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Friday, March 20, 2015

Kids Bowl Free this summer!

Kids Bowl Free!

Select bowling centers and schools around the country are participating in the Kids Bowl Free program. This program is designed by bowling centers to give back to the community and provide a safe, secure, and fun way for kids to spend time this summer.

When you register, be sure to tell them The HS Gathering sent you by entering hsgathering@gmail.com where it asks who referred you. 

Children whose age does not exceed a limit by a participating bowling center are eligible to register for 2 free games a day, all summer long, courtesy of the participating bowling centers along with the schools and organizations.

Roxy Ann [Medford] https://www.kidsbowlfree.com/center.php?alley_id=3736

Caveman Bowl [Grants Pass] https://www.kidsbowlfree.com/center.php?alley_id=3717

Monday, March 16, 2015

[Off Topic] Support Local Homeschool Student on his Nepal mission trip

Looking for quality pork? Talk to homeschool student, Shad Brown, and support him on his upcoming mission trip to Nepal!

Details available in his Craigslist ad:
http://medford.craigslist.org/grd/4934781196.html

Sunday, March 15, 2015

HSG News! March 2015

HSG families,
Lots of GOOD NEWS to share!

After a false start to the beginning of the year, I believe I've found a helper! Please welcome my 15 year old son, Ryan, as our new HSG Junior Administrator. He will be helping with event coordination, Facebook and blog posts, and other administrative tasks.

One of Ryan's first tasks was to pair up those of you participating in the HSG Secret Mama Pals exchange. If you completed your questionnaire, you should have received an HSG email earlier today. His help meant I could participate too! 

HSG Homeschool Movie Day 2015 ~ DisneyNature's Monkey Kingdom was announced today! We have a small window of time to take advantage of group discount pricing so DON'T DELAY!

If your family is looking for community service opportunities, please consider serving at the upcoming Joni and Friends event, Sometimes Miracles Hide.

Blessings,
Tika Weeks


HSG Homeschool Movie Day 2015 ~ DisneyNature's Monkey Kingdom

HSG Homeschool Movie Day 2015 ~ DisneyNature's Monkey Kingdom


Join HSG homeschoolers at the 10am showing of Disneynature's Monkey Kingdom on Opening Day, Friday, April 17th at Tinseltown in Medford, OR.

The HS Gathering ~Southern Oregon has coordinated with DisneyNature for a group rate ticket price of $5.25 (adult or child) available only through advanced ticket purchase with HSG. 

Steps to register:
1.) RSVP to HSG via Facebook event AND by email at hsgathering@gmail.com (Subject: Monkey Kingdom tickets)
2.) Your RSVP must include the total number of tickets for your party and your contact information.
3.) A PayPal invoice will be sent to you for the advance ticket purchase from the HSG email account. Please be watching for it! Your choices for payment include:
ONLINE via PayPal (check, debit, or credit cards accepted)
BY MAIL via USPS (mailing address will be in the invoice & must be received no later than 3/23/15)
IN PERSON to my Medford address( also included in the invoice).
Your registration is complete when payment has been received :)

**This event is open to HSG Homeschoolers and their FRIENDS & FAMILY, so SHARE!**

Any questions, please contact Ryan Weeks or Tika Weeks.

Sometimes Miracles Hide {Call for Volunteers!}













Sometimes Miracles Hide is a luncheon for mothers and a carnival for their children with special needs. While the mothers are meeting, we provide lunch and a carnival for their children. 

There are many areas in which you can serve. 
> Buddies
> Game Booths (Friday and Saturday)
> Kitchen (Friday and Saturday)
> Servers
> Registration

To sign up please go to VolunteerSpot where you will find complete information about each area in which you can serve. 
1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on 
VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/s7Adhj
2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to
register an account on VolunteerSpot)
3. Sign up! Choose your spots - VolunteerSpot will send
you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!
- or -
Call Rachel @ 541-535-8479 or email rachelolstad@gmail.com


Saturday, March 14, 2015

Shoestring Prod. Presents: "Cheaper by the Dozen"

SHOESTRING PRODUCTIONS THEATRICAL TROUPE PRESENTS: “Cheaper by the Dozen,” dramatized by Christopher Sergel Produced in cooperation with The Dramatic Publishing Company of Woodstock, Illinois Based on a true story, this delightful and heartwarming comedy chronicles the adventures of the twelve Gilbreth children.  Their father, a world-renowned efficiency expert, runs his family with the same streamlined precision that he applies  to the businesses that consult him.  The  kids don’t always appreciate Dad’s unorthodox methods, but  mutual love and understanding ultimately prevail.  Suitable for all ages. Friday, April 24th, 7:00pm Saturday, April 25th, 2:00pm West Main Church of Christ, 1701 W. Main St., Medford OR 97501 (Between Columbus and 8th Street) $8 General Admission $5 for Students and Seniors (62+) Tickets available at the door For more information call 541-621-0148 or 541-779-0665

Friday, March 13, 2015

JCHE Crater Lake Snowshoeing Field Trip

JCHE CRATER LAKE SNOWSHOEING FIELD TRIP

Led by a Crater Lake Ranger, ages 6 to adult are welcome to participate in a Crater Lake Snowshoeing Field Trip. This exhilarating snow hike will begin at 10 am on Tuesday, April 28 at the Rim Village. Please use your honest judgment regarding your family's ability to engage in this vigorous hike. Please do not bring a child under 6 years old. The Rangers are being lenient on us, trusting our judgment. Carrying children in backpacks is not advisable. Admittance to the park, the snowshoes and the guided hike are free to us! Please come only if your entire party is participating in the field trip. (Otherwise you are expected to pay the $10.00 admittance.) We will learn about geology, winter ecology, watersheds and engage in a snow science project. The hike ends about 1pm. Bring your own lunch to eat after the hike. Wear snow boots, waterproof boots, or hiking boots. A bread bag can second as a waterproof lining over the sock. Do not wear tennis shoes. Bring dry shoes, socks, clothes to change into after the hike. All participants should be able to traverse in snow. All families must have a parent chaperone. You can opt to traverse the shorter hike while others finish the longer route. A parent could take the shorter route with your younger children and send your Jr. High/High School age child to finish the route under the supervision of another adult. When you register, I will send you pre-education links, information and a park map. Please contact Laura Hreha by April 24 via laura_hreha@yahoo.com or 541-858-2017. There is room for 30 students and 10 chaperones or a 5 student to 1 adult ratio. Should be fun...snow or no snow!

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Urgent action: SB 321 to change Compulsory Age

from OCEANetwork:
Urgent Alert: Call now on SB 321 which
Lowers Compulsory School Age to 5

SB 321 would decrease the compulsory school age from seven to five years of age. The bill will be heard before the Senate Education Committee this Thursday, March 5, at 1:00 pm. The Committee needs to hear from you about how bad this bill actually is.

SB 321 directly affects home educators.
The state will expect children to be formally educated at age 5.
Age 6 will likely become the universal age for 1st grade achievement expectations, rather than the current age 7 which allows late bloomers an extra year to become ready for formal 1st grade education.
In addition to the existing tests at grades 3, 5, 8 and 10, a fifth test might be added for homeschooled students at the end of first grade, or even kindergarten, since there would now be 4 years of instruction before the 3rd grade test occurs.
While these are the likely outcomes for homeschoolers if the compulsory attendance age is lowered, they are not lobbying points that would influence legislators. They don't really address the heart of the issue: some children are not ready to start formal education at age 5.

Lobbying points:

1. SB 321 will harm late bloomers. 

Nationally, 6% of students 5-6 years of age are not enrolled (see report Figure 1-2). Many of these children need more time before they are thrust into a formal education setting.

Some children are not mature enough for formal education at 5, or even 6 years of age. Young boys, in particular, tend to develop more slowly than girls and thus would be vulnerable to too-early enrollment. Differing rates of maturation are normal.

There are no protections in this bill for children who are not ready for institutional education at 5 or 6. Their parents currently have the option of keeping them out of harm's way by keeping them out of school. This bill removes that option.

Forcing children who are not ready for formal education to try to do what is impossible for them will cause them to view themselves as failures, leading to lasting consequences. It will increase the frustrations of the classroom teacher as well.

2. Common Core standards are especially harmful to late bloomers.

Oregon has adopted the Common Core standards for student achievement. The Common Core requirements for kindergarten are demanding and can cause harm to late bloomers: The Washington Post had an informative article citing early childhood educators on the impact of Common Core on kindergarten. You may also find the report underlying this article to be of particular interest.

3. The education budget will suffer.

Mandatory universal full-day kindergarten across the state will require additional K-12 education funding when the State of Oregon is already facing difficulty adequately funding existing K-12 students' education needs.

Call to action:

Make sure you pray, call, and write. And if you can, testify.

1. Pray for the protection of the children who will be impacted by lowering the compulsory attendance age.

2. Call the members of the Senate Education Committee to voice your opposition to SB 321.

3. Write the members of the Senate Education Committee. Please tell them in your own words why you oppose SB 321. If you have a story of a "late bloomer" who struggled in kindergarten or first grade, be sure to share that with the senators. As always, be polite and respectful.

4. Testify. Testifying before the committee is even more powerful. Write out your testimony. Share your story. Stick to what you know. (If you are an early childhood educator who has experience with children this young, your testimony would be powerful, too.)

The hearing is scheduled for March 5 at 1 p.m. in Hearing Room C.

Here are some tips from the Oregon Legislature's website on how to testify . Sometimes it can be a little intimidating, but just remember to be polite, respectful, and to the point and you will do fine.

The Senate Education Committee:

Senator Arnie Roblan (Chair)
Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us
503-986-1705

Senator Tim Knopp
Sen.TimKnopp@state.or.us
503-986-1727

Senator Herman E. Baertschiger Jr.
Sen.HermanBaertschiger@state.or.us
503-986-1702

Senator Lee Beyer
Sen.LeeBeyer@state.or.us
503-986-1706

Senator Sara Gelser
Sen.SaraGelser@state.or.us
503-986-1708

Senator Mark Hass
Sen.MarkHass@state.or.us 
503-986-1714

Senator Jeff Kruse
Sen.JeffKruse@state.or.us
503-986-1701

Thank you for standing with OCEANetwork in defense of the freedom for parents to do determine when their children are ready for formal education.

Rodger Williams
OCEANetwork Legislative Team

If you know a friend who would be interested in this topic, please forward our alert or send them the link above to view it online.

You can help OCEANetwork protect and support home education in Oregon by becoming an OCEANetwork Supporting Family.