"Ate" (ah-teh) is Filipino for "big sister." That's me! A big sister, teacher, tutor, mentor, facilitator to homeschoolers based in Manila, Philippines. I'm dedicated to homeschool advocacy, support and fellowship. I'm 29, married, and currently head teacher at Living Saints Homeschool Support and Tutorial Center, QC, Philippines. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/pinoyhelper/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:47:00 -0500 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:47:00 -0500 For Filipino homeschoolers out there: The Living Saints Homeschool Support and Tutorial Center is your ultimate Catholic homeschool support center. We offer tutorials for those who are homeschooling, consultation, curriculum help and recommendations, field trips and assistance to homeschools. Homeschool Support Program Our Homeschool Support Program package is a complete homeschool assistance service! Those who avail of this program can drop in at our center on any day of the week, Mondays through Fridays, to avail of tutorial assistance. Our goal is to provide a common learning center environment for homeschoolers. This program includes all of our services: catechism/Sacrament preparation, tutorials, PE activities, field trips and lesson planning. We also offer our services individually: Catechism and Sacrament preparation for Grades 1-2 (This is FREE for those who avail of our complete homeschool support program!) Small group tutoring in academics (Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies) PE activities Field Trips Lesson planning and Teach-At-Home consultation Please do call our Center at 723-6609 for information. You may also email: living.saints.tutorial at gmail dot com. God bless! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/pinoyhelper/564906/ Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:47:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/pinoyhelper/564906/ To all parents: I would just like to remind you to keep signing up for the Parent Seminar. To register, or for inquiries, please call 7236609 for more information, and look for Teacher Gen Aspillaga. Living Saints Homeschool Support and Progressive Little Saints Learning Center invite you to participate in our Parent Seminar Topic: Television's Effects on Our Children Hosted by: Little Saints Learning Center Date of Seminar: July 26, Saturday, 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM Venue: Seminar Hall, Elim Global Headquarters, 51 10th St, Rolling Hills Village, New Manila, Quezon City 1112 (near St. Luke's Medical Center) Admission: Free. * This seminar will talk about the shocking effects of TV and Internet and other media on our kids. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/pinoyhelper/560607/ Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:51:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/pinoyhelper/560607/ We have a new Living Saints Homeschool Support and Tutorial Center in Cebu. Located in the suburbs of Lahug, a residential district in Cebu, the new center is spacious and homey as well! Reception area: Coaches and reading material for waiting parents, kids and guests to the center. Communal prayers are said here, and it is also used for meetings. Common Study Area. If you want to find a place to just to study and do your academic work quietly, then this study area is ideal. Students can also use the Internet connection available here. The bookshelf on the other end stores study aids such as dictionaries, thesauruses, textbooks and reference materials. The Meeting and Faculty Area is where students can meet with tutors to do tests and get work graded or corrected. It's located in the middle of the center, and is also equipped with computers for doing online tests and exams. Study Rooms. Homeschoolers and tutors who want more privacy for one-to-one tutorials may use the study rooms available. There are three rooms in the center: (1) Primary Kids (those in elementary levels), (2) Senior Kids (those in middle school), and (3) Teens (those in high school levels). Each Study Room is supervised by a Head Teacher who oversees all small study sessions. For more information on our new Living Saints Homeschool Support Center as well as how to enroll in one of the tutorials, please email: living.saints.tutorial@gmail.com. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/pinoyhelper/557405/ Sun, 6 Jul 2008 21:14:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/pinoyhelper/557405/ The 16 slots we had for the Bowling Clinic filled up immediately! We'd like to thank all the families who joined. Every Friday, we meet at the SM MegaMall Bowling Center for a two-hour session with our esteemed coaches, Coach Florence and Coach Ron, who are among the champion bowlers in the country! (Special thanks goes out to Tita Bong Coo, who helped us score a great deal with SM Bowling Center.) For more information on our future PE programs (we offer them from June - March each academic year), call 723-6609 (Manila only). GET READY... (pre-session, practicing the pendulum position and ball swing stance) GET SET...(Practicing proper form and how to hold the bowling ball) GO FOR THE STRIKE! (Teens taking their first swing) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/pinoyhelper/392459/ Mon, 17 Sep 2007 05:33:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/pinoyhelper/392459/ It's been a while since I've updated (tutoring a whole bunch of kids is no joke!) But the kids had fun on their field trips this past quarter. I've included here pics from three events: 1. Money Museum (July 20) 2. Take a Trip! (on commuting a budgeting) (July 25) - sorry! No photos! 3. Budget Tripping (July 26)  Money Museum - July 20, 2007 We weren't allowed to take photos, but the kids encapsulated their Money Museum experience in lapbooks entitled "The History of Money in the Philippines." The documented the history of money (from the earliest days when shells were used in place or barter trade), to the development of cash and coins, and finally the institutionalization of money by the Bangko Sentral. We also got to see some real Greek drachmas from the time of Alexander the Great, a lot of coinage from the Chin Dynasty, and some rare gold artifacts from the pre-Hispanic era.     Take a Trip! (Learning to compute, commute and budget) - July 25, 2007 The elementary kids wanted a hand at learning how to budget their own money, so armed with P100.00 to spend on commuting and food, we traipsed our way to the Gateway Mall. The kids first found their route using a to-scale map of Metro Manila, and then made their own self-made maps. We tabulated the expenditures on an Expenses Log, which taught them how to account for expenses and balances. Upon reaching the mall, the kids had to make sure their meal at the food court would still be within their budget with enough money for the commute home. To wrap up the trip, the kids compiled their maps, routes, expenses log and narrations into another lapbook. (Next time, they say, they want to commute all the way to Mall of Asia!) Budget Tripping (Grocery shopping with a fixed budget) - July 26, 2007 The teens were given the order: Plan a meal menu for a family with only P700.00. The parents and their kids set to work, planning a menu and a grocery list against the fixed price. Kit and Mary Anne managed to stay within budget; Gelo and Priyen found that feeding a family of five is no joke at all! (They went over budget a couple of hundreds only, so it wasn't so bad!) Our Cebu Living Saints counterpart also did their own Budget Tripping! STEP ONE: Take a tricyle (Make sure you can fit.) STEP 2: Always count your change and demand exact fare! STEP 3: Using a grocery list, take note of each item by beginning with your income; make sure to balance out each time! (Remember:  you can live without junk food!!!) STEP FOUR: Haul the bags home! Well done, guys!   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/pinoyhelper/392456/ Mon, 17 Sep 2007 04:53:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/pinoyhelper/392456/ Living Saints Homeschool Support and Tutorial Center has events lined up for the entire academic year for 2007-2008. Each month, we investigate a facet of our homeschool lifestyle as Pinoys, as Catholics, as families. There is a theme each month and a listing of corresponding activities. Check out our activities for homeschoolers next month! Month: July Theme: Money Guiding Principle: (Matthew 6:19-21) "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth... But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." JULY 13: Budget Challenge A simulation: Teens will get a feel of how mom and dad spend for the weekly food budget! We'll be doing this in WalterMart along E-Rodriguez Avenue, Kalusugan, Quezon City (near St. Luke's Medical Center). *Part of the experience for those who leave nearby also includes commuting to the supermarket from home or from the Living Saints Center. Time:  9:30 - 11:00 AM Age group: Grades 8 to 12 Instructor: Teachers Joy Uy and Martine Cosio JULY 20: Money Museum We'll be taking a guided tour of the Money Museum at the Bangko Sentral Ng Pilipinas, and see how money came into Filipino society. We'll also investigate the history of our local currency. Meeting time is at 9:00 AM at the Bango Sentral Ng Pilipinas. Time:  9:30 - 11:00 AM Age group: Grades 6 to 12 Supervisor: Teacher Martine Cosio Facilitator: c/o Money Museum, BSP Dates subject to change. Please call the Center to keep updated, or leave your contact information via email to martinecosio@gmail.com http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/pinoyhelper/347288/ Mon, 25 Jun 2007 05:47:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/pinoyhelper/347288/ June 22, 2007: "IF THESE WALLS COULD SPEAK" - Tour of Intramuros by Carlos Celdran The Living Saints teens went on the first of our field trips this year. Threaded throughout the field trips this year is the theme "Changing Outlooks on Our Nation," and they all are geared towards creating an awareness in our homeschoolers on the history (both the good and the bad) of our beloved Philippines. Our first field trip was a three-hour walking tour of the San Agustin Museum, Father Blanco's Garden, the San Agustin Church, and Casa Manila. The talented and animated Carlos Celdran facilitated our group. Theatrical to the core and a Manileno at heart, Carlos punctuates his commentaries with bits and pieces of historical trivia, delivered with his particular blend of humor, wit and irreverence. It kept the homeschoolers entertained and engaged, especially the boys (whom everyone knows are the hardest audience to please!) For more information on Living Saints Homeschool Support and our monthly field trips for kids and teens, please do email or drop a line here. God bless! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/pinoyhelper/346608/ Sat, 23 Jun 2007 10:29:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/pinoyhelper/346608/ "I came that they might have life and have it more abundantly." (John 10:10) While most parents nowadays homeschool from babyhood and up, I was homeschooled starting at age 15. Quite late! My parents enrolled me with an American home school program when we came back to live in the Philippines back in 1994, after living abroad for 11 years. They soon decided to homeschool all of us (myself and my two brothers). I'd say my homeschooling experience was rather eclectic, though. We used a school-at-home approach for "traditional" subjects, but we gained a lot of real-life learning experiences through our involvements in youth ministry. Having started homeschooling at a late age, the experience was, at first, a difficult concept for my relatives to understand. Of course, grandmother expected me to go to her alma mater, as all her other daughters had done. I had to deal with the fact that I wasn't like my other cousins who went to exclusive girls/boys' schools like Ateneo, and the like. But nevertheless, our family went on homeschooling. While homeschooling, I also did odd jobs, like copy edit and write for an inspirational magazine. I did illustrations for publications. I did several apprenticeships in the editorial field, even the music field, and I got heavily involved in youth ministry. When I finished my formal high school education, I eventually got a US high school diploma. After high school, I went on to unconventional (what I call "uncollege") career path, taking up vocational courses in journalism and creative writing. (I was in an apprenticeship at a publishing company then.) I went on to work on the editorial staff of a publishing house, moved on to be assistant to the publisher. I also started scriptwriting and producing audio-video productions for promotional materials. Three years ago, I eventually landed the job I'm in now, a tutor for a homeschool support service. Last year, I completed a distance learning course in early childhood education. Aside from this (my day job), I'm a member of a singles ministry and handle a group of single professionals. I am also the staff manager of three Christian websites (including the 3-time CMMA-award winning genrev.net). As for my brothers, one's a fulltime youth pastor and writer; the other is a budding graphic designer. I've had a very full life. Full of learning experiences. Full of opportunities to do what I love, and love God while I do them. I've never stopped appreciating the homeschooling movement, and I continue to advocate it now. I'm thankful that I was allowed to learn in freedom. I'm thankful that my experience was unique, and that my life is full of color. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/pinoyhelper/340057/ Fri, 2 Jun 2006 10:29:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/pinoyhelper/340057/ Some fun moments with the members of Living Saints 2006-2007 group: 1. Mary Anne and Josh's year-end video: http://maryannecollantes.multiply.com/video/item/27?mark_read=maryannecollantes:video:27 2. "Buhay Homezkool", Living Saints' public Multiply: http://livingsaints.multiply.com http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/pinoyhelper/339809/ Wed, 30 May 2007 12:10:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/pinoyhelper/339809/ For Filipino homeschoolers out there: The Living Saints Homeschool Support and Tutorial Center is your ultimate Catholic homeschool support center. We offer tutorials for those who are homeschooling, consultation, curriculum help and recommendations, field trips and assistance to homeschools. We'd like to announce our homeschool support activities, field trips and other events for the first quarter of the year: June 15, Friday:     Intramuros History Walk with Carlos Celdran, 9:00 am - 12:00 nn (Gr 7-12) June 22, Friday:     Intramuros History Walk with Marilen Mapa, 10:00 am - 12:00 nn (Gr 4-6) Other Services: Catechism and Sacrament preparation Tutoring, K-12 Drop-in Kinder-Grade 2 learning group, M-F PE activities Field Trips Homeschool Consultation Please do call our Center at 723-6609 for information. You may also email: living.saints.tutorial at gmail dot com. God bless! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/pinoyhelper/339792/ Fri, 8 Jun 2007 11:38:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/pinoyhelper/339792/