About Mountain Oaks School
Overview
Mountain Oaks is about families; families who are making a personal educational decision to homeschool. Parents understand that they need to continue to learn and grow in order to be effective in the educational process with their children. Mountain Oaks was established to provide support for the family with resource centers established to provide resources, workshops, support from credentialed teachers and staff, and networking.
Background and History
In 1994, Ron Lewis, Associate Superintendent of County Schools, noted the increase in private school affidavits being filed each year. A family files a R4 affidavit in order to homeschool without public school involvement. Mr. Lewis had concern for the homeschooling families who had contributed as taxpayers to education but were not receiving any benefits. He commissioned a consultant to research what the R4 affidavit families would want and need from a public institution. With the permission of the four district superintendents in Calaveras, an Independent Study program was established in order to provide the services and resources the families actually wanted and needed within legal guidelines. Two certificated teachers with homeschooling background, Linda Mariani and Nancy Stehura, were chosen to develop the program under Ron Lewis' guidance. In 1994, Mountain Oaks began with 38 students. The enrollment has increased each year to our current K-12 student population of approximately 400 students. On July 1, 1997, Mountain Oaks transitioned from being a “program” to having the status of a “school”. It was a “parent request” school under the County Community Schools. In June 1998, Mountain Oaks was granted WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) accreditation. In 2003 Mountain Oaks became a charter school, chartered through Calaveras County Office of Education. In order to support the expanding population in the contiguous counties we draw from (Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne) we have opened satellite resource centers in Amador and Tuolumne Counties.
Unique Characteristics
Mountain Oaks Charter School follows Independent Study guidelines. In addition to meetings with students and making and assessing assignments, our program has several unique characteristics. The mentor teaching staff consists of twenty-two fully credentialed teachers, all meeting the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) guidelines. A majority of our mentor teachers have homeschooled their own children, giving them a unique perspective on the process of homeschooling. Workshop instructors are fingerprinted and have Tuberculosis clearance. They may be credentialed, but expertise in an area and an exceptional ability to communicate with children and parents are the main criteria for these instructors.
Mountain Oaks offers family experiences to those enrolled in our program. Among our many workshops and special events we offer:
*Family science camps.
*Monthly activities ranging from picnics to special speakers. Past activities have included: square dancing, a Mexican fiesta, winter crafts, Shakespeare Presentations, a Native American speaker, Harvest Festival, Living History Days, canoing, rock climbing, and caving.
*Various workshops in art, music, pottery, theater, science, Academic Decathlon, math, creative writing, and many others.
*Continuing support and education for parents.
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Parents are active participants in deciding the direction of our school. There is a yearly Annual Retreat for parents, students and staff to assess the program, its direction and our commitment to the best educational experience for our children. Parents participate in standing committees and are encouraged to utilize our resource center. Other components that distinguish Mountain Oaks are: a monthly newsletter, field trips, parent workshops, large book/multimedia lending library, and a high school hybrid model. Mountain Oaks is a dynamic program that addresses the needs of the homeschooling community, growing and evolving as the needs of the families grow and change.
