Spring 2025 Class: Critical Reading

• View the full schedule of live classes.
  
  
• View the Academic Calendar.
  
  
• Let's get to know each other! Click here to discuss your questions with the advisor leading this class.

We will be studying real, quality, meaningful books! Most of the books are non-consumable and will become treasured additions to your Catholic home library.

Teaching-parents are responsible for purchasing the books, materials, and STAA Study Guides for the courses through their favorite suppliers or the suppliers suggested by St. Thomas Aquinas Academy.

Online versions of the study guides are available to teaching-parents and students to view on the STAA Student Zone website (login required). Students can use the online study guides while waiting for the printed and bound versions to arrive when study guides are lost or ordered late.

Live Classes meet every other week according to whether they are on the ♞Black Schedule track or the ♘White Schedule track. 

✪ Essential Schedule courses in writing and reasoning meet every Tuesday.

Small group discussions: Enrollment in this live class is limited to eight students so everyone has the opportunity to participate in the guided discussion. The seminar-style class meetings focus on direct exploration of the texts, developing study skills, and academic time management. The live classes are not driven by lectures from the instructor and students will be graded based on preparedness and participation in the discussions.

Required technology for meetings: The live classes are conducted through "Zoom" style meeting software with ALL cameras turned off. The class meetings are essentially teleconferences in order to offer students (and their families) a great deal of privacy all while still participating in lively seminars with the instructor and other students. For the meetings, students will need access to a device (laptop, computer, tablet, or smartphone) that has a quality internet connection and quality headset that has both speakers and a "boom-style" microphone. Students may choose to connect to the class meetings by telephone instead of through the web conference software.

LIVE CLASS CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY

The course registration fee paid here is for the live class and grading option you select during this registration stage.  Course fees are not prorated.  Should your schooling situation change, a refund of fees is available until the beginning of the semester (marked as Week 1, Day 1 on the Academic Calendar).  A $50.00 cancellation fee and any credit card processing fees (typically about 3%; slightly more for currency conversions) will be deducted from the refund.  Written refund requests must be received by mail or email before the first orientation meeting of the semester if your schooling situation changes and your student is unable to continue with the course.  The first orientation meeting for each course is called a "Book Check" meeting and takes place on Day 2, 3, or 4 of Week B of the Academic Calendar.

Information about what to include in your cancellation message can be found on the Refund Policy page.

All coursework must be completed by Day 5 of Week 16 (see the semester's calendar to find the exact day; some assignments may offer a three-day "late submission" window).  There are no discounts, credits, or refunds of fees for missed, skipped, or forgotten assignments. Furthermore, there are no discounts, credits, or refunds for missed, skipped, or forgotten class meetings. This is, however, a program for homeschooling families: students may submit late assignments to their teaching-parent for grading and the parent may alter the final grade of the official semester gradebook.