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Homeschooling Support Center

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Certified Support for Homeschool Programs



Glenwood Country Day School is an organization dedicated to creating and maintaining a safe and nurturing environment while offering support, information, and resources to families who choose to educate their children at home.

Our Homeschooling Support Center is a nonpublic school that holds a Certificate of Approval from the Maryland State Board of Education. Our Homeschool Division is registered with the Maryland State Department of Education to supervise home instruction under Regulation .05 of the home instruction regulations, COMAR 13.A.10.1 HOME INSTRUCTION.

Focuses

Program Validation

Resources & Support

Accreditation

Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.

O. Fred Donaldson

Applying
Overview
Our Duties
  1. Submit Registration Form. Once received, the program director will contact parent for an intake telephone consultation.
  2. Contact your local school system 15 days in advance before beginning home instruction. The required Consent Form must be obtained from the local school system. The form provides a space to indicate if a non-public school will supervise the home instruction.
  3. New Family Enrollment in Person Conference conducted with the Director of Homeschooling, Mrs. Stradling.

The General Regulation state that instruction should be provided in subjects “usually taught in the Public schools to students of the same age” and should include “English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Art, Music, Health, and Physical Education”. The K-8 program includes developmentally appropriate instruction in every area. In grades 6-8, instruction in Art, Music, Health, Physical Education, and Technology Education is nine weeks in duration. The 9-12 program includes six or more credits of instruction per year toward the Maryland High School graduation requirements. (One credit is equal to an hour of daily instruction for a full school year.)

The Maryland High School graduation requirements include as a minimum:

  • 4 credits: English
  • 3 credits: Math (1 credit must be in algebra and 1 credit must be in geometry)
  • 3 credits: Science (1 credit must be in Biology)
  • 3 credits: Social Studies (US History, American Government, World History)
  • 1 credit: Fine Arts (Dance Drama, Visual Arts, or Music)
  • 1 credit: Technology Education
  • 1 credit: Physical Education/Health
  • 2 additional credits: Advanced Technology Education or Foreign Language

Glenwood Country Day School’s Responsibilities:

  • To provide oversight services in accordance with the Maryland Home Instruction COMAR 13.A.10.01
  • GCDS shall report on an annual basis, all enrollments and withdrawals to the county of residence of each GCDS family.
  • GCDS shall make available enrollment conferences for all newly-enrolled families and three reviews for all enrolled families. (Nov., Feb., May) Each review costs $100.00
  • The Director of Homeschooling, Mrs. Stradling, will discuss at the first conference what textbooks, lesson materials, and other instructional materials are suggested to be used independently by the student. Conference fee: $100.00
  • An optional educational assessment of the student can be conducted by Mrs. Stradling before homeschooling begins. Cost is determined by the number of tests given.

Application & Important Forms

1

Portfolio Guidelines

General Homeschooling Guidelines
Download Guidelines.

2

Portfolio Review Form

Complete the review form and bring it to the portfolio meeting.
Download Portfolio Review

3

Registration Form

Homeschooling Registration Form.
Download Registration Form

4

Homeschooling Notification

Download and complete the Homeschooling Notification and send the form to HCPSS in Ellicott City, MD
Download Notification Form

5

COMAR Instruction & Regulations

The COMAR regulation is to establish that a homeschool child is receiving regular, thorough instruction during the school year. Download this form to learn more about Maryland COMAR Regulations.
Download CORMAR Regulations PDF

  • Mrs. Poland, We really appreciate you taking the time yesterday on a holiday to meet Parker! Thank you again for the thoughtful transition. Susan
  • Mrs. Poland, The boys had a really good summer. You all did such a great job with selecting amazing camp counselors, coordinating everything, and just ensuring they all had a safe summer. Thank you, Mikella
  • Mrs. Poland, I got a phone call from Sam right after his assessment and he was all smiles and happiness. I couldn't be more relieved. What a complete 180 from getting him out the door to go. I could not be more grateful and relieved that it ended up being a positive experience for him. Thank you!!!! See you next week at the open house! :) Kristen
  • Hi Mrs. Poland, I just wanted to say thank you for a great summer. It was Mads' first time at Glenwood and he loved it! We look forward to returning next summer. Have a great year! Danielle
  • I read to these friends every Tuesday and they are the most polite, caring and attentive children for this age group that I have ever worked with. Jeannie
  • Love the place, they treat my kids like family. Nick
  • When Mrs. Poland gave me a tour of GCDS, I felt like she was the owner of the school. Her compassion shown through. Beth
  • Being a resident of Columbia, it was refreshing to place my child at Summer Adventures Camp. Lee
  • It was refreshing to have my child at Summer Adventures Camp on 40 wooded acres. Jonathan
  • Having a class size of only 6 is why my child goes to GCDS. Jennifer
  • We want to thank you for your hard work in creating engaging lessons and meeting with students every day. As a teacher, I know how difficult it is to facilitate meaningful interaction with students in the current circumstances. Evelyn looks forward to circle time and loves watching your videos every day. Scott and Katherine
  • I've said it before to Mrs. Poland, but I'll say it again...my kids LOVE camp. I asked Ollie all kinds of questions on Saturday about it and he was getting very excited about everything he was telling me. He loves lunch outside. He also told me this weekend that he hurt his leg, but it was ok, Mrs. Harp would clean it and make it better at camp. Vivian usually dreads the idea of swim lessons, but because of camp, she thinks maybe she could handle swim lessons, and when I ask her if there is anything she doesn't like at camp, she told me she likes everything! Thank you for all of your hard work! Katie
  • I can't believe we're already signing up for the last week :( We are all so sad to see camp ending after next week. The kids really enjoyed it - they loved the activities and their teachers. Thanks for putting on a great camp, especially considering the pandemic! Erin
  • Ms. Poland, Following up with you via email after our parent/teacher conference last night. We want to thank you and the entire staff at Glenwood Country Day School (GCDS) for enduring the risk of the current pandemic by providing in-person education to our daughter. This summer, she was a rising Kindergarten student with learning delays with her speech. The virtual experience of the Spring of 2020 turned her off from learning and we saw her regress. We made the decision to enroll her in GCDS's Kindergarten program in the Fall of 2020 and it was the best decision we ever made. Our little girl, who was struggling with learning and turned off from the concept of online school, is now flourishing. Every day she is excited to go to school and most importantly her learning and comprehension is on par with other Kindergarten students. The other night, she read a sight word book to us and the look of pure joy and satisfaction on her face was something we will never forget. We are tremendously grateful to you and the rest of the GCDS staff for helping our daughter find her confidence and desire to learn. With many thanks, Matt & Tess Wiley Matt and Tess
  • Thank you for an amazing school year- the kids had a blast and learned so much! You guys are really awesome! Kristen
  • Thank you GCDS! When all other schools were virtual or hybrid this year, you made the courageous decision to go fully in person 5 days a week! And we made it through a whole school year with no COVID closings! On behalf of all working parents, THANK YOU!!!!! Darren
  • Hi Mrs. Poland, I wanted to let you know we are going to get a head start on our traveling for the 4th of July weekend. So the boys will not be at camp on Friday. I want to thank you & everyone at the camp! The boys are having a BLAST and we will definitely be back next summer!!! Stay cool, Kelly
  • Thanks to you and your great staff for once again doing a great job keeping our kids engaged and safe. Darren
  • Hi Mrs. Poland, My son had a great experience at Glenwood Country Day Camp this summer. It was his first summer at the camp and he didn't know anyone. After the first day, he felt very comfortable and met lots of friends. He enjoyed swimming, crafts, and field time. He can't wait to come back next summer and I'm looking forward to my youngest child being able to enjoy camp at Glenwood as well! Thank you! Kori
  • Just a quick note to let you know how much my son is enjoying camp this week. When I picked him up on Tuesday, I asked him how his day was and he replied that it "was the best day ever." I learned that his best buddy (also a camper) told his mom the same thing that afternoon! Yet, when I picked my son up yesterday and asked him the same question, he answered that his day "was even better than yesterday". You all must be doing something right to keep these 7 year old's so happy! Thanks and keep up the good work, Beth
  • Hi Mrs. Poland, We're all sad that the kids are missing their last day this summer at Glenwood. I wanted to thank you for everything this summer, specifically for your help in making sure Clark's camp experience ended on a good note. We hope you have a great rest of the summer and we hope to see you again next year. Thanks again! Kori
  • Madison ranked her teachers… Kindergarten= 9/10 First=9/10 I asked her what a 10 was and she said. Mr. Dameon! Kara