How do I contact Memoria Academy?

Director: Mr. Paul Schaeffer
Assistant Director: Mr. Mitchell Holley
Administrative Assistant: Ms. Jessica Gardner

Toll-Free: (502) 855-4838
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: 8:00am – 5:00pm Eastern

What is the Refund/Drop Policy?

Due to busy schedules and potential conflicts, some people may find that they have to drop a class. All drop requests must be received via a refund or exchange request on your student account at www.memoriaacademy.com/my-account.

Drop Policy: Once registration opens for the school year, if it is necessary to drop a course, there is a $25 drop fee per summer course, $50 per semester course, and a $75 drop fee per full-year course. The drop fee will always be assessed per course and covers administrative costs. You will receive a full refund minus the drop fee.

A student is allowed to attend two weeks of class and if he or she needs to drop the course only the drop fee will be assessed. After two weeks, no refunds will be issued. If a student registers mid-year or some other time during the school year, the student/family still has two weeks within which the course may be dropped with a refund, minus the drop fee.

Transfers: Memoria Academy handles transfers through the “Transfer” functionality in the student account at www.memoriaacademy.com/my-account. Upon requesting to transfer to a different course or different section of the same course, the administrators will either approve or cancel the request. You will be notified by email. Any difference in price will be either refunded or paid once the exchange is approved. Requests to transfer from one course to another must be submitted within the drop/refund period.

2023-24 Drop/Refund Periods:

Full Year Classes: All drops must be requested by 5:00pm Eastern on 9/22/23
Fall Only Classes: All drops must be requested by 5:00pm Eastern on 9/23/23
Spring Only Classes: All drops must be requested by 5:00pm Eastern on 2/09/24

No partial refunds or credits will be issued for drops beyond these dates. The drop/refund period also applies to Diploma Program students.

Is Memoria Academy accredited?

Yes. Memoria Academy is accredited by the Classical Latin School Association (CLSA). The CLSA is an association of elementary and secondary schools working to promote the transmission of the culture of Western civilization to the next generation. After teaching the mastery of basic skills and classic children’s literature in the primary grades, the curriculum has a dual focus on the intellectual skills of the liberal arts and the cultural content of the great books in grades 3-12. CLSA academic accreditation is a way for schools to internally document their viability as academically successful classical schools, hold themselves externally accountable to an outside body, and verify that they are offering their students a superior classical education.

CLSA Accreditation is designed to help schools further their classical educational mission through a focus on academic standards, practices, and results. Part of its purpose is to dispense with all unnecessary expenditures of staff, time, and resources on meeting accreditation requirements that do not contribute in a direct and meaningful way to the academic success and mission of the school. As a result of this focus, there are clear, rigorous standards that result in a significantly shorter schedule for school accreditation. The following are the requirements for CLSA:

  • Philosophical requirements: Evidence of a clear understanding among staff and board members of the nature and purpose of a classical education
  • Academic/Curricular requirements: Verification that the school possesses a clearly articulated statement of the academic goals at every level and a clear process of ensuring the achievement of those goals
  • Instructional requirements: Traditional, teacher-directed instruction in a classroom environment conducive to learning and a process by which those methodologies are communicated to teachers and verified by administrative staff
  • Assessment requirements: Demonstration of the value-added benefit of the school’s academic program through standardized test scores.
  • Professional development requirements: Participation in professional development programs that contribute to the understanding of classical Christian education and the ability of teachers and staff to implement it
How many classes can I take?

Due to the rigor of each course, a student should take no more than 7 full year courses in one academic year. This standard would also apply to the equivalent semester courses.

When do I need to pay for my course?

Payment for your courses is required to register and reserve your spot in the course. Our full-year courses have one payment for the year rather than two for each semester, and you are signing up for the entire year when you register. We offer a payment plan option for semester and full-year classes. You will see that payment option at the final billing page of the checkout.

What universities and colleges have accepted your students?

Students from Memoria Academy are accepted into numerous well-respected universities and colleges. See a full list here.

How many students do you allow in each class?

The majority of Memoria Academy classes contain a maximum of 16 students. We intentionally keep our class sizes small to maintain quality interaction between teacher and student. Composition classes contain an average of 15 students or less to ensure that students are given thorough and timely feedback on writing assignments.

What are the technical requirements?

Students need a reliable computer, a high-speed connection, and the most recent version of the Adobe Connect application (our virtual classroom platform). All students are required to have a functioning microphone. A USB headset microphone is highly recommended. Adobe has a full set of specifications and recommendations here.

Can a special-needs student take Memoria Academy classes?

Yes. We offer several courses from our Simply Classical curriculum, and you may view them here.

Additionally, we have a number of special-needs students enrolled in traditional classes. The most common special needs we see are mild degrees of dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD. Parents must notify Memoria Academy if a student has some kind of special need so that we can make a determination if the class is a good fit.

When possible, we adapt on an individualized basis for students with diagnosed conditions. For example, we may offer deadline extensions, extended time, or the elimination of time requirements altogether.

We welcome specific recommendations from those who know the student best (parent, physician, therapist), but the teacher must determine whether a requested modifications will be suitable to the course. The academy reserves the final decision.

If your student requires more than minor modifications to succeed at Memoria Academy, we encourage you to visit SimplyClassical.com. We recommend the Memoria Press resource Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child by Cheryl Swope, and all of Mrs. Swope’s Simply Classical materials.

Online classes may not work for every special-needs student, particularly those facing moderate to severe learning challenges. A classical education benefits all students, including those who have special needs; however, not every format can help all students. At this time, the academy is not equipped for the uniqueness of every situation.

Tips for success: How can I help my special-needs student succeed at Memoria Academy?

  • Plan to complete each assignment. This may require a great deal of time for the struggling student, so you may wish to reduce his other coursework while he is enrolled in the online academy. You may also need to minimize his extra-curricular activities during the online course. Plan to spend extensive time outside of class on the online course, so every assignment can be completed.
  • Plan to listen to lessons more than one time. The student with auditory processing, comprehension, or memory difficulties may need more than one period of exposure to the content, especially as the pace quickens in any given class. Allow time for the material to become understood.
  • Be the teacher’s aide for your student. “Shadow” the class and assist by providing accountability with assignments, visual aids, and added explanations to promote understanding.
  • Express a respect for the teacher. Even if differences arise, communicate respect for the teacher in front of the student. Provide a “unified front” at all times for the sake of his education and character training. Encourage the student to express gratitude to his teacher.
  • Keep a portfolio for the student. Note his progress frequently! The student may become discouraged if he compares himself to other students. Help him measure his success based on his own accomplishments.
  • Stay the course. Even if you decide that the student will not re-enroll, help him finish what he starts. This will provide valuable lessons that will help him in any endeavor.
Does Memoria Academy provide grade reports or official transcripts?

Yes. Official Grade Reports are automatically issued by the teacher at the end of the year for full-year classes and the end of the semester for semester-long classes. If you work with an umbrella organization or school that requires something different, we can typically accommodate. Email [email protected] if you have questions about your situation. Official transcripts are available by request and will include classes taken with Memoria Press Academy. Requests for official transcripts should be emailed to [email protected] with the email address and/or physical address of the university/college where the transcript is to be sent.

Are your AP Classes officially approved?

Yes. We are approved by the College Board as an Online Provider of AP classes. The school code that students should provide when they register for the exam is 180036.

Can your classes be used toward NCAA eligibility requirements?

Yes. Most academy classes can be used toward NCAA eligibility. Visit the NCAA High School Portal to see which classes can be used. Our NCAA High School Code is 850346.

What are my responsibilities as the parent of an online student?

When you register your student for an online class with Memoria Academy there are several things you need to know. Memoria Press views this relationship as a partnership between the Academy, the parent, and the student. Given that our academy is online, and not a physical school, this means that a student’s successful experience with Memoria Academy depends, in large part, on open communication between students, parents, teachers, and the Academy. In view of this we ask that the following guidelines be followed:

  • Please make sure that you have both a parent email address and telephone number saved on your student’s portal. These information fields are located in the student profile and must be kept up to date. In each class there is a News Forum that the instructor uses to send out announcements and reminders The parent email address on file, in each student profile, will receive copies of this correspondence.
  • Students are given access to what we call the Ask A Teacher Forum in each class. This is the primary means of communication between student, parent, and instructor. In the event that there is a personal issue that you would not like to share on the forum you can request the instructor’s personal email address, but you must copy the office on any communication sent to an instructor. The office email address is [email protected].
  • Parents must log in to their student’s portal every two weeks to check grades in each course. This adds a double layer of accountability and will ensure that students do not fall behind.
  • In some cases, an instructor will require a parent to proctor quizzes and/or exams. If this is the case, parents will verify by email that the student has completed the assignment with integrity. Parents may email the instructor directly, copying the Academy email.
Does the online class move more quickly than what is covered in the Memoria Press curriculum package?

To meet the varied needs of our families, we allow for flexibility with age range. Thus, what we do in our online school does not always align with what we have specified in our Memoria Press Curriculum Packages or their associated lesson plans.

Take the Famous Men of Rome course for example. We normally have some students in 3rd grade who register, some who are in 4th, and some in 5th grade. Famous Men of Rome is included as Classical Studies in our 4th Grade Curriculum Package. However, not everyone starts their classical education at the same point. We have many students who start earlier or even later. To accommodate this, each online class description includes an age range and grade range, allowing a variety of students to take each class. With some classes it matches more closely but still allows for flexibility.

What are the course terms? How long are they?

Full-year courses are 38 weeks in length, including four weeks of break throughout the schoolyear. Each semester includes 17 weeks of instructional time. Here is our current Academic Calendar.

When does the Academy have breaks?

There is a one week Fall Break over Thanksgiving week, a two-week Christmas break, and a one-week Spring Break. If you have a break that does not correspond with our course calendar, please notify your teacher in advance to receive instruction regarding any assignment deadlines you may miss and how to complete the work in a timely manner.

How long is each class time and how many days per week do they meet?

This varies from course to course. Typically, each class session lasts 90 minutes and meets once per week at a designated time and day. Other classes meet twice per week for a 75- or 90-minute period. The times and days of each class session are listed on the course description of each class and all times are Eastern Time.

It is normal for there to be several available times each course is offered (indicated by section letter), and it is very likely that one of these will fit your schedule.

We realize that there are times when schedules change because of appointments, vacations, or even sickness. In that case, your student may attend any another section with instructor approval.

In the rare event that you sign up for a class and the day and time have to be changed because of an instructor conflict, then the Academy will notify you before the schoolyear begins and you are eligible for a full refund.  This is very rare, and we take precautionary steps to prevent this from happening.

Will the instructor be available outside of the class time?

Yes. The instructor will be available during class time and may be contacted any time through the class forum or by email. Instructors are allowed 24-48 hours to provide a response to forum posts and emails. If you have an emergency or are having technical trouble, please call (502) 855-4838 or send an email to [email protected].

How much time should my student spend on each online course?

Typically, the answer to this is located on the individual course description page for each class. The time necessary for an online course will vary from student to student, but we aim for “challenging-but-not-insurmountable” when we design online classes. The recommendations for the time spent on any given subject includes the time to complete book work, with the addition of time needed to complete the online quizzes. For most high school classes, please allow for 45 minutes to one hour a day depending on the course. As a general rule, courses for younger students will take less time per day than high-school level courses.

Are there prerequisites for certain courses?

If there are prerequisites to the course you are interested in, they will be listed on the course description page. If you are uncertain about your student’s readiness for a particular course, please contact the office for assistance with class placement.

How does the online classroom work?

We use Adobe Connect to host our virtual classes; Adobe Connect is part of the Adobe suite of applications.  All classes are live, real-time, audio and video classes. Instructors use their microphone and video to teach the course material. There are two primary modes of communication available to students in the online classroom: microphones and written text. Microphone capabilities only require that a student have either a built-in or external microphone on their device (typically a laptop or desktop computer). Teachers have complete control over the microphones and frequently call on students to participate. Student can also use written text to communicate with an instructor and answer questions. Instructors also utilize resources like virtual whiteboards, PowerPoints, and more.

What is your approach to teaching Christianity?

Quite often, when parents begin looking through the various programs that seek to integrate Christian studies, questions arise about the specific methodological approach of each program. These questions are worthwhile, admirable, and ought to be asked by every parent. Some families are looking for an explicitly Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, or even a ‘neutral’ program.

From the very beginning, Memoria Academy has had students from Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Baptist, Presbyterian, Christian Reformed, and Anglican backgrounds. Additionally, we consistently have a number of students from various other faith contexts. How is it possible? How do we foster an intellectually rigorous and faithful approach to Christian studies amidst such fragmentation? The key is our method.

Our approach to Christian studies is along the lines of what C. S. Lewis meant by the phrase ‘mere Christianity’. Some of what might be difficult to understand about a ‘mere Christianity’ approach to teaching Christian studies concerns the need to differentiate between very distinct but related things. The first is the teaching of the Old and New Testaments, which is essentially the sweeping storyline of Scripture and what is contained therein, in terms of general history and theology. The second is the development of Christian doctrine, or, that which God’s people have believed, confessed, and taught down through the centuries. For example, there is no explicit statement in either testament that states “God is one in essence but three in person.” That this teaching is supported in the Scriptures is without question. The full theological and philosophical, however, was not until much later, when the questions being posed to the Church required as much. This is what we mean by the development of doctrine.

Our general approach is to teach the larger historical story of the Old and New Testaments, focusing on major themes, which typically unite students rather than divide. This includes some doctrinal teaching on a general level. For example, the notion that God created the world, by implication, means that the philosophical doctrines of materialism (all that exists is matter and its movements) and naturalism (everything arises from purely natural causes) are false. When issues that involve the development of doctrine arise, ‘mere Christianity’ takes precedence.

Our teachers refrain from teaching the things that we think are more appropriately taught in the home or local parish/church. One example of this might be the different convictions about Communion/Eucharist/the Lord’s Supper, be it transubstantiation, consubstantiation, spiritual presence, sign/symbol only, or something else. That, we think, is best taught in another setting like a student’s home or the home and local church.

We commend this approach to you, and we heartily welcome students from the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions, as well as those outside the faith. Our teachers are required to adhere to both the Apostles’ and Nicene creeds.

Can I preview a recorded class to see what classes are like?

All of our classes are recorded and archived for playback to the students of that class. We’ve listed class samples here, and you may also view a sample class from each teacher here by clicking on their name.

Your Henle Latin program covers more material than First Form Latin. Other courses complete more translation, and some schools complete Henle Latin First Year text in a year. How does one determine, then, what can be counted as a year of high school credit? Why are Henle Latin I and First Form Latin both counted as 1 high school credit?

Some of the confusion results from the fact that many programs that contain more translation tend to be inductive in their approach. They attempt to immerse students in the actual language, much like they would have learned English when they were young. This is similar to the whole language method used to teach reading in many public schools. If you have an experienced teacher and you are able to spend several hours a day on Latin with a group of students who are able to converse together, this method can work. But the immersion method is harder to use if you don’t have that luxury. Immersion approaches do not tend to emphasize grammar or present it in a systematic way, and therefore do not give the student the grammar knowledge and mental training that result from more grammar-based approaches. The benefits of Latin go beyond the mere ability to translate or even speak Latin: the grammar knowledge and mental skills one acquires in Latin study are at least as important. First Form Latin teaches the grammar, vocabulary, and syntax in a logical, systematic, and grammar-based way, just like Henle Latin does. Currently, there are no universal standards as to the content of a high school foreign language course, like there are, say, for mathematics. Most families that use First Form Latin are homeschooling parents who are preparing their own transcripts. When one compares what many private and public schools are covering in their foreign language courses, we usually exceed what is covered. This is one of the reasons why we recommend that First Form Latin can be counted as a year worth of high school language credit for high schoolers enrolled in the course, especially if they put in the time and completely master the material in First Form Latin.

As far as completing the Henle I text in one year, it is not impossible to cover that much Latin in a year. We prefer an approach that ensures that the student has fully internalized the knowledge and skills of each aspect of the grammar. It is analogous to different Bible study methods: you may have a choice between covering the Bible in a year or studying one book of the Bible for a year. They are both equally challenging, but they do two different things. Covering the Bible in a year will give you a good overview but does not allow you to study any one thing deeply; whereas studying one book of the Bible over a longer period of time will allow the student to have a fuller and deeper knowledge of that one text. One method is deep and the other is wide. Many seminaries and graduate schools offer both of these kinds of classes but give the same course credit to both. The same is true of philosophy, history, and many other courses. For example, one can take an Introduction to Philosophy course that covers everything from logic, ethics, epistemology, history, and metaphysics. Or you can take a course solely devoted to each one of these subjects. In both cases, the same amount of credit is awarded though one is a survey and one is more focused. To cover Henle Latin First Year Text in a year is indeed a great accomplishment, but we prefer a slower approach that allows for full mastery at every level. Different programs simply vary with respect to what they accept as a high school credit. This is no slight on others who do it differently than we do, just a difference in criteria and methodology.

What typing resources would you recommend students use?

In an online school, students will benefit from typing proficiency both in the online classroom and in completing work outside of the classroom more efficiently. Click here to access the recommended software for free.