How Homeschoolers Measure Up

If you want some fun statistics on homeschooling, check out the link from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=v8kuxxbab&v=001AQflCIZUlQ7Pyk7wIumzWa3E_Re7gVtb-2cp3JgZq8NmTh__HziCV-vTF19JvCDMUC9hPpLdc2xKn-Te2RL4RTUYzO4lAzOIE1eRq9TUC5LH3rIsTtrpHsUT7agjSm2XJOgjZkMTgEZP5NMnUdywHsTqWB8ENYnX9yv2q-1amQzDXXLBHuIQYiGMhcZW_5T4Iq2Ru5GseYA%3D


The Old Schoolhouse Magazine can be read on-line free. http://www.tosmagazine.com/

Fort Ticonderoga

Can't make the Fort Ticonderoga Homeschool Day? Come on a day that is good for you.

FIELD TRIPS FALL 2013 Through October 20th

Student groups can make reservations for self-guided field trip experiences through October 20, 2013. Explore Fort Ticonderoga. Interact with French troops. Visit the historic trades shop to learn about the production of clothing and shoes. Watch as soldiers prepare their mid-day meal in the field kitchen. Explore the King's Garden. Explore our new 1.7-mile hiking trail to the Carillon Battlefield. A Fort Interpreter meets your group and provides a brief orientation. Suggested self-guided activities available on our website.

Reservations: Call Nancy LaVallie at (518) 585-2821 or email atnancy@fort-ticonderoga.org.

Cost: $6/student. One free adult for every five students. Additional adults $12/adult.

Daytime Homeschool Support Group

Who: All families who home-school are invited to get together and share advice and ask questions about paperwork, curriculum or anything homeschooling related. The group is open to new and veteran homeschoolers alike. 

Children of all ages are welcome.

When: 2nd Monday of the month starting at 2:00pm


Where: Black Brook

Contact: Kari Zurlo  pyrz51@frontier.com or on facebook  pyrz51@frontier.com for exact directions

Next meeting: 9 September 2013

Passport to Learning

Pack your bags for an educational adventure at Shelburne Museum!
http://shelburnemuseum.org/learn/schools-and-teachers/passport-to-learning/

Passport to Learning is an exciting series of ten interactive workshops for students in grades K-8 that meet educational standards from Vermont’s Framework of Standards and Grade Expectations/Common Core State Standards and introduces students to concepts and themes in art, language arts, math, science, and social studies through a facilitated exploration of Shelburne Museum.

We offer Passport to Learning each spring and fall. We are currently accepting reservations for September 23 through October 18, 2013. Monday, October 14 is reserved exclusively for homeschooling families.
      * We can accommodate up to 200 students per day.
      * Group arrivals are staggered to aid traffic flow through the workshops.
      * Workshops run concurrently from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The last workshop session of the day begins at 1:30 p.m.
      * Workshops begin promptly on the half hour.
      * Each workshop closes for a 30-minute break during the day.
      * Workshops run on a first-come, first-served basis.
      * Workshops can accommodate between 10 and 20 students at a time. We encourage classrooms to divide into small groups of 4 to 6 students each, with at least one chaperone per group.
      * You may choose to complete as few or as many workshops as you would like. We recommend that students in grades K-2 attend 2-3 workshops and students in grades 3-8 attend 3-5 workshops in a visit.
      * Every student receives a passport upon arrival. At the completion of a workshop each student receives a stamp in his or her passport.
      * Every student receives a pass to return to the Museum for free with one paid adult.
     
COST
Passport to Learning costs $5 per student and $5 per chaperone. School staff or one parent per home-schooled family are admitted free. Please note that if you are a home-school family arriving before 10 a.m., you must pay with cash or a check.

REGISTRATION
To register your classroom or your homeschooling family for Passport to Learning, please use our online registration form at http://shelburnemuseum.org/passport-to-learning-registration/.

INFORMATION
Please contact Daphne Zencey, academic programs coordinator, at (802) 985-3346 x3395 orschoolprograms@shelburnemuseum.org for more information.

Daytime Homeschool Support Group

Everyone is welcome. New AND current homeschoolers. Kids are welcome too. Come and chat about curriculums, paperwork, regulations, etc... Bring anything you want to ask about. Bring paperwork you want help with.

WHEN: 2nd Monday of each month (NEXT MEETING IS 9/9/13)

TIME: 2pm

WHERE: Zurlo home in Black Brook. Contact Kari for directions.

CONTACT: Kari Ostrander Zurlo on Facebook, pyrz51@frontier.com

Please RSVP (email/phone/PM/comment on FB) if coming. Thanks

Field trip aboard the Adirondack Scenic Railroad

We will be riding the train from the Saranac Lake Depot to the Lake Placid Depot and back again. There is a 45 minute layover at the Lake Placid station. There is a cafe car on board or bring your own snacks/drinks if you wish.

http://www.adirondackrr.com/saranaclake/featuretrains/roundTrip.html

DATE:  Friday October 11th

TIME: NOON (Train departs at 1pm but they have requested that we are there at NOON to process our admission. Once each family pays, you can board the train, tour the museum or check out the ADK carousel next door.)

WHERE:  Saranac Lake train station

COST: Group rates:  Round trip:  adults $15.00, seniors $13.00 & youth (2-12) $8.00  (Each family pays for themselves at the train station. Cash, MC, Visa, Discover)

RSVP: This particular trip needs to meet a minimum count so I need a committed head count by 9/27/13. After 9/27/13 I ask that declines not be made.

Please RSVP to Kari Zurlo pyrz51@frontier.com or on Facebook.

North Country Homeschool Contact List

North Country Homeschool Contact List is being updated!

This is a list of local homeschool families who are choosing to share their contact info ONLY with EACH OTHER for the purposes of planning events, park days, and generally just keeping everyone in touch.  :-)   NO information on this list is shared with the public or on the internet in any way.

If you wish to be on (and receive a copy of) the North Country Contact List please email the following to Kari Zurlo @pyrz51@frontier.com

Last name
Parent names
Address
Phone(s)
Email
Names and ages of children


Again, only those providing the info will receive a copy.

If you have already provided the info you do not need to provide again.

ADIRONDACK MUSEUM FIELD TRIP

http://www.adkmuseum.org/

Wednesday September 25th @ 10:00am  (Museum closes at 5:00pm. We will meet at 10am. Stay as long as you wish. Staff recommends you allow at least 3 hours to explore.)

Self guided tours

There are picnic areas and/or a cafe

Admission is FREE for students/siblings/parents

Questions? Please contact Kari Zurlo at pyrz51@frontier.com or on Facebook

Please RSVP prior to Sept. 15th.

WILD CENTER FIELD TRIP

Field trip to the WILD! Center

http://www.wildcenter.org/

The Wild Center is a self guided facility. We will meet at 10:00 and then your family can explore at your leisure. Skunk Encounter time to be determined. Explore indoors and out. Center closes at 5pm.

When: Wednesday Sept 11th @ 10:00am.

Cost:  $4 per child (except 3 year olds and under are free), 1 teacher free per family, other adults are $8.   There is also an optional Skunk Encounter for an additional $2 per child.

RSVP or questions:  Kari Zurlo at  pyrz51@frontier.com or Kari Ostrander Zurlo in the Facebook group. Please RSVP prior to Sept. 4th.

Homeschool Ballet Class

Homeschool Ballet Class to be offered on Tuesdays 1:30 p.m.

North Country Cultural Center for the Arts
23 Brinkerhoff street , Plattsburgh
563-1604

(Additional classes will be taught as well)

3:30-4:30 ages 6-8

4:30-5:30 ages 9-14

cost $54 per 6 week session

Teacher: Victoria Ainsworth

"Victoria has the expertise and experience to not only demonstrate correctly but to analyze and alter the class exercises to best benefit the immediate needs of the students at the precise moment- something that teaching from a prefabricated class manual  cannot achieve."

Victoria  studied with great teachers and prestigious ballet schools-Les Grandes Ballets in her early teenage years followed by  American Ballet Theater, Joffrey and privately with such prominent  artists as George Chaffee, Igor Schwetzoff, Nicholas Orloff , Nina Stroganova, Maya Piletskaya, Melissa Hayden  and more.

Victoria performed classical ballet in Stuttgart, Havana, Frankfurt, New York, Koln, Vienna, Bonn, Montreal  etc. Victoria  was the personal protegee of Kaleria Fedicheva.

Homeschool Day At Fort Ticonderoga

Fort Ticonderoga's next Homeschool Day for homeschool students and their parents will be on Friday, September 6, 2013, from 9:30am-5:00pm. Homeschool families will have an opportunity to take part in a series of programs while learning about life on the colonial frontier during the early days of the French & Indian War.

  

During the day students can learn about the French troops who came to Ticonderoga in the fall of 1755 to begin construction of Fort Carillon. Interacting with these French soldiers, students can ask about the life of an 18th-century soldier. What did he eat? Where did he sleep? What did he wear? Where did his clothes come from?

  

Throughout the day homeschool families can explore the Fort and museum exhibitions. They can take guided tours, learning about the Fort's history, and observe musket demonstrations. They can visit the historic trades shop, where shoes and clothing are produced by the Fort staff, and learn about the global economy of the 1700s.

In addition, special programs for homeschool groups take place in the historic trades shop at 10:30am, 12:30pm, and 2:30pm. Programs at 12:00pm and 1:00pm illustrate the process of feeding the troops as the mid-day meal is prepared. Students in grades 6-12 can learn about how to be a part of the National History Day program at 11:30am.

In the King's Garden, students can participate in the "Lady Bug Investigators" program at 11:00am, 1:00pm, and 3:00pm, and take part in the self-guided activity "Watercolors in the Garden" from 10:00am to 4:00pm. In addition, Fort Ticonderoga's Heroic Corn Maze will be open for homeschool families from 12:00pm-4:00pm.

To register your homeschool students to participate, please call Nancy LaVallie, Group Tour Coordinator at Fort Ticonderoga at 518-585-2821. The cost is $6 per student. One parent per family is admitted free of charge. Additional adults pay the adult group rate of $12.

See Homeschool Day Schedule.

Fall Soccer

Once again soccer season is coming up and practices should start in mid August.

If there is enough interest to have a team and someone would be interested in coaching, I would help get whoever takes over my job get started.  I have all my contacts, uniforms, some equipment, and the insurance info. to pass to someone else. 

If your child is interested in soccer email me so I can at least see if there are enough players for a team before I ask someone to coach.  The players need to be at least 12 years old. 

THANKS!

Laura  293-8253      adkhilpls@charter.net
  

Homeschooling Fall Field Trips

Full info (locations, prices, etc) on these trips to follow, but please save the date! 

The Wild Center -- Wednesday, September 11th, 2013
Adirondack Museum -- Wednesday, September 25th, 2013
Adirondack Railroad -- Friday, October 11th
The Crux (indoor rock climbing in Willsboro) -- Friday, November 8th

Trips will be arranged by Kari Zurlo

No September Co-op

There will be NO co-op classes in September.  In order to provide opportunities  for a few extra field trips to outdoor locations, co-op will restart the first Wed of October (10/2/13).

Cornell Cooperative Evironmentals Awareness Field Days for 6th graders

Each year the Cornell Cooperative Extension offers field days for 6th graders. This is an opportunity to learn about environmental awareness issues and topics. Agricultural and wildlife topics are also included. The event is held during school hours. Students in sixth grader can attend on either 9/17/13 or 9/18/13.

For more information or if you are interested in enrolling in this program, or have questions, please contact the Extension office directly at  518-561-7450.

Pizza Hut Book It Program

Now is the time to sign up for the Pizza Hut Book It Program:

BOOK IT! motivates children to read by rewarding their reading accomplishments with praise, recognition and pizza.  The program is simple for the teacher to use, flexible because goals match reading ability, and fun because achieving a goal is a great reason to celebrate!  BOOK IT! was created in 1985 and currently reaches over 14 million students in 38,000 elementary classrooms annually.

BOOK IT! runs every school year from October through March.  The teacher sets a reading goal for each child in the class.  A tracking chart and reproducibles are included to make it that much easier.  As soon as a child meets the monthly reading goal, the teacher gives him or her a Reading Award Certificate.

BOOK IT! goals are based on reading ability.  Number of books, number of pages, or number of minutes – they all work.  BOOK IT! can also be used with the reading curriculum or as support for comprehension or intervention programs.  For children not reading independently, the goal can be set where a parent or others read to the child. 

Please click on the link below for full details and to sign up.

http://www.bookitprogram.com/

North Country Homeschooling Evening Christian Support Group

The North Country Homeschooling Nighttime Christian support group will not meet in July--however, they will resume on Wednesday night August 28.

Have a great summer

Books for Sale- Lots for Free

I have some books that I would love to give away; many workbooks and materials for grades 4 and up.  Lots of goodies for FREE!

I also have a few things that are for sale. Email me at kar8769     @   yahoo.com (remove spaces)


Here is a listing of the ones for sale:

  -- -JACOBS GEOMETRY homeschool kit includes textbook, test bank, and enhanced                teacher's guide (like new) $20

--- BARRON'S BIOLOGY THE EASY WAY textbook; BOB JONES UNIVERSITY activity             book for dissection w/ teacher's guide and video tape ---all for $15

---- ALPHA OMEGA LIFEPAC SCIENCE homeschool curriculum kit grade 8   $25

--- MOSDOS PRESS JOURNEYS LITERATURE LEVEL ONE (for high school)   $20

--- SAXON ALGEBRA 1 textbook, tests, and home study packet (like new)   $20

--- SAXON MATH 87 textbook, tests, home study packet (used, but not written in)   $10

--- GLOBAL HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY- THE GROWTH OF CIVILIZATIONS    $10

Considering Starting a Martial Arts Class--Looking for interest

Master Wolf and his wife are the former owners of a Martial Arts School in NYC.  They have retired and are making their home in the North Country. They are currently teaching Marital Arts at the ROTA Gallery. They are willing to have a homeschool martial arts class at if there is interest.The cost would be reasonable.

Anyone who is interested should contact Mona Yang at 536-2189.

Should Homeschoolers Be Allowed to Participate in Public School Sports?

Re-posted from Center for Homeschool Liberty

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Some Parents Cry "Foul"—Should Homeschoolers Be Allowed to Participate in Public School Sports?

Since homeschooling families pay taxes, why do some states prohibit homeschoolers from participating in public school sports? Currently, states are split on this issue. Just recently, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Indiana have changed their rules to allow homeschooler participation, while Virginia has declined to allow it. In reference to homeschooled athlete Tim Tebow, state legislation encouraging participation is often called a “Tebow Bill.” Tebow attended the University of Florida on a football scholarship and went on to win the Heisman Trophy while playing football for the Gators.

Within the realm of homeschooling, homeschool families are even split on this issue as well. On the one hand, some families would argue that that barring homeschoolers from play means that they would be denied scholarships that are available to other high school athletes. On the other hand, some families have not even considered allowing their children to enter the public school system for any reason because doing so would detract from the lessons that are being taught at home.

Whatever position you hold, as the parent, you should have the right to decide which course is best for your child.

At the Center for Homeschool Liberty, we receive calls from parents in non-inclusive states who wish to legally challenge this discrimination against their child. As this has been litigated over the past decade, homeschool parents have lost. State courts have held that the state retains the right to include or exclude homeschoolers from the public education sports programs. In other words, there is no “right” to play sports at the public school, so the state can outright forbid it, remain neutral, or highly regulate it. In states that include homeschoolers, some have mandated substantial requirements, such as minimum class registration or academically related participation eligibility requirements.

What can you do if you have a gifted athlete but reside in a non-inclusive state?

1. Organize a movement of parents to petition your state legislature to sponsor a Tebow Bill.
2. Find private or local leagues that invite the participation of all students.
3. If your state laws are silent on the issue, it means that participation is at the discretion of your local school or school district. Make an appointment with the local athletic director and work with your child to present a compelling case to allow participation.

Homeschooling, and the regulation thereof, remains a state issue.