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Welcome Parents! This Handbook is your guide to Laurel Springs. It is designed to provide you with the information, guidance, resources, and support you’ll need to optimize your experience with us and ensure your child’s learning success. Welcome from Marilyn Mosley Gordanier, Our Executive Director
 Dear Parents,
It is my privilege to welcome you to the Laurel Springs community! We are an accredited private school that believes every student possesses unique academic ability, interests, and talents. We are committed to nurturing your child’s academic and personal goals.
I am proud of our school’s history and illustrious student body. Our eighteen years of experience is reflected in our reputation as a premier distance-learning program. We understand what it takes to educate your child, as evidenced by our successful graduation of over 4,500 students who have gone on to college or pursued their professional careers.
Laurel Springs believes students excel when the educational model matches a child’s goals, interests, and talents. We were one of the first distance learning schools to implement a learning style model of education. Our mastery-based curricula, and individualized teacher and staff support integrate this philosophy into every aspect of our school. Laurel Springs’ teachers and staff listen to our students and encourage their strengths, supporting them through graduation and the college acceptance process.
This handbook is designed to serve as a roadmap and provide you with the resources and information you need to ensure your child has a very positive Laurel Springs school experience. In addition, we encourage you to regularly communicate with your enrollment advisor, our student support services department, and your teachers.
I acknowledge you for taking this important step! We consider ourselves to be a part of your learning team, and we look forward to staying in touch.
Warmly,
Marilyn Mosley Gordanier
Executive Director
Laurel Springs School |
What Kind of School Is Laurel Springs?We base our philosophy, and our mission, upon the idea that each child is a unique human being, with personal interests, special talents, and a recognizable learning style. We know that children receive optimum benefit from an educational process that values them as individuals and provides a personalized approach to learning. We work to foster their natural curiosity and their innate enthusiasm for learning. We believe in and encourage lifelong learning and the fulfillment of lifetime dreams. Established in 1991, Laurel Springs is a private, college preparatory school ranging from Kindergarten through the twelfth grade. Ours is a distance learning, mastery-based program offering highly qualified teachers and personalized instruction. We believe this individualized instruction should be based upon each student’s learning style, interests, and skill level. We are accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), and we offer courses approved by the University of California, the NCAA, and the National Honor Society. Currently eighty-five percent of our high school graduates attend college. Video Introduction  Laurel Springs Academy for the Gifted and TalentedThe Laurel Springs Academy for the Gifted and Talented is a program for highly achieving students and offers an intellectually demanding curriculum in preparation for admission to a prestigious college or university. This personalized learning path nurtures the intellectual abilities of gifted youth. By providing a learning environment that caters to the specific abilities and needs of brilliant young minds, the Academy for the Gifted and Talented encourages achievement and enhances students’ personal development. For more information you may visit www.LSAGiftedandTalented.com, or call (800) 377-5890 ext. 114.  National Honor SocietyLaurel Springs also offers students the opportunity to become members of the National Honor Society (NHS). We are the first private, distance learning school to establish a chapter of the NHS. Membership in the NHS is an academic honor, recognizing character, leadership, academic achievement, and service in school projects. For information please contact the NHS Advisor by clicking here  . Office InformationPlease refer to your School Directory found in your Welcome Packet or click here to visit our Contact Us page on the Family Center for services and office information. Some Important School PoliciesTo review all policies and refunds please visit these pages on the Family Center. • Refunds• PoliciesStudent Services InformationOur Student Services Department facilitates, coordinates, and supports the delivery of high quality services to all of our students. They offer information, guidance, and support in a variety of areas, including academic planning, college advising, graduation requirements, assistance with the college application process, important dates and deadlines, standardized testing guidance, student activities, and Laurel Springs policies. The Student Services menue at the top of this page provides you with a wealth of information – check it out and visit often! Basic GuidelinesBe sure to read carefully the agreement statement sent to you with your enrollment materials. It outlines the policies that shape your relationship with us. A few important things to keep in mind…
- Maintaining regular contact with your child’s teacher is a vital part of our program.
- It’s important that your child have a suitable place for study and a working schedule for completing assignments.
- Please notify the school of any contact information changes or needs for leaves of absence.
- Know when your child’s enrollment will expire and notify the school if an extension or re-enrollment is needed to finish a course or grade level.
- Regularly review the online Gradebook. We’ll discuss this in detail a little later.
- Visit our Family Center website. It’s a hub of information just for you.
Personalization/Customization
As an important part of our goal to enhance the educational experience of our students, Laurel Springs may personalize and customize courses to suit the individual dynamics of every learner. Our teachers may personalize lessons or customize courses to suit the varied needs of our students.
Personalization involves altering some of the lessons of a course.
One-to-one teaching enables our teachers to modify the pace or focus of the lesson to serve the child as the need arises. Learning objectives and standards for the course are still reached through assessment, student interests, strengths, challenges, long-term goals, or learning style lessons. Options may be to personalize an activity, adjust content to accommodate student interest, adjust evidences of learning, or personalize the enrichment of a lesson. As much as one-quarter of a given lesson may be personalized. No extra fees apply to personalizing a course lesson.
Customization involves altering an entire course.
Our customization option can support any learning style. Fully customizing a course involves extensive alteration to an entire course. Learning objectives and standards are still met, but a course can be significantly altered to accommodate a student's needs. An extra fee is charged for customizing a course. Laurel Springs has two levels of customization. Contact your Enrollment Advisor regarding fees.
Level 1 Customization occurs when more than one-quarter of a Laurel Springs course is altered to meet the needs of the student, or when an alternate curricular source is used. It includes an initial one-hour phone consultation with a Learning Success Coach, who will provide a Learning Styles Profile interpretation and create an academic learning plan with recommended materials.
Level 2 Customization occurs when extensive original curriculum creation is required. It includes two to three hours of phone consultations with a Learning Success Coach, during which you will receive a Learning Styles Profile interpretation and creation of a comprehensive academic learning plan with recommended materials.
All customized learning programs require extensive parental involvement.
Plagiarism
We encourage our students to do their very best work possible. As a mastery-based program, we want to see our students acquire a thorough and lasting understanding of the materials they are studying. In order to truly achieve this, we cannot support copying or plagiarizing the writings of others. Students who submit work that is not entirely their own will be required to redo their work.
As outlined in our student Honor Code, we expect our students to practice the following habits of mind and heart: respect, honesty, and academic integrity. All Laurel Springs students are expected to live by the principles of honesty and mutual trust. This applies to the manner in which they relate to themselves, their peers, their teachers, you - their parents, our society, and our planet. We want our students to engage in their studies with a spirit of openness and inquiry, making an honest effort to understand, and a regular effort to work to the best of their abilities.
 Parent Support at Laurel Springs
Parent involvement is a vital part of learning. As a parent, you are an essential part of your child’s distance learning experience. Nationwide studies show that students who receive regular support from their parents do better in school. To this end, we have developed an array of support services for you:
- Distance Learning Guide for Parents (for parents with children in the younger grades)
- Laurel Springs Parent Handbook (available in print and online)
- Laurel Springs Family Center Website
- Laurel Springs Parent Journal (published bimonthly)
- Virtual Open House Series (informative webinars for parents)
- MyLaurelSprings.com Parent Forum (social networking opportunity)
If you have questions about any of these resources, or feel you need support, please contact Elizabeth Jamond, our Parent Support Coordinator, by clicking here or at 805-646-2473.
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