1. Do you have to live in Mesa in order to enroll your child at Eagleridge?
No, we have approximately 500 students from throughout the Valley who attend. In many cases, families who live far away from Guadalupe and Extension, where our program is located, carpool.

2. Is there a cost associated with attending the program?
No, the Eagleridge Enrichment Program is a member of the Mesa Public Schools, and is supported by your tax dollars. Students who are being homeschooled are welcome to attend, free of charge.

3. Do parents have to pay to check out curriculum from Eagleridge?
No, once a child is enrolled, parents can check out books, free of charge. All the Mesa Public Schools adopted texts are available to the parents. We provide teacher’s editions, student textbooks, workbooks, and more. Parents do need to provide a valid Visa or Mastercard each time a book order is placed. If books are not returned at the end of the school year, parents are charged.

4. Can students participate in both the K-6 distance learning program and Eagleridge?
Yes, students can be enrolled in both programs. We do not recommend that students attend Eagleridge more than one day per week if they are taking a full load of distance learning classes. The online teachers will be glad to talk to you about online classes and the texts and other materials that are available through the distance learning program. MDLP K-6 is located and managed out of the Eagleridge site at 737 W. Guadalupe Rd. in Mesa. The K-6 website can be accessed at www.mdlp.org/k6online.

5. How is the block program different from the rotational program at Eagleridge?
The rotational program was the design originated 13 years ago, with input from our homeschooling parents. In this Wednesday or Friday, one-day program we have grade-level grouped the students. Students rotate through a series of classes that provide wonderful, creative curriculum that is sometimes difficult to offer in the homeschool setting. Students take a hands-on art class where they learn to create art in a variety of media. They work with musical instruments, and learn rhythm, and a variety of other fun musical concepts in our Music Mania! class. In our Author! Author! class, students enter creative writing contests, read literature, and practice punctuation and grammar skills. Many of our young authors have become published while attending our classes! Our Science Explorers class offers hands-on science, using our nationally recognized Mesa Public Schools hands-on science kits. We provide P.E. Fun! so that students can learn games and play with other homeschoolers. Our Creative Technology for Kids! class enables students to work with the latest technology, learning word processing, and even web design at the higher grade levels. We highly recommend this program!

Our block program was designed to offer students and their parents choices in specialized enrichment classes. Students can take everything from aerobics, to chess, drama and more. Students may participate in the one-day per week program on Monday, or the two-day per week program on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Classes change, and students must re-register, at semester.

6. Do students receive grades for classes taken at Eagleridge?
No, Eagleridge is an enrichment program. Students are not evaluated in the enrichment classes; however, parents are welcome to fill out a Teacher-Parent Contact Form, if they wish to talk to one of the teachers about their child's progress.

7. Do students who attend Eagleridge have to take the AIMS or TerraNova?
Yes, once a student is enrolled, even for one day per week, at Eagleridge or in MDLP, he/she is a part-time public school student. All public school students are required to take the AIMS in 3rd-8th grades, and the TerraNova in 2nd and 9th grades. These tests are administered in April over a two-week period.

8. Can students enroll for more than two days per week?
Yes, but we advise parents that they are the primary educators of their children. Parents should take a good look at the state standards (www.ade.state.az.us/standards/contentstandards.asp). Parents should plan to spend a set amount of time weekly to teach basic skills to students. We believe that parents know what is best in this situation, but we do not recommend that students spend more than 3 days per week at Eagleridge because more days away from home would not leave enough time for basic skills studies.

9. Do the kindergarten, first and second graders rotate through classes and teachers?
No, our primary students work with one teacher, in a self-contained classroom. They do go to a specialist for P.E. and music, and their regular classroom teacher takes them to the computer class for computer instruction.

10. Can students younger than 5 years of age enroll at Eagleridge?
Students must be 5 by September 1st in order to enroll.

11. Is it okay for students to attend sometimes, but not every week?
Eagleridge is a standards-based program where students learn skills that build from week to week. It is difficult for students who have missed classes to catch up. Eagleridge is not a day-care service, and parents should be aware that certified teachers are providing students with instruction in a publicly funded facility. This means that the program is one that should be taken seriously, and parents should make every effort to have their children attend the classes for which they are registered.

12. Are Eagleridge teachers certified?
Yes, Eagleridge provides state- or board-certified teachers for all academic classes.

13. What precautions are taken to keep students safe at Eagleridge?
Eagleridge's classroom doors are kept locked during the school day. Parents who visit must stop by the office to sign in and pick up a visitor's badge. The playground is gated and locked, and 2-4 playground aides are on duty during the lunch time. Students who come to the office are sent in pairs. Teachers take attendance each period so that all students are accounted for. In addition, Eagleridge has a full-time health assistant on staff.

14. Can parents observe in the classrooms?
Certainly! We love to have parents visit and even volunteer to assist in the classroom. Please sign in at the office before going to our classrooms or the playground.

15. Can parents donate ECA tax dollars to Eagleridge?
Yes! We use ECA monies to fund our many field trips. Two-parent households can donate up to $400 this year and since it is a tax credit, this money will be refunded in your tax return or directly applied to the taxes you owe.

16. Does Eagleridge provide field trips for students?
Yes, Eagleridge students have many opportunities to go on theater trips, science trips, and a variety of other types of fun and educational field trips.

Last modified on: July 2, 2009 1:23 PM