"I feel my children's school is not as prepared and proactive as it could be for the upcoming school year. I'm also not equipped to teach my children by myself. I don't know what to do." (Amanda, mother of two)
Maybe you're a parent, or a grandparent, and you feel the same way. Maybe the stress of the pandemic and how to care for your family and prioritize their needs seems like an unsolvable puzzle.
One of the most beloved stories in the Bible is Daniel in the Lions' Den. God shows us that, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, God makes a way and keeps us safe.
If you're concerned about your child's education for the upcoming school year, and looking for an option, God is making a way through The Lions' Den.
Read more about The Lions' Den by following these links to the sections below.
- An Introduction: An Opportunity to Build Community
- Who does what? What's in it for my child?: A Shared Responsibility
- I'm interested! What's next?: Join Us in the Lions' Den
- I'm Looking for Registration Forms & Important Documents
A Shared Responsibility
Navigating unfamiliar educational territory can be stressful and anxiety-ridden. One of the clear objectives of this ministry initiative is to recognize and cultivate the partnerships that exist in our community. As the African Proverb states, it takes a village; so, the success of our village in The Lions' Den rests on the partnerships between families, Florida Virtual School, and Zion.
According to the Broward Home School Education website:
“By enrolling in home education, the parent is assuming all educational responsibilities regardless of the mechanism used to educate their child. In essence, the parent is becoming the teacher, guidance counselor, ESE [Exceptional Student Education] specialist and principal of their home education school. Home Education is 100% parent-driven.”
However, by utilizing a free, accredited public school education curriculum offered by FLVS, much of this educational burden will be alleviated from the shoulders of parents or guardians facilitating the in-home education.
FLORIDA VIRTUAL SCHOOL (FLVS)
Florida Virtual School is accredited by AdvancED and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS-CASI). All courses meet the Florida State Standards, so it is complete curriculum taught by Florida-certified teachers who are subject matter experts.
As a parent, you can feel confident that your student is receiving the highest quality of education that will be accepted anywhere no matter what your child’s future plans include. Additionally, FLVS allows the flexibility to tailor a student’s educational path based on his or her strengths and learning needs. The curriculum is FREE to all Florida residents.
By enlisting to be part of The Lions’ Den , our community will help you navigate the registration process and most importantly establish a homeschool network with whom you can create a schedule that works for your student and family.
Additional benefits to working with FLVS is that they:
- Are a FREE online public school offered by the State of Florida to its residents, and for nominal fee to those out-of-state
- Offer 24/7 accessibility to online course materials
- Offer flexibility in course selection, schedule, and pacing
- Utilize a standardized curriculum based on Florida State Standards
- Assign your child to a certified teacher with available office hours to work one-on-one with your child by phone, text, email and more
- Offer live, virtual instruction by certified subject matter experts teaching on topics appropriate for that week’s lessons
- Make technological support available
- Provide academic advising, college/career information, testing and more, so that your FLVS school counselors are a one-stop-shop for all advising needs
PARENTS/GUARDIANS
Although your child has an online FLVS instructor, the parents/guardians must take a more active role in educating their child.
This may come as reinforcing lessons taught by the FLVS teacher, motivating their child to stay on track and completing the required course work, and submitting on behalf of your child the completed work to the FLVS teacher for grading. FLVS provides a 16-week schedule with detailed objectives for each week.
Even within the FLVS Flex Program, time management and the ability to avoid procrastination are needed skills. But, don’t worry! As a member of the Lion’s Den community, we will hone these skills together.
Such home educator responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:
- Submit registration materials to Zion to be part of The Lions’ Den Homeschool Co-op; Broward Home Education, or to your own county’s home educational review department; and Florida Virtual Schools
- Obtain technology for your child: a computer with internet access and necessary software required by FLVS, access to a printer, and scanning capabilities for submission of completed work
- Be your child’s educational advocate by actively monitoring your child’s attentiveness and progress; communicating to FLVS teachers as needed; and, connecting with other Lions’ Den classroom parents to help facilitate a sense of community for your child
- Engage in activities sponsored by The Lions’ Den
- Maintain a portfolio of classwork for your child as required by the county
- Manage all personal paperwork for your child to ensure everything is completed and submitted to FLVS and your own county’s home educational review department
ZION EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH
The Lions’ Den Homeschool Co-op is a community outreach project of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church. As a continuation of our long-standing, 62-year mission, we seek to “serve our neighbors” by facilitating a sense of community among parents and guardians who wish to explore parent-directed educational options for this upcoming school year.
Although we are not offering any educational instruction, Zion seeks to help those parents and guardians with children enrolled in the Florida Virtual School program by providing a stable, physically distanced, but socially connected network of likeminded individuals who are also embarking on their own FLVS journey during this COVID-19 time. All Florida Virtual School students are welcome to join our virtual community.
Such support offered to members of The Lions’ Den Homeschool Co-op may include our help to:
- Facilitate registration for FLVS to ensure that students enrolled in The Lions’ Den Homeschool Co-op are appropriately placed together into the same grade with the same teacher
- Coordinate parent communication vis-à-vis e-mail blasts and social media
- Offer weekly support sessions for parents via Zoom
- Plan physically-distanced activities for children and families, such as: friendly virtual competitions and challenges and holiday events and celebrations
- Host a weekly children’s Bible study for those who desire religious instruction and activities
- Offer spiritual counseling (for those who wish) because we understand that being a homeschool parent can sometimes be overwhelming
Join Us in the Lions' Den!
Step 1: Complete the Lions' Den Parent Agreement
This agreement (found here) states, in writing, the partnership between Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church and the families that choose to enroll with The Lions' Den.
Please note: Zion will need the names and dates of birth of all children enrolling with The Lions' Den, as well as courses enrolled at FLVS, in order to ensure that families in our co-op are placed with the same teacher(s) in each grade level. Names and DOB are collected as part of the Google Form link above.
Step 2: Register your child with Broward Home Education
If you are registering with FLVS Flex, Send a completed Notice of Intent (found here) to home.education@browardschools.com. Please note, you must send one notice for each student you wish to enroll in home education.
For more information:
Broward Home Education
1400 NW 14th Court Bldg. 17, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33311
(754) 321-1558 / fax (754) 321-1694
If you are enrolling in The Lions' Den and are a resident of another Florida county, you will need to submit a similar document to your respective county. Please contact Kurt Schmidt at kschmidt@zion-lutheran.org if you have difficulty locating this document.
Step 3: Register your child with Florida Virtual School
Registration instructions can be found here. Parent e-mails will be collected as part of the student registration process.
Important to Note:
- When enrolling for a full 1.0 credit (year-long) course, be sure to select both segment 1 and 2 to ensure you are assigned to the same teacher for both semesters. The teacher will activate segment 1 and will activate segment 2 upon completion of segment 1.
- When selecting the servicing school, choose Florida Virtual School.
Step 4: Approve your child's FLVS courses
Login to your account at www.flvs.net > LOGIN > FLVS Flex. Once inside, scroll down and click the blue “Approve” button; then, in the pop-up window, click “All Course Segments” and “Approve."
Once you have approved the courses, please e-mail a list to Kurt Schmidt at kschmidt@zion-lutheran.org to ensure that students are grouped together by grade level for all enrolled classes.
Step 5: Join the Lions' Den community on social media
We will be using two primary social media platforms to connect with parents and families. Please like Zion's Facebook page and join our group on Homeschool Roomies, a new nationwide virtual platform for families using different homeschooling options.
Our Partners
