Jul. 24, 2008

Win a Free Book(s) Drawing

Jul. 23, 2008

First Class Homeschool Ministries: Volunteers Needed

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." - I Peter 4:10  July 23, 2008 Connect with the FCHM Community: Volunteer! Dear Homeschool Parent,   If you have been thinking about the ministry of First Class and wondering how you can help, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved.  Aside from financial support, (which we very much appreciate and need), we need people who are willing to invest in praying for the ministry and in volunteering their time.  We want to invite you to be part of what God is doing through the ministry of First Class, and to get involved! We will be talking more about opportunities to get involved with FCHM at our BBQ.. scheduled for this Saturday July 26th at the home of Jay and Heidi St. John.  If you live in the Portland/Vancouver area and want to minister to homeschooling families through FCHM, come and hear first-hand what God is doing and see how you can be involved! If you don't live near us, that's okay! You don't need to live in the Northwest to serve! Many of these things can be done from home. You can make a difference in the lives of homeschool families -  and impact the world with the love of Christ at the same time.  Please read the following opportunities and prayerfully consider where God might use you to touch thousands of homeschooling children in a very tangible way... building up local communities of homeschoolers that are founded and grounded in their commitment to following Christ.  It has never been more important than it is now. Because of Him and for the next generation, Jay and Heidi St. John for the FCHM Board of Directors Come be part of the FCHM Ministry Team and make a difference in the lives of homeschooling families around the world! FCHM Volunteer Staff Job Descriptions FCHM Fundraising Banquet Team *New Opportunity* This event only happens once a year!  This year, it's October 24th, and  we're excited to be hosted by Life Point Church here in Vancouver, but we need volunteers from all over the country to help us spread the word. What you will need: Passion for FCHM ... desire to see the ministry GROW organized ... able to communicate quickly with details Locally:  Decorators, band members, servers, table hosts Nationally: Table sponsor coordinator, video coordinator (for collecting videos from FC families and putting them on a DVD to show at the dinner)   Graphic Designer (1 left) Work From Home... Are you creative and full of great ideas?  If you are, we could really use your help to design flyers and brochures for FCHM and Real Life Marriage Conferences.  Skills needed: previous experience in graphic design desired self-motivated, creative and easy to work with (we're easy!) skilled at using design software such as In-Design, Photoshop and Illustrator   Assistant to the Webmaster (1 opening) Simply put... Jay needs an assistant!  This would be done from home.  6 - 10 hours /week Skills needed: familiar with Photo Shop, Fireworks, and Flash knowledge and experience working with websites ability to assist individual co-op leaders with website questions (training provided!) close-working relationship with the Webmaster creativity!  Primary responsibility will be designing new templates for FCHM websites.   PHP Specialist (1 opening) Are you skilled in PHP?  We're looking for a php guru! Primary responsibilities include developing and maintain FCHM database and web systems Skills needed: ability to look at existing scripts, add code and get your PHP to talk to your MySQL ability to collaborate with web team ... crunch the code with us! Podcast Editor (1 opening) FCHM produces several podcasts.  The primary one goes out once a month, but we also do short training podcasts from time to time.   Skills needed: 3-5 hours of work once per month previous experience working with audio editing software preferred self-motivated team player creative Inquiry Response Team (3 openings) Work From Home... Each week, we receive dozens of inquiries about the ministry of First Class from all over the world.  To date, we have answered over 1000 requests for information.  We're building a team of people who care about the mission and ministry of FCHM to help us answer these inquiries personally.  Team members will spend time over the phone talking with people who request more information about First Class Co-ops.  You'll need to be familiar with how the First Class Co-op Concept works - and we'll train you!  This is a absolutely crucial part of the ministry team at First Class. What you'll need: Internet connection understanding of how FCHM operates (we'll train you!) excited to share the vision that FCHM has for planting homeschool co-ops good listening skills   Office Assistant (1 opening) For someone living near the FCHM office in Vancouver, WA... Are you a highly organized person who enjoys general office work?  Tasks vary from week to week, and include mailing out FCHM resource packets and materials.  Skills needed: reliable, ability to mail out time-sensitive information high speed Internet connection  ability to work on a team ability to edit and improve existing FCHM materials self-motivated FCHM is a dynamic ministry that is largely staffed by a wonderful team of dedicated volunteers.  As we grow, it is our prayer that many of these opportunities will become paid positions. We continue to thank God for each person who has and is giving of their time and/or financial resources to further this ministry. If you have any questions about these opportunities, or would like to receive more information, please contact us. CONTACT INFORMATION: by phone:  360-326-8826 by email:  info@fchm.org Thank you for your support of First Class.

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Jul. 23, 2008

Waller Road Grange Fair Needs You! Tacoma/Puyallup, WA Area

Jul. 21, 2008

CANTATE! Home School Choir 2008-2009 Registration Information, Federal Way, WA

Jul. 21, 2008

Home School Campout! Pierce County Area

Jul. 17, 2008

Curricula Drive for Flood Victim Families: Volunteers Needed!

Jul. 15, 2008

Drawing to Win: "Love As a Way of Life" by Dr. Gary Chapman

Interested in a chance to win a copy of Dr. Gary Chapman's exciting new book,  "Love As a Way of Life"? Visit Pam's Private Reflections  (www.hip2bhomeschooling.blogspot.com) between today and Friday, July 18th, 2008 to enter the giveaway. Two lucky winners will receive a copy of the book. Just leave a comment and a way that you can be reached.  The contest is open to everyone (even if you do not have a blog), but please leave an email address where you can be contacted if you win. Sorry, but the contest is open to US residents only.   Enter the contest by leaving a comment after the post about Dr. Gary Chapman's exciting new book, "Love As a Way of Life". Click on the words 'Thoughts Shared' and it will open to where  you may comment. Be sure to include your e mail so Pam has a way to contact you if you win.

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Jul. 15, 2008

South Hill Mall presents FREE Summer Movies

Jul. 15, 2008

Outdoor Movies at Bradley Lake Park, Puyallup, WA

Jul. 15, 2008

DOG A THON, Steilacoom Park, Tacoma, WA in JULY!

Jul. 15, 2008

Pierce County Library Summit Branch, Puyallup/South Hill, WA

Jul. 7, 2008

4H State Fair Volunteers Needed! Puyallup, WA

Jul. 3, 2008

Summer Reading Splash from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine!

TOS SUMMER READING SPLASH! July 2008                                           Dear Homeschooling Family, Week 7 of the Summer Reading Splash is almost complete!  We only have 3 more weeks to go! We hope that your children are having fun with the weekly book contests and that they are finding some new books to enjoy reading this summer.    Did you notice that our froggie mascot finally got a name?!  7-year-old Noah from Iowa sent us the winning name and received a great Pilgrim's Progress game & book set (compliments of Kregel Publications). We are excited to introduce you to Splish!  We owe a great big THANK YOU to author/illustrator Kevin Scott Collier who generously donated his time and talents to create some wonderful, original artwork of Splish just for us.   Reading Goals     Record keeping sheets are provided for your convenience- for younger students and older students- be sure to print out new ones if you've filled the old ones already!    Are your children getting tired of reading?  If so, click here for some ideas of ways to make reading fun.  Reading Encouragement   Here's a sneak peek at our exciting Summer issue: Ten reasons to homeschool your special needs child Homeschool Pioneers: Charlotte Mason and Susan Schaeffer Macaulay Staying close to our Shepherd and following His voice as we homeschool What's the fuss over intelligent design Nature walks and outdoor play - their impact on indoor learning Homeschooling the gifted child Changing theories of history Homeschooling families and adoption Instill a love for reading in your child An interview with Norm Wakefield The science of flight And much more! Click here to subscribe.   Reading Tools This month, in honor of Splish receiving a name, we've got 2 great coloring pages that you can download and print out for your little ones to color.   And don't forget about our fun bookmarks- they are a great way to enhance the Summer Reading Splash! Bonus E-Books w/$30 Purchase Are you looking for some ideas to make learning more fun?  If so, just make a $30 purchase in the Schoolhouse Store this month, and you'll automatically get a free download of 20 Homemade Games for Learning ($4.95 value) by Trigger Memory Systems. This great E-Book gives you ideas and instructions for making fun, inexpensive educational games to use in teaching different concepts. Special offer ends July 31, 2008. Check your order confirmation or sign into your Schoolhouse Store account online for the download link.      Only 3 more weeks of reading left in the Summer Reading Splash!  Be sure to check the blog each Monday for the new topic questions.  We've still got some GREAT books to give away!  ENJOY!   Sincerely, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine FREE E-Book for kids! The Summer Reading Splash! will end on July 31st.  During the week of July 24th through the 31st, you will be asked to turn in your child's reading log. At that time, we will be offering each child who participates a FREE E-BOOK. Your child can choose from 10 pre-selected children's E-Books (we have selected a variety for age and interests).    Offer Expires: August 31, 2008

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Jun. 27, 2008

Japanese Exchange Students Coming to Washington State Via 4-H Exchange Programs. All Over Washington

Greetings to All;   Thank you to: Benton, Clark, Pierce, Mason, Kitsap and King Counties for helping to get our summer exchange student delegates placed.  We are still in need of host families for these remaining delegates.  They are eagerly waiting to hear from us—parents are getting very anxious.   Girls:  UTREK Program ages: 15,13,12 with allergies to indoor animals  One girl age 14 has a fear of dogs, other animals okay.            LEX Program: girl,  age 12   she has NO ALLERGIES—may have carsickness if the ride is longer than 30 minutes.   Boys:  One age 12  allergies to indoor animals.  One age 13, has NO ALLERGIES—loves baseball and playing.   If you have any potential families, I would be happy to contact them personally—email  me @  embebe@clearwire.net   Thank you, Carol

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Jun. 24, 2008

The Schoolhouse Planner has Arrived!

If you have questions about this planner please contact  Kris Price at kprice@thehomeschoolmagazine.com and she will be happy to help!     Dear Homeschooling Family, We are so excited to announce that our much-anticipated Schoolhouse Planner is READY! The Schoolhouse Planner has so many wonderful features. You told us what you wanted in a planner, and we have delivered! Some of the main features include: Calendars in various forms - yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily Planners for your homeschool - in various styles to meet your individual needs Household planning forms 12 "homeschool must-know" items, one for each month of the year 12 essays from some of our favorite authors in the homeschool community - you absolutely won't want to miss these! 24 easy main-dish recipes from some top homeschoolers around the nation and so much more!   PLUS, the Schoolhouse Planner is interactive! You can type right into the pdf! If you have Adobe Acrobat, you'll be able to save the changes you make. (Note: If you only have Adobe Reader, you can type in your planner information, print it, but will not be able to save these changes.) Don't forget, monthly planner add-ons are available for purchase every month. We already have some great holiday related information ready for July's planner supplement! We're there with you each month to make your home and school planning as easy and fun as possible throughout the year! Have a friend who likes an organized home and school? Let them know about the Schoolhouse Planner. ________________ We want to say a very special "thank you" to those of you who pre-purchased the planner.    If you pre-ordered the TOS Planner, you will receive download instructions within the next 48 hours. Watch your inbox! If you haven't ordered your Shoolhouse Planner, now is the time to order your copy. The new school year is quickly approaching! ORDER HERE! We are so excited and hope that you are, too.   Sincerely, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine   A Special Gift for YOU!     As part of our celebration, we want to share our special report Homeschool with Confidence with you.     TOS is all about encouragement and support!   Homeschool with Confidence is a wonderful resource for those new to homeschooling, veteran homeschoolers, and those considering homeschooling.   Please feel free to share it with your friends!   Download YOUR free copy