**********************************************************************************************************
HOME Update, September 18, 2009
**********************************************************************************************************
Please forward information on the following issues to homeschoolers that you are in contact with:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. HOME Upcoming Events
2. ParentalRights.org
3. Opportunities of Interest
4. Please Support HOME!
5. Visit our Website for the Latest News and Information!
----------------------------------------
1. HOME Upcoming Events
*** Upcoming Getting Started in Homeschooling Workshops
Are you just beginning to homeschool? Are you researching the option for your family? Plan to attend this workshop!
We will cover the following topics:
Maine’s new homeschooling law
Record keeping
Curriculum planning
Helpful resources
Portfolios and evaluations
Support groups
Special needs
And much more!
Ø Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 2:00pm at the HOME Office in Hope. Call the HOME office at 763-2880 to register.
Ø Saturday, Oct 24, 2009 at 10:00am at First Free Will Baptist Church in Hollis. Several other workshops will be offered during this day-long event for homeschoolers. For more information, contact Brett Davis at brettdavis@securespeed.us
*** HOME Moms' Retreat, Saturday November 21, 2009
Join other homeschool moms and singer/songwriter Paulie Heath (www.paulieheath.com) for a day of refreshment! Come with another homeschooling mom for the day, or have an overnight time of rest relaxation. If you stay in the surrounding Camden area, you can plan a walk along the harbor, browse in local shops and visit the wonderful Owl and Turtle Bookstore. For suggestions for accommodations, contact the HOME Office at 207-763-2880.
Presenter: Paulie Heath
Time: 10 AM to 3 PM
Place: HOME Office in Hope, ME
Cost: $10.00 per person (include with registration)
-- Parking space is extremely limited at the HOME office. If it is possible, please consider carpooling!
-- Please bring a bag lunch. Hope General Store nearby offers pizza, soups, salads and excellent sandwiches!
-- Because of our early March Convention, the November Moms' Retreat will be the only one offered this year.
To register please send your name, address, email, phone number and payment to:
Homeschoolers of Maine
PO Box 159
Camden, ME 04843
*** For more details or if you have questions, please contact: The HOME Office at (207) 763-2880 or email homeschl@midcoast
*** For a list of all upcoming HOME Events in 2009, visit http://www.homeschoolersofmaine.org/event_calendar.htm
--------------------------------
2. ParentalRights.org
*** Calls to Congress
In celebration of Constitution Week, ParentalRights.org has scheduled a major call-in blitz to Congress, urging members to cosponsor the Parental Rights Amendment.
If you are anxious to preserve your parental rights, urge everyone you know to call their congressman and senators throughout the week. Get started today, and maybe even call back in a few days, just to see if they’re listening.
Here’s what you can do:
- Check ParentalRights.org’s lists of House cosponsors and Senate cosponsors.
- If your congressman or senator is not on the list, go to the States Watch page and click on your state to find their contact information.
- Call your congressman and ask him to sign on to cosponsor H.J. Res. 42, the Parental Rights Amendment, to protect parental rights and American and state sovereignty.
- Call your senators and urge them to cosponsor S.J. Res. 16, the Parental Rights Amendment, to protect parental rights and American and state sovereignty.
- Call or email friends and family and urge them to get in on this campaign as well. Let’s make this a very busy week for the Capitol switchboard!
*** War on homeschoolers spreading?
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=110109
*** Help Us to Spread the Word
Are parental rights issues important to you? Do you want to learn more, or share these issues with others? We can help! If your church, homeschool group or NAPS group would like to hear more about the current critical issues involving our parental rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, or if you would like more information, please call the HOME Office at 207-763-2880!! The issues are that important!
---------------------------------------
3. Opportunities of Interest
*** Exciting Homeschool Field Trip Opportunity!
The Chewonki Foundation will be offering one of their traveling natural history programs especially for homeschoolers just a mile from the HOME Office in Hope! The program will be "Owls of Maine -Habits and Adaptations of Maine's Native Owls" featuring a special appearance by LIVE owls! They specifically list this program as suitable for all ages. You can read more about the Chewonki Foundation and find a description of this particular workshop at www.chewonki.org. The HOME Office/Bookstore will be open for the day. Plan to stop in to visit!
When: October 21, 2009 10:00-11:00 AM
Where: Hope Public Library (also the town hall), 441 Camden Road Hope, Maine
Cost: $12 per family. Please RSVP to Megan at megan.macmillan@gordon.edu or 763-4534, and send a check (made out to HOME) no later than Oct. 1st to: Megan MacMillan 963 Barnestown Road Hope, Maine 04847 to reserve your spot.
*** Folkstory Puppetry Workshop
Join puppeteer Nancy Tyndall this fall and put on a puppet show of a wise and humorous folkstory. Each student will make their own puppet and learn how to use voice and movement expressively. This 6-week workshop series will be held in Liberty at the Liberty town office on Thursday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30, on October 15, 22, 29, and November 5, 12, and 19th. Fee is $75. Contact Nancy Tyndall at 342-2466 or milkweedpuppet@yahoo.com to register or for more information.
*** Merryspring Nature Center
Autumn is a wonderful time of year to wander in the woods. The weather is cool, the footing is dry, the bugs are (almost) gone, leaves on trees make identification easier and the fall colors are beautiful. It’s the perfect season to learn more about the trees and forests around us. This month, Merryspring Nature Center in Camden will offer a variety of programs for people who would like to become better acquainted with one of Maine’s most valuable natural resources. Many of the programs may be of interest to homeschool students.
A few programs are listed below, along with approximate age recommendations:
Tree Identification Talk/Walk
Tuesday, Sept. 22 from 2:30-4:30 p.m.
(Appropriate for high school age; 14 and up; this program is free for children)
Join Midcoast district forester Morten Moesswilde from the Maine Forest Service to learn how to identify some of Maine’s common tree species. The program will start inside with a talk, followed by a walk around the park to practice identification techniques. ($5; free for children and Merryspring members)
Tree Talk Family Workshop
Sunday, Sept. 27 from 1-3 p.m.
(Designed for ages 5-12; fun for all; this program is FREE for all)
Tree Talk is a free program for kids and grown-ups! Meet a Maine forester, sample some tasty treats from trees and join a tree scavenger hunt around the park to learn how to identify common Maine trees. Attendees can also learn more about invasive pests that threaten Maine’s forests—and what to do about it—at the USDA’s information booth. Activities are designed for ages 5-12 but are open to all ages. All children must be accompanied by an adult. In case of rain, activities will be moved indoors. (FREE)
Arboretum Trails
Open Every Day, Sunrise to Sunset
If formal programs aren’t your thing, you might prefer to take a stroll through Merryspring’s 10-acre Kitty Todd Arboretum. The arboretum is home to a wide variety of tree and shrub species—along with birds, animals and wildflowers—and is the sight of some of the park’s best trails. If you are lucky, you might even spot the pair of barred owls that nest there!
Merryspring is a member-supported, non-profit nature education center and park located at the end of Conway Road in Camden. The park grounds and trails are open free of charge, every day, from sunrise to sunset. For more information
For more information, contact:
Rachel Potter
Merryspring Nature Center
P.O. Box 893
Camden, ME 04843
Phone: 207-236-2239
Fax: 207-230-0663
rachel@merryspring.org
*** From Stand for Marriage Maine - Volunteers Needed!
Visit www.standformarriagemaine.com for news and events information, and to find out more about volunteering and supporting the efforts of this organization.
-------------------------------------
4. Please Support HOME!
*** Homeschooling Across America: Academic Achievement and Demographic Characteristics
Read more details about the study at
http://www.nheri.org/Latest/Homeschooling-Across-America-Academic-Achievement-and-Demographic-Characteristics.html
Please Note: Our own state specific study for Maine is due to be completed in the next few months. We are very excited to see how we compare! However, we still need to raise more funds to pay for this important homeschool resource for our state. Please consider a donation to HOME to help with this effort. Any amount would be greatly appreciated!!
*** Homeschooling Continues to Grow in Maine
As a result of the growth, the ministry of HOME continues to expand its reach in an effort to meet the needs of homeschool families. Over the course of the year, it now takes more than one hundred HOME volunteers to carry out the work of this vital ministry in our state. Please consider making a donation today! To find out how, visit our website at http://www.homeschoolersofmaine.org/founding_family.htm or http://www.homeschoolersofmaine.org/convention_build_our_HOME_project_7.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Visit our Website for the Latest News and Information!
*** Annual Assessments
Participate in Annual Assessments through HOME, and support your state organization! For more information, visit our website at http://www.homeschoolersofmaine.org/portfolio_review.htm
*** Notice of Intent
For a "Notice of Intent" or “Subsequent Letter of Intent” form, visit the HOME website at http://www.homeschoolersofmaine.org/Directions_for_Notice_of_Intent.htm
*** Maine Law Summary
The HSLDA Maine Law Summary is posted at the HOME website at http://www.homeschoolersofmaine.org/law_summary.htm
*** The Heart of HOME Newsletter: 2009 Online Issue Available
Great articles are available in the Winter 2009 issue of the Heart of HOME Newsletter. Visit http://www.homeschoolersofmaine.org/current_issue.htm
*** Subscribe to the Heart of HOME
Be sure to subscribe or renew your subscription to the Heart of HOME Newsletter online with Paypal! Check it out at http://www.homeschoolersofmaine.org/subscription_form.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** HOME updates are sent upon request. If you have received this message in error, if you have received duplicate copies, or if you wish to have your name removed from our update list, please email us at homeschl@midcoast.com. Thank you!
*** If you have found our ministry to be a blessing, please consider sending a tax-deductible donation to HOME at the address below. Thank you!
Homeschoolers of Maine
PO Box 159
Camden, ME 04843
207-763-2880
homeschl@midcoast.com
www.homeschoolersofmaine.org
