About Fireside
Mission Statement
It is the purpose and mission of Fireside Academy Community Co-op to provide homeschooling families and families of cyber-educated students opportunities to participate in cooperative, enriching, group learning experiences. It is the aim of Fireside Academy to keep the natural love of learning alive by offering engaging learning experiences in the sciences, mathematics, language arts, foreign languages, fine arts, history, social studies and physical education and other special interest subjects. We believe that it is important to create a learning environment that acknowledges differences in learning styles, nurtures a student's self esteem and embraces students from all denominations, races, and sectors of life.
Philosophy
Fireside Academy operates under the premise that learning is a gift with its own intrinsic rewards. We believe that learning flourishes when students are given opportunities to become involved in the process of their own education. We believe that it is important for students to interact with enthusiastic, knowledgeable, respectful facilitators in a friendly, non-threatening social environment. Learning fostered through a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect allows students the freedom to explore and expand their boundaries without the fear of making mistakes.
Non-Discriminatory Policy
The Fireside Academy Community Co-op admits students of any sex, race, color, national, or ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities made available to students in the program. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in the administration of policies, or any program-administered events, activities or classes.
About the Teachers:
We are a diverse and experienced group, to be certain! The following are a few brief bios of our board, all who are also teachers committed to this venture. All have prior experience teaching classes within the homeschooling community, with many having classroom experience in traditional settings as well.
Angela Landis, Director and Teacher
Angela completed a dual major in anthropology and psychology at Temple University. A mother of two, she is finishing her eleventh year of homeschooling. Before children, she had worked as the operations manager for a large furniture store, developing the organizational skills necessary to run a homeschool co-op. She has a great passion for all writing, social sciences and nature study, and enjoys teaching those classes to children, as well as sharing her knowledge of crafts in enrichment classes.
Laurel Wenson-Board Member and Teacher
Laurel has a bachelor's degree in Human Services from Fitchburg State College. She worked for many years in the field of recreational therapy. Through her life she has been involved in musical theater and choral groups as both accompanist and director. She is in her fifth year of homeschooling her two children. Laurel is a diverse teacher who creates much of her own material, and teaches classes in theater, fine arts, music, chorus, English and geography.
Julia Six- Board Member and Teacher
Julia has a B.A. In Liberal Arts from Thomas Aquinas College. She has taught a variety of subjects at a private school, has been a private tutor and has taught homeschool classes in the past. She promotes classical education because its goal is the formation of the mind, not simply the accumulation of information. She has been homeschooling for 19 years, and is the mother of nine children. She shares her unique gifts by teaching Latin, logic, mathematics and science for homeschooled students.
Ken Gotsch-Board Member and Teacher
Ken received his education at Essex Community College and Towson State University. He was previously employed as a test engineer for Motorola, but is currently a full-time homeschooling dad. He and his wife Patty have been homeschooling their children for ten years. Ken currently shares his love and knowledge of mathematics by teaching upper level courses to middle and high school students.
Dr. Patricia Gotsch- Planning Committee and Teacher
Patty holds a B.S. In Biology from Loyola College and her M.D. From Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice. Patty practiced rural family medicine with obstetrics in Maryland for 11 years before relocating to Bethlehem in 2005 to join the faculty at St. Luke's Hospital Family Medicine Residency program. She and her husband Ken have been homeschooling their family for ten years. Patty currently shares her afternoons teaching upper level science to middle and high school students.
Patricia Mahaney- Board Member and Teacher
Patti has a M.ED in Special Education from William Paterson University and holds two teaching certifications in elementary and special education. This is her twenty-fifth year of teaching professionally, and for the last fifteen she years she has been a home-bound tutor for a local school district. She has now settled contentedly into homeschooling providing her services as an educational consultant , workshop speaker, and co-op teacher. She is in her seventh year of homeschooling, and has taught classes in public speaking, study skills, government and career exploration.
Julie Minor-Board Member and Teacher
Julie has a B.A. In Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, and Special Education from the College of St. Elizabeth in New Jersey. She has experience as a preschool teacher and elementary age substitute in Easton area Catholic schools. Julie is in her sixth year of homeschooling, and will be bringing her special talents to a variety of early and middle elementary classes.
Kimberly Pinsak – Art Teacher
Kimberly received her education at County College of Morris and Kean University. In addition to her Liberal Arts degree, Kimberly has studied painting under an independent instructor, and operated a small business as a Muralist. Additionally, she has 16 years background as a pre-school Teacher. As well as home schooling her son, she is employed at The Carpenters Community Church as Director of Children’s Ministries.
Chrisann Lewert – Teacher
Chrisann has attended Harcum Jr College for Fashion Design & Merchandising and has had a strong, foundational background in sewing, crafts, cooking and baking for many years, learning through schools, personal knowledge & from her Mother & Grandmother. She has received her Certification to Teach from International Correspondence School while presently taking classes for Dietetics & Nutrition through Ashworth University. She is First Aid/CPR Certified, having been trained as an at-home nurse for three years tending to the healthcare needs of her husband & diabetic mom. She has learned great leadership and organizational skills and other talents as a Preschool Teacher/Supervisor, Sunday School & VBS Teacher and Crossing Guard. She has been a Girl Scout Leader for twelve years and a summer Camp Counselor for three years. She has been homeschooling her two children for six years. Chrisann enjoys teaching & sharing her love for learning and enrichment with children and others through her creative talents and charisma for life.
Salli Wood – Teacher
Salli received her B.A. in Biology from Carleton College and earned a PhD from Cornell University in Biochemistry, Molecular, and Cell Biology. She has done research at Rice University and taught at Union College. She has been homeschooling her two daughters for six years and has led Odyssey of the Mind groups for homeschoolers for three years .
Dave Blaine – Sports
Dave has coached youth sports for 15 years for White Township. He is certified for baseball and soccer through National Youth Sports Coaches Association, and is working at getting certified for basketball. He is a U16 FIFA certified soccer referee. Dave and his wife have been homeschooling their four children for many years, and already have two homeschool graduates.
Additional staff bios to follow....