tailor your curriculum based on your child’s ability and interest; and your family’s style, time and budget.
There are choices for online curriculum such as Monarch my first choice for a complete curriculum. And fun online supplements like ABC mouse or Adventure Academy. Even Skrafty an option with Mindcraft involved. An online option can be a good choice for a high schooler who is coming out of public school and needs to make sure they get their credits.
If you want a more involved experience homeschooling your child I recommend using a book type curriculum as opposed to online.
The school does benefit when you use many of those links on our resource page to get to the suppliers page. We have worked out discounts with many of the companies for you. So, if you are going to buy something it helps the school when you go to our resource page.
What Courses do I choose?
You have a lot of freedom up until 8th grade on what to teach/study. In high school it is more specific and credits are required. (Check the High School page for the credit checklist)
The core subjects should be covered.
· English Language Arts (ELA)
· Math
· Science
· Social Studies (typically community, geography, history, government)
Those 4 are the core academic subjects but I also highly recommend teaching
· Bible
· Apologetics
· Logic and Critical Thinking
· Free Market Economics
· Civics and the Constitution
· P.E and Health
Obviously, not all at the same time or every year but these topics are very important for a productive life and barely, if at all, taught in the public school system. Discuss and research these subjects as a family and decide where you stand together on these topics.
Also enjoy subjects such as
· The Arts (Drawing, Painting, Sculpting, Music, Dance, Theater, Photography, etc.)
· Computer (Coding, Design, Applications like Microsoft Excel, Word, Photoshop and etc.)
· Sports
· Skills (Construction, Mechanics, Culinary Arts, Agriculture, etc.)
Take your time, write each subject you want to cover (4-8 classes) and check each one off when you pick a curriculum or resource for it.
Order, subscribe or procure (possibly borrowing) your curriculum
Collect your supplies such as notebooks, pencils, or folders needed to stay organized. I find it helps to have a bookshelf, bin or other area to keep all of my books and supplies for the year.
If you are choosing online options you will also need a computer or laptop that your child can use and access to internet.
A printer is very useful but not necessary. There are many downloadable resources that would require you to print. Make sure that you read the descriptions and know what you are buying.
I have picked my courses and curriculum but how do I tell the school?
You will Log in to your account from the Login page. You will only need your email. No password. A link will be sent to your email. Go to your email. The link will open your account. Give it up to 5 minutes (but usually much quicker) sometimes email providers are slow, we cannot help that. You can only use a link once so don’t go back to an old link. It is best to just delete that email (after you use it) so it doesn’t confuse you in the future.
TIP: If you do not logout on your personal computer, your account should just open when you go back to the login page on the website (not the email link)
1. Once you are in your account you will see 2 blue buttons under your child/children’s names in the new school year.
One says “Courses and Grades” This is where you are going to add courses. Go there.
2. You will see a black “+add course” button when you click that there will be a drop down menu.
Pick the course that best fits the Subject you have picked.
3. If one does not fit, use the “other” option in the field to type in your course. Then you can write the curriculum you chose.
4. There is a description box under the subject you picked. This is where you tell us the curriculum you picked.
5. Publisher and name of book is best such as
Logic of English- Foundations book A
or Apologia – Biology
or Monarch-5th grade math.
You may have a tutor or a co-op and you could say something like.
Five Rivers co-op Biology taught by Susan Brown using Apologia – Biology. You may or may not have the book name in this case.
Or Violin lessons with Mrs. Purdey once per week.
In a few cases such as in Kindergarten or elementary or a subject like health or PE OR a subject that the parent is an expert in you may say “parent led.” If you use this description in one of the core subjects, make sure you are an expert in the field and you may still want to have a resource sited such as main websites or books. This will need to be reviewed for High School.
Now that you have your courses in you can see where grades will be put in later.
You can take a class in the summer (earns 1 credit in high school)
OR Semester 1 and Semester 2 (each are worth 0.5 credit in high school, we do not use block schedules)
You may school year round but for the sake of putting in grades use one or the other typically it will be the Sem 1 and Sem 2 option.
Summers are usually reserved for making up a class, in most cases, in High School
or a special course taken and completed over the summer. No more than 3 classes should be taken in the summer and not all core subjects as much more is expected in a shorter time.
You will also see a check box that says “Yes, I have completed my minimum 180 days” This will be marked at the end of the year to close out the year. This also lets us know you are finished.
I have my Curriculum and have entered my courses but I’m still a little confused….
What about Schedule? When do I start?
You get to make your own schedule.
1. Look at the table of contents in the books you picked or amount of lessons online if you chose an online option.
2. Get the calendar or planner if you are using one and decide when you would like to be finished with school this year. (Grades are due by June 1 for AliYah Academy)
3. Decide if you need to do a lesson every day, 2 times a week, or weekly (or any other way you would like to divide it up) to finish by the end of the year.
What about Attendance?
Yes, you need to keep attendance.
Keep a planner, calendar, or use this printout and keep it in your child’s folder
Check off each day that you do any school.
You do not need to do every subject every day and don’t worry about hours. Some days will be more than others.
Count educational outings (even a trip to the grocery store can be made educational)
Any time you are directing or conducting education check the day. It is very hard for a homeschooler to not get the required 180 days.
If you live in FL you will need to turn in this form at the end of the school year or if you transfer out mid-school year you need to send this form in to us.
Now I feel more confident but is there anything else I can do on my account?
Yes, the other Blue button that you saw when you logged into your account that said “Forms and Resources” Let’s go there now.
· You have a Proof of Registration letter with your children’s names on it and Teacher ID cards with the parent’s names on them. You can print these (The cards do nice on card stock or laminated) and use them for discounts at museum, book stores, usually anywhere that gives a teacher discount will give it to homeschoolers if you can show proof. I always ask.
· We have a school subscription to Enchanted Learning that you can log into on your account. There is a plethora of worksheets you can print on a wide range of subjects for PK-12. Check it out.
· You can view or print your child’s report card.
And you can make most requests for documents you may need such as
· DMV forms (they get sent in the mail, plan ahead)
· Transcripts for Dual Enrollment,
· Official Proof of Enrollment letter
· Permission to Work letters for a student’s employer if they request it.
**Most of these have a nominal fee of $3 so make sure you actually need these letters they do take valuable time for our staff.
** If you transfer out, the school you are transferring to should request records from us directly (by email or fax), you do not use this request section for that.
My child is Graduating this year, what do I do?
This is also where you request Graduation. This is mandatory if you want your child to have an official transcript and diploma otherwise you will not have these documents for the future. You need to let us know when they are ready.
You should have a credit check list from the high school page and make sure you have all requirements fulfilled. (We will also go over this when we see your request and let you know of any issues)
Only request graduation in the Senior year. Do not use this option to have us check credits, you can call or email us about that.
All requested seniors, that fulfill the requirements, graduate at the end of May of that school year.
Please try to request this by May 1 but we will accept the request up until June 1.
Be available to contact if we have any questions. We regularly do this to have you review simple edits or ask any questions we have about classes.
If you have any Dual Enrollment (DE) classes or AP courses they will need to be verified (AP must have an official AP test taken with an approved school to get credit on the transcript)
If you have been asked to provide proof of work please do so with the request; such as, screen shots or end records from an online class showing your name, class, grade and date finished.
Can I Graduate after Summer?
You may graduate after summer if necessary but you will need to pay for the next school year as your account ends June 1 and pay another senior fee as Summer graduates take much more effort for us since we are also in the middle of registration at that time.
Those students who need to graduate after Summer need to request by Aug 1 and will get their grad packet in September baring no complications.
Can I graduate after Semester 1 Mid-year?
We do not graduate student’s mid-year (after Sem 1) this is unreasonable since our semesters are only 0.5 credits and we are not prepared for it in the office. A lot of attention, effort, and time go into transcripts and putting grad packets out. Our transcripts go on to reflect not only the student but our school for a lifetime. We take our job very seriously and that takes time. We do this for you and appreciate your understanding.
I am an International student; can I have my transcript and diploma Apostilled or Authenticated for use in my country?
Yes, we do this and you can request it from your account. It does cost extra and shipping will be calculated after. Payment will be needed before it is sent. Shipping can be very costly to other countries so be prepared for that. We will work with you in any way that we can for whatever you need.
I hope this Introduction was helpful and clear. We know it is a lot to understand at first. If you are still uncertain or have more questions please call or text the school. We are here to help you.
