Shepherd Christian School
California Based Private School Satellite Program Grades K-12
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About Us
What is a Private School Satellite Program?
Private schools operate under the provision of the California Education Code, section 48222, and in accordance with this code, Shepherd Christian School files a Private School Affidavit with the state of California each year. Therefore, SCS is essentially a private school without a campus, offering private school enrollment, record keeping accountability, and educational guidance, while allowing each individual family to tailor their educational program as the see fit, within school policy guidelines.
How Does Shepherd Christian School Operate?
Shepherd Christian School assists parents in complying with the minimal guidelines set forth for all private schools in California regarding academic instruction and record keeping. We offer an organized system of academic planning, monthly reporting, and progress evaluations, while allowing for family individuality in scheduling and curriculum choice. The administrator is available to offer personalized guidance to member families and especially caters to the beginning homeschooler. In consideration of the busy family, requirements are kept to a minimum. In the K-8 Program, with the exception of the mid-August Orientation Meeting, all reporting is done through the mail. In the High School Program, parents meet with the administrator three times per school year for planning, with the balance of the reporting done by mail. Additional consultations for the purpose of curriculum counseling or organizational assistance are available if desired.
Out-of-State Members
Since SCS operates primarily through the mail, we are able to accommodate families from anywhere in the country. We have had member families in several different states as well as all over California! If you are considering enrollment and are out of state, check with Home School Legal Defense Association to find out your state's laws regarding out-of-state programs. Californians must enroll in California-based private schools.
Does SCS Offer Support Activities?
Shepherd Christian School may offer occasional field trips or get-togethers to our families at different times throughout the school year. All activities are parent participation with no drop-off activities available. SCS does not provide any group classes.
Our Philosophy of Education
We believe parents have a God-given responsibility to properly direct the needs of their children spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically (Deut. 6:6-9, 11:19, Prov. 22:6, Eph. 6:4). It is their right under God and under the Constitution of the United States to choose the best method of providing for each of these needs, including their child’s formal education.
In the home environment, parents are able to tailor each child’s academic program to meet his individual needs and learning style while providing the most effective teaching method – one-to-one tutoring. With this method, parents can continuously monitor each child’s pace in each subject, without stressful competition or unnecessary pressure.
The flexibility of the homeschool environment allows for and encourages learning through creative exploration and natural discovery, which builds self-confidence and individual thinking rather than peer dependence. With flexible scheduling and efficient use of time, the homeschooled child can take advantage of many extra-curricular enrichment experiences to develop his full academic potential.
Home education also encourages valuable social interaction with people of all ages, in the home and in the community. This helps the child to learn to relate well to people outside his own peer group, thus enhancing healthy social development.
Above all, by educating their children at home, parents are able to provide the Biblical teaching that will allow them to grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and to pursue godliness of character and action (2 Tim. 3:15-17). A loving family environment can provide the nurturing necessary to promote traditional morals, Christian values, patriotism, and a Christian worldview, enabling children to lead God-honoring, fruitful lives.
We believe parents who choose to home educate have a deep responsibility to the Lord and to their children to exercise all diligence and wisdom in their efforts (Col. 3:23-24), knowing they will ultimately answer to the authority of the Almighty God. We also believe parents whom the Lord convicts to home educate for His glory have the God-given ability to do so, as they trust and rely on His daily provision and guidance (Matt. 6:33).
Our Statement of Faith
We believe the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed.
We believe there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, His virgin birth in the flesh, His sinless life, His miracles, our redemption through His atoning death and shed blood, His bodily resurrection from the grave, His ascension into heaven, His present ministry of intercession and advocacy for the saved, and His personal return
in power and glory.
We believe the Holy Spirit is a divine person, proceeding from the Father and the Son and is therefore eternal, and of the same essence, majesty, and glory with the Father and the Son. We believe, therefore, that the Holy Spirit is truly God.
We believe Salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins.
We believe in that “Blessed Hope”, the personal and imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones, and His subsequent return to earth with the saints to establish His kingdom.
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all people, the saved to eternal life with God and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment.
This Statement of Faith reflects the beliefs of the administrators. Its purpose is to provide an understanding of the foundation on which our school operates.