Pre-Launch Countdown!

Expedition 44 Rollout. CC2.0 photo by NASA HQ

HAPPY PRE-LAUNCH, everybody!! so thrilled that we're less than 24h away from our first Official, For Real, Can You Believe It meeting of 2015-16! What a tremendous blessing y'all have already been; we can only imagine the amazingness God has in store for the rest of the year.

Couple of quick announcements: 

• Our meeting goes from 9:45a - 2p tomorrow (Thurs, 10/15) at Wakemans Grove Church of the Brethren in Edinburg. 
• Brown bag lunches! Bring lunch for your own family; HIS will provide drinks.
• We could use a couple guys to help us set up tables 9-9:30. Please email if you can help with that. Thanks!
• Registration table helpers & greeters: if you could please be there before 9:30. Thank you!
• Don't forget to bring your Box Tops--these are a huge help 
• Come ready to share your praises on our Wall of Praise!

Coming up:

• Friday Oct 16: PE @ 1pm, Liberty Baptist in Strasburg FREE
• Monday Oct 19: Moms' Fellowship Group, 7pm Sew & Vac in Woodstock
• Friday Oct 23: Drama Troupe, 4:30 County Library in Edinburg
• Monday Oct 26: Paugh's Orchard pumpkin picking

Please don't hesitate to let us know if you need anything or have any questions. We can't wait to see you tomorrow!

Rebekah & Tamara

Heeeeere we go!

Starting Line. CC2.0 photo by Steven Depolo

Hard to believe--though I say this at the start of every new year, so you'd think I'd start believing it at some point!--that it's September, Labor Day's past, the pools are closed, the Fair's over, and there's nothing left but to hunker down and Get Serious About School. Er, right??

Wrong!

Just looking at this year's theme (survival skills!) and calendar (over there in the right hand sidebar) is enough to make me giddy. We've loads of field trips coming up--it's back to Monticello this month, and this year we're also going to Montpelier and Williamsburg!; there are a number of gorgeous free concerts on the docket; and that's on top of all the usual super cool stuff like service opportunities and our regular monthly meetings.

Changes/news for this year:

1) Lunches: we're going brown bag! This will cut down on prep/line time and amp up fellowship/play time.

2) Moms' support group: it's back!!! Mondays following our monthly meetings, 7p @ Shenandoah Sew & Vac in Woodstock.

3) Kickoff Picnic: Thursday Sept 17, 11am @ the park in Woodstock. Hotdogs & drinks provided; please bring a side! We'll have registration forms & will gratefully collect your dues, still just $25/family for the year; you'll also be able to sign up for teaching/assistant spots (grownups!) and clubs (kids!).

Service spots still open:
Greeters (2):
Share your gift night:
X-Fair:
Christmas meeting:
Facilities (setup/cleanup):
K-1 class teacher:
2-3 class co-teacher:
4-5 class teachers (2):
6-8th class helper:
High school co-teacher:
Sewing/hadicrafts club helper:
Lego club helper:
(Do you have more club or service ideas? let us know!)


Final note: You'll find all the latest news here on this blog, sent out via email, and also in our Facebook group (same info, three places!). To be added to our email list, please contact us here. If you're new to homeschooling or to the Shenandoah County area, we'd love to meet you! Send us an email, or show up at one of our meetings, and let us get to know you. We're exist to help and encourage each other on this amazing adventure that is homeschooling.

Knowing y'all, that's something easy to believe! :)

X-Fair News

Did you know that the X-Fair for this year is just two short months away?
That's right. It's scheduled for the 23rd of April.

What is the X-Fair? Well, if you don't know, it is THE event of the year. The X-Fair is where your kids get the chance to truly strut their stuff, academically speaking.

Think science fair on steroids. Your kids are given the opportunity to create an exhibit on whatever they choose--science, history, math, arts and crafts, whatever.

If you're an old-timer here, there will be some changes. So keep reading, okay? Following is a letter to all parents regarding this year's fair. And following that, are the rules.

But, don't let the word "rules" scare you. We're flexible, ya know?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

February 17, 2015

Dear Parents,

In my 21 years of homeschooling I have found that our children often do not get some of the same educational opportunities that children attending a traditional school are given. In that light, we are planning some changes to the X-fair this year that will help to fill in some of those gaps.

Hopefully, you will be as excited about them as I am.

The changes that we are planning will give your children the opportunity to practice skills they will be required to have once they get to college or enter the workforce. Those skills include things like creating an audio/visual presentation, writing an informative composition, and giving an oral presentation.

In order to encourage your children to do their best work, we will be giving participation ribbons to everyone. Also, for those that choose to compete, 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place ribbons will go to each category. A $10 gift card will be given to each 1^st place child. The categories include elementary, junior high, and high school.

Because we understand that some children cannot handle the stress of formal competition, all HIS members are invited to exhibit in the fair without competing, and still earn a participation ribbon. Those members that choose to compete for the prizes must adhere to the project requirements listed below.

Finally, we intend to secure qualified judges for this year’s fair. They will be homeschooling parents who have graduated their children. The judges will be given a judging sheet with the criteria to make their job more objective.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to give me a call or shoot me an email.

Sincerely,

Carol Alexander

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HIS 2015 X-FAIR

Project Requirements (for those choosing to compete):

Audio/Visual portion:

Items that can be included in the A/V portion of this project include:

·         video

·         PowerPoint

·         presentation board

·         handouts

·         maps

·         photographs

·         artifacts or objects on display

·         samples, etc.

Specific requirements:

·         The presentation must give a clear representation of what the project is about.

·         If a presentation board is used, headings must be large enough to be read from the aisle.

·         Materials must be organized and focused on the topic.

·         Materials are to support the topic, not detract from it.

Written portion:

The written portion of the project is to be a three to five paragraph composition about the topic. (Length of written paper should be in keeping with the age of the child. Obviously, high school students will be expected to prepare a more thorough description of their project than an elementary student.)

Oral portion:

The child will be required to orally present his project to the audience and be able to answer questions from those in attendance. During this portion of the project, he should keep the following points in mind:

·         Speak with a strong voice,

·         Avoid the use of um, like, and other unnecessary words or sounds.

·         Answer questions thoroughly and with confidence, answering truthfully if he does not know the answer.

Appearance:

Remember that appearances matter in the real world.

·         The child’s presentation should be neat and of quality materials.

·         The child’s personal appearance should also be neat. Think music recital or job interview here. He wants to make his best impression.

·         Appearance will be on the judging sheet.

February Meeting Cancelled

Snowmen. CC photo by Eric Mueller.

With great regret we have decided to cancel the February meeting. With wind chills below zero all day and a number of core teachers out, we did not feel it wise to proceed.

HOWEVER. So as not to lose a continent (that would be so embarrassing!), we will push the themes forward, ending with our annual picnic a month later than usual, in June. That means the rest of our year will be:

March 19: Europe

April 16: North America

May 21: South America

June 18: End of year picnic

A reminder that we do have other events coming up shortly.

March 6: Field trip to the Amazon distribution center

March 10: Share Your Gift night

April 23: X-Fair

We apologize for any inconvenience, especially to the 4th & 5th graders who have worked so hard on their presentations. Please hold on to your props, and come prepared to present in March!

Thank you for your understanding, and again, we are so sorry for any trouble. Please stay warm, stay (or get!) well, hug each other, tell a few knock-knock jokes, and we'll see you on March 19!

January meeting (brrrr!)

Howdy, all, and welcome to 2015! We're excited to focus this month on the warm and sunny continent of Australia. Rather timely, don't you think??

A couple of quick announcements for this month:

* Brown bag lunches: waaay too much flu going around these days, so we're scrapping the usual potluck this round. Please bring lunch for your own family only.

* Outages: a few of our teachers/leaders will be out (some of them, not to name names DAVE, as far out as Hawaii), so please come ready to jump into classrooms as needed. Invisible scuba gear will be provided.

* Snow policy update: we will only cancel a HIS meeting if Shenandoah County schools are CLOSED. If there's any sort of delay, our meeting will proceed at the usual time.

See you all very shortly!

Scuba diver, Great Barrier Reef. CC2 photo by Cory Doctorow

Christmas Party 2014 Details

Merry Christmas HIS Family!

We are celebrating next week and here are some details for you!

When: Thursday, December 18th at 10:00am
Where: Wakeman's Grove COB
What to Bring: Cookies for lunch, and a bagged or wrapped gift under $5, a nice re-gift, or something homemade, if you would like to participate in the fun of a gift exchange!

**6th-12th students please bring a wrapped gift for boy or girl, under $5, a nice re-gift, book or music you liked, or something homemade. You will be playing a game with your gifts.**

Mrs. Richardson has a fun day planned for us...something like this:
10am- Gather in the Sanctuary
10:15-11:45- PreK-5th students will divide into classes and rotate between three or four activities: Storytime, Christmas Craft and Christmas bingo, and a Dominos Pizza Demonstration. Meanwhile 6th-12th students will play Christmas Charades and a gift exchange game together. 
12-1- Pizza, salad and drinks lunch provided by the club. Please bring cookies to share for dessert. We'll informally open our gifts during this time, too.
1:00-1:30ish- Christmas Sing-a-long with Mrs. Amy Mitchell

Nursery will be provided for 2 and under.

Parents, we want you to enjoy the day with your children and friends!
Please RSVP to shencohis@gmail.com, if you have not done so already, so that we may plan enough food and supplies for all to enjoy!

Looking forward to celebrating Christmas with you all!

November announcements!

Chuck the Turkey Dog. CC 2.0 photo by Pinke.

Happy Thanksgiving from the HIS family to yours! This week's insanely cold weather certainly puts one in mind of winter yumminess: Thanksgiving, then Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's.... That's a lot of cookies! :) Be sure to dress warmly, as our dear friend Chuck did (above).

We have loads of announcements, so watch this blog in the next few days for updates on the December 18 Christmas party as well as upcoming field trips (the planetarium Dec 1, Journey to Bethlehem etc).

In the meantime, here are a few announcements to hold you over. You should have received these via email; if you didn't, please let us know.

THIS MONTH'S MEETING:

* When: Thurs, Nov 20 @ 9:45am

* Where: Wakeman's Grove Church of the Brethren, Edinburg

* Theme: Asia

* Lunch: potluck! Bring a main dish (enough for your family plus one) AND a side dish or dessert. We'd love Asian themed dishes to go along with the theme, but that's not required. You're also welcome to bring Thanksgiving-themed dishes, or whatever else you like. Or if potluck's not your style, just pack a lunch for your own family. 

* NOTE: Be sure to bring a list of ingredients for the sake of our allergic/vegetarian members.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

* NEED 2 teachers for 2-3rd grade morning class. Both regular teachers are out. Will you please call/email me ASAP if you can help?

* NEED afternoon nursery helper. Again, please email or call if you can take this. NOTE: This position has been filled. Thanks!

* We also need at least two outdoor supervisors for the morning and again at lunch to keep an eye on the kids.

* NEED kitchen help. NOTE: we need and welcome your help in the kitchen! If you're not actively helping get food out, though, we welcome you to join our new Chat Room downstairs (see note below). 

Classes/clubs: A reminder that this week is the last opportunity for students to change clubs if it wasn't a good fit for them in October. (The earlier you can let us know, the better, so we can advise teachers.)

* Horse crazy club: don't forget to bring a white/light colored shirt

* High school class: come prepared with a 5-minute presentation (let us know if you need the details again)

NEW: We're thrilled this month to open our parent chat room! Come and ask (or help answer!) homeschool or parenting (or life!) questions. There are comfy couches and a cozy feel downstairs in the Youth Lounge, so if you're not actively helping in the kitchen or in a class, please come down and enjoy some adult "class" time!