What is Zion's Academy?

In late 2021, my friend and I brainstormed about what it might be like to create a homeschool group, a community, a gathering place. We considered many things and ultimately asked ourselves, "If we could create anything for our kids, what would it look like?"

On the list were:

• A place to talk about God and share our love for Him in our everyday life and learning

• More than just a weekly group, but a community where friendships are created and nurtured for children and parents alike

• A true cooperative where every family has a part to play in the success of the whole

• A safe place to share real life

• The opportunity to learn and grow as women and mothers

• Wholesome classes for our kids with emphasis on quality stories, art, music and nature

• The opportunity for the kids to learn and experience things that are difficult to achieve independently at home (such as presenting in front of peers, leadership, group discussions and group projects)

• Support and connection with other homeschooling families

• A place for youth to make friends, enjoy discussions in a group setting and activities for them to create deep, lasting friendships

• A pool of insight and learning from one another, especially those who have traversed this path ahead

• Direction and input from others when we face questions such as what to do for middle and high school aged kids.

• A focus on strengthening whole families
  

And so, Zion's Academy was born! Many things have changed since 2021 to accommodate the needs of our families, but those core things listed above have stayed the same. I'm excited to introduce you!

We meet each Thursday beginning on the Thursday following Labor Day until the week prior to Thanksgiving. We believe the holidays are special and need to be spent with family, so we do not meet in December. January is a month for resting and resetting- in my opinion- so we resume meeting in February and meet each Thursday through the end of April. We call this our Thursday Gathering.

Thursday Gatherings begin at 10:30am and end at 1:30pm. We have two class hours with a lunch time in between. Each family packs lunch and enjoys the lunch time together. Sometimes we have a dance party, dodgeball, and games available during lunch time for those who finish eating and want to play. This gives moms an opportunity to visit too!

We love The Well-Educated Heart! We follow the rotation in Thursday Gatherings. You can find the Catch the Vision course here and the rotation here. Each mom needs to complete the Catch the Vision course prior to beginning gathering in the fall. There is no fee for The Well-Educated Heart and it is beautiful for hearts and minds alike. Mama hearts gain so much from it too!

Each mom has teaching responsibilities. We utilize a rotation so teaching is not overly cumbersome for some while others have no responsibilities. I liken our approach to a cruise ship vs. a war ship. On cruise ships, some are working while many are vacationing. On a war ship, every one has a job and expectation to fulfill it. When someone goes down or needs help, we support them. This is a warship; all hands on deck!

Thursday Gatherings begin with a prayer and The Pledge of Allegiance. Classes are organized by ages as follows: Sprouts (0-3), Core (4-5), Love of Learning (6-7), Exploratory (8-9), Transition (10-12) and Youth (12+).

We enjoy having family activities, date nights and youth activities. These activities are dependent on the participation and availability of those families who are enrolled. We like to gather as often as possible and encourage each family to organize and execute activities as their schedules allow in addition to the official activities offered. Activities can occur each month of the year regardless of whether we are meeting on Thursdays or not.

We love having a Mother's Retreat to be nurtured by the Well-Educated Heart and Mother's University as we prepare for a new school year. It's will be a time of rest, uplifting discussion, enriching activity and bonding for our moms. We hope it's an event for all of our moms to look forward to!

We have an Open Door Day each spring to allow friends and families who are interested in joining Zion's Academy to see what happens on an average day. Children are invited to attend classes, as they would if they were enrolled. Our moms who are teaching are so good about including them and preparing a little extra on these days for the extra kids. Moms have the opportunity to ask questions.

Dads are welcome in all things Zion's Academy and are invited and encouraged to participate!

Our enrollment year goes from May 1st-April 30th. We have a full calendar year enrollment because it allows us to spend time together during the summer and throughout the traditional school year. The family fee is paid in full for the year. We don't want anyone to be excluded due to cost, so if this presents a hardship for you, be sure to reach out. We have options we can share. For those who wish to sponsor another family partially or in full, they can reach out to the board for more information.

We have a group buy for Curiosity Untamed which is discounted for Zion's Academy families. Each family will complete badges as they desire and will purchase the badges they earn. This program is not integrated into our Thursdays, but it's fun for the kids to share with their friends what they're working on. Participation is not required, but we hope it will be an enjoyable addition for those who are looking for some new avenues to explore and additional ideas for goals. We enjoy celebrating our successes and the accomplishments of others!

Summer gatherings take place and vary from meeting casually for lunch and playing to having organized workshops and learning opportunities. The number and frequency is determined by the availability and wants of the group each summer.

We work to keep costs low and do so by working together to pool resources. We have a supply closet which is stocked using funds from our family fees. There are various supplies in there such as paper, crayons, markers, colored pencils, pencils, sharpeners, scissors, glue, tape, and TVs to use in classes. Nobody in Zion's Academy is paid or makes a profit. The money paid in is used for activities, supplies, building rental, insurance, and the website. There are needs that arise, like personal mirrors for each of the kids as part of a lesson or the need for lots of toilet paper rolls for a craft. We crowdsource those things and appreciate the willingness of our families to help meet those needs. Again, all hands on deck!

We use GroupMe and the Spaces by Wix app, so each mother has access and participates there. We did not want to create another Facebook group to follow, so I have created groups within the website/app to for our enrolled families to have access to. Summaries are posted for the lessons and discussions in each group. This allows parents to follow up and dive deeper into the topics covered, if desired, and ensures parents are in the loop. This also serves as a history to look back and learn from what others have done previously. The group chat and website/app are our communication hubs. It's important for everyone to utilize them.

We do have enrollment caps which are in place to keep our group small and close knit. We also have building space restrictions and want to be able to provide the best experience for every enrolled family. We encourage families to enroll once they've determined this is a good fit for their family. Enrollment forms for new families are here. We do have a waitlist which begins once we reach our enrollment cap, so if we are full, please feel free to apply.

I host monthly Mothers of Influence meetings in which we discuss Catch the Vision and The Mother's University. Eventually, I hope to dive into the Delphian Course. We are happy to teach, answer questions and support new moms in homeschooling and those who may be very experienced homeschoolers but are new to The Well-Educated Heart. It's truly beautiful and we'd love to share it with you!

"Zion's Academy is open to everyone who values faith, family and freedom. The opportunity to speak of God is protected in our group and we ask that all who choose to join are respectful and kind to those whose doctrinal beliefs/opinions may differ slightly. Many, though not all, families within Zion's Academy are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All who are friendly to this and share the vision of Zion's Academy are welcome to apply and attend. Ultimately, we seek to love and support one another while maintaining this special space for speaking of the God we love so much."

-From our enrollment application form

If the vision of Zion's Academy, the desire for community and the invitation to learn and grow through involvement speaks to you, reach out via the Contact Us form! We are happy to help and answer questions.

Love,

Britt

"Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects." Dalai Lama XIV