A Warm Welcome to Branches & Vine Cottage School
I'm Jennifer Courlas, the Founder and Headmistress of Branches & Vine Cottage School.
Our B&V Team wishes to thank you for taking time to read about what God is doing in and through us here.
A wise Titus 2 mother and trusted homeschooling mentor placed a pivotal book in my (new mother's) hands in the late 1990s. For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay resonated deeply with me and I marked and highlighted paragraphs and pages until new copies were required. Mrs. Macaulay's summaries and Charlotte Mason's ideas about home, life, and a living education articulated everything I desired for my own three children ... and intuitively knew to be true.
I devoured additional resources like A Charlotte Mason Companion, by Karen Andreola; Dumbing Us Down, by John Taylor Gatto; Miss Mason's own six volumes entitled Home Education Series, and the plentiful articles and resources on the original Ambleside Online website.
My husband and I embarked on a homeschooling journey with two preschool girls (Julia and Katherine), our newborn son, Andrew ... and Miss Mason's life-giving principles and applications serving as our constant light along the path. We officially began with Ambleside Online Year 1 in the fall of 2001 and were among the early families reaping the benefits of the AO Advisory plans, preparations, and prayers. AmblesideOnline provided the trustworthy and much-loved CM resource framework through all our years of homeschooling (K to College - for all 3 children).
In the early 2000s, the Lord birthed a calling in our hearts ... one centered around launching a CM Cottage School someday. We began to read, pray, network, and take notes with a view to future possibilities. My eldest daughter, Julia, completed college in preparation for serving in a specifically CM-focused educational setting one day.
Twenty-two years of a truly beautiful and fruitful CM life and education behind us with our own ... and three adult children now flourishing in professional settings, we decided it was time to move forward with the CM cottage school vision the Lord had planted within us many years before. It was our desire to establish a reputable CM educational option in the Dayton region - characterized by affordability, accessibility, and academic excellence. Now as "seasoned" 50 year-olds ministering alongside our adult children and loving our little grands, we are passing the torch to the next generation of wonderful parents and educators in our region.
We prayed, God provided, and COVID-19 created community needs for children displaced by closed classrooms. With the help of our amazing support team, my daughter (Julia) and we launched and shaped this incredible educational "venture of faith." Branches & Vine Cottage School opened its doors in the fall of 2020. Branches & Vine exists as a 501(c)(3) ministry initiative of Calvary South Dayton.
Our B&V Team wishes to thank you for taking time to read about what God is doing in and through us here.
A wise Titus 2 mother and trusted homeschooling mentor placed a pivotal book in my (new mother's) hands in the late 1990s. For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay resonated deeply with me and I marked and highlighted paragraphs and pages until new copies were required. Mrs. Macaulay's summaries and Charlotte Mason's ideas about home, life, and a living education articulated everything I desired for my own three children ... and intuitively knew to be true.
I devoured additional resources like A Charlotte Mason Companion, by Karen Andreola; Dumbing Us Down, by John Taylor Gatto; Miss Mason's own six volumes entitled Home Education Series, and the plentiful articles and resources on the original Ambleside Online website.
My husband and I embarked on a homeschooling journey with two preschool girls (Julia and Katherine), our newborn son, Andrew ... and Miss Mason's life-giving principles and applications serving as our constant light along the path. We officially began with Ambleside Online Year 1 in the fall of 2001 and were among the early families reaping the benefits of the AO Advisory plans, preparations, and prayers. AmblesideOnline provided the trustworthy and much-loved CM resource framework through all our years of homeschooling (K to College - for all 3 children).
In the early 2000s, the Lord birthed a calling in our hearts ... one centered around launching a CM Cottage School someday. We began to read, pray, network, and take notes with a view to future possibilities. My eldest daughter, Julia, completed college in preparation for serving in a specifically CM-focused educational setting one day.
Twenty-two years of a truly beautiful and fruitful CM life and education behind us with our own ... and three adult children now flourishing in professional settings, we decided it was time to move forward with the CM cottage school vision the Lord had planted within us many years before. It was our desire to establish a reputable CM educational option in the Dayton region - characterized by affordability, accessibility, and academic excellence. Now as "seasoned" 50 year-olds ministering alongside our adult children and loving our little grands, we are passing the torch to the next generation of wonderful parents and educators in our region.
We prayed, God provided, and COVID-19 created community needs for children displaced by closed classrooms. With the help of our amazing support team, my daughter (Julia) and we launched and shaped this incredible educational "venture of faith." Branches & Vine Cottage School opened its doors in the fall of 2020. Branches & Vine exists as a 501(c)(3) ministry initiative of Calvary South Dayton.
The Lord impressed John 15 on our hearts and minds for the launch of this educational endeavor:
"I am the TRUE VINE, and My Father is the Vinedresser ... 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. If you abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love."
Thus, our cottage school was named with a nod to the lovely CM nature emphasis (referenced by branches, vines, soil types, and lovely fruit), and an inherent reminder that HE is the lifegiving Vine, we are the humble Branches ... and true academic, spiritual, and personal fruit is only produced when we ABIDE in Him, His Word, and His love.
It is our calling to come alongside families and educators who are desirous of spreading "the feast" for children and students from our surrounding Dayton communities. We affirm that strong parental partnerships alongside vibrant community-based learning opportunities with like-minded people provide richness and depth to "the feast."
Shakespeare plays, Nature Talks, recitations, age-old cottage school traditions, generous outdoor play and enjoyment with chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, "House" Competitions, delight-directed clubs, Poetry Tea Time, living books lending library, Latin classes and games, handicrafts, singing, and folk dancing, group gardening projects, class discussions and presentations, speeches, nurturing deepening relationships with living books, living ideas, and living things alongside memorable relationships with teachers and friends ... are among the many ways we experience the wonder and delight of a wide feast at Branches & Vine.
Aside from Miss Mason's own volumes and Parents' Review articles, Branches & Vine primarily adheres to the Charlotte Mason philosophies and methods as expressed in the following guiding resources:
1) For the Children's Sake, by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay
2) In Vital Harmony, by Karen Glass
3) Know & Tell: The Art of Narration, by Karen Glass
4) Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition, by Karen Glass
My prayer is to see a thriving and authentic CM culture and community in the South Dayton areas comprised of invested families and educators.
I'd love to speak with you in order to answer any questions you may have!
Mrs. Jennifer Courlas
"I am the TRUE VINE, and My Father is the Vinedresser ... 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. If you abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love."
Thus, our cottage school was named with a nod to the lovely CM nature emphasis (referenced by branches, vines, soil types, and lovely fruit), and an inherent reminder that HE is the lifegiving Vine, we are the humble Branches ... and true academic, spiritual, and personal fruit is only produced when we ABIDE in Him, His Word, and His love.
It is our calling to come alongside families and educators who are desirous of spreading "the feast" for children and students from our surrounding Dayton communities. We affirm that strong parental partnerships alongside vibrant community-based learning opportunities with like-minded people provide richness and depth to "the feast."
Shakespeare plays, Nature Talks, recitations, age-old cottage school traditions, generous outdoor play and enjoyment with chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, "House" Competitions, delight-directed clubs, Poetry Tea Time, living books lending library, Latin classes and games, handicrafts, singing, and folk dancing, group gardening projects, class discussions and presentations, speeches, nurturing deepening relationships with living books, living ideas, and living things alongside memorable relationships with teachers and friends ... are among the many ways we experience the wonder and delight of a wide feast at Branches & Vine.
Aside from Miss Mason's own volumes and Parents' Review articles, Branches & Vine primarily adheres to the Charlotte Mason philosophies and methods as expressed in the following guiding resources:
1) For the Children's Sake, by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay
2) In Vital Harmony, by Karen Glass
3) Know & Tell: The Art of Narration, by Karen Glass
4) Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition, by Karen Glass
My prayer is to see a thriving and authentic CM culture and community in the South Dayton areas comprised of invested families and educators.
I'd love to speak with you in order to answer any questions you may have!
Mrs. Jennifer Courlas
Jennifer was born not far from Toronto, Canada (in the extraordinary city of Stratford ... known for its world class Stratford Festival - North America's largest Shakespeare theatre company). She left for college in the United States (Georgia), graduated, and married her college sweetheart, Peter, in 1993. Peter and Jennifer have spent the majority of their married life in vocational ministry in Ohio, Western New York, and Ontario - now church planting within the Calvary Chapel model (calvarychapel.com) in Dayton, Ohio.
Jennifer holds a Bachelor's degree: Piano Performance (magna cum laude), with minors in English and Theology. She is also certified with the Royal Conservatory of Music (First Class Honors Piano) and has been active as a homeschooling mother (22 years of consistent CM/classical education), staff worship director at multiple churches, staff children's ministry director, English tutor to students living in China, and busy freelance musician and accompanist. She is currently finishing her Master's degree in Educational Leadership.
Additionally, Jennifer has 36 years of hands-on music education experience teaching in private piano/violin studios, community arts music schools and programs, and various homeschool co-ops, leading local choral and instrumental ensembles, building and leading a multi-faceted church worship arts program, and investing in the lives of her beloved students.
She is a grateful pastor's wife and home-maker, women's inductive Bible study teacher, Earl Grey tea-drinker, dog-walker, J.S. Bach-player, Great Books reader, Charlotte Mason admirer, and humble door-keeper in the courts of the KING (Psalm 84).
Email Jennifer: [email protected]
Jennifer holds a Bachelor's degree: Piano Performance (magna cum laude), with minors in English and Theology. She is also certified with the Royal Conservatory of Music (First Class Honors Piano) and has been active as a homeschooling mother (22 years of consistent CM/classical education), staff worship director at multiple churches, staff children's ministry director, English tutor to students living in China, and busy freelance musician and accompanist. She is currently finishing her Master's degree in Educational Leadership.
Additionally, Jennifer has 36 years of hands-on music education experience teaching in private piano/violin studios, community arts music schools and programs, and various homeschool co-ops, leading local choral and instrumental ensembles, building and leading a multi-faceted church worship arts program, and investing in the lives of her beloved students.
She is a grateful pastor's wife and home-maker, women's inductive Bible study teacher, Earl Grey tea-drinker, dog-walker, J.S. Bach-player, Great Books reader, Charlotte Mason admirer, and humble door-keeper in the courts of the KING (Psalm 84).
Email Jennifer: [email protected]
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 classically-based 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.
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Branches & Vine Cottage School is a four-day classically-based Charlotte Mason Cottage School walking alongside families in Dayton, Ohio.
Abiding in Christ and His Word, aligning with Charlotte Mason’s principles, and partnering with parents, we spread a rich and varied feast of a life-giving education (Philippians 4:8) through three-fold knowledge with deepening relationships (God, humanity, universe). Our three instruments of education are: atmosphere (moral, intellectual, and social climate), discipline (habit formation), and life (relational, delightful living amplified by living ideas). This is to be used by the Holy Spirit in transforming students to genuinely love the Lord and others, lead gracious and grateful lives shaped by true knowledge, understanding, and wisdom; and bear much fruit for the glory of God. (John 15:1-11, Phil 4:8; Deut 6:4-9 & Mark 12:29-31; Eph 3:16-19; Col 1:9-11; Prov 24:3-4) |
“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
HOURS 8:10am to 3:10pm CONTACT [email protected] A 501c3 educational ministry initiative of Calvary South Dayton |