ABOUT/ CAMPS/ RETREATS/ RH CONO/ CONO CHRISTIAN SCHOOL GENERAL INFO 2021 – 2022 School Year Our Mission APPLY NOW SCHOOL CALENDAR Ridge Haven Cono serves the churches of Walker, Iowa, and surrounding communities by ministering to, and assisting families, in the Christian education of their children through our camping, retreat, and school resource center ministries. Curriculum and RH Cono’s Hybrid Model FALL 2021 SYLLABUS At Ridge Haven Cono, we use the highly acclaimed Sonlight Curriculum. Our goal is to bring the very best of the family homeschool and the academic classroom models into one learning environment where kids learn in a loving and joyful Christian context. Reading books is the foundation of learning and we learn best when we read stories, integrated with history, geography, and vocabulary, rather than textbooks filled with just facts, and filled with abstract terminology. Paige and I homeschooled our three kids through the 9th and 10 grades. We took advantage of being in a co-op very similar to this RH Cono model where our kids were mentored by teachers with expertise that we lacked, and for the socialization that our kids desired and needed. We used the Sonlight curriculum and were extremely pleased. All three of our kids went on to graduate school in Education, Medicine, and Seminary. I remember when our middle son called from college the second semester of his freshman year saying that he was considering changing majors as he wanted to be a medical doctor. We reminded him that we did not concentrate on science in our homeschooling years, and it was already too late for him to get into the pre-med track without going extra semesters. I will never forget his response: “But Dad, yes I didn’t have a lot of science classes, but we learned to love to read, to learn, and how to study. I can do it.” And do it he did without having to stay any extra semesters. I have never been so thankful for the years we invested in his schooling that gave him his love of learning and friendships that are lasting a lifetime. That is our desire for RH Cono. Wallace Anderson, Executive Director A full description of the curriculum and philosophy can be found at: Literature-Based Christian Homeschool Curriculum (sonlight.com) Following are a few excerpts from their web page describing this curriculum: What is literature-based homeschooling? Literature-based homeschooling is an educational philosophy based on children's natural curiosity and love for stories. Literature-based homeschooling is a highly academic approach that uses outstanding books and delightful stories as the centerpiece for learning. Real books make learning come alive and these stories give context to the information, create an emotional connection with students, and help the readers retain the information. Reading is the foundation for comprehension and critical thinking in every arena, from history and language arts to math and science. Because humans are wired for story, we believe the most effective way to learn is by reading stories. Why use great literature – the best books ever written – as the foundation for learning? A single book can distill the wisdom of an entire lifetime in a few pages ... offer insights and perspectives unlike our own ... and open doors to delight and discovery, where curious minds are inspired to roam and grow. The result of a literature-based education? Individuals who are highly inquisitive and invested in learning for life. Sonlight's literature-based homeschool programs build a love of learning that continues even when school—both school days and formal schooling— is done. Literature-based education is also surprisingly efficient. You read the best literature available to your children. They absorb the information. You talk about what you read and then move on to the next book. No stressful studying for tests. No boring lectures. Just enjoyable reading and interaction. Why choose a literature-based education? · Literature makes learning information enjoyable. · Literature conveys information in a format that is easy to remember. · Literature encourages you to interact with your children. Until you've experienced literature-based education, it's hard to believe that there is another type of education out there. What kinds of books do Sonlighters read? A huge variety, in a wide range of genres. Biography and autobiography, historical fiction, nonfiction, school stories, mysteries, classics, novels, science fiction, fantasy, mythology, devotional, and more. There are about 1000 titles across all the Sonlight programs, so you'll get a wide-ranging and varied education! Sonlight includes many thrilling biographies of missionaries and great heroes of faith. When your children read these biographies, they connect with great examples of real Christians living out their faith in both everyday and extraordinary circumstances. Your children will discover Christian heroes like William Wilberforce, Gladys Aylward, Corrie Ten Boom, the founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators, and many more who truly lived out their faith. You'll also find books that aren't written by Christians. Sonlighters have found that reading great literature from a variety of viewpoints is tremendously valuable for their children. Students learn to think critically, and they enjoy many moving, informative, and beautifully-written books, even if they're not written by Christians. We believe that parents are children's true teachers. Your Instructor's Guide carefully equips you to talk about what you're reading with your children. If a book mentions something against a Christian worldview, for example, your Instructor's Guide will usually point it out and help you talk about it with your kids. You can read the questions and discussion directly, or talk about points of your own choosing, making the Instructor's Guide both highly structured and extremely flexible. Sonlight's Christ-centered, literature-based curriculum teaches from the perspective of God's truth and his love for all people of the world. It gives parents tools to guide their children in the way of Christ as they learn about their own faith and heritage and interact with a wide variety of ideas and cultures. As you read real books and discuss them with your children, you gain a huge privilege. You get to have many natural conversations with your children about things that really matter: character development, faith, citizenship, our role in the world, politics, and God. What an honor for you to guide your children! What does literature-based learning look like? Your school day connects in rich ways. For example, let's say you're studying World History with your second-grader, and you're covering the Vikings. · In History, you read a narrative from A Child's History of the World that describes some of Viking history. · You also read from several illustrated books. These give you a visual of Viking culture. What did they eat? What did their houses and clothes look like? · You place the Vikings on your timeline and locate the Viking homeland on your map, to emphasize the chronology and geography. · You read a short biography about some of the most famous Vikings, Eric the Red and Leif the Lucky, the intrepid travelers who reached Greenland and North America. · In your Read-Alouds, you enjoy an adventure in 20th Century Denmark, with some exciting Viking connections in the customer-favorite Sticks Across the Chimney. · And in your Language Arts, some of the assignments come from the reading. It's possible that this description leaves you unmoved. Fair enough. But this overview is sort of like trying to summarize basketball: two opposing teams try to get a bouncing ball into a metal ring, to score more points in a given amount of time. That description is correct … but it misses all the drama of a game, all the excitement and emotion of a March Madness tournament. It misses the adrenaline rush of your team's come-from-behind win, or the crushing disappointment of a close defeat. Not a sports fan? Have you ever read the Wikipedia summary of your favorite book or movie? "A wealthy man proposes against his better judgment to a girl who needs to marry well so her family won't be destitute. She dislikes him, though, and turns him down. But in the end, they happily marry!" Pride and Prejudice is one of the high points of Western culture, but told in summary, it sounds melodramatic and silly. Summaries can be useful, but they miss the essence of the thing. Like a good game or a good book or a good movie, you have to experience it. Why do Sonlight children beg their parents to keep reading? Why do Sonlight spouses start listening in? Why do Sonlight moms end the school year feeling soul-fed? Some things you have to experience. Sonlight is an experience, a lifestyle. I invite you to give Sonlight a try and discover a delightful way to learn, centered on love for the Lord, love of great stories, and innate curiosity. 2021-2022 School Year Grades: This year we are primarily focusing on 6th through the 12th grades. Dual Enrollment: With dual enrollment in a local public school, we will work with your children if they want to take advantage of their sports, choir, band, and other options. Schedule: The normal schedule is 9am – 2pm with an option to extend each day to 3pm if you want your child to participate in hands-on learning skills and teamwork. They will be exposed to janitorial work, and mechanical basics, woodworking, gardening - all with a sense that they are contributing to their educational cost by their labors. The school calendar is available on the web as well. 2021 - 2022 CONO SCHOOL CALENDAR Staff: Rebecca Gojda (Teacher, mentor) Becca is a licensed Iowa 6-12th grade teacher. She was born and raised in and around Augusta, Georgia. She has been a faithful and exciting part of our summer team at Cono for the last four summers and became a Walker resident last August 2020 after graduating from the University of Georgia in May 2020. rebecca.gojda@ridgehaven.org Paige Anderson (Teacher Assistant) Paige is married to Wallace Anderson, the Executive Director of Ridge Haven Brevard NC and Cono IA. Paige graduated from Wheaton College with a degree in Physical Education and Recreational Ministries. Paige homeschooled their three children through the 8th, 9th and 10th grades. All three earned advanced degrees; one in Education from Columbia University, one in Medicine from Mercer Medical School, and one a Master of Divinity from Erskine Seminary. paige@ridgehaven.org Hope Williams (Teacher Assistant) Hope and her husband Troy have lived the last eight years in Germany where Troy is a scout and manager for the New York Mets Baseball Organization. They have two children, Elijah (15) and Emme Kate (13) who will be attending RH Cono and dual enrolling at North Linn Community High School. Hope is an accomplished violinist and has worked in the German school system for 6 years. hope@ridgehaven.org Victoria Reinkoester (Consultant) Victoria taught at the original Cono Christian School and in the public school system for over 34 years. She is currently a Reading Interventionist at St. John’s, in Independence, Iowa. We are so pleased that she will continue this year as our teaching consultant. Vicki Syverson (Facility and School Manager) Vicki and Scott have lived at RH Cono for 16 years. All three of their children attended the original Cono Christian School since 1999 and are now a Commercial Pilot, student at Palmer College of Chiropractic, and one works in Production Logistics. vicki@ridgehaven.org Wallace Anderson MDiv, MA, MM, (Executive Director) Wallace has been with the Presbyterian Church in America for over 30 years working at Covenant Theological Seminary, their mission agency Mission to the World (MTW), and at Covenant College, before coming to Ridge Haven in 2009. wallace@ridgehaven.org Registration: According to Iowa law, parents need to sign up with their local school district stating that they will “homeschool” their kids this academic year. If you also want to have dual enrollment to take advantage of some of their offerings you should make that known to as your local school. This option is the “CPI Option 2 with Opt-In Reporting.” Parents will then assign their kids to our teachers at RH Cono to start classes with us. Tuition: If Registered by September 1st, 2021 · $50 per week (Two 16-week semesters) · 2nd child $35 per week · 3rd child $25 per week Please note due to some very generous donors, we have scholarships available. Questions or Comments: Please do not hesitate to contact us with your questions. You can contact us directly (above) or by emailing RHCono@ridgehaven.org To find out more about Cono Christian School offerings please reach out to us! CONTACT US Ready to Apply? APPLY NOW REGISTER FOR CAMP CAMPER LOGIN DONATE Subscribe to our mailing list Quick Links Cono Christian School COVID-19 Updates Camp Photos Camper Information Trail Map Online Reference Keenagers Summer Employment About Contact Staff Directions Missions Projects Donate Pray Community