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. Mountain Oaks Charter School follows Independent Study guidelines.

Background and History

In 1994, Ron Lewis, Calaveras County Associate Superintendent of County Schools, noted the increase in private school affidavits being filed each year. 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 private school 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 the guidance of Ron Lewis.

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 is unique in having twenty-two fully credentialed teachers, all meeting No Child Left Behind (NCLB) guidelines. These certificated teachers serve as mentor teachers who meet with individual students and their parent(s) to assign work and assess each student's progress. 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, are either credentialed or have proven expertise in the area in which they teach.

Mountain Oaks provides workshops and special events for students and families including but not limited to the following:
*Art
*Pottery
*Theater
*Academic Decathlon
*Algebra and Geometry classes
*Physical and Life Science classes
*Creative Writing classes
*Robotics
*Study Skills
*Share Days
*Science Fairs
*Field trips
*Family science camps

Past activities have included:
*Square dancing
*Mexican fiestas
*Winter crafts
*Shakespeare Presentations
*Native American speakers
*Harvest Festivals
*Living History Day
*Canoeing
*Rock climbing and caving

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 centers.

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.