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FAQ

Frequently Ask Questions

Introduction

No. Areté is a supplement to parent directed home education led by individual tutors. We are a homeschool cooperative.
Areté offers classes for Middle School (7th and 8th grade only) and all four levels of High School.

Enrollment

Yes. Please contact us to schedule an interview and tour. Please send your New Student Enrollment Request in at least two weeks prior to the interview. The board will make a decision about your acceptance based on the interview and form. See our How to Register page for more information.

Yes. There are Open House tours in early Spring. Dates are listed on the How to Register page.

Registration

Please follow instructions provided on the How to Register page.

Some classes fill up very quickly. Once a class reaches capacity, registration for that class closes. There are 4 or 5 classes that consistently close in mid-Spring. Check the Course Schedule to see if your class is open or closed.

The early registration deadline is June 30th. After this date, the registration fee goes up to $150. The registration deadline is July 31st. Be aware that classes that meet ​the maximum number of students will be closed. New families must enroll before registering.
If you are a returning family but have a new student, that student is covered under the lower returning family fee.
Yes. Please request this on your registration form by writing, “Wait List,” after the course title.
No. That does not give tutors time to properly prepare for your student. Registration deadline is July 31st. Please register by this time.
Classes marked as FULL have met capacity and are currently closed. You may be placed on the wait list by indicating “WAIT LIST” next to the course title on your registration form. We will notify you if the course opens up.

Classes

Classes are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-4:45.
No. Many classes meet twice a week, but some are only one-day classes. The schedule of classes and the course descriptions will help clarify this. If a class is listed on both days, it is a twice-a-week class.
No. Students may select classes that work best for them and leave when those classes end.
Study Hall is available at all blocks; however, students may only take ONE study hall per day. Students registering for Study Hall must be capable of sitting quietly for 90 minutes without talking or disrupting other students during the study hall block
Lunch is from 12:00-12:30 and is primarily offered for high school students. Seventh and eighth graders taking courses immediately before AND after lunch may eat lunch at Areté.

Check out the Course Schedule.

There is less demand for certain classes and they are offered on a rotating schedule. The course you are looking for may return to our schedule another year. You can always request certain courses be added to the schedule the following year and we’ll pass your suggestion on to our amazing tutors! On the Course List page, select ‘Show All Courses’ to see a list of inactive courses.

No. Areté is not meant to replace home instruction, but rather to supplement it.

See the Academic Calendar.

General

Supply fees and monthly tuition are listed on the Course List. Nine monthly (September through May) payments are due directly to each tutor by the 1st of each month.

No. Each tutor will provide progress reports and report cards. The parents will be responsible to compile these into a complete transcript. We can recommend a consultant to help parents in this endeavor.
Yes. The graduation for the class of 2025 will be held May 18, 2024 in the Activity Center on campus. Graduations are run by a volunteer committee.

No, but many of our students participate in homeschool varsity sports under one of the following groups: ​richmondspiritathletics.com or cvhaa.org.

Please contact us to schedule an interview. We consider students on a case by case basis. While we ​recognize that God has a wonderful plan for all of his children, our tutors are not trained to work with all special needs. ​​​We will need to meet you and your child to determine if Areté can provide adequate instruction.

Middle School

No. We have found that children in the lower middle school grades, although academically ready, often have a difficult time adjusting to the social atmosphere at Areté. Keep in mind your child could be often mixed with high schoolers.
No, not at this time. Middle school begins in 7th grade at our co-op. Students must be 12 years old by the beginning of the school year.
A 7th grader may not take a high school course, but an 8th grader MAY take a high school course if given permission by the course tutor.
Middle school students who have a class immediately before AND after lunch are able to stay for lunch.
On a case-by-case basis, middle school students will be allowed to attend study hall. Registration for study hall requires a middle school student to register for a class both immediately before AND after the study hall block (with the exception of lunch). Students registering for Study Hall must be capable of sitting quietly for 90 minutes without talking or disrupting other students during the study hall block.

Parent Involvement

Parents act as their child’s academic supervisor and work alongside their child’s tutor(s). In addition to these responsibilities at home, parents shall take turns serving at Areté throughout the year.
In general, we ask that each family with one student enrolled sign up for 2 time slots. Each family with 2+ students enrolled should sign up for a total of 4 time slots. Each time slot is 4 hours. Time slots are available for mornings and afternoons.
Parents provide another set of eyes on the campus and pitch in to help wherever needed. This includes monitoring the halls, bathrooms, and periodically walking around the campus. Feel free to bring a book, laptop, or other activity during downtime.

The SignUpGenius sign-up sheet will be available at Orientation in August, and an electronic sign-up sheet will be emailed throughout the year.ning family but have a new student, that student is covered under the lower returning family fee.

A parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or other responsible adult can serve at Areté. If a parent is not able to serve, we ask the parent to find a substitute.
Yes, younger children may accompany you, but they must stay with you at all times.

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Areté : excellency, being pleasing to God, the excellence of God revealed in the work of salvation.

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Areté Christian Academy, Mechanicsville, Virginia