Newsletter - August 28, 2019

Dear Homeschool Moms & Dads,

The lazy, hazy days of summer must be gone since there's lots of info to wade through. Please read carefully so that you contact the correct person as needed. If you're not sure about something though just let me know.

Julie for THE

"HOUSEKEEPING" STUFF 

2019-2020  Membership: if you haven't joined this year, send your info and $10 check to THE; P.O. Box 202; Northport AL 35476 or pay $11 on the website through PayPal. VICTORY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL families do not have to pay because membership is part of what you pay to enroll there.

Our current website is www.tuscaloosahomeschool.com. A new website is under construction and you'll be pleased with it. But, you'll get the most out of it as a member so renew soon. More information on the website will be sent out later.

If you DO NOT WANT THESE EMAILS cluttering up your Inbox, please reply “Take me off this list”.  We really don’t want to annoy you!

SPORTS

LADY WARRIORS VOLLEYBALL--TOMORROW NIGHT!

Our next home match will start Thursday, August 29th at 5:30pm against Amory Christian School.  Our home gym is at Taylorville United Methodist Church (640 Bear Creek Road). Admission is charged and great concessions are available. Another match will be Friday the 30th at 5:00pm against Brooklane Academy. GO WARRIORS!!!

ACADEMICS

SCIENCE LABS

Biology / Life Science lab classes designed for Junior and Senior High students 

9/10/19 -  Microscope use and pond water.    $20

10/1/19  - Plant Anatomy and dissecting a flower.   $20

10/22/19  - Invertebrates  - Dissect a grasshopper, crayfish, and starfish.   $25

1/14/20   - Vertebrates & Amphibians  - Dissect a frog and owl pellets.     $25

2/4/20   - Human Anatomy  - skeletal, muscular, nervous, & excretory systems;  dissect a kidney, an eyeball, and the brain. $20

2/25/20   - Human Anatomy  - Digestive, respiratory, circulatory, and endocrine systems;  dissect the heart. $20

Chemistry / Physical Science lab classes designed for Junior and Senior High students

9/17/19   - Equipment, filtering, density, Physical & Chemical Properties& Changes.   $20

10/8/19   - Elements, periodic charts, classifications of matter, mixtures, etc.   $20

10/29/19   - Chemical bonds, models, electrolysis of water, & crystals.    $20

1/21/20   - Symbols, formulas, compositions, etc.   $20

2/11/20   - Solids, liquids, specific heats, etc.   $20

3/3/20   - Solutions, colloids, colligative properties, etc.   $20

Topic Science labs for students ages  8 - 13 

9/24/19  - Chemistry for Kids  - $10 per student

10/15/19   - Human Body systems   - $10 per student.

If you are interested in any of these lab classes you can sign up by calling the teacher, Debbie Safford, at 205-657-1403,  emailing her at dsafford2012@gmail.com  or you can go to the website  victoryhomeschool.com  to pay and sign up there.  Payment can be brought on the day of the lab, but do let her know so she can have sufficient supplies for all the students. All labs are on Tuesdays from 9:30-11:30 at Tuscaloosa First Assembly (3801 Skyland Blvd.)

HONOR SOCIETY

THE sponsors a local chapter of the National Homeschool Honor Society. Membership is open to students in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade for the 2019-2020 school year.  Applications should be in by September 1st unless the student will take the ACT in October and needs that score to qualify for membership.  

Send your completed application to Donna Harris at dsharrisrn@gmail.com.  Note on the application if the student is taking the October ACT.

Membership requires that the student must have scored at or above one of  the following:

26 (ACT); 1200 (SAT); 1200 (PSAT)

a 90%tile NPR on the composite battery of the Iowa or Stanford

1170 (PSAT 10); 1090 (PSAT 8/9); 26 (Pre-ACT 10);88 CLT; 91 CLT 10

For applications, please see http://www.tuscaloosahomeschool.com/homeschoolinfoforms.html

CHEMISTRY TUTOR

A retired chemistry teacher with many years’ experience in teaching AP Chemistry will tutor students in chemistry for $15 per session. She worked with two students this summer who were taking chemistry at Shelton. She is available for individual students or a small group. Please contact Janis Mabry Santina at 205-792-4041.

TUSCALOOSA HOME EDUCATORS 2020 GRADUATION

We will have an information meeting regarding our THE commencement on Friday, September 13th at 3:00pm at the Gateway Technology Center in Alberta City.  All seniors that are THE members are eligible to walk regardless of church school. We will set dates for Senior and Junior/Senior social events, go over graduation fees and deadlines as well as announce dates and location for rehearsal and commencement. 

If you are interested in your Senior graduating with THE, you need to attend this meeting.  It would be best if your student would attend as well. If you have a Junior and are considering  your options for next year, you are welcome to attend too. 

PLEASE BE ON TIME.  We only have the meeting room for one hour and 15 minutes.  If you have questions, contact Susan Norris at 205-554-0063, Allison Gage at 706-496-5716 or Lynn Kendall at 251-330-5435. We had a fabulous ceremony and reception last year and are looking forward to another great year!

JOB POSSIBILITY FOR ADULT OR TEEN  **This is not a THE sponsored job**

A former homeschool mom in Tuscaloosa who lives in North Carolina now is looking for a tech savvy teen or mom who, working from home, would do social media and e-commerce tasks for her company using a website design called Shopify.  The company is called Home4yall (see Home4yall.com) and is dealing in short term rentals in Tuscaloosa.  If you have the skills and are interested, reply to Julie for direct contact information

VOLUNTEER POSSIBILITY FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT  **This is not a THE sponsored job**

The upcoming election cycle for 2020 is significant with the Presidential Preference Primary, along with federal and local parties on the ballot. Recently, Governor Ivey signed an Act (2019-476) that will take effect on September 19th, 2019, allowing students to serve as unpaid interns during the election. Legislation allows for the Judge of Probate to appoint two students at each voting precinct. 

Students must meet all the following qualifications: 

1. Be enrolled in a public high school or a home instruction program and be classified as a junior or senior or equivalent or be enrolled in a two-year or four-year institution of higher education.

2. Be at least sixteen years of age at the time of the election for which the appointment is made.

3. Be a resident of the county or municipality for which the appointment is made.

4. Be recommended by the principal or other school officials, or by the individual responsible for the student’s home instruction program. 

Per the new law, Students who are selected will receive an excused absence for any prior training and work done on election day. I believe this program will be beneficial for those students to become active in the electoral process (excerpts from an email by Rob Robertson, Judge of Probate).

Interested students should reply to Julie at this email address who will then pass your information to Zach Wolfe, contact person for this position.

LONG INFO ON SPELLING BEE BUT WORTH THE READ IF YOU’RE INTERESTED **This is not a THE sponsored event**

I am thrilled to announce that it is officially SPELLING BEE SEASON 2020!!! 

I’m Laura Ann Tipps, and I am the Alabama Homeschool Spelling Bee Coordinator. I competed in spelling bees from 4th to 8th grade, advancing to the Alabama Spelling Bee all five years. I made it to the National Spelling Bee in 2004 and 2005. Since then, I have volunteered as a judge, pronouncer, and coordinator. I LOVE the spelling bee, and I am passionate about getting homeschoolers involved and helping them succeed!

For students in public, private, etc. school, participating in the spelling bee is pretty straightforward, starting with classroom bees, then leading to school and county bees. Alabama homeschoolers, on the other hand, are considered part of one "Homeschool County" in the state. Just like Etowah, Jefferson, or Blount Counties, etc., we get one representative at the Alabama Spelling Bee. The winner of the Alabama Spelling Bee travels to Washington, D.C. to participate in the National Spelling Bee!

Who can participate?

Any eligible homeschooler [8th grade and below] (read about eligibility here, and there is no minimum age) is welcome to participate as long as they are registered with a school group that is enrolled with Scripps. Enrollment is expensive and is not cost-effective for most groups and co-ops. I think two or three enrolled last year.

To remedy this...we created a group called Learning at Home. Its sole purpose is to facilitate spelling bee participation for homeschool families. Without it, families whose school groups do not enroll would face enrollment expenses on their own. 

When you register through Learning at Home, you receive the official study materials Scripps has released for this year. Please note that these change from year to year and are essential for advancement in the competition. With your Learning at Home registration, you will also receive study tips and FAQs that I've compiled over the years.

How Do I Register My Student(s)?

It’s super easy to register with Learning at Home and get started on your 2020 spelling bee journey! All I need is some basic information and an $8 fee per family. This means that, no matter how many eligible students you have, all you pay is $8. This helps me recoup the Scripps enrollment fee, as I do this on a volunteer basis.

Once I have both your registration information and your $8 fee, I will send you the study materials and study tips. Here is the information I’ll need, which you can send to me by email:

1.     Name of Parent or Legal Guardian

2.     Name(s) of Speller(s) in Household

3.     Grade Level(s) and Age(s) of Speller(s) in Household

4.     Phone Number

5.     Homeschool Group/Covering/Co-op (if applicable)

The following PayPal link has my information and the $8 amount plugged in already: https://www.paypal.me/LauraAnnTipps/8. I also have a Venmo account. If you need to send a check/money order instead, please let me know and I will provide you with a mailing address. Email at latipps@gmail.com. 

The deadline to register with Learning at Home is December 31, 2019. After that, registration will be available for an increased fee of $10. 

Register ASAP to have as much study time as possible!

Please share this information with your homeschooling friends! My goal is to grow participation every year, and I'd so appreciate you helping me by forwarding this email or posting online.    

CONGRESSIONAL APPOINTMENT TO SERVICE ACADEMY

Congresswoman Terri Sewell, Alabama 7th District, is honored to nominate high school students to one of our nation’s service academies. If you have a high school aged child who is interested in attending a service academy (West Point, US Air Force Academy, US Naval Academy, Merchant Marine Academy) go to her website www.sewell.house.gov and search on the “services tab” for instructions on how to request a recommendation. The deadline for application is November 1st.

FINE ARTS

Tuscaloosa Children’s Theatre will have auditions for “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” on January 9-10, 2020.  Look on their website for details about the audition and the show dates. www.tuscaloosachildrenstheatre.org.

“Annie Jr.” will be performed at the Bama Theatre on October 4-6 with some homeschooled students in the cast.  Ticket information will be on their website.

FIELD TRIPS-CHILDREN’S HANDS ON MUSEUM

A School Brochure about PreK and K-5th grade field trips we offer at CHOM is attached.  If you have a group of 10 or more, I can book a reduced field trip rate for your group!  Please contact me if you have any questions at all!

Melissa Roberts

Museum Educator

Monday-Thursday

205-349-4235

USED BOOK SALE FACEBOOK PAGE-Someone or lots of someones, please tell me if it works. I can’t tell if anyone is able to post books for sale. The hope was that it could be used year round to sell books locally. However, we can’t tell if it’s usable. So….let me know.

Meanwhile, this is the last book list for sale that will be included on emails. If the Facebook page doesn’t work, we’ll figure something else out.

Chloe the Kitten - Fairy Animals of Misty Wood

Age 5-8 years (129 pages)

Amazon list price - $5.99

ASKING - $2.00

 Here’s a Penny

Age 6-10 years (140 pages)

Amazon list price - $7.99

ASKING - $2.00

 Dolphin Adventure  

Age 8-12 years (70 pages)

Amazon list price - $4.99

ASKING - $2.00

 Runaway Tomato

Age 3-5 years (33 pages)

Amazon list price - $8.95

ASKING - $2.00

 Flo & Wendell Explore - hardcover 

Age 3-5 years (32 pages)

Amazon list price - $19.01

ASKING - $4.00

 I Can Cook Cookbook

Mid to late elementary (48 pages)

Pre-Amazon! Ha!

ASKING - $2.00

 Set of Three Relaxation Coloring Books - Coloring Cats & Dogs For Adults, Art of Coloring Festive, and Dreamscapes

*Slight damage to Dreamscapes cover!*

Combined list price - $17.98

ASKING - $10.00 (total for all three)

 How to Draw People

Age 5-10 years (61 pages)

List price - $4.99

ASKING - $2.00

 Set of Two KONOS’ History’s Heroes Books -  Settlers Timeline Characters and Revolutionary War Timeline Characters  

Cannot locate list prices.

ASKING - $5.00 (total for both)

 “Pay Attention, Please!”

Age 4-10 years (64 pages)

Amazon list price - $9.55

ASKING - $3.00

 The Best of The Mailbox Magazine, Learning Centers

Grades 1-3 (110 pages)

Price as marked - $14.95

ASKING - $4.00

 The Best of The Mailbox, Book 4

Grades 4-6 (192 pages)

Price as marked - $22.95

ASKING - $6.00

Interested parties can contact me via text at 205-657-9038. Thank you very much!   Mary Dearman