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When families face difficulties, they are encouraged to seek the assistance of their Facilitator or other WISDOM Staff. In the event that more help is needed, or a situation requires more intensive support, WISDOM has an in-house Family Mediational Consultant (FMC). This service is part of WISDOM’s Mediated Learning Program.
She will draw from her education and experience and use a mediational approach to assist you in getting to the root of difficulties and working toward solutions.
Michelle can walk alongside families and provide mediation as they work to achieve:
- Problem solving
- Resolution of family and marriage difficulties
- Solutions to home schooling and parenting challenges
- Conflict resolution
- Reduction of discouragement and burnout
- Transitions from addictions (some forms of addiction require intervention beyond WISDOM's service)
This service is offered by donation, though financial appeal may be made.
For more information contact Family Mediational Consultant, Michelle McLay at: 587-588-8839 or by email to mmclay@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Support
WISDOM includes a wonderful network of support. From your facilitator to your PAC to your local support group there is a range of support opptions available to WISDOM families.
Your facilitator is your homeschooling resource and is available to answer your questions throughout the year. Click here for biographies and contact information for each of WISDOM's facilitators.
The Parent Advisory Council (PAC) is a group of homeschooling parents. As well as helping set WISDOM's direction and policy they are also available to support and help other families in their homeschooling journey. To contact a member of WISDOM's Parent Support Council near you, click here.
There are also local support groups located throughout Alberta. Most of these are regional co-operatives of families who arrange activities and meetings together. Find our most current list here.
WISDOM also has available a Social Networking List (a group of families who share their name, city, phone number and email addresses with each other for the purpose of finding WISDOM friends across the province). To join contact our office by email office@wisdomhomeschooling.com or phone 780-741-2113.
Another resource available to you is the Home School Legal Defense Association. Click here for their website.
Please access our current Vendor List of Canada Wide suppliers who accept purchase orders from The Gilbertine Institute. Below are a few more popular suppliers that are not on the PO list. Thank you for your patience while we improve the website.
alberta suppliers
Ashley's Learning Resources
Grande Prairie
1-888-269-8882
Canadian Home Education Resources
Calgary
1-800-345-2952
KidSource
Calgary
1-877-259-4567
Science Is...
Calgary
403-547-4422
canadian suppliers
Anchor Academy
Salmon Arm, BC
1-888-917-3783
Boreal Science +
St Catharines, ON
1-800-387-9393
Donna Ward - Norwood Press (Canadian History/Geography)
Woodstock, ON
519-456-0470
EBS Educational Books
Surrey, BC
778-395-3965
Heritage Resources
Manitoba
204-745-3094
St Francis Books
Cannington, ON
705-432-8420
united states suppliers
A Beka
1-800-874-2352
Alpha Omega Publications
1-800-622-3070
Bob Jones University Press
1-800-845-5731
Catholic Heritage Curriculum**
1-800-490-7713
Kolbe Academy**
707-255-6499
Our Lady of the Rosary School**
502-348-1338
Rod and Staff Curriculum
606-522-4348
Seton Home Study Program**
540-636-9996
Son-Light Curriculum
303-730-6292
**Carries Catholic curriculum
WISDOM’s Mediated Learning Program:
- Offers a life-changing method of interaction that benefits all learners regardless of learning or behavioural difficulties, levels of giftedness, age, or background.
- Provides training to parents through regular workshops and events.
- Gives parents and children the tools needed to come to a place of success.
Mediated Learning is for your child.
Help improve:
- Focus
- Memory
- Organization
- Communication
- Perception - reading/math/spelling
- Processing
- Self-regulation
- Goal-planning
- Critical thinking
- Approaches to giftedness
Click here for upcoming ML workshops.
Mediated Learning is a natural method that builds the parent child relationship and grows attachment.
Get help using this easy method:
- Capture your child’s attention
- Teach your child life-long strategies
- Discover meaningful brain change.
- Build confidence and hope
- Develop confidence and initiative
- Overcome weaknesses and grow strengths
- Foster problem solving
- Draw upon the uniqueness of your child
- Rekindles the love of learning and restores your vision for homeschooling
Mediated Learning:
- Heals and grows a sense of optimism and belonging
- Anchors in the truth and power of neuroplasticity
- Encourages thinking and self-mediation
- Brings greater meaning to learning
- Equips the parent to recognize teachable moments
- Empowers expression in the child
- Improves the child’s ability to understand and process information
- Teaches the power of process question
- Grows deductive reasoning and logic
- Brings hope to those experiencing anxiety, depression, or anger.
You are the best person to mediate your child’s learning and behaviour experiences
You are the go-to person.
Parents are the best mediators:
- Because of the love-bond
- Because you know your child best and can be a bridge to meaningful, purposeful, and intentional learning.
- Because you can tailor learning to your child’s needs and interests.
- Because you can initiate, observe, and track change.
Contact the Mediated Learning Team Sign Up for a Workshop Today Dynamic Assessment
The WISDOM Home Schooling community began in 1995 when two home educating couples saw the need for parents to be supported with maximum freedom over their own schooling at home, deciding what is taught to their children, as well as how and when it is taught.
As a result of the founders' promise to uphold parents as primary educators, all decisions and policies are developed with the intent of supporting parents as they educate their children. Because the members of our facilitating team, our office staff and our Parent Advisory Council are home schooling parents or were home educated themselves, their responses and service reflect this insight and commitment. We support all teaching methods from highly structured to unschooling, classical to eclectic to world-schooling. All members of our team work collaboratively to support you as you home educate.
We are Christian, serving families with a wide variety of religious beliefs, as well as families who do not profess any particular faith. Our mandate is to build culture through supporting home education and family life, whatever that looks like for you. We serve home schooling families everywhere in the province of Alberta, Canada.
Looking for more information? Attend an Open House event.
WHAT IS REQUIRED
To home educate with WISDOM, a family must:
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Regularly reside in Alberta
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Meet the age requirements:
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Kindergarten: at least 4 years and 8 months as of August 31, and less than 6 years as of September 1 of the respective school year.
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Grade 1-12: at least 5 years, 8 months, but less than 20 years of age as of September 1 of the respective school year.
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Notify us of your intent to home educate with the WISDOM Home Schooling department of The Gilbertine Academy.
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A parent must conduct an evaluation of the progress of the student at regular intervals and maintain a record of the methods and dates of those evaluations, and must maintain dated samples of student work and a general record of the student’s activities, (Alberta Home Education Regulation 4(1)(a))
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meet for two facilitator evaluations each year, either in their home or in a mutually agreeable location.
We work with individual issues and extenuating circumstances as best we can. Every situation is unique, and we desire to serve our families at their individual needs.
Note: when a family does NOT meet minimum requirements above despite best efforts, The Gilbertine Academy is unable to meet the minimum requirements of Alberta Education. In this case, we would not consider enrolment for the following year, and may make a note in the student file recommending a program with higher levels of accountability. This policy protects the freedom of all home educators.
WHERE ARE WE?
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The Gilbertine Institute is an independent school authority, operating three schools including The Gilbertine Academy, and supervising and supporting home education programs under the banner of WISDOM Home Schooling. Our society board, in-school and home education administration and staff are wholly supportive of home education. Head office for The Gilbertine Institute is in Derwent.
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WISDOM is made up of home schooling families all across Alberta, so in that sense, WISDOM is "everywhere"! Some of our families, while Alberta residents, are living temporarily (military, travel or ministry) all over the globe. Our magazine has subscribers from all around the world as well.
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You can find the WISDOM office staff working out of the home education office near the small town of Derwent, Alberta.
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Your facilitator probably lives somewhere reasonably near you, as we do try to keep them closer to their home (and their own home schooling family). Our facilitators live all over Alberta. They visit your home twice a year, and are also available via phone and email at all times.
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Our in-person events span the province, wherever there is enough interest and a suitable location.
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Our Mediated Learning Program holds workshops province-wide as well as in 3-session online modules.
We are also on Facebook, Instagram and X - join us!
Our office is usually open Monday through Friday, from 9am-noon and 1-4pm.
Chat: during office hours, click the chat button in the lower-left corner to talk with us. If no one is available, you can leave a message and we'll follow up as soon as we can.
Phone: 780-741-2113 or toll-free 1-877-425-8546
Email: office@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Family Funding department: finance@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Mail:
Box 78
Derwent, AB
T0B 1C0
We are also on Facebook, Instagram and X - join us!
For contact information for specific members of the team, go to their bios:
