12 Days of Homeschool

This Friday

Dear THESIS Families,

Friday is our last co-op class day for the semester.  It went by fast!  If you
have a Talent Show participant in the family, remember to bring any props, CDs,
etc. to rehearse with this Friday.

Please bring a tray of cookies or finger foods for our Christmas reception in
the Trinity Cafe, which begins at 6:30 pm, before the stage show.

Warmly,
Liz, for THESIS

Class This Friday

Hopefully everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving day celebrations with family and friends. The Campbell kids had a great time with their dad on vacation...until today, when Mom helped to decorate the church and Dad did school. (heehee)

This Friday, we are back on track with co-op classes. As usual, we will start with announcements around 12:45.

December 2nd is the last day to sign up for the Christmas Talent Show! The signup sheet will be on the counter in the cafe area. If you want to participate, be sure to put down your name this Friday. (Just so you know, you don't have to put down what you are doing.)

Speaking of the Talent Show, if you aren't already committed during co-op, please think about helping with the talent show practice on Dec 9th (the Talent Show is that evening, Dec. 9th, at 6:30). We need two moms to help (preferably at least one who knows the drill)--one to keep the practice sessions moving along, and one to ferry kids back and forth between classes and the kidz church practice area. If you are interested, please let Liz or Selena know this Friday.

And by the way, if you bring anything to co-op for giveaway, please don't forget to check the cafe before you leave so you can take home any unclaimed items.

See you Friday!

Come Ye, to Give Thanks

Hear ye, hear ye!

You and your household are invited to attend the observance of a Thanksgiving Feaste at high noon

on the eighteenth day of November

in the year of our LORD 1621.

We will gather in the Hall of Fellowship.

We celebrate the freedom we enjoy in this land and the abundant harvest which the LORD supplies.

Do come in your finest Pilgrim or Wampanoag attire, and do bring the best your hearth may supply for authentic Thanksgiving fare.

Please, no green bean casserole!

Trenchers & large napkins will be supplied you.

Do linger after the feast for fellowship and wholesome recreation.

God be with you.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
For our after-dinner learning fun, we are pleased to have this year the Traveling History Trunk, “The Life of a Civil War Soldier.” There will be learning stations set up among the fellowship hall, with opportunities for our members to both join in the learning and assist with the presentation of this material. This should be a fun and interesting experience, so please check it out!

Notes for Friday, October 21 Co-op

Hopefully, everyone is enjoying the cool, brisk, windy fall days we have had this week. Even though it is rainy today, I love this time of year and the way autumn feels.

Please remember that tomorrow is the last day to sign up and pay for the Rich Farms field trip, which is the following Friday, October 28th. You can make your check payable to Selena Campbell, and put it in my mail folder.

If you have any "Box Tops for Education" or Campbell's "Labels for Education," please bring them in tomorrow. Bring your box tops and labels--separately, please-- in a baggie or envelope, and put box tops in Janine Tomko's folder and the labels in Selena Campbell's folder.

If you are taking the drama class, don't forget to come to class with your tongue twister!

See you tomorrow!

Hello Homeschooling Families!

Those of us who went to the Pittsburgh Aviary had a great time, and pictures
of our trip will be posted soon.

Today, a sign-up sheet for our October field trip to Rich Farms' will be on the counter. 
Please check it out and sign up to join us on October 28th.


Today, Friday, October 7th, we are back to regular--although still fun!--co-op
classes. Here are some notes for today's gathering:
 
 
First,  if your 6-12th grader has not yet signed up for their 2 pm elective 
class, please do so at the counter!  They begin next week!  Descriptions can be 
found on the counter. 
 
Second, Group C (grades 4-5) gym class, please bring your marked soccer ball if 
you own one! 
 
All gym class students, remember your gym shoes and water!! It should be a 
beautiful day!

Lastly, if you are a middle school student in the non-fiction writing class, 
and you (or your parent) own a Thesaurus, please bring it to class with you
today.

See you soon!

Reminders for Classes

Some reminders for this coming Friday;

1.  Each family try to bring a bag of apples for Saturday's
Harvest Fest booth. This is THESIS' contribution to this
community outreach, and also functions as a modest raiser of funds,
since we ask for dollar donations.

2.  If you have a balance due on your registration fees, please make
arrangements to pay it.  You'll find a notice in your folder if you
have a balance due.  Please remit cash (in an envelope with your name
on it) or check to Liz DeRoos.

3.  Friday the 16th is the last day to sign up for the Aviary field trip.
Payment due by enveloped cash or check to Liz DeRoos by the 23rd.

4.  All children who take gym, remember to wear appropriate shoes and
bring only water in your bottle.

5.  The gym is open for upper grade students (who no longer have a gym
class) from 12 noon till 12:45 on Fridays.

Lastly, here's a review of the rules for THESIS. These apply before,
during and after classes. 

Parents, please make sure your children know and follow these rules
during co-op:

1.  No talking when your teacher is talking.
2.  Hands and feet to yourself at all times.
3.  No gum.
4.  Hold it--until the bathroom break.
5.  Three Strikes, your out--on the third warning, the child goes
to the parent for the remainder of that class.
6.  No drinks, except water.
7.  Have fun!!

THESIS Registration Closed

Well, our first THESIS classes were held this past Friday afternoon, and
it was pretty exciting!  What a great crowd of homeschooling families
we have this year!

As a result of our rapidly expanding size and teacher-to-students ratio,
we find it necessary, for the first time, to close registration for all
classes.

Effective immediately, registration for THESIS classes is officially
closed for the 2011-2012 school year.

Other homeschooling families wishing to join can do so as event/field trip
members, and a waiting list will be created for class membership.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact a leader.

Have a great week!

September Field Trip Info

Pittsburgh National Aviary field trip
Friday, September 30

Anyone wishing to travel together can join the caravan leaving
Trinity's parking lot at 9 am sharp.  We will make one rest stop
before Pittsburgh. Parking is free in their lot; if full, street
parking available.Bring your lunch from home; there will be a
place for us to eat there. They will have a schedule for each
age group.  Families may depart for home in the afternoon whenever
they like.

Class fee includes general admission for students.  All other
attendees over the ages of 2 pay $9 discounted admission.  You
may want to bring extra money for the gift shop and buying food
to feed the lorries!

**Please pay Liz in cash or check for your family by Friday, the 23rd**

The Aviary will hold the following classes for us:

PK to 4th Grade "What's For Lunch?"  $9 per student  1 hour

Fruit and seeds, meat and leaves...what does a bird look for when
it comes to mealtime?  Discover there is more than meets the eye
when it comes to dining with the birds.  Students will examine model
beaks and feet, as well as live birds, to understand how birds use
their beaks and feet like tools to eat all different kinds of food!

Grades 5-8  "Carnivores!"  $9.50 per student  1.5 hours

Learn about the meat eaters of the avian world and what makes them
different from other birds.  Through the use of biofacts and live birds,
students will appreciate the important role that carnivores play in
the wild.  This class includes owl pellet dissection, during which
students have the opportunity to discover what owls eat in the wild!

Grades 9-12 "Training 101" $10 per student 1.5 hours

Through bird demonstrations, games, and a multi-media presentation,
students learn hands-on about the positive reinforcement and classical
conditioning techniques used by trainers to interact with wild animals.
They will also discover that these training concepts can be applied to
their pets at home.

Perspective

Have you started homeschooling this week? How's that going for you?

It is easy to get out of balance in life, whether it be with your Christian walk, your housekeeping, or homeschooling (to name a few).

Here's something from my friend, Audrey's, blog, which may help you if you are feeling overwhelmed with school already:

Homeschooling is great, but homeschooling didn't save me.

Homeschooling didn't pull me out of the pit of death.

Homeschooling isn't the Rock on which I stand.

Homeschooling doesn't give me a joy that strengthens my limbs.

Homeschooling doesn't mend my wounded heart.

Homeschooling doesn't rescue and redeem and reconcile those around me.

Homeschooling is a good way to live, but homeschooling is not the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

I hope everyone is having a great week, but if you aren't then remember this: Jesus is the center from which all things flow. Bathe everything in prayer, keep your focus on the true source of your strength, and you will be fine. :)

Back 2 School Kick-off Family Dinner

Anyone who came to the registration meeting on Tuesday knows what a great crowd of homeschooling families we have this year!

To celebrate the beginning of the new school year, we will have a "back 2 school" dinner for the whole family.

When: Friday, September 2, 2011, at 6:00 pm

Where: Fellowship Hall of Trinity Assembly of God (same place that registration was located, only we get to spread out more!)

What: Food, fun, and fellowship!

§ Gourmet pizza and beverages will be provided.

· Families whose name ends in A-L, please bring dessert for 12

· Families whose name ends in M-Z, please bring salad for 12

§ There will be a scavenger hunt for the kids!

§ If you haven’t registered for classes yet, you may do so at this dinner.

Questions? Please contact Liz DeRoos at 304.534.5822 or Selena Campbell at 304.363.0944

See you then!

Homeschooling in WV

"By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established," (Proverbs 24:3).

Homeschooling in West Virginia is being attacked by the State Superintendent's office. Go here to read about it.

Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), is an organization dedicated to fighting legal battles on behalf of homeschoolers, and to helping defend our right and privilege to teach our children at home. If you are not currently a member, I strongly encourage you to join, in light of the recent developments in West Virginia regarding homeschooling.

Don't know what's going on? HSLDA Staff Attorney Mike Donnelly is hosting a free e-conference for HSLDA members, on Thursday, September 8, 2011, at 2:00 pm.

Click here for more info on the conference.

Click here to join HSLDA.

If you are a member of Christian Home Educators West Virginia** (CHEWV), then you get a discount on membership with HSLDA.

Confused? Contact one of the THESIS administrators and we'll be glad to answer any questions you may have.



**You must be a member of CHEWV in order to participate in year-end standardized testing with THESIS homeschool co-op.

Registration & Used Curriculum Sale

Yes, believe it or not, registration is upon us!

Tomorrow, Tuesday, August 23, from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall of Trinity Assembly of God, THESIS administrators (and some teachers) will be available to assist you in registering for new classes and signing up to assist with our co-op.

During this time, you will also be able to sell and/or peruse used curriculum. If you have not already done so, please be sure to notify Liz DeRoos or Selena Campbell that you are selling something, so we can be sure to have a table available for your items.

At registration, you will receive the normal new school year packet of info, with class descriptions and a schedule, along with the fall THESIS newsletter. There will be signup sheets for helping in various areas, as well as a signup for our first field trip of the year to the National Aviary in Pittsburgh.

See you then!

Investment and Reward

The Campbell family is the new owner of a yellow lab puppy, named Daisy. Those of you who have experienced training a dog from early puppy-hood are thinking, "Is she nuts?" I'll answer that question for you: yes. Or, maybe the answer is I'm going nuts. I love to get uninterrupted sleep, and I have not been doing that since Saturday night. I feel nuts when I am fatigued.

I made the comment to my husband the other evening that the investment (in this dog) isn't worth the reward (Kyla's joy, well-trained dog later). He didn't respond to that comment, although scriptures about dripping faucets were going through my mind.

As much as I hate to admit it, this puppy is good for our family. I've replayed that comment that I made over and over again in my mind. And, what a selfish comment it is. Nothing that takes time, effort, blood, sweat, tears--and steals your sleep--seems like it is going to be worth it at the time, whatever the ultimate goal. When your flesh wants its own way, it dearly hates to be inconvenienced.

Homeschooling is one of those things that can cause you to think, on occasion, "Is the investment really worth the reward?" Or maybe, "Will the reward be worth the investment?" This is especially true when you are going over the same math concept for the umpteenth time, or struggling to plan lessons for science and history for all your kids collectively to save time so you won't have to clone yourself to get things done during the day. It basically boils down to your sinful flesh screaming about inconvenience. Your "life" isn't going the way you planned.

Maybe you never saw yourself as a homeschooler (I never saw myself as a mother, let alone a homeschooling mom), so the endless days of required patience that is needed to diligently instruct your child(ren) in the ways of the Lord, while interweaving reading, writing, math, science and social studies, can make you want to scream, "Is this really worth it?"

Regardless of the outcome of your child--who from said child's behavior, you know has a free will and can choose to go their own way instead of God's--the investment is worth the reward.

All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness," (Hebrews 12:11 NASB).

God has set before us an incredible task: Not just to care for and train our children, ever pointing them in His direction, but for us to grow more Christ-like as He sanctifies us through daily living the life He has called us to live, saturated with His grace.

When your children are with you 24/7, the opportunities for life-lessons abound. I have a huge one before me right now--a lesson in patient endurance, with the goal being not to whine about the road on the way. God is showing me more each day how He is shaping me into the image of Christ through homeschooling my children.

Some days will be harder than others, but all of them count toward the ultimate goal of running the race and getting to the end. Keep your eyes on Jesus as you start the new year, and you will do great!

On Socialization

Even if you haven't officially started homeschooling yet, just mentioning that you are considering it (let alone have made the decision to do it) can bring a standard response from people. The first thing you will hear is, "What about socialization?"

My dear friend from high school called me yesterday, and I hadn't talked with her for months. We were trying to quickly catch up so I could finish getting dinner ready, and the conversation included what was in store for our coming school year. When I mentioned our co-op, and the potential class sizes (21+ in my middle school class alone!), she responded by saying, "Can you do that? I mean, isn't the whole point of homeschooling to avoid that kind of environment?"

I say this to show you one thing -- you have nothing to "prove" to anyone in relation to your decision to homeschool. People will believe things about homeschoolers no matter how you seek to enlighten them. If you don't do things with others, you are weird. If you are doing things as a group, it is still weird.

The definition of socialize is:

"To make fit for living in a group; to subject to governmental ownership or control."

Those who say homeschoolers aren't socialized just mean that they are different, i.e., they don't have a herd mentality, following the "in" crowd (and driving you nuts about having all the latest fashions and tech-toys). And they are usually able to have an intelligent conversation with people of all ages, not just their peers.

Do not allow comments about a lack of socialization scare you! Your children will be fine as they grow up in your home as lovers of learning, self-confident that God has an amazing purpose for their life that He will equip them to accomplish.

Imperfect Homeschooling

The featured book for this month is, "The Imperfect Homeschooler's Guide to Homeschooling," by Barbara Frank.

I don't have my copy of this book at hand because I loaned it out to someone, so I can't post any quotes of her wisdom. But I will tell you that Barbara Frank is a 20-year homeschooling veteran, and her wonderful book is full of practical and sanity-saving suggestions for running your homeschool.

If you are feeling overwhelmed with the thought of "doing it all" and perfectly, this is definitely the book for you. I had a "moment" a couple of years ago, and I know that God lead me to read this book. I highly recommend it, especially if you struggle with wanting to "do it right" and you are worried about not doing enough.

Proposed Class Schedule & More

I hope that everyone is wringing out every last drop of summer from the days that we have left because before we know it, fall will be upon us. Although it wasn't quite as cool as a true fall day, it felt like fall as I sat out in my garage-porch listening to the rain showers this morning. I do love fall, so I'm not sad about the heat passing. I will, however, sorely miss my garden veggies!

If you haven't already taken a look, our proposed class schedule is available now under the "Class Schedule" tab at the top of this blog. We are excited about the new classes, and the new format for this year. Hopefully, things will move along smoothly and the weather won't interfere much with our schedule. I once heard that the water table has to be at a certain level for the year, meaning that a great deal of rain in spring and summer means little snowfall in winter. We shall see!

I also want to remind everyone that registration is fast approaching, and with it will be our first (annual?) used curriculum sale. Tuesday, August 23rd, we will have open registration and a curriculum sale from 1-4. You can come when you like, leave when you like. Just be sure to RSVP to Liz DeRoos (304.534.5822), if you plan to sell something, so we can reserve a table for you. You don't have to stay the whole time, but if you are selling, make sure that you come back to pick up your money and any unsold items!

Speaking of curriculum, maybe you are struggling to get your lessons planned, or just to wrap your mind around this great responsibility of educating your children. THESIS, being a faith-based group, believes that God is the center from whom all things flow. Here are some thoughts, based on that philosophy:

• Science -- God created the world and all the amazing things in it
  
• Math -- things work in an orderly fashion because God designed them that way
  
• History -- history is all about God sending Jesus to redeem us, and His master plan
  
• Language Arts -- the great commission is to tell others about Jesus, and writing and reading help us to do that well (always be prepared to give an answer for the faith you profess)
  
• Literature -- reading about the lives of others helps us to see God's power at work
  
• Economics -- we are called to be good stewards
• Government -- governments and rulers are in place because God put them there (so we should be praying for our president, whether or not we like him!)
• Arts -- God has given us different ways to express worship to Him, through music, art, dance, etc.
  
• Health -- God's plan for our health, both physically and spiritually