| Our family has been using St. Thomas
Aquinas Academy for 8 years. As the parents of 3 young children we
needed a plan with very specific offerings that would accommodate
the requirements that both my husband and I felt were desirable in a
curriculum provider. When we decided to homeschool we searched for a
Catholic classical curriculum that had a hands-on component to it,
had some degree of flexibility with respect to curriculum materials,
offered advisory services as well as help forming and finding
curriculum, was individualized per child, offered report cards and
diploma, and could help in defining where to do multiple age level
teaching. It was a big order and the fact that it had to be Catholic
really narrowed the choices. We have found St. Thomas Aquinas
Academy has offered us all of the above and more! Our advisor has
always been very helpful, thoughtful, understanding, knowledgeable,
well prepared, and spiritual in every conversation that we have had
with her when creating a curriculum for each individual child (based
on their ability, learning style and interest) as well as for me,
the teacher, and all children together (multiple age level
teaching). Each year the children take the assessment tests that
STAA provides to assess what they have learned over the course of
the year. Our advisor then analyzes those assessments, and sends a
one-sided sheet of paper that briefly details strengths and
weaknesses in each subject area. She then puts together a
recommended curriculum outline and we develop, together, a
curriculum for each child based on where they are in mastery of
subject area, what they want to learn, what we want them to learn,
and what we can combine, into perhaps a unit study, to teach them
together. The phone call takes about a half hour per child. By the
time we are done, I have a curriculum plan for each child, lesson
plans, forms for any record keeping that needs to be done (quarterly
reports, course of study, etc.), where to buy books at the best
price, an outline of how to teach each subject and how often to
teach it, and a very good understanding of what my children have
mastered and what my goals are for the year. Of course, with a mom
like me, staying on track can be the difficult part with all of the
wonderful opportunities that are available to homeschooled children
today, but using quarterly reporting keeps me focused on where we
need to be. The St. Thomas Aquinas Academy curriculum has been an
education for all of us. The children have not only grown in their
understanding, but I also have learned a great deal. Spiritually our
family has grown in ways that I never would have imagined! I highly
recommend St. Thomas Aquinas Academy to anyone who can relate to
this experience, as it will be a journey well worth it. Thank you so
much to all at St. Thomas Aquinas Academy. Your sisters and brothers
in Christ -- Christine from New Hampshire (July 2006) |
| We have always used our own
"program" for our grade school children, but since they will want to
go to college, we decided we needed something more formal for high
school. Right now we have one child who will be a senior and one who
will be starting 9th grade, plus two younger children. We chose STAA
three years ago because we had a lot of good things going that were
working for us, and STAA has the flexibility to allow us to continue
with these activities and actually count them for high school
credit. This has helped us to continue with our own style of home
schooling while making sure we covered all the bases for college
admission. If you look at my daughter's transcript, you will see
it's very heavy on the arts, with ballet, piano, fine arts, and
voice. These are all the things that she loves to do, and she hasn't
had to give any of it up in order to prepare herself for college. My
son, who will be entering ninth grade this fall, will probably be
slanted towards the arts and physical education. I have especially
appreciated the flexibility of the STAA program. It is comforting to
me to know that we're not locked into anything, and can make changes
when things are not working well. I also like the reporting system.
It allows us to keep track of what we're doing, but it is not
excessively burdensome like some programs are. It has also allowed
my daughter to take responsibility for her own education, since she
is the one who has ended up doing the lion's share of the work
involved in the quarterly reports. She is much more careful to get
her work done on time, and to earmark certain assignments for the
reports throughout the quarter. In fact, doing the reports has been
a valuable learning experience for her in its own right. I would
recommend this program to any homeschooler who is looking for a
solid, comprehensive program that is based in the fundamentals of
learning, but who also wants the flexibility to follow individual
interests and learning styles. - Mary from New Hampshire (July 2006) |