Please pass this alert on to your homeschooling friends, your support group email lists and your online homeschool groups.

OCEANetwork and the Oregon Home Education Network (OHEN) are preparing for the 2009 Oregon Legislative session. We anticipate that this legislative session will be a particularly difficult session.

Last session we battled HB 2979 which would have made changes in the homeschool law including increasing the percentile score required to “pass.” We also successfully opposed HB 2996 which required anyone teaching any subject K-12th grades for pay to be a state certified teacher. And we fought SB 392 lowering the compulsory attendance age.

This session we expect more of the same. We are working hard to prepare. One of the many tools we would like to be able to use during this session is an up-to-date research report analyzing how well homeschool students are doing academically.

We need the help of every homeschool family in Oregon. Approximately 15,000 children are homeschooled in Oregon. About 1/3 of those students were required to take a standardized achievement test last year. We’d like to obtain the scores of the majority of those 5,000 home educated students in order to present an accurate picture of home education achievement in Oregon. It has been 10 years since we have had good data. Current data will help us in our lobbying efforts.

Here’s how you can help:

1. If you homeschooled for the 2007-2008 school year AND you had your child tested with a standardized achievement test last year, please go to OCEANetwork’s web site and participate in the study. It is completely anonymous. Even if your child did not score well on the test, we need his or her test scores, too.

Please participate NOW if you qualify. We would like to finish collecting the data before Thanksgiving so we can turn it over to the National Home Education Research Institute to analyze. If you have already participated through Basic Skills, HSLDA or OCEANetwork, thank you. You do not need to participate again.

2. Even if you didn’t have your children tested last year, pass this email on to everyone you know who is homeschooling. OCEANetwork does not have contact will all home educators in Oregon, but if you all pass this message on to friends, support groups and email lists, we will be able to reach many more home educators.

3. Sign up for email alerts from OCEANetwork about legislative activity at http://www.oceanetwork.org/membership/signup.cfm. You are the key to homeschool lobby success. Legislators pay attention to families from their district. Make sure you receive alerts from OCEANetwokr, then contact your legislators when asked to do so.

4. Pray for us as we prepare for this legislative session. We need God’s wisdom and strength. And become an OCEANetwork Supporting Family. A $30 or more tax-deductible contribution will help OCEANetwork continue to protect home education freedom in Oregon and will help defray the cost of doing this research project. You can send your contribution to OCEANetwork, 15805 S Abiqua Rd NE, Silverton, OR 97381 or call 503-288-1285 to contribute with a credit card.

Thank you for your help in the defense of homeschool freedom in Oregon.

Yours for Christ and for freedom,

Dick & Dorothy Karman
Chairman of OCEANetwork

P.S.: OCEANetwork exists to serve the Lord Jesus Christ by supporting, encouraging, protecting and advancing private Christian home education in Oregon. We are dedicated to protecting the right of every parent to home educate regardless of religious preference or educational philosophy. We are also dedicated to encouraging Christians to utilize their freedom to homeschool in order to disciple their children in the Lord. It is our desire to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, the hearts of spouses to each other and the hearts of families to God in order to make ready a people prepared for the Lord (paraphrase of Luke 1:17). Thank you for helping us with this ministry.

Apple Pie Day

Thursday May. 7
State Capitol, Salem
Contact: Wes & Deborah Butler
503-873-3159
mail@oceanetwork.org

Homeschool Day at Hatfield Marine Science Center

Newberg City Council considering daytime curfew. You can help.

Newberg City Council is considering enacting a daytime curfew at their meeting tonight (7 p.m. Monday, October 20, 2008). Daytime curfews allow police officers to stop and question school-aged children who are in public places during school hours. This, of course, is problematic for homeschool students who might be walking to the library (or George Fox University in Newberg), on their way to a job or otherwise out in public without a parent during school hours.

Here’s how you can help:

1. Pray for the meeting tonight and the home educators who will be presenting testimony.

2. If you live in the Newberg-Dundee area or come into Newberg routinely during school hours, please attend the meeting Monday October 20th at 7 p.m. at the Newberg Public Safety Building, 401 E. Third Street, Newberg even if you don’t plan on giving testimony.

3. If you live in one of the cities in Oregon which currently have daytime curfews and if your family has been negatively impacted by the curfew, please e-mail April McGowan at april.mcgowan@gmail.com before 5 p.m. with a paragraph or two on what happened to your family.

Cities in Oregon which have daytime (school hours) curfews:

Beaverton
Eugene
Keizer
McMinnville
Pendleton
Portland
Salem
Springfield

If you know of other cities in Oregon which have daytime curfews, please let me know at karmans@oceanetwork.org.

Yours for freedom,
Dorothy Karman
OCEANetwork

It is important that your children learn about the state in which they live. Most states require that this subject be taught even if the children are homeschooled. However, many of these studies are "dry" and not the least bit of fun. We are here to tell you that the series State History from a Christian Perspective is going to change all of that!

As noted on their website, "Your student will construct his very own state history textbook using text, maps, and color state symbol pictures from the Student Booklet. Choose to have your student format his own notebook pages and build an original notebook in a 3-ring binder, or have your student use My State Notebook, a pre-formatted "scrap book" published by A Beka Book. (With this option, the student ends up with a beautiful project notebook without spending much time and energy on the notebook itself, allowing the student to focus on the content.) The 30 lessons provide a complete state history course while allowing wide flexibility in course length. Each lesson will take approximately 30-40 minutes. Instructions are given for adapting our material to various course lengths. The depth and difficulty level of either plan may be easily and individually adjusted by using the Expansion Suggestions at the end of each lesson or by modifying the scope of the assignments in the lesson plans."

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

Let's learn a bit more about this series, State History from a Christian Perspective.
 
TOS: Where did you get the idea for your product?
 
State History: We homeschooled our five children. As part of our A Beka curriculum, we received a pre-formatted scrapbook called My State Notebook into which my daughter was to insert pictures and information about Texas, which is where we lived at the time. This unit requires the student and teacher to do all the research and test/quiz preparation. I found it to be quite challenging to accomplish this in the midst of all the other responsibilities of homeschooling five children. 

Of course, after I prepared this course for one child, I saved the notes and information for use with my other children. My husband, who was an A Beka homeschool representative at the time, soon realized that many of his customers needed help with this unit, so I organized my Texas notes into a packet that could be shared with other homeschool families through homeschool support group newsletters.

By the Providence of God, we moved to Indiana several years later. Of course, that meant I had to prepare a new course on Indiana for my own children. Since my husband's new territory with A Beka included parts of seven other states, I gradually added courses on these seven states as well and began exhibiting at homeschool conventions in these states. It was at that point that we were impressed with the need for materials in all 50 states for teaching state history from a Christian perspective. However, it wasn't until our children all graduated-about 13 years after writing my first state history course-that I was able to finish all 50 states. 
 
My husband and I like to reflect on this as an example of how God's will for our lives is made known to us.  As Christians, we often expect God to show us a goal toward which we must strive. However, my husband and I had no idea that a state history family business was God's "goal" for us. All we knew was that there were daily tasks in front of us, small steps of obedience and service to Him as we cared for and provided for our own family needs, that were clearly God's will for each day. Looking back, we can see that each of these daily steps was leading us down the pathway toward God's intended goal, even though that goal was unknown to us.
 
TOS: Describe State History from a Christian Perspective for our readers. What does the study cover?
 
State History: State History from a Christian Perspective is a complete course for grades 3 through 12 and is available for every state. We offer a separate textbook for each state, called the Student Booklet, that provides state-specific information about history, geography, state symbols, cities, economy, government, and other topics. Included in the textbook are six quizzes, two tests, an answer key, color state symbol pictures, a study guide for the state constitution, and a ten-page appendix of information about all fifty states.

Our Master Lesson Plan Book gives simple instructions and several different options for transferring the information from the Student Booklet into a project notebook the student will make about his own state. The Master Lesson Plan Book is generic, so it can be used for any state or even for teaching more than one state simultaneously.  The Master Lesson Plan Book also correlates this course with our lower grade level course, My State History Funbook.
 
TOS: You have two products for two age ranges - Age 3 to 3rd grade and Grades 3-12 - what are the differences in them?
 
State History: The upper level course is a complete state history course that provides a chronological study of history. It includes quizzes, tests, and optional projects to develop research and composition skills. The lower level course, called My State History Funbook, provides an introduction to the student's state through color-cut-and-paste activities. The lower level course does not require reading or writing skills or time-concept comprehension and does not include tests, quizzes, or a chronological study of history.
 
TOS: Are these studies geared to last an entire school year?
 
State History: Both levels of our basic state history course include thirty lessons. Our Master Lesson Plan Book gives a variety of plans and suggestions that allow the parent to easily adjust the length and scope of the upper level course. If the thirty lessons are done on thirty consecutive class days, the course can be completed in six weeks. This makes our course perfect for a state history unit study that can be added to any school year or even accomplished as a light, fun summer project!

However, each of the thirty lessons includes a list of expansion suggestions which can be used by the parent to easily adjust the course length and/or difficulty level to fit individual preferences. For example, if a parent wants a one-year state history course, the student could do one lesson per week and the parent could assign projects and activities from the expansion suggestions for up to four additional class days each week.

We include a ninety-lesson "One Semester Independent Study Guide" for the benefit of secondary students needing a semester of credit as well as an "express" ten-lesson plan, especially for the benefit of support groups.

For those who want to cover both state history and American history in one year, we suggest that our state history course be combined with our course on all fifty states. My personal preference would be to begin the year with Fifty States Under God, studying the states in chronological order up to the student's own state, stop at that point and do the 30-lesson state history course, then go back and finish the remainder of the fifty states in order.
 
TOS: Explain more about the personalized state notebook that you recommend the student create as he goes through his studies.
 
State History: For both the upper and lower level courses, the personalized project notebook provides an enjoyable, hands-on learning tool. The student covers basic information by means of the pictures and text that we provide. The student inserts this material into his notebook and then adds other pictures and information that is of personal interest to him.

One source of pictures and information is free tourist literature obtained from the state tourist agency using a toll-free phone number provided in our Student Booklet. Of course, family travel is always an option that can transform the notebook into a personal memory book as well as a personalized textbook.
 
Our lower level course, My State History Funbook, includes both the spiral-bound, pre-formatted scrapbook and a state-specific packet of cutouts, called "Activity Pages," that the student will paste into the scrapbook. 
 
Our State History from a Christian Perspective course for grades 3-12 consists of the Master Lesson Plan Book and the Student Booklet on the chosen state. For the third component, the project notebook, students can either use My State Notebook (a pre-formatted scrapbook published by A Beka Book), or they can construct their own notebook in a three-ring binder.

The Master Lesson Plan Book gives side-by-side instructions for both project notebook options so a parent can choose either or teach both simultaneously. The project notebook provides a very simple means of adjusting the grade level, difficulty level, and depth of the course. 

For grades 3 - 8 we recommend the use of My State Notebook (by A Beka Book) as the project notebook, which we mentioned earlier.

The three-ring-binder notebook option is recommended for grades 9 - 12, but can be used for grades 3 - 8 if desired. This option teaches organizational skills and provides unlimited potential for adjusting the difficulty level, length, and depth of the course using the expansion suggestion provided in our Master Lesson Plan Book.
 
TOS: You also sell a study that covers all 50 states in one unit, Fifty States Under God. How does this product differ from the individual state studies?
 
State History: Fifty States Under God is a workbook study of all fifty states in the order of statehood. It gives an overview of each state without going into the detail that is covered in the individual state studies. It also includes highlights from each of the individual state books.

In the process of writing the 50 individual state books, I came across so much interesting information that most people would never be exposed to because they would not have the opportunity to study all 50 states in depth as I had done. Fifty States Under God is my way of making this interesting information available to everyone! I literally went through all 50 individual textbooks and pulled out all the information that was historically interesting and spiritually inspiring to me. 

For this reason, I like to call Fifty States Under God my "I-love-history" book! Our hope is that through the stories and information in this book, students will see how God Providentially intervened in our history and how often Godly men and women were instrumental in the growth of our country.

However, Fifty States Under God is more than a book of information about individual states. Because the states are presented in the order of statehood, with a time-line and a progressive map study built into the lesson schedule at the front of the book, Fifty States Under God is actually a chronological study of American history that focuses on events related to the addition of states and territories. Therefore, it provides a unique perspective on US history and geography that can be used by itself or in combination with any US History course. It is also a great resource for families traveling across the United States. It is completely self-contained (everything needed to do this course is provided within this one book, including all information and state symbol pictures needed by the student to fill in the work pages on each state).

We also offer a color-cut-and-paste version of this book, called Fifty States Under God for Young Learners (age 3 - grade 3). The Young Learners version includes basic state information as well as information about people associated with each state. Our goal is to put "good heroes" in front of young students so they will learn character, patriotism, and Godly values. The Young Learners version also includes all pictures and cutouts needed to fill out the book.
 
TOS: What other products do you sell?  Please tell us more about them.
 
State History: We have added a 2-piece church history course to our line of products, Sketches from Church History and Sketches from Church History Student Workbook. Although we did not write this course, we chose it because we found it to be an inspiring and thorough study of the development of Protestant Christianity from the early church through the end of the 19th century. We recommend this one-semester course for secondary level students.
 
We also publish a line of Scripture greeting cards called "The Word In Season Cards." Our goal in offering these cards is to help people meet the occasions of life with the Word of God. Each card contains a thought-provoking poem and related Scripture verses. The cards can be purchased at www.statehistory.net or at www.TheWordInSeason.net. Through our cards, we offer a very simple fundraiser for homeschool support groups, Christian schools, and church groups. 
 
TOS: Finally, we would like to invite you to share anything else that you'd like our readers to know about State History from a Christian Perspective or any of your other products.
 
State History: One other resource we include on our website free of charge and for the benefit of homeschoolers is our "Tips for Teaching Your Struggling Student." This document gives simple, practical suggestions for adjusting the way information is presented to students who are not grasping material or completing assignments. It reflects my own struggles as a homeschool mom and shares methods that worked in our family, methods that the Lord impressed on me after many days and weeks of prayers and tears. The link for this document can be found at the top of our state history website, www.statehistory.net.
 
TOS: Now, doesn't that sound simple, educational AND fun! Your child will have a beautiful keepsake book after he is finished with this study. Each state study costs only $25 for a two-book set - the state history Student Booklet and the Master Lesson Plan Book. What a true bargain for a product that will allow you to keep Christ in your homeschool!

Dear International Homeschoolers,    Here at The Old Schoolhouse Magazine we know that homeschooling can get rough if you have to do it alone, particularly with the holidays coming up. Life gets hectic and homeschooling can take a backseat. Doubt begins to creep into your mind and you wonder if homeschooling is really right for your family. You may even be ready to pack it all in and check out travel brochures.     Are you missing a support group and other like-minded families? Connect with other homeschooling families worldwide through our pages. Are you needing encouragement for even the little subjects? You'll love the product reviews and suggestions from other homeschool parents. Do you need research that proves that homeschooling works? With articles and interviews by homeschool experts you'll be able to debate with confidence. Do you find homeschooling multiple ages challenging? What about preschool, high school, and even college? Each issue focuses on different levels of education. Do you wonder just how important socialization is for your children? You'll find out how the right kind of socialization makes all the difference. Is space tight at your house or do you find it hard to receive mail overseas? Our digital subscription would be perfect for you! Guess what? You aren't alone! Thousands of homeschooling parents worldwide have asked these questions. Even if we're not just around the corner, we're still here for you! Subscribe today and get what you need to keep your homeschool fresh and fun! Your subscription will give you the answers and the support you need. Plus, your subscription will include 15 FREE E-Gifts from product sponsors we have reviewed and trust! Sing 'n Learn - Mulitplication to Music: Classical Math to Classical Music mp3 downloads - Value $12.95 New Harvest Homestead - 5 back issues of the New Harvest Homestead E-Newsletter - Value $10 AVKO - Digital Sequential Spelling 7 Sample download - Value $10 Math Mammoth - Math Mammoth Multiplication 1 and Math Mammoth Early Geometry E-Book - Value $7 Notebookingpages. com - Nature Study Notebooking Pages E-Book - Value $10.95 Helpme2teach. com - 1 month online subscription - Value $10 MotherboardBooks. com - What Homeschooling Moms Really Need to Know About the Internet Mp3 download - Value $12 Art of Eloquence - The Play Book, A Day Without Communication Is Like... Impossible, and Defending the Faith printable calendar E-Books - Value $34.85 Remembrance Press - The Girlhood Home Companion E-sampler and The Pebbly Brook Farm Stories mp3 download - Value $15.95 KinderBach - 2 weeks of piano lessons via downloadable web videos and activity pages - Value $9.95 Write Shop - World of People Storybuilders cards, WriteShop1 sample lesson, and coupon downloads - Value $10.00 ALEKS Corporation - 1 month online subscription to ALEKS Math - Value $19.95 Christian Cottage Home Character Traits Services - Roots and Relations Unit Study from Volume 1, In the Beginning, God! E-Book - Value $19.99 Proverbs 22:6 Academy - Biblical Character Traits to Learn and to Live E-Book - Value $20.95 Homestead Originals - Homestead Simplicity E-Book - Value $9.95   For our Canadian neighbors, you can subscribe for just $30.00 and receive a one year subscription or make it two years for $49.00 and save $11.00! That's 8 issues, instead of 4, that bring help and comfort to your corner of the world.  A one year international subscription is only $45.60 and you receive the 15 FREE gifts to help you keep going. With articles from and about other homeschoolers who live in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and even China, TOS will make you feel right at home! If you like to save money and get your issues more quickly, then the digital version of TOS is just right for you! For only $16.95 you'll still receive 15 FREE gifts, in digital format. That means you get your gifts and your magazine FAST! No need to wait for your magazine to arrive in the mail or find a place to store it. Just find the option that is right for you and subscribe today. You won't want to miss out on our upcoming issues. Plus, you'll receive the monthly Teacher's Toolbox right in your inbox with a bonus freebie each month!               !

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(For more information regarding things listed on the Oregon blog, please email me, and I can give further information. Thanks!)

FREE SHOWING: Film "Trojan Horse" and Special speaker

October 11th
 
 
Special speaker Dick Karman will be chatting with Lane County homeschoolers and prospective homeschoolers. He will be answering questions and showing us "Trojan Horse", the short movie that has been turning heads and causing much discussion nationwide!
 
Please try to bring your husbands to this event!
 
www.LIGHThomeschooling.org
 
9 - 11am at Norkenzie Christian Church, 2530 Crescent Ave, Eugene.

(For more information regarding things listed on the Oregon blog, please email me, and I can give further information. Thanks!)

Starbucks Offers Free Coffee for Homeschool Parents

This coming Monday, September 29, homeschool parents will be able to pick up a complimentary tall size (12 fl. oz.) cup of Pike Place Roast from Starbucks.

This promotion is part of Starbucks “Great Start for Great Teachers” promotion, and is now open to all teachers.

HSLDA intervened when we were alerted that homeschool parents were not included in the promotion.

We are pleased that Starbucks is recognizing the contribution of homeschool parents by extending their program to us.

In order to pick up your free cup of Pike Place Roast you will need to present evidence that you are a homeschooler.

Any one item on the following list should be accepted by Starbucks:

• Home School Legal Defense Association membership card.
• Membership card from a state homeschooling organization.
• Notification from a school district or state government recognizing compliance with compulsory attendance.
• Paperwork submitted showing intent to establish a homeschool program.
• Paperwork showing the establishment of a private school.

If you don’t have one of the items on this list be creative and try to provide other proof of homeschooling.

Please note: the final decision about whether to accept proof of homeschooling resides with Starbucks.

Hello all homeschoolers,
Borders Books is happy to announce that our nationwide Fall
Educator Appreciation Weekend will be October 3rd - 5th.

As with our previous educator savings events, you’ll receive 25%
off all list-priced books, CDs, DVDs, cafe items, and gifts &
stationery in the store. www.borders. com/educators

This event is for all homeschoolers! We have a year-long Business
& Educator discount, but EAW extends the discount to your personal
items. We’d appreciate your help in making sure that everyone hears
about EAW. Please list it in newsletters or forward this email.
Check Borders.com to find a store near you, or call the downtown
Portland Borders at (503)220-5911.

Thanks for being an educator!

Borders Fall Educator Appreciation Weekend, 10/03-10/05/ 2008
www.borders. com/educators
www.borders. com..losmaestros

(For more information regarding things listed on the Oregon blog, please email me, and I can give further information. Thanks!)

Kids Day for Conservation is coming to Corvallis and the Benton County Fairgrounds on Saturday, September 20, 2008 from 10 am until 4 pm and your family is invited!

This sixth annual event is free, fun, and focused on hands-on natural resources education designed to help kids make a difference for conservation in their community. Over 35 natural resources-connected organizations and businesses will be on hand to present a wide variety of activities suitable for children of all ages.

There will be do-it-yourself nature art projects. You will discover amphibians, birds, fish and other critters that live in our farms, forests and urban areas. You can build a bird house to take home, climb a "rock wall", and shoot a bow and arrow. Explore a "soil tunnel" to see what goes on underground. Learn how to conserve energy. See how wildfire spreads and how to protect your family from it. Participate in the Oregon Forest Scavenger Hunt and learn about farm and forest products that are produced locally. Come and throw an atlatl and discover the magic of wood! This is only a sample of all that you can see and do at Kids Day!

There will truly be something for everyone at Kids Day for Conservation. The event will be held under cover, rain or shine.

(For more information regarding things listed on the Oregon blog, please email me, and I can give further information. Thanks!)

Back in June, a comment was left by Tim Adams asking about stores that sold new and used curriculum. 

There is a store in Oregon City that I highly recommend.  The store is called Exodus provisions.  You can find their websitehere.

They are a pretty big store, and have a wide variety of books to look through.  They are also very good at giving you advice about what kind of books to look for, and what would fit your style of homeschooling best.

Exodus Provisions also takes in your used homeschool books and curriculums, and gives you cash back toward your own purchases there. 

It is nice to be able to go into their store, and actually look through the books and curriculums before you buy them.  I have spent hours there digging and flipping through the books!

So for an answer to Tim Adam's question, Exodus Provsions is an excellent place to go to, to find new and used curriulum.  

If anyone has any questions they would like to ask me, feel free to email me.  There is also helpful information on the Old School House Magazine's website.  The link to the Oregon information can be found here.

(For more information regarding things listed on the Oregon blog, please email me, and I can give further information. Thanks!)

Christian Communicators Northwest Debate Workshop #1: Introduction to CCNW
Debate

General Information
Date: Saturday, September 13, 2008.
Time: 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm.
Location: Evergreen Presbyterian Church
905 Cottage Street NE (Corner of Cottage and D Streets) Salem, OR 97301.
Cost: $5 each for Students/Debaters. Payment at the door.
Coaches, Instructors, Parents, and Prospective Judges may attend at no cost.

Registration: None required. An email to salemdebate@ juno.com providing the
number of students/debaters and/or the number of adults would be
appreciated, but is not required.

Workshop Content
The purpose of this workshop is to provide an overall familiarization with
CCNW team policy debate. The CCNW Judge Orientation provides concise
instruction on the structure of a debate round, the argumentation used by
the debaters to support and defend their positions, and how to determine the
winner of a debate round and fill out a ballot. Following the orientation,
the video of a full debate round will be shown. At the conclusion of the
debate round all participants will work independently and then as a group to
evaluate the round, determine the winner, and fill out a ballot. The
workshop will conclude with a discussion about CCNW philosophy, rules and
events.

While the primary purpose for the workshop series is to supplement and
support new debate clubs and classes, Workshop #1 is a valuable opportunity
for anyone wanting to get a better understanding of team policy debate and
what it means to become involved in the CCNW debate program.

Workshop #2 is scheduled for Saturday, October 18th and will address
material covered in the 1st half of a typical Introduction to Debate course.
Workshop #3 is scheduled for Saturday, November 15th and will address the
2nd half of an Introduction to Debate course.

Please forward this email to anyone you think might be interested. Workshop
#1 is a good opportunity for those interested in debate to see what it is
all about.

Fall 2008 Debate Class:

Why: Homeschoolers learn reading, writing, arithmetic, science, geography,
politics, etc. Debate provides a capstone activity for older homeschoolers
to employ what they have learned in a broad based activity that requires the
combination of research, logic, and presentation in a challenging,
competitive, but fun program.

What: This 10-week class, meeting once a week, will prepare students to
take part in Christian homeschool debate events. The class covers some very
simple logic, the fundamental elements of a debate, and public speaking.
The class will be open to a maximum of 16 students, ages 13-18. Students
must be 13 years old before January 1, 2009 to participate in debate
competitions this season (January-May 2009).

When: Tuesday Evenings, 7-9 pm. September 23, 30; October 7, 14, 21, 28;
November 4, 11, 18; December 2. There will be no class November 25.

Where: Evergreen Presbyterian Church 905 Cottage Street NE, Salem (Corner of
Cottage and D Streets). Note: This is a change in location.

Cost: $50 per student, $40 per student for 2nd, 3rd, etc. student from the
same family. A text costing $15 is also required (not included in the
attendance fee).

If you are interested in the class or want to learn more, please contact Ray
or Denise Engel at (503) 363-2187 or via email at salemdebate@ juno.com.

(For more information regarding things listed on the Oregon blog, please email me, and I can give further information. Thanks!)

September 2nd

 
"NOT BACK To School" celebration
 
LIVELY SWIM PARK

Tuesday  Sept 2nd 
Location:  6100 Thurston Rd., Springfield
12noon - 1pm
 
There is a small donation asked, $2.00 each swimmer.

Everyone else is in government school this week! This event is for * homeschoolers *.
Last year there were a LOT of people there.

If you are a new homeschooler, it gives great encouragement to be in a place filled with other homeschoolers. Yes, you are not alone!

This event is sponsored by LIGHT (lighthomeschooling .org), but all homeschoolers are welcome to attend.

http://www.willamal ane.org/1_ aqua/lpsc. htm
 
There will be a snack bar open, but you may bring a sack lunch.

(For more information regarding things listed on the Oregon blog, please email me, and I can give further information. Thanks!)

Have you been keeping up with this year's summer Olympics?  I know we have!  Especially the swimming.

It has been so exciting to watch these olympic swimmers.  Especially Michael Phelps.  

I am very pleased to have seen this come through my email today.   For the second year, the Beaverton Swim Center is offering  its Homeschool SPLASH Swim Team program this Fall term.  M/W/F from 1:30 to 2:30pm.

This team was created when a couple of homeschool moms requested a homeschool team.

Some terms, the pool has had barely enough kids (ages 5-17) registered to continue the program.

While the kids swim against other kids, the focus is on improving the child's own personal best and learning to be part of a team with a positive attitude.

Your child must be at skill level G or better to be on the SPLASH team, however, the coaches instruct the children on stroke improvement and competitive swimming skills.

For full information on this program, and registration info, please
go to:
http://www.runboard .com/b4himchocta lk.f4.t675

(For more information regarding things listed on the Oregon blog, please email me, and I can give further information. Thanks!)

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(For more information regarding things listed on the Oregon blog, please email me, and I can give further information. Thanks!)

The summer can be a fun time for field trips.  There are many different places around Oregon that families can travel to, that are both fun and educational.  

Over the 4th of July weekend (4th, 5th, 6th),  the northwest civil war councel will be having a reenactment at the willamette mission park in Brooks, Oregon (which is just outside of Salem).  This will be our first time being able to be completely involved in it.  Being able to take a step back in time is a wonderful way for children to have a hands on history lesson.

Here are a few more ideas,  of  fun educational outings.

In Buena Vista, Oregon, there is a Wings of Wonder Butterfly Farm.  You can go in and see all sorts of butterflies!

In Central Oregon, you can take a tour of the fossil beds, or go and see the old lava flows.

Over on the coast, there is a marine center called theHatfield Marine Science Center.  You can see marine life, and learn about it, while being happy inside knowing that it is free!

As I think of more, or run into any more great summer field trip ideas, I'll be sure to come and post them.

(For more information regarding things listed on the Oregon blog, please email me, and I can give further information. Thanks!)