Mission

The mission of the Tampa Bay Catholic Schoolhouse Chapter is to serve as a ministry for homeschool families and grow in our Catholic faith by providing our students with a safe and nurturing environment that promotes Catholic values and academic excellence by placing Christ at the center of all learning and striving to encourage each other in our own unique paths to homeschool.

Vision Statement

To grow in our faith and knowledge and evolve into the finest schoolhouse for serving the needs of our Catholic homeschool families throughout the Tampa Bay Area.  Co-teaching with our parents as partners and providing a stimulating educational climate that strives for academic excellence. We strive to inspire students through the teachings and the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church by living the Gospel message of love, mercy, and compassion.

Our Parents and Students

We have students ranging from Pre-Grammar (preschool) to Grammar Level (elementary) to include Upper Level Dialectic (middle school) and Rhetoric (high school) students.  Many of the families commute from throughout the Tampa Bay Area to meet three Friday’s a month for classes.  

A Typical Schoolhouse Day

We start our day with Mass at 8:00 for those who are able to get there with their families.

At 9:00 am co-op begins.  Students start the day in their individual classrooms as one of our parent volunteers graciously makes coffee!

From 9:00 to 12:15 the students are in class and follow their assigned schedule: 

• Grammar tutors use the Tour Guide (memory items) to introduce the children to the weekly topics with a variety of fun activities, songs, writing, drawing, stories, and games. During this time the children learn to raise their hands, take turns, and address one another respectfully. The topics introduced provide a framework and great springboards for further study at home as well as hooks on which the students hang future learning. Grammar students participate in additional Science and Art classes during the day.

• The Upper Level (Dialectic and Rhetoric) students follow the same general sequence as the Tour Guide, with a deeper scope. This is accomplished through relevant book discussions, Socratic seminars, memorized speech selections, and writing assignments that grow students’ communication skills in a fun, interactive environment.  Additionally field trips, and discussions around the dinner table can continue to include the entire family. We also have an opportunity to provide Rhetoric students with high school credit by providing additional studies in Economics and other related subjects.

At 12:15 all students and parents meet outside for announcements and the Angelus prior to dismissal.  We traditionally meet at the local park at 1:00pm for additional fellowship and an opportunity for the students to run and play.