IS THE “BECOMING U ACADEMY” FOR YOU!?

More and more families and students are exploring homeschool and various online-based programs as their preferred educational vehicle for High School completion. With it come challenges such as learning environments, support, resources, and social engagement.

The Depot’s BECOMING U ACADEMY program provides support services and resources to homeschool and online education students and families that help alleviate some of those challenges by providing the following:

• A structured schedule and environment conducive to focused work and concentration
• Access to high-speed internet for research and online homeschool programs
• Personal tutors to help answer questions about the lessons being taught in various programs
• Individual mentoring by passionate Depot volunteers and staff
• Peer interaction during breaks and lunch, as well as weekly group activities
• A healthy lunch and snacks throughout the day

The Depot’s BECOMING U ACADEMY program DOES NOT provide the educational program or curriculum. However, if you are in search of one, we can help navigate questions and provide options to consider.

THE BECOMING U ACADEMY @ THE DEPOT

The Depot’s BECOMING U ACADEMY program starts on Wednesday, September 9th, and meets every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:00a to 2:00p. Throughout the day, our schedule provides students with four 55-minute class periods — three “hours” to work on their individual assignments and one block for a Group Lesson.

The group lessons on Mondays will focus on Social Studies. On Wednesdays, it will focus on Science Labs. And on Fridays, we will provide enrichment activities such as music & art appreciation as well as field trips to the public library and the Lighthouse Missionary Church’s gym for physical education activities.

Below is the daily schedule for the 2026-27 school year that provides three hours of focused time for individual studies,  one hour for a group lesson, and nearly 1-1/2 hours of social time.

• 8:45a – 9:00a  >  Arrival and prepare for the day
• 9:00a – 9:55a  >  1st Hour 
• 9:55a – 10:10a  >  Social Break
• 10:10a – 11:05a  >  2nd Hour
• 11:05a -11:20a  >  Social Break
• 11:20a – 12:15p  >  3rd Hour
• 12:15p – 1:05p  >  Lunch and Social Break
• 1:05p – 2:00p  >  4th Hour – Group Lessons (Topics TBD)

BECOMING U ACADEMY PROGRAM FEES

The Depot’s BECOMING U ACADEMY program is a very affordable alternative to simply staying at home. Our suggested donation levels for this type of support are as follows:

• MONTHLY:  $35 for the first child in the family, $25 per child thereafter
  or
• ANNUALLY:  $240 for the first child in the family, $170 per child thereafter

SUCCESS EXPECTATIONS

The Depot’s BECOMING U Academy program is truly a collaborative effort with the following reasonable expectations for everyone involved.

THE PARENTS
A successful homeschool experience starts with parents who take the lead on the following:

• Homeschool program/curriculum selection and implementation
• Grading assignments and monitoring coursework progress on a regular basis
• If applicable, checking in with the online program’s support staff with program and coursework questions and requests
• Ensuring successful participation with consistent attendance, including:
  1. On-time arrival at 8:45am provides sufficient time for students to settle in and be ready to begin their class work at 9:00am sharp
  2. Pick-up time at 2:00pm allows staff the time they need to transition over to The Depot’s after-school programming activities

We DO NOT require or expect parents to attend or be present during BECOMING U Academy programming time. However, if you are interested in volunteering, we would certainly love to chat with you about that opportunity!

THE STUDENTS
Commitment from the students also plays a vital role in a successful BECOMING U Academy experience! As such, we expect the following from our students:

• Bring enough work – assignments, quizzes, exams, projects, reading, etc. – to stay busy for all of the focused work blocks throughout the day
• Respect and abide by the Cell Phone, Device, and Social Media Terms & Conditions
• Respect the daily schedule and weekly attendance expectations
• Respect other students during work blocks to ensure a quiet environment that is conducive to focus and concentration
• Respect the Tutors, Volunteers, and Staff
• Respect the facility and equipment by cleaning up after yourself

THE STAFF, VOLUNTEERS, AND TUTORS
The third component of a successful BECOMING U Academy experience is the efforts of our Tutors, Volunteers, and Staff. Although we are NOT responsible for watching over your teen’s shoulder to make sure they are getting their work done, there are several things that we will commit to providing your son or daughter.

• We will provide your teen a safe place to be with an environment conducive to helping them focus and concentrate on their schoolwork.
• We will provide a Group Lesson during the last hour of each day.
• We will strive to provide at least one in-person tutor for your teen to ask for assistance throughout the day. The tutors are here to assist your teen, not to teach them their lessons. If a tutor is not available on any given day, one of our volunteers or staff will do their best to assist with their questions.
• If desired, we will provide your teen with a healthy lunch as well as snacks and ice water throughout the day.
• We will provide behavioral and effort-based reports when requested.
• We will provideencouraging and righteous mentoring that builds self-esteem while supporting personal growth, responsibility, and accountability.

MISCELLANEOUS

• As a courtesy, please call or text if your teen will be absent on a particular day.
• With their parents’ permission, students may listen to music with earphones or earbuds at a reasonable volume. If we can hear it, the volume level is not reasonable!
• Additionally, the BECOMING U Academy’s staff, volunteers, and tutors will not monitor or be responsible for the content your teen views or listens to during work sessions and/or social breaks.
• In short, we will be responsible for providing the six items of support and resources mentioned above. Parents and Teens will be responsible for the Teens’ behaviors and efforts while at the BECOMING U Academy

CELL PHONE, DEVICE, AND SOCIAL MEDIA USE POLICY

To minimize distractions and ensure a focused environment, BECOMING U ACADEMY has adopted these cell phone, device, and social media guidelines.

• During work sessions (i.e. 9:00a-9:55a), cell phones will remain face down on the table at an out-of-reach distance from the primary work area.

• Cell phones and devices can be respectfully used during social and lunch breaks.

• If a cell phone or device is used during work sessions for playing music, a playlist or curated music service like Pandora, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. must be used. Teens will not be able to search for and play individual songs during work sessions.

• Social media chat apps such as Snapchat, Facebook Messager, TikTok, etc. are not allowed to be used on any device, including laptops and tablets, during work sessions.

• If resource apps such as Dictionary, Calculator, etc. are needed, they can be installed onto laptops and tablets for use during work sessions instead of mobile devices.

• In the event of emergencies where a parent needs to reach their child, they can call the BUA Coordinator. Otherwise, students can check and reply to calls and texts during social and lunch breaks.

• In VERY special circumstances, students may ask permission to use their cell phone or device for school related applications during work sessions.

• If a student is seen using their cell phone or device during work sessions without permission, access to their phone will be removed until the end of the school day, including breaks and special end-of-day activities.

• If repeated unauthorized use continues, the student will either not be allowed to bring their cell phone or device to school, or it will be checked in to the BUA Coordinator upon arrival and returned to the student at the end of the school day. This includes no access during breaks and special end-of-day activities.

• There is ZERO TOLERANCE for accessing inappropriate content on cell phones, devices, and laptops. If inappropriate content is observed or casually discovered, the student will not be allowed to bring their cell phone, device, and/or laptop to school for a period of time as determined by the BUA Coordinator.

QUESTIONS

Questions? Please call or text our BECOMING U ACADEMY Coordinator, Nicole Thompson, at (231) 330-6060 or email her at Nicole@EJDepot.org.

SUBMIT APPLICATION

The Depot’s BECOMING U ACADEMY application below MUST be submitted by a Parent or Guardian. In the event more applications are received than we have room to accommodate, students committing to all 3 days per week will be given preferred consideration.