NEWSLETTER HIGHLIGHTS & EVENTS
UPCOMING EVENTS: MAY HOMESCHOOLING INFO "MINI-CONFERENCE" Are you looking for homeschooling info? Or do you know some friends who are starting out or thinking about homeschooling? Looking for options for homeschooling high school? CCHE is hosting a homeschooling info night/"mini-conference" this spring so there is time to think about opportunities and programs, before summer and the upcoming school year. There will be two different presentations, in two rooms at First Church of God, on Friday, May 17, from 7 to 9 p.m. Each presentation will have a main general speaker plus representatives from local groups - Classical Conversations, First Class ("Friday School"), ExCEL Academic League and "Echo" co-op, and Family Academy (Academy Northwest). In one room, we will have a speaker speak giving info and advice for beginning homeschooling families and those with younger students. In another room there will be a speaker for homeschooling junior high and high school students. The "Younger Ages" speaker will be Angie Tolpin, a homeschool mom of 6, who blogs at www.angietolpin.com. The "Older Ages" speaker will be Barb Shelton, author of the book Senior High: a Home-Designed Form-U-La. After hearing the main speaker (about 40 minutes), the homeschool-oriented groups will each do a short presentation, telling about what their groups offer to homeschooling families. There will also be a display of freebies and flyers - for homeschool classes and programs. Children are welcome to attend also - please bring quiet toys for young children. The presenters will be happy to visit with you and answer any questions for a while after completing their presentations, so come with questions ready! The "mini-conference" will be held in rooms 120 and 121 of First Church of God, located at 3300 NE 78th Street, Vancouver, WA 98665. Use the west entrance and drive around to the back of the brick church building. Enter through the double doors down a short flight of steps. Come to the CCHE May Homeschooling Info "Mini-Conference" (and invite your friends!) IT'S A WRAP! Let's chat about finishing the school year well and planning for next year. Are you homeschooling through the summer or are you done already? Join us for an informal time to share with and glean from others about your homeschooling journey. The location is the Fireside Room of the First Church of God, 3300 NE 78th St, Vancouver. The Fireside Room is just inside the front doors of the church. Enter the church parking lot using the west entrance (across the street from the green Garden Park sign). Park in the FRONT and enter through the front doors. After the second set of doors, take a right to the Fireside Room. Monday, May 13 from 7 to 9 p.m. 2013 HOMESCHOOL CONFERENCES The 2013 homeschool conferences have begun! Conferences are wonderful opportunities to find information about homeschool resources, be encouraged and challenged by top-notch speakers, get new ideas from workshops, and purchase new and used curriculum. Be sure to watch for upcoming registration dates! Washington Homeschool Organization (WHO) Convention June 14-15, Puyallup Fair & Events Center, Puyallup, WA www.washhomeschool.org/convention/convention.html Guest speakers include Andrew Pudewa (Institute for Excellence in Writing), Lee Binz (The HomeScholar) and Janice Hedin (long-time supporter of WA homeschool rights). Features of the convention include over 50 workshops, a huge exhibit hall, and family activities, including Alpacas from the Well, Chess4Life, Wolf Camp and Wolf College, the National Model Railroad Association, Humane Society, History on Wheels (vintage military vehicles), and a Prize Booth. This is the largest homeschool convention on the west coast! There is no pre-registration; attendees pay at the door. Oregon Christian Home Education Conference June 21-22, Oregon Convention Center, Portland, OR www.OregonHomeschoolConference.com The conference includes guest speakers, over 60 workshops, the Used Curriculum Exchange, and an expanded Exhibit Hall with numerous vendors. Featured speakers include Jay and Heidi St. John (The Busy Homeschool Mom and First Class Homeschool Ministries), Jon and Ann Dunagan (Harvest Ministry, Loving Orphans), Linda Lacour Hobar (The Mystery of History), and Mark Hamby (Lamplighter Ministries). Online registration opened April 16. Register early to receive an early time slot for shopping at the Used Curriculum Exchange. The cost is $50 per person if you register by June 10 and $60 after June 10. Spouses attend for free, as well as qualifying parents of preschoolers! Registration for children ages 3-12 and young adults ages 13 and older is $10. Families registered for the OCEANetwork conference will receive a virtual gift basket worth more than $300 of free curriculum, coupons and homeschool helps. Online material registration for the Used Curriculum Exchange will remain open through 6 p.m. on June 20. There are several volunteer opportunities for adults and young adults 15 and older who are attending with a parent. You must be registered for the conference to volunteer. As a thank you for helping the OCEANetwork Conference run smoothly, volunteers will be in the first group to be allowed to shop the Used Curriculum Exchange on Friday from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. LAST CHANCE FOR COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMS Junior year of high school is the time to look into taking college entrance exams. The SAT (not to be confused with the Stanford Achievement Test) and the ACT are offered several times during the year. They are administered at select local high schools and community colleges, with registration taken online. (The school code for homeschoolers can be tricky to find. For the SAT it is 970000; for the ACT it is 969999.) Dates and locations for the tests may be found on the websites, www.collegeboard.org for the SAT, and www.actstudent.org for the ACT. The last SAT test date for this spring is June 1 (register by May 7). When is the Best Time to Take the SAT? The SAT and other College Board tests are offered several times a year. Most students take the SAT for the first time during the spring of their junior year and a second time during the fall of their senior year. The last date for the ACT this spring is June 8 (register by May 3). Websites with helpful information about the SAT and ACT tests:
Two dates have been set for Booksale Volunteer Meetings: Monday, May 20 and Thursday, June 6. Volunteers only need to attend one of these meetings since they are the same, but attendance at one meeting is mandatory. Trained volunteers help the sale go much more smoothly! At these meetings, we will go over the basics of how the sale will operate on both Thursday and Friday, June 13 and 14, and explain what is involved in the different areas for which we need help. Volunteers can then sign up for the jobs they want to do and the times they will be available to help. There are many different ways you can help out - setting up tables for the sale, checking in used curriculum on Thursday, processing purchases on Friday, collecting books at the end of the sale, and taking down tables, to name a few. Dads and teenage boys are especially needed to set up and take down tables, and teenage girls are needed for childcare during the sale. Both volunteer meetings will start at 7 p.m. and will be held at First Church of God, 3300 NE 78th Street in the Fireside Room in the FRONT of the main church building. If you would like to volunteer, or if you have any questions, please contact Connie Zumstein at 360-887-4933 or czumstein@juno.com. We appreciate our volunteers and look forward to seeing you at one of the meetings! GET YOUR BOOKS READY TO SELL AT THE CCHE USED CURRICULUM SALE Now is the time to gather the books and other homeschool resources that you no longer need and get them ready to sell at the CCHE Used Curriculum Sale! Many of us have good intentions of cleaning out our bookshelves and closets at this time each spring, but then the days slip away and we find we are too late. Start now while you still have plenty of time, and you'll be glad you did! CCHE'S ANNUAL RESOURCE AND INFORMATION NIGHT Our annual Resource and Information Night is set for the evening of Monday, August 26, 2013 at Vancouver First Church of God, 3300 NE 78th St., Hazel Dell. Find out what classes and homeschool resources are available in our area. Watch the August newsletter and this website for more information. CCHE LENDING LIBRARY The CCHE Lending Library is now open in the home of Carrie Patterson. Carrie lives in the Salmon Creek area near I-205. The library is open by appointment by calling Carrie at 360-573-0857. A list of the books, DVDs, cassettes and videos available can be found here. SEEKING CCHE VOLUNTEERS We are still looking for some new volunteers to serve homeschooling families. Please prayerfully consider this opportunity for service and ministry. Currently, we are looking for a Vice-Chairman, Events Committee Members, Hospitality Coordinator, and Newsletter help. To volunteer, or if you would like to learn more about any of these positions, please contact Connie Zumstein at czumstein@juno.com or (360) 907-2528. MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THESE CCHE DATES!
~ Our monthly newsletter ~ Discounts and priority registration to homeschool events ~ Early entry to the annual used curricula sale ~ AND more! Click here to join! HSLDA GROUP MEMBERSHIP CCHE has a group discount for the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). You can get a discount for HSLDA membership by signing up through CCHE. Whether you are renewing your HSLDA membership or wish to join for the first time, contact Kelly Williams at (360) 576-9273 for more information. GREAT PLAYS & PERFORMANCES: Magenta Theater Northwest Children's Theater Vancouver Youth Symphony Journey Theater Arts Group LEARN YOUR HOMESCHOOLING RIGHTS; KNOW THE LAW; KNOW MORE! VISIT CHRISTIAN HOMESCHOOL NETWORK ATTENTION NEW AND RENEWING CCHE MEMBERS--PLEASE ADD CCHE TO YOUR EMAIL LIST OF "SAFE SENDERS"! If you want to be assured of receiving updates and email from CCHE, please put us on your "safe list" for email. Otherwise, our email to you may be considered SPAM. For instructions on how to do this, please click here. |