Oswego Questions: SUNY-Oswego & Homeschooling (New York, Syracuse: rentals, credit, houses)

[pattiOBB]

We are relocating to Oswego & are having trouble finding information. 1. We homeschool our teens and are trying to find secular, academically oriented homeschoolers in the area. Haven't had much luck on the homeschooling boards. Anyone here have info on homeschooling groups/resources in the area? 2. Is there an area where the faculty of SUNY Oswego live? We're looking for rental houses for families (we're the stereotypical 2 adults, 2 kids, a cat & a dog) Thanks for any info you can offer! Patti

[ckhthankgod]

Actually, many of the faculty at SUNY-Oswego live in the Northern suburbs of Syracuse, especially the Liverpool area(town of Clay specifically). I went there and I know a couple of the profs. I had lived in that area.

You might have better luck with finding homeschoolers in that area too.

[Sgoldie]

The majority of professors live on the west side of town anywhere from downtown to several miles out as the school is located there. Not a hard and fast rule as commuting is generally less than five to ten minutes from the city and close surrounding communities.

Be careful with rentals There is a lot of substandard student housing around. I personally wouldn't want to commute from Syracuse to Oswego to work due to the snow band effect. The shorter the commute the better.

There are home schoolers here. I don't know anyone presently who does. You might try asking the principals of the various schools as I know they let home schoolers participate in extra curricular activities. You may want to visit the public schools before you make a commitment to education at home, they are very good. The college also has summer programs for kids of all ages and they offer college credit classes for high schoolers.

[pattiOBB]

I'm glad to hear that the university does allow high school students to take classes. We homeschool because the kids finished their high school work several years early but prefer to hang out with kids their own ages. Having extra-curriculars available through the school district will be terrific. We've met some great folks that way.

We're also hoping to find some teen outdoor groups. My kids like to hike, bike, snowshoe & rock climb.

If anyone has info about teen community activities, I know the kids would love to here it.

Any indoor rock gyms within an hour of Oswego?

Thanks for the info so far. I appreciate the help with our relocation (10 days and counting!)

[Sgoldie]

Even though we're rather hilly I'm not aware of any local rock climbing indoor or out other than in the Adirondack Mtns, and that would obviously be in the summer. There is an indoor teen skateboard park, several baseball fields, tennis courts, a summer municipal pool, indoor seasonal ice rinks, and a YMCA who sponsors foot races.

There is a meetup group in Central New York based in Syracuse dealing with outdoor adventures. They go all over to hike but they'd have to drive to the locales. Sailing is very big here in the summer and there are some lovely sandy beaches within a half hour. In order to downhill ski you'd have to travel to the south of Syracuse though there may still be a ski club at the high school. Cross country is done nearby at the local state golf course in winter. I see tons of teen boys at the several golf courses in summer and they are very inexpensive.

There is an excellent music program through the schools. Marching band is huge, and in addition there is a jazz band and an orchestra if they're interested in music. The college has a joint community/college chorus and there is a terrific theatre dept at the college including children's theatre. The high school has lacrosse, football, and the usual other sports. Hockey is also big.

[pattiOBB]

Thanks for the wonderful info which will make life much easier for us!