Family Tree: Helping Out Home-Schoolers

     Not long ago, Loxahatchee resident Nancy Moral was a teacher in the Broward County public school system, but now she runs a different kind of school — one that lets parents select and teach classes to their own children at home.

     As a teacher, Moral focused on special education, working with emotionally handicapped children, and adult education, while her husband Robert was involved with sports programs and disadvantaged youth in Miramar, where they lived for 15 years.

     Her last position in public schools was with Miramar Elementary as an ESE specialist, and Moral said she was frustrated by the restrictions forced by central school district control. For example, she said, when teachers wanted money earmarked for books to be spent on a teaching assistant instead, they were unsuccessful due to spending rules. Something is wrong, she said, when teachers can’t get what they want.

      “It was a no-win situation because there was no local control,” Moral said. “That’s the kind of frustration in public schools. They need to decentralize.”

     She left the public school system three and a half years ago. Having home-schooled her own three children, she moved to set up a home-schooling program to help others take that same path. She did so at the strong suggestion of her husband, who felt she needed to keep teaching children.

     And so she set up the Family Tree Private School, which is named after their family business, a tree service. It is considered an “umbrella school” which serves to help parents who choose to home-school their children.

     “This takes up all my time, talent, and it’s very fulfilling,” Moral said. “We established a non-profit tax-exempt ministry. It has been very purposeful work for both of us.”

     The Family Tree Private School is an umbrella school with a varied, biblically based curriculum chosen by parents. Parents register with the school and choose their own home-based curricula and teach their children at home. The Morals maintain the records and other necessary paperwork required by the local school district and by the state.

     Moral assists parents in selecting the right course work for  their children. “We help them choose the curriculums — English, math, and science. As a home-schooler, you have the latitude to emphasize one subject over another,” she said.

     Moral said the Family Tree is recognized by the Department of Education and other accredited institutions, and she meets all the requirements of a private school. For example, she keeps student’s birth certificates, immunization records, and other information on file. Since the ministry encompasses students in grades K-12, there are also transcripts and report cards sent out. The Morals have about 60 to 70 students in Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach counties.

     The Family Tree Private School is a member of the Home Education Association of Palm Beach County, the Broward County Homeschool Parent Support Group, the Home School Legal Defense Association, the National Home Education Research Institute, the Florida Parent Educators Association, the Christian Home School Educators of Florida, the Educators Leadership Council, and other groups. She also has articulation agreements with local colleges and the Florida Virtual School On-Line. Moral processes applications for scholarships including the McKay Scholarship for disabled students. Anyone registering with the school also has to join a support group for home-schoolers.

     “Part of my job is to mentor parents properly so they know all of these contacts,” Moral said. “My job as administrator of a private school is to enroll the students and support the direction of education and prepare for college. We have four diploma options.”

     Moral said the Family Tree is a good alternative to public schools because it puts control back into the hands of parents, where it belongs. Parents often don’t know what’s going on with public schools and have a “hands off” relationship with them, she said. While she acknowledges that there are great teachers, principals, and schools, Moral maintains that they are “few and far between.”

     “If parents knew half of what was going on, they would be so mad,” she said. “The decisions are made in a huge vacuum. Curriculum represents the heart and philosophy and direction of the children. A good public system needs to get back to the basics. That’s why I’m not in the public school system anymore. I can’t be part of an institution that has no remedy for itself. I love the idea of helping the public and working with disadvantaged youth, but not in a broken system.”

     Moral’s concerns regarding public schools date back to her own days as a student. Frustrated with the public school system, she dropped out of school in the ninth grade, returning to school later when her family put her into a private school in Maryland. She later graduated from Florida International University with high honors.

     “I can empathize with all the anger and frustration,” she said. “I love learning, knowledge, and children. I didn’t realize it until halfway through college.”

     New residents to the western communities, the Morals are quite happy with the change. “We are so happy to be in Loxahatchee,” said Moral. “We moved out here for the quietness, and it’s safe. We had to get out of south Broward County because of the crime. We always wanted to move where we had a little bit of land.”

     For more information about the Family Tree Private School, call Nancy Moral at 204-2614 or visit www.familytreeprivateschool.com.

Determined Teen Seeks To Provide Wheelchairs For The World

     Sixteen-year-old Cynthia Szuka, who has cerebral palsy and is visually impaired, is a person with a mission.

     The Wellington High School junior, who gets around with the help of a wheelchair, is on a mission to provide wheelchairs to other people around the world who need them as well.

     On Wednesday afternoon, Szuka spoke before a gathering of about 50 fellow National Honor Society students in the media center at WHS to ask them for their help.

     “I strive for excellence,” Szuka told her audience. “If it weren’t for this wheelchair, I’d be dragging myself on the floor. I got this hot rod. I would like to give thanks to my community by organizing a drive for the international organization Wheels for the World, which collects canes, crutches, and manual wheelchairs for people who might not otherwise have them.”

     The students watched videotapes of Wheels of the World at work helping a youngster in Albania get a wheelchair, and a promo that asked for donations of wheelchairs to people who need them.

     Szuka said she chose her mission because her friends at her church, Christ Fellowship in Palm Beach Gardens, and an organization called Joni and Friends, provided her with a new wheelchair. As a thank you, Szuka felt she should do the same thing for others in need, she said. Joni and Friends was founded by Joni Eareckson Tada, who broke her neck at the age of 17 in a diving accident and has been an advocate for the disabled ever since. According to the Joni and Friends web site, Wheels of the World is an evangelistic organization which aims to provide wheelchairs and spread the Christian faith to people who have neither.

     After the presentation, Szuka pleaded with listeners to help so others can get around like she does. A wheelchair opens up a whole new world to people who normally wouldn’t be able to get around, she said. The wheelchairs are collected from people who no longer need them and are refurbished in correctional institutions, she explained. Szuka also mentioned the need for volunteers who can coordinate the pickup and transfer of the chairs.

     Cynthia’s mother Alicia said this is a pilot project for Cynthia, and if successful, she will branch out and try to get help from others in the local community and in West Palm Beach.

     Although she has had cerebral palsy since she was born, Cynthia Szuka said she doesn’t feel any different from her peers at school. Her friends accept her as she is, a normal teenager with normal tendencies, she said.

     “I love shopping, food, and riding horses,” she said. “I’m in regular classes and get good grades. I’m a regular, normal teenager.”

      To help Cynthia with her mission, call 792-3273 or 753-9499. For more information about Joni and Friends, visit www.joniandfriends.org.

WLMS Student Going To Geographic Bee

     Charles M. Gustine of Wellington Landings Middle School has qualified to participate at the state level of the National Geographic Bee, sponsored by the National Geographic Society.

     The state Bee will be held on Friday, April 4 at Jacksonville University in Jacksonville.

     One winner from each state and territory will advance to the national competition, which will be held May 20 and 21 at the National Geographic Society  headquarters in Washington, D. C. Transportation and accommodations for the Washington, D.C. trip are provided for each state winner and a teacher-escort from the school that the winner attends. The principal determines which teacher employed at the school attends the nationals.

      The final round of the 2003 National Geographic Bee, featuring Alex Trebek, will air nationally on the National Geographic Channel on May 21, and afterward on public television stations, produced by Maryland Public Television.

Dancers Bring Home Top Awards

     Congratulations to the Wildcat dance teams Teal, Silver, and Black from Royal Palm Beach High School, TAPAZZ Dance Troupe from Wellington High School Adult Education, and the Elite Dance Trio for their outstanding performance at the PDTA National Stars of Tomorrow Dance Competition held last week. All groups are under the direction of Mrs. Michele Blecher.

     The PDTA National Stars of Tomorrow Dance Competition was held on March 1 at Jekyl Island, GA. The dancers competed against 800 other dance routines. The dancers brought home 16 trophies, various pins and medals, plus two National Grand Championships in Jazz and Production

     Dance routines included: Wildcat Team Teal — “Someone to Watch Over Me” and “Rebel Yell”; Wildcat Team Black — “All My” and “Walkin’ on the Sun”; Wildcat Team Silver — “The One I Gave My Heart To” and “All the Time”; All Wildcat Dance Teams — “Freddie Said”; TAPAZZ Dance Troupe: “Real Love,” “We’re in Heaven” and “Thriller”; TAPAZZ soloists: Halley Richardson, “We’re Dancing” Pointe Solo and Alexa Blecher, “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” (Character Solo) and “Thank You God” (Lyrical Solo); Elite Dance Trio: “God Bless the USA,” “Boogie Man” and “Elite’s Hot Mix.”

      You can see these award-winning routines at the RPBHS Dancers’ Spaghetti Dinner Theatre on April 7 and the RPBHS Spring Dance Show of Chorus Line on May 14. You may also see other routines choreographed by Blecher on Tuesday, May 20 at the WHS Adult Education dance performance of The Wizard of Oz. For more info., contact Mrs. Michele Blecher at 753-4000, ext. 4603.

District Predicts Continued Growth At Frontier School

     When Frontier Elementary School opened its doors in August 2001, they began with 720 students. At this time, they have 858 students enrolled at the school — and the district’s Department of Real Estate & Planning has projected their enrollment for next year to reach 947 students.

     Because of its growth, Frontier will be gaining some teaching units. By August, they will house six classrooms for every grade level except grade five. In grade five, they will have five units. In addition, a Science Resource Teacher will provide hands-on experiments for all students.

     The district has removed the Community Language Facilitator position from the budget for the next school year. The facilitator will move to an assistant position that was gained in the ESE Department. This will, however, drop the office staff by one, although enrollment will increase by 89 students.

     None of these increases include any class size reduction. The state has yet to inform the district regarding procedures to be used to implement phase one of the class-size reduction program mandated by voters in the last general election. Frontier is, however, on tap to receive up to two portables because of the growth. They will be used as a last resort, but will certainly be needed if the school gains more classroom units.

     Frontier will be keeping parents informed of any changes taking place as soon as they know them.

SCHOOL BRIEFS…

Mileage Club to Begin

     The first meeting of the Mileage Club for this year will be held on March 31 from 2:05 to 3 p.m. at Frontier Elementary School. The club will meet every Monday for six weeks. Participants will walk/jog around a quarter-mile course. After one completed lap, they will receive a straw. At the end of each meeting, scores will be recorded and tabulated in order to keep a record of “mileage.” Heart rate monitors and pedometers are available for use. Last year, almost 150 children, parents, grandparents, and staff members participated in the healthy club. The Mileage Club is open to everyone, and there are no age limits — but students in Kindergarten do need to have an adult or an older sibling with them in order to participate. It is a great way to have fun, spend quality time together, and improve your health.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss

     The students of Acreage Pines Elementary School put on the hat of The Cat last week and celebrated Dr. Seuss’s birthday and his love for reading. Acreage Pines participated in Read Across America, a one-day reading program that is celebrated across the nation. For the National Education Association, it’s the sixth year sponsoring the event.

     Theodore Geisel — AKA Dr. Seuss — was born on March 2, 1904, in Springfield, Mass. He graduated from Dartmouth College and proceeded onto Oxford University with the intent of acquiring a doctorate in literature. He went on to write for many magazines and submitted his cartoons for publishing throughout his life. In May 1954, Life Magazine published a report concerning illiteracy among school children. The report stated children were having trouble reading because “the books were boring.” This inspired Geisel’s publisher, and he offered 400 words to Geisel that he felt were important to first grade school children. He told him to cut the words in half and write a book. Seuss took 223 of those words and created a funny, zany book worth reading. The result was “Cat In The Hat,” which went on to instant success. This popular series combined engaging stories with Geisel’s outrageous illustrations to teach children basic reading skills.

     His illustrations are fascinating in that he really only draws one human face: all his people look alike with minor adjustments. His rhyme schemes are simple, but he created a slew of outlandish names and places. His books are timeless. Dr. Seuss was the author and illustrator of 44 children’s books, some of which have been made into audiocassettes, animated television specials, and videos for children of all ages. He was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 and two Academy Awards. Even after his death in 1991, Dr. Seuss continues to be the best-selling author of children’s books in the world.

     Last year, the NEA estimates that almost 40 million children and adults celebrated Dr. Seuss and the joy of reading.

Kindergarten Roundup

     Golden Grove Elementary School will be hosting the annual Kindergarten Roundup on April 16 at 8:30 a.m. The program will be a parent orientation for the upcoming 2003-2004 school year. Parents will tour some of the classrooms and hear about the Kindergarten program at Golden Groves. Students will be invited to come to visit the school in August. Registration for school will be accepted at the orientation if parents bring all the required components.

     • Physical examination on the DH Form 3040 (January ’03 updated form with original physician’s signature is required). Both sides of the form must be completed. Physical must be within 12 months prior to the date of entry into school.

     • Florida Certificate of Immunization (DH680) must be complete with physician’s name, signature and address. DTP/Dta/DT Series, OPV/IPV (Polio) Series, MMR-2 doses, Hepatitis B (three-Dose series) Varicella (chicken pox) or documentation of varicella disease.

     • Completed and signed registration form.

     • Original birth certificate (school will copy and return to you).

     • Two proofs of address (copy of mortgage, lease, utility bills). A driver’s license is not considered a proof of address.

     • Social Security Number (optional)

     The school will not accept partial registrations, so be sure to have all the necessary information before you try to register your child. Registration for the School Aged Child Care Program will begin on April 16 as well.