Branches & Vine Cottage School
  • Home
  • ABOUT US
    • Welcome From the Director
    • Teaching Opportunities
    • B&V Distinctives
    • TRUEVINECM Network
    • Calvary South Dayton
  • ADMISSIONS
    • 4-Day/3-Day/2-Day/Half-Day Options
    • 2022-23 FEES
    • Enrollment Steps & Interest Form
    • Application Form
  • LIVING CURRICULUM
  • WHY CHOOSE US (& WHY NOT TO)
  • RESOURCES
    • 2021-22 Calendar
    • Parents' Required Reading List
    • B&V Timetables Sample
    • CM's 20 Principles
    • Habit Formation
    • AmblesideOnline
    • The New Mason Jar Podcast
    • A Delectable Education Podcast
    • The Literary Life Podcast
    • Wish List

If you desire a life-giving learning community where days are filled with wonder & delight ... WE ARE HERE TO COME ALONGSIDE YOU!


If you're eager for a high-quality private Christian education with affordable rates and resource fees ... WE ARE HERE TO COME ALONGSIDE YOU!


If you have a morning homeschool curriculum but desire
additional enrichment and group learning opportunities ...
​
WE ARE HERE TO COME ALONGSIDE YOU!

Nurturing the whole person through spreading "the feast" of awakening ideas, and forming good habits of thought & life.

Our B&V roster is now full for the 2022-2023 academic year. If you would like to apply for a spot on our 2022-2023 Wait List, ​fill out a Contact Form


Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, ​a life ... and a science of relations.
- Charlotte Mason

WEEKLY SCHEDULE
In-Session Options: Mondays-Thursdays
New for Fall 2022 - 2-Day, 3-Day or 4-Day Option!

​FORMS

*British "forms" allow for a broader window of academic, social, and spiritual growth
​

Woodland Friends
Form I - ages 6-9 (roughly gr. 1-3)
Form II - ages 9-12 (roughly gr. 4-6)
Form III - ages 12-14 (roughly gr. 7-8)
Form IV - ages 14-15 (roughly gr. 9)
Form V - ages 16-18 (gr. 10-12)
School of Ministry Internship (gap year; year 12)

​
HOURS
Cottage Students Full Day:
8:15AM - 3:00PM

Clubs & Electives: 3:00PM to 3:45PM


Enrichment Half-Day Students:
12:00PM - 3:30PM
(*11:15AM for those who wish to join us for lunch!)

We have a 5 acre country-like campus with a chicken coop, gardens, rabbits, guinea pigs, aquariums, climbing trees, and a lovely green space that facilitates generous outdoor exploration and play. We are easily accessible (just four minutes off I-75) in South Dayton, close to many amenities.
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""Let us try, however imperfectly, to make education a science of relationships - in other words, try in one subject or another to let the children work upon living ideas. In this field small efforts are honored with great rewards, and we perceive that the education we are giving exceeds all that we intended or imagined."
~ Charlotte Mason

2021-2022 Spring Shakespeare Season

Branches & Vine Mission

Guided by the Word of God, in partnership with parents, and informed by Charlotte Mason principles, we spread the feast of a "life-giving education" (living books, living ideas, living things) reflective of truth, goodness, and beauty, through three-fold knowledge (Triune God, man, universe), understanding (depth of
relations) and wisdom (good habits of thought and life) to be used by the Holy Spirit to transform students (Branches) in loving, serving, and abiding in Christ (True Vine). John 15:1-15​

Branches & Vine Motto

I AM a child of God
I CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens me 
I OUGHT to do my duty to God and others
​I WILL choose the right

Branches & Vine Methods

At Branches & Vine, we honor the child's dignity as a whole person designed in God's image and for His glory.

Our educational approach nourishes the whole person with first-hand exposure to great and noble ideas through: "living books" in every subject, timeless literature and poetry, treasured handicrafts, Shakespeare plays, inspiring art, beautiful music, biblical worldview conversations, structured maths and sciences, Latin, Greek and classical studies, generous nature exploration, piano and violin study.

We believe life-giving education possesses "depth of relations" through a three-fold framework: "knowledge of God," "knowledge of man," and "knowledge of the universe." We help students build deepening relationships with God and His Word; with people from various eras, places, and cultures; and with nature and daily outdoor life, geography, and the sciences.

"Narrating" (retelling) from living books teaches students to reflect upon, order, digest, and graciously communicate vital ideas.

Chronological history comes alive through well-written books, source documents, captivating biographies, and literature selections which illuminate the era.

Focused attention at short, varied lessons keeps students' minds fresh, leaving free time for exploration of nature, personal interests, and life skills.

English skills develop beautifully through "copywork" (transcribing a portion of quality literature), and "dictation" of familiar passages. Memorization and "recitation" are approached, not as tools for repeating facts, but to give children rich words to ponder for a lifetime.

Instead of dry worksheets, students design and develop cherished "living notebooks" including: Book of Centuries (master timeline), Commonplace Book (literary quotations), Nature Notebook (observational sketches, paintings, and notes), Copybook (Scripture, poetry, and literature selections), Scripture Notebook (Bible readings, lists, and "lessons for life") ... among other notebook keep-sakes that take shape through the years.

​Our teachers/tutors direct the course of study, but students assume personal responsibility for their own learning. We are neither teacher-driven, nor student-centered. The primary agents of learning are living books, living ideas, and living things.

​​We seize every opportunity to experience wonder and delight. It is our desire to ignite a love of learning for a lifetime.

​Along with intentional "habit formation," students appropriate knowledge, understanding, and wisdom into a life reflective of truth, goodness, and beauty for His glory.
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Would your child thrive in our whole-hearted learning community?

STUDENTS FLOURISHING THROUGH ...
A REFRESHING ATMOSPHERE
GOOD HABITS OF THOUGHT & LIFE
A GENEROUS FEAST OF LIVING BOOKS, LIVING IDEAS & LIVING THINGS
APPLY TO BRANCHES & VINE COTTAGE SCHOOL WAIT LIST FOR FALL 2022!
All applicants and BVCS parents are expected to have read: For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay and In Vital Harmony by Karen Glass. Our families must be supportive of Charlotte Mason principles and methods to ensure that your hopes for your children resonate with our vision and priorities for B&V, and are in keeping with the philosophical distinctives of our work.
INFO@BVCOTTAGESCHOOL.COM
​(937) 618 3030
​
3150 W ALEX BELL
​LIVING CURRICULUM
OUR DISTINCTIVES
ENROLLMENT STEPS
​APPLICATION FORM
​RETURNING STUDENT REGISTRATION FORM

Branches & Vine Cottage School is a classical Charlotte Mason Cottage School (homeschool hybrid) walking alongside families located in Dayton, Ohio.

Guided by the Word, and informed by Charlotte Mason principles, we spread the feast of a “life-giving education” (living books, living ideas, living things) through three-fold knowledge (God, man, universe) with depth of relations and habits of thought & life, to be used by the Holy Spirit to transform students (Branches) in loving, serving, and abiding in Christ (True Vine).
“I am the VINE, you are the BRANCHES. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." John 15:5

​​

The Cottage School Branch of our TRUE VINE CM NETWORK
An educational ministry initiative of Calvary South Dayton
  • Home
  • ABOUT US
    • Welcome From the Director
    • Teaching Opportunities
    • B&V Distinctives
    • TRUEVINECM Network
    • Calvary South Dayton
  • ADMISSIONS
    • 4-Day/3-Day/2-Day/Half-Day Options
    • 2022-23 FEES
    • Enrollment Steps & Interest Form
    • Application Form
  • LIVING CURRICULUM
  • WHY CHOOSE US (& WHY NOT TO)
  • RESOURCES
    • 2021-22 Calendar
    • Parents' Required Reading List
    • B&V Timetables Sample
    • CM's 20 Principles
    • Habit Formation
    • AmblesideOnline
    • The New Mason Jar Podcast
    • A Delectable Education Podcast
    • The Literary Life Podcast
    • Wish List