Coming Up!
Notebooking/
Lapbooking
Workshops and
"Real Life Homeschooling"
with
Heidi St. John
Got kids?
Have you ever seen a lapbook? Maybe you've seen one, and admired it but wondered how people "find the time" to fit that into their school day?
Join Heidi St. John for an evening of encouragement
and learning as she talks about Lapbooking! Heidi will show you how to
make one from start to finish and share the benefits and basics of
lapbooking as well as a few tricks for more "seasoned" lapbookers.
YOU REALLY CAN turn any subject into a fun and rewarding unit study
using lapbooks! Whether you are looking for an alternative to
workbooks, or you just need a healthy dose of homeschool encouragement,
this workshop is for you.
Heidi will teach you this wonderful skill using the "show'n tell"
approach, and she will have plenty of examples for you to look at and
resources to take home. Be sure to bring a pen or pencil, and your
camera, if you would like to take pictures of the lapbooks.
*BONUS WORKSHOP* Notebooking and Multi-Level Teaching
Grab a latte and bring a friend... Don't miss it!
Dates:
Notebooking and Lapbooking
Thursday March 12, 2009
6:30 p.m.
Mount Vernon, WA
Faith Community Church
Click here for more information
Lapbooking and
"Real Life Homeschooling"
Monday March 16, 2009
6:00 p.m.
Chilliwack, BC
Chilliwack Library
Click here for more information
on "Real Life Homeschooling"
Information on Lapbooking
The St. John's travel schedule is currently being filled for the spring and summer of 2009. Please
contact Melissa Lowery
if you are interested in inviting Heidi to speak for your homeschool event.
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Announcing the newest FCHM
Co-ops:
Welcome!United States:
First Class Bay County
First Class Elk Grove
Panama City, FL
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First Class Current Classes
These classes are classes being taught in Spring First Class Classrooms across North America!CalligraphyOur 50 StatesLet's Play ChessTechnical DrawingDoodle ArtHistory Explorers
Money Matters for Kids
Placemat Geography
Choir
Creative Writing
Bill of Rights
Noah & the Animals
Research Paper
French
Educational Board Games
Basic Web Design
Apologia's Physics
Photography
Yearbook
and many, many, more!
Now is a GREAT time to plan a homeschool co-op in your area!
Find out how!
Email FCHM
Who do I contact?
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Interested in reading previous ezines?
Click below to view our archive.
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FCHM is excited to announce a new partnership with our friends at the
Homeschool Buyers Co-op! What is Homeschool Buyers Co-op?
"An amazing resource that combines the buying power of
thousands upon thousands of individual homeschool families to obtain discounts
equivalent to those obtained by school districts. Membership is free and
completely confidential. The Co-op's signature service is a
"Group Buy" through which Co-op members get deep discounts on
curriculum items that would otherwise be extremely expensive. Through the
Co-op you can save anywhere from 20% to 80% on your curriculum purchases.
The Co-op has standing discounts of 50% for Discovery Education's
video-streaming service, 88% for Kaplan's Online SAT prep, up to
70% for Thinkwell, and the list goes on. We'd also like
to note that it's run by a homeschool family."Membership to
HSB is FREE...Sign Up Today and start saving!
Academic SuperstoreUp to 70% off and FREE S/H Software; Hardware; Courseware; Preschool to Grad School Now,
by special arrangement with Academic Superstore, Homeschool Buyers
Co-op members can purchase hardware, software and more from hundreds of
manufacturers with the same discounts available to schools -- up to 70%
off retail pricing. Get deep discounts on products from Adobe,
Microsoft, Macromedia, Symantec, and more! Proof of Co-op membership is
required at time of purchase. Free S/H items marked accordingly at
website.
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 FCHM's Exciting News!
Dear Friends,
We have exciting news... and it means some
changes in the First Class Leader's Retreat this next weekend, March 6 & 7, 2009. This
retreat is open to ANYONE who serves with FCHM. We will have special
sessions dedicated to different roles, and general sessions
that
everyone will enjoy. We have a major change to announce so please keep
reading. The main thing to know is that the cost and location of this
summit have changed dramatically.
First of all, we want to say "thank you" to the Lord ~ as this
wouldn't be possible without His blessing!
Last October, we found out about a company in Vancouver that was setting up
office space for small Christian ministries ~ all donated ~ and it was suggested
that we apply for consideration of some of the offices. We began the
process shortly thereafter, believing that if God wanted us there, He would
complete the work on our behalf.
After months of waiting and email correspondence with US Digital, we finally
got approval for the final step - an interview with the US Digital Outreach
Center Board of Directors. Our interview took place last Wednesday
evening. We went with our friends and fellow Board members, the
Kvalviks. It was a joy to talk about how First Class has grown over the
past 9 months especially, and to look from a distance at what He is doing
currently. God is so good! We are almost up to 40 FCHM co-ops
around the United States now! On Thursday afternoon we received the
call we were hoping for - an invitation to join the ministry center.
What this means for FCHM is absolutely incredible:
- Free offices (rent free and utility free) all a gift from US Digital
- 24/7 use of this amazing facility which includes conference and training rooms and a large kitchen/dining area
- Office desks
- Access to a copy machine
- The chance to work alongside other Christian organizations for greater impact in the community and around the world
- A new resource room which will contain curriculum, books on homeschooling and a quiet place for homeschool parents to come for counseling and information. (This fits beautifully with the FCHM mission statement - and an answer to over 9 years of prayer!)
- Greater visibility for FCHM in the community
As you can see, we are
absolutely in awe of what God has done. What a testimony to
the goodness and provision of the Lord! He can, during one of the most
trying times in US economic history, provide us with such a beautiful
facility. It is an incredible thing for those watching. US
Digital's example of using what God has given them to bless others is amazing.
What this means for the leader's summit is that we are passing along the
blessing to you! We are going to be able to use the facility for our
leader's retreat this weekend!!! And because we can use this amazing
place, we don't need to pay for a the conference room at the Marriott.
We hope that as many of you as get this email and can travel will join us for a
weekend that you will not forget. Here are the details:
If you are traveling a distance, there is a Holiday Inn Express on 134th in Salmon Creek, just down the street from our home. We have reserved a few rooms there - but you will need to call and make your own financial arrangements. Cost is $97/night and includes two free breakfasts per room.
The retreat will begin Friday night at 6:30 p.m. at
our home. Plan on a great evening of talking together and enjoying good
food and great company by the fire. Saturday we will head over to US
Digital around 9:15 a.m. and begin at 9:45 a.m. in the training room.
Cost is now only $15/person!
You can pay when you arrive.
We'll be moving into the new offices over the next two weeks. If you live
in the area and would like to be involved in the moving process please let us
know.
Please help us say THANK YOU to US Digital!
Email US Digital at outreach@usdigital.com and let them know how much you appreciate their support of
First Class Homeschool Ministries!
(Include "First Class" in the subject line.) Thanks!
Because of Jesus Christ,
Jay and Heidi St. John
for the Board and Staff of FCHM
Jay and Heidi St. John have been married for 19 years and are the homeschooling parents of six children who range in age from seventeen to three. Heidi speaks to mothers with humor and grace on many subjects dealing with homeschooling. If you are interested in having the St. Johns speak at your event, please contact them through FCHM.
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FCHM Leaders RetreatSave the Date!
First annual FCHM
Leader's Retreat!March 6 & 7, 2009 Who: Anyone who serves with FCHM, with your co-op or anyone who wants to start a co-op with First Class! Board members, co-op leaders, worship leaders, staffing coordinators, etc.
Why: Leaders need support too!
*Come get fed, get ideas and get support.
*Spend time hearing from the heart of FCHM
with the St. Johns and the Board of Directors of FCHM
*Meet others who know how to get your co-op ticking! *Experience first-hand the extent of FCHM's homeschool leadership network!
Where: FCHM's NEW office space!
Cost: $15.00 per person.
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 Homeschool Conferences - A Different ViewBy Sonya Haskins
Usually when
I have some sort of writing deadline, I'll head to one of my favorite local
restaurants to write. I find a table in some corner where no one usually sits, write
for several hours and leave a great tip so the waitresses and managers never
mind when I come in.
Last Sunday
I was working on a new homeschool book that, among other things, will help
homeschoolers overcome the expectations of perfection placed upon us by
society, friends, family, ourselves. I was trying to remember a particular
Bible verse from Job, but I couldn't remember exactly what it was. Since it was Sunday, I figured surely there
was someone in the restaurant who had a Bible with them. Now I had heard all
the horror stories from all the waitresses about how Sundays are the worse days
of the week to work because the people are rude, they don't tip well, they
order the waitresses around, etc. But anyway, I just wanted to borrow someone's
Bible for five minutes.
 I scanned
the tables and saw a family who had obviously come from church. I walked over to the table and said, "Excuse
me, did you happen to just come from church?"
One of the men at the table said that they had.
"I know this
is a strange request," I began, "but I've been thinking about a story I read
one time in the Bible and I wanted to look up something. Do you happen to have a Bible with you? I
could stand right here and look up the story and then give your Bible right
back."
"Well, I do have a Bible," the man said, "but
it's in the car and it's kind of cold outside. I'm really
tired and I'm not going to walk all the way there to get it just so you can
read something. Sorry about that."
No one else
at the table, dressed in their finest Sunday clothes, offered to walk out and get
the Bible either. I was honestly stunned. They had no idea why I was asking,
but his response was whiny and rude. If I had been an unbeliever and never
again got up the nerve to ask for a Bible, I was thinking what might have
happened all because this man didn't want to walk to his car in the cold for sixty
seconds.
As
homeschool conference season approaches, you'll read many articles that
basically say the same things:
Plan ahead. Register early. Make a budget and stick to it. Purchase curriculum at the conference from
publishers to get a discount.
Rather than
repeating what has already been written during every homeschool season, I kept
thinking about how there is so much more to be said. I kept thinking about how we are missing
something, just like the man in the restaurant was really missing the bigger
picture. With that in mind, here are my
suggestions as you plan for the upcoming homeschool conferences:
Look for ways to serve others.
Does a mom need help getting her little ones through the door? Could your husband and teenage boys accompany
someone with too many books to their car?
 Take the time to meet other families.
A homeschool conference is one of the best places for you to meet
families and develop friendships with those who share the same values as your
own family. This can translate to
wonderful group vacations, fun family visits, and later potentially develop
into courting relationships that would enable older children to find a mate
with similar values, beliefs, and convictions.
No one is perfect. Particularly at homeschool conferences, the families are
faced with the same pressures, decisions, and dilemmas that you face. We all must decide how to handle the
challenges that come before us, but do not pretend that they don't exist. That doesn't help you or anyone else. Just be real.
You'll be much more comfortable and you'll have a much better time.
Don't overdo it. Trust me. I know what
I'm talking about here! I live with
chronic health problems and I need to listen to this one myself. For you moms who want to get as much as you
can in during those few days. Remember
that there will always be another conference.
You can always order curriculum online or from other sources; you can
visit websites that offer homeschool advice; you can talk with people who
attended the specific conference. If you
run yourself down during three days of intense "conferencing," your children
will suffer for the next few weeks. If
you really want to attend the conference, skip every other program or alternate
with your spouse. Purchase tapes of the
programs you have to miss.
Take advantage of each
encounter. I attended a homeschool-type
conference once and one of the leaders was, in my opinion, rude to me. She didn't have time to answer my questions. She couldn't take time to pray with me. When I purchased several copies of her books,
she told me that she was too busy to sign them. She made it very clear that I
was not important to her. How many times each day do we show others - in word,
deed, or lack thereof - that we don't care about them? Take the time to let others know that you
care about them. Let them know that you empathize
with them. You might miss the next session, but if you are more interested in
hearing what is in that program than letting another human being know that
someone cares about them, then I would say that your priorities are misaligned.
Not only are you missing an opportunity to minister to someone else, but when
you do that, you miss the blessing it brings to you as well.
Follow up with families. After a homeschool conference, take the time to follow up
with those you met. If you did actually
meet a few families with whom you might like to develop a friendship, start a
letter writing campaign between your children.
That's a great way to stay in touch!
Make occasional phone calls.
Invite one another to visit during the summer. Relationships don't just
happen. They take work.
Finally, follow up with conference
speakers and staff. Take the time to write thank you
notes to the people who have arranged the conference. If you enjoyed a particular speaker, take the
time to write them a thank you note or post something on their website. It doesn't take long to write thank you notes
and I can tell you from personal experience that it is very encouraging to know
that all the time and energy invested in the conference, presentation, etc. is
a blessing for the attendees so that's the greatest benefit. One other benefit, however, is that comments
from these notes can be used in future promotional materials.
Have a great
time and I hope these suggestions will give you some new ideas to consider as
you travel to homeschool conferences around the country this year!
Sonya Haskins is a homeschool mom,
author and consultant. She lives in
Northeast Tennessee with her husband and five children. Sonya loves to write homeschool articles and
books, answer questions from homeschool families, and tackle homeschool
advocacy issues. She is currently
working on a new book that will be released in 2010. If you are interested in receiving an e-mail
interview questionnaire to complete and return, please e-mail Sonya at sonya@sonyahaskins.com as soon as
possible. These need to be returned by
March 15. To learn more, visit Sonya's
website at www.thehomeschooladvocate.com. |
Homeschooling doesn't have
to mean
home alone!
Join the growing community FCHM members online
and at
your local First Class!
Below are links to First Class online!
*NEW* Firs t Class is on Facebook! Link to FCHM on Facebook
First Class "Causes" on
Facebook:
First Class "Causes" Link
First Class Homeschool Ministries'
Message Boards:
www.firstclasshomeschool.org/forum/index.php
First Class Homeschool
Chat on Google Groups:
http://groups.google.com/group/fchm-homeschoolchat?hl=en
First Class Homepage:
www.firstclasshomeschool.org
First Class Member Downloads:
www.firstclasshomeschool.org/pages/members/member-downloads.html
Have you accessed your member
downloads at the FCHM website? All you need is your email and
password. Contact info@fchm.org for more information.
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