The Project class focuses on developing critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills  and we will do that through four main projects this school year:

1. Science Fair: Students conduct experiments, analyze data, and present findings, honing critical thinking and communication skills.

2. Inventor Project: Encourages innovation and problem-solving through creating new inventions, fostering new ways of thinking and collaboration.

3. Community Service Project: Engages students in activities benefiting the community, emphasizing collaboration and communication with local organizations.

4. Business Fair: Students develop entrepreneurial skills by planning and executing a business venture, enhancing critical thinking and communication in a real-world setting.

These projects provide hands-on experiences that integrate academic learning with practical skills, preparing students for future academic and professional challenges.

I am the founder of CORA Electives and the mom of 3 boys. I was called to homeschool, in 2019, when my oldest son was about to start 1st grade. His two younger brothers and I felt like our life was on pause while he was at school half a day for kindergarten. When we thought about him being gone for a full day for 1st grade something did not feel right for us. I really wanted to foster their brotherly bond by letting them be together more. I was so worried I would fail at homeschool that I started in May so I could homeschool through the summer. Starting early meant I still had time to enroll my son in school if it didn’t work out. It not only worked out, but we all thrived. I love teaching my boys and my boys love learning together. While this was our family's journey, we recognize all families are unique and we value each family's choice for education. The missing piece in our homeschool was the peer interaction that children get in a group learning environment. I created CORA Electives, with the help of some amazing homeschooling moms, to help fill this gap.

Experience

After earning a Bachelor's Degree, I became a specialized math tutor for junior high students who failed the Texas Standardized Math Test in the Azle ISD. I focused on multi-sensory learning with games and outside the box thinking to help my students succeed.

Then, I worked at Campfire as a curriculum coordinator. I helped teachers create curriculum and activities to enrich their classroom and I worked with teachers on problem solving with students.

After I had my first son, I became an activity coordinator for Keller ISD Early Childhood PTA. I set up field trips to Casa Mañana children’s theater, train trips with the Grapevine Vintage Railroad, and charity events like Touch-A-Truck benefiting the CF Foundation.

Life Skills for Kids

This is a four-unit course in basic academic and life skills geared specifically for each developmental level. The courses cover the following topics:

1.        Dollars and Sense

Introduction to basic math skills for younger students and reinforcement of skills for more advanced students through the use of money. Younger students will shop for groceries, and gifts, set up a lemonade stand, etc. Older students will be setting up businesses, counting money, figuring taxes and tips, discussing investing, saving, budgeting and more.  Students of all ages will be able to earn money, bank and save money and spend it in the school store. 

2.        Talk the Talk

Children will learn social concepts and customary behavior by planning parties and events writing notes and letters, making contracts, working in teams on joint projects, writing or making persuasive or demonstration speeches. . . . . . 

3.        Hands on Life 

Let’s get busy with hands on skills! This unit will cover such things as: cooking, sewing, woodworking, gardening, bike safety, Basic First aid and CPR.

4.        Manners

Here we will cover basic social rules such as thank you notes, Invitations (getting or giving), Dealing with Bullies, Body Language, Public safety, table manners, setting a table (formal and casual) and other topics as suggested by parents or requested by children. 

Other skill sets will also be addressed as part of the overall course. Here are a few! 

How to clean your room

Organizing your space and yourself

Making a budget and keeping it

If you are interested in previewing some of our resource material for this course, here are some titles we will be using.

           Joy Berry – Survival Series for Kids (36 Books)

Red Cross BLS and CPR

A Kids Guide to Manners by Katherine Flannery

The Modern Teens Etiquette Playbook

Dude That’s Rude! By Pamela Espeland

The Babysitters Survival Guide

Aledo Police Department and Fire Department Community Service Department Visits

I am a ‘semi-retired’ professional with more than 20 years’ experience in the teaching field. I have been everything from kindergarten teacher, licensed childcare director, to director and regional director of extended care programs in ‘At Risk’ schools. I am the author of three curriculum books for the Clayton Youth Enrichment Services organization and trained teaching staff for 5 of the 12 years I was with their organization. I hold bachelor’s degrees in psychology, sociology, and history. 

I joined CORA in 2022. It was so much fun being back in the classroom with the children! It rekindled the love of teaching that brought me into the field originally.

Rene' has worked with CORA since 2022.

This school year in art we will explore art's faces, places, and traces through close observation and discussion of artworks across time periods, styles, and cultures and hands-on projects using a variety of techniques and materials. Faces will focus on portraits and self-portraits from a diverse range of artists, including Vincent van Gogh and Andy Warhol. Places explores landscapes, cityscapes, seascapes, and architecture and features artists like Frank Lloyd Wright and Georgia O'Keeffe. Traces looks at how artists communicate ideas and will look at topics like the environment and empathy for others. Students will hone their skills in close looking and visual analysis, get messy with materials, and critique their own work and that of others. 

As a child, I was routinely exposed to new ideas, beauty, and different cultures by visiting art and history museums with my grandmother. Viewing and learning about these objects helped me discover a sense of wonder about the wider world, see things from other perspectives, and develop a passion for art and art history. These are experiences I want to continue with my own children and students at CORA. 

After gaining a bachelor’s degree in museum management from Centenary College of Louisiana and a master’s in art history from TCU, I spent over 16 years working at art museums, including 14 at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, where most of my time was spent as Director of Education and Public Engagement. There I created homeschool programs for students and educators, as well as experiences for infants to seniors and everyone in between. I left the museum world in 2017 to stay home with our growing family, but have continued to lecture on art history topics and write homeschool art history curriculum. We have three children and have seen them thrive in both public school and homeschool settings. I am excited to join the staff at CORA and learn from the other teachers and students.

Stacy has worked with CORA since 2023.