Just a reminder to send in your notification of homeschooling letters to the ESD if you have a child who is seven now (and you haven’t previously notified the ESD) or you are going to homeschool this year for the first time. Here is the link to our local ESD where they have the information that they need.
http://www.umesd.k12.or.us/homeschool_home
I have put the new membership form onto the Forms page.
The new things for this year have to do with the Sports Fee. Last year the Association was able to pay for the gym for Sports due to a surplus in the checking account. This year that is not the case. We had to have two sports times in the gym due to the large turnout and we have to pay rental fees for the Recreation Center. Janet further explains the fee:
“We have approximately 20 days of indoor sports of 2 hours each (Group A and Group B.) That would be $480.00 if the price stays at $12.00 per hour, but it could cost as much as $15.00 per hour ($600.00.) We settled on $30.00 per family to hopefully cover all the costs with 15-20 families participating. If we have money left over at the end of the year, we can adjust the sports fee for the following year accordingly.”
Please indicate which of your children will be participating in sports when filling out the membership form. Remember: the child must be 9 or turn 9 during the sports season. (Sept.-May)
Remember to read the Bylaws and sign that you have read them.
Looking forward to seeing you next year!
Click here for printable Registration forms.
Testing Information for 2010
Tues., May 11 Peace Lutheran Church (9th and Carden, Pendleton)
Wed., May 12 Nazarene Church of Hermiston
(1520 W. Orchard Extension.) Take the Hwy 207 Exit off I-84. Go North about 5 miles. Go through the stop light at Highland and Hwy 207. At Orchard turn left and go about ½ mile. Church is on the right.
Testing times: Grades 1-12 9:00-11:30
Please arrive 10-15 minutes prior to testing time. Pencils are provided. Calculators may not be used. Students may bring a book to read while they are waiting for others to finish. They may also bring a snack for break time. Grades 1, 2, and 3 each test separately. Students in grades 4-12 test together.
Testing is done by Basic Skills of Oregon City. The test is the California Achievement test (CAT).
The cost is $40 per student. There is an additional fee of $7 for an optional diagnostic profile. The profile gives you more specific information of the content of the questions your child missed.
Testing is required by the state in grades 3, 5, 8, and 10. Some school districts require testing if home school students are to participate in public school sports or activities.
Practice tests called “Achieving Peak Performance” are available through the Pendleton Home School Association website. http://phsa.bcmi.net Click on the Basic Skills button under “links”. Practice tests are available in hard copy or e-book form and are reproducible for your own family use.
If you have questions, feel free to contact Janet at (541) 443-2920 or
email: witnesstree@eoni.com
DEADLINE for REGISTRATION and PAYMENT is April 30th, 2010.
CURRICULUM SALE: If you have any curriculum that you wish to sell, there
will be a sale area available at each test site. Please have each item
clearly labeled with your name and the item price. Sale items and money are
the responsibility of the seller.
The new Subscription/Membership Form has been added to the forms section.
We changed the fee schedule for this year. We’ve included gym time in the regular fee instead of charging seperately for it. The fee for this year (July 1- June 30)will be $25.00 per family. Please read the By-laws.
The Gym- Rec time is a popular time. We meet at a local gym and let the children play for an hour. I believe we are adding more weeks this year so it will start earlier in the fall and go into spring.
We request the information about what curriculum you use in order to provide a resource for others who are interested in that curriculum.
We are always looking for people to be involved and welcome your input.
A local pet store is allowing small groups of homeschoolers to tour the store. The owners are knowledgeable about their animals and make the trip fun and educational.
Here is a baby Chinchilla peeking out of it’s home.
Here one of the parent Chinchilla takes a sand bath.
We were not allowed to pet these ones because of the babies but there was another chinchilla that we were able to pet. It was very soft.
This is a rat, which are very friendly animals to have for pets.
I can’t remember what this was- a small gerbil?
We moved on to the cold blooded animal area, where the snakes and lizards hang out.
This is one of the snakes there- it will grow to be nine feet long. It was just starting the molting process and couldn’t be handled.
The bearded dragon, which originally came from Australia but are now being bred in captivity, being fed.
Two lizards watching us watch them. Can you see the second one? You can make the thumbnail larger by clicking on it.
We then moved on to the fish area and saw some rare species of fish from the Amazon. The kids also got to touch a catfish, see a turtle and lots of other animals.
There are still a couple of weeks left so call Janet to see if there are any open slots.
Today we went on a field trip to tour the local mustard factory. Barhyte Specialty Foods very graciously let us get a peek at how mustards and sauces are developed, made in large batches and bottled.
First we browsed the store. They have many of their items for sale plus specialty foods from other local retailers. It’s arranged in a very pretty way.
This is where they mix the batches that are going to be bottled. We weren’t able to go into it today as they were making a Dijon mustard with horseradish which is very strong smelling. We could smell it standing outside the room.
(Note: You can click on the thumbnails to make them larger.)
The line is very interesting, first there is a person getting the bottles standing up and ready to go then they go to a sanitizing machine. Here are the jars being filled with mustard.
Then the jars move on to have the caps, labels and plastic seals put on. The seals are then heated to shrink them tight and the use by date is stamped on. Then they are boxed up, ready to ship. We were able to hold a bottle right off the line and it was still warm.
Then we were able to go to the development kitchen and talk to the lady that develops new recipes. She showed us what yellow and brown mustard looks like. Here is brown mustard seeds.
Here is what mustard looks like as it grows. It is considered a weed.
I like this one so I am adding it for fun.
We were told some great stories of how the business got started and how it has changed over the years. It was a great field trip!
We went to the city police station on a field trip recently. It was interesting to wander around the old bank building that had been converted to a police station.
This is the small holding cell used when they can’t take a prisoner to the county jail right away.
It’s small and without windows. Right next to it, a small bit is visible in the photo, is the police dog’s kennel. It’s where the narcotics sniffing dog stays when he is on duty and at the police station.
The inside of the building was fairly unexciting but then we went outside and the fun began.
Here are the unclaimed stolen bikes awaiting auction.
Here is the D.A.R.E. car that was confiscated from a drug dealer and put to good use.
The children got to see the insides of a police car. They could see all the radios, radars and other equipment up close and personal.
Here the Chief shows us a Spike Strip or Tire Deflation Device. It flattens tires and stops the bad guys in their tracks.
We were able to climb into the bullet proof SWAT vehicle.
Then the Police Chief and an uniformed officer show us what each officer has to carry and wear while on duty.
The Chief spent time answering questions. He stated that a police officer uses advanced reading comprehension, writing and math skills daily. He also answered questions about the Day Time Curfew ordinance and gang activity.
It was a fun, informative time.
There is a Moms Meeting planned for November. But you’ll have to email me by using the “Contact” hyper link on the side bar to find out the details. They are always great fun! I hope to see you there.
There is going to be an Eastern Oregon Fall Mini-Conference in Baker City on November 15, 2008. It is sponsored by the Baker Area Christian Homeschoolers and OCEANetwork. This is what is planned:
Homeschoolers in Eastern Oregon will be encouraged and equipped by conference speakers Kevin and Christine Bullock. Topics for moms are “Listen for Your Child’s Learning Style” and “Help for the Harried Home Educator.” Dads’ sessions are “Charges of the Father” and “Practical Family Discipleship.” Sessions for the whole family include” Homeschool Success Stories” and “Portrait of a Healthy Homeschool Marriage.”
Admission to the event is free. For more information view the conference brochure at http://www.oceanetwork.org/currents/Baker_City_Conference.pdf
It starts at 10 AM and goes until 3 PM at Harvest Church, 3720 Birch Street.
It’s great to have an event in our own backyard!
Also, OCEANetwork is looking for people to participate in the 2008 Homeschool Academic Achievement Research project. Here is their write up:
The 2009 Oregon Legislature will be in session soon. In order to prepare for the session, the Oregon Christian Home Education Association Network has commissioned Dr. Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute to compile statistics on the academic achievement of Oregon homeschool children. It has been 10 years since the Oregon Department of Education collected test scores thanks to the change in the homeschool law in 1999. But it’s time we had updated research to show “Home educators are doing well enough to be left alone.”
If you had your child(ren) tested with a standardized achievement test last year (September 1, 2007 – August 31, 2008), please participate in the 2008 Oregon Homeschool Academic Achievement Research Project.
All information will be kept strictly confidential. You will generate a student research ID for each student (following a specific formula) which you will use when answering questions in an online survey and when mailing your student’s test scores to OCEANetwork. Neither OCEANetwork nor NHERI will have any personally identifiable information on your students or your family.
This survey of Oregon students is part of a nation-wide survey being conducted by NHERI and the Home School Legal Defense Association.
Deadline for participation is November 14, 2008. You can find more information on the project by going to OCEANetwork’s web site http://www.oceanetwork.org/alerts/research.cfm
There is also a PHSA Board meeting in November, again contact me for details, and then come tell us what you would like to see happen.
The Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Why Homeschool.
I found two articles about The Big Question- Socialization, interesting. The first one is at Principled Discovery titled “What is it about socialization?” Then The Rebellious Pastor’s Wife continues the subject with this post- “The Plus Side of Homeschool Socialization.”
Is there a novel floating around in your head? Did you know that November is National Novel Writing Month? To learn how it works and some tricks check out National Novel Writing Month at Little Blue School.
Check out the Carnival and find some gems of your own.