Berrien Bookshark Parent Driven, School Supported
Want to create or maintain a school environment at home but are overwhelmed by choices or don't know where to start? Is the cost of curriculum a barrier to your desire to educate your children at home? Is 100% virtual school not the best option for your family? Welcome to Berrien BookShark, provider of free BookShark curriculum in Berrien County and beyond.
Berrien BookShark fills the need for those who desire a more parent-led, traditional feel to their child's education or have found that 100% online school is not the solution for their family.
Berrien BookShark is a free, full-time, accredited K-5 ('22-'23 school year) program that is parent-led, yet teacher-supported as needed. The curriculum is based on classic books and traditional learning methods, combined with online accountability and testing components. Content is approximately 75% reading and hands-on, 25% online. BookShark students may take 2 Partnership electives (see options on the Classes page).
Basic Program Details
- K-8, full traditional school year
- Classic literature with real textbooks, novels, workbooks and manipulatives with online assessments and reporting
- All core curriculum provided, including Handwriting, with parental choice of vendor for Math
- Flexible Language Arts choices for students wanting a greater challenge and more reading material
- Placement testing if desired or recommended
- Registration assistance by Berrien BookShark Coordinator to help customize curriculum to each student's needs
- Parent-graded work and tests, online submission with weekly certified teacher support and grading as needed
- Each family is assigned to a mentor teacher for grading and content support as needed as well as weekly contacts for electives
- Special education evaluation and support as needed
- 2 Partnership electives included per semester (Fall and Spring) See PBL Electives in Classes tab
- Available to families in Berrien, Cass and VanBuren counties
Registration Process
- Contact Amy Scott, BookShark Coordinator for more information: ascott@shamrocks.us
- If you are interested in more details, seeing the curriculum in person, reviewing the material and asking specific questions for your family situation, Amy will schedule a meeting with you in order to make sure this is the best fit for everyone.
- Amy will order materials based on your preferences. Registration will be online as a full-time student in the BookShark program of the Virtual Academy. BSPS full-time student enrollment paperwork and supporting documents (birth certificate, immunization record, etc.) will be required. See the FAQ link for more details.
