I apologize. This message went out on Facebook last month, but I forgot to post it here.
>>IMPORTANT HSG ANNOUNCEMENT<<
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls!
It has been a pleasure to serve the homeschool community for the last 8 years, but that chapter has officially come to a close for the Weeks family.
That's all Folks!
Blessings to you and yours,
Tika Weeks
Admin for HSG
ATTENTION: The HSG website and Facebook page will be CLOSED for Summer! See you in mid-August as we prepare to enter into the new school year, but until then, enjoy this time with your family. We'll be doing the same!
Blessings,
Tika Weeks and family
The HS Gathering ~Southern Oregon
Dear home schooling families:I realized vaccination is a very emotional issue that people disagree strongly about. Those of you who know me are probably rolling your eyes right now. But please resist for just a moment. This issue is being used as a trojan horse to trample on parental rights, and if it passes, it will affect home schooling families, as well as every child in the state of Oregon. It will also set a precedent that will almost certainly be expanded to adults and probably other medical interventions. If the state can make you do things for your own good and the good of the community against your will, there really is nothing they can't add to the list of desired behaviors.OCEANetwork decided to be neutral on the bill, but HSLDA has come out against it as an unjustified attack on parental rights. Please read below.As I have been researching the subject again (after thinking with grown children I was done with the issue), I have discovered that quite a number of vaccines now are made with cells cultured from fetal tissue from aborted babies. So now we must ask, is it morally permissible to accept vaccines made in this way? (I had thought it was only chickenpox and Hep A, but it is also MMR and many others, possibly as many as 23, but I haven't been able to confirm it.) Even though "old" cell lines are used, the practice has led to a demand for more aborted babies to do research on. I think the technology has progressed so fast that we are behind the curve; I don't find any information on this at Right to Life Websites (Michigan RTL does have information but it is not dated and appears to be a bit out of date). I believe the official position of the Catholic church is that it is permissible to take these vaccines because the cell lines are "old" and vaccines are life saving. I did find this link which appears to be an appeal to change this policy. There is a lot of information in it, but I can't verify for sure its accuracy. (At least the Catholics have thought about it; it seems Protestants haven't done much work in this area at all...)Whatever you decide for your children, you should be free to make that decision without interference from the state. I pray Oregon Christians will get involved in the fight to keep our freedom to decide what medical interventions our children take.If this bill passes and you have children in Logos, your child will be required to take ALL vaccines on the schedule. The only exemptions allowed will be medical, which will be difficult to get. Even if you are a completely private home schooler, depending on how the language is interpreted, your child may be barred from participating in sports are other group activities...even private ones. The mandate applies to PRIVATE schools as well as public.If this bill passes, expect a push to mandate adult vaccines as a condition of employment, just as this bill requires childhood vaccines as a condition of education. The CDC has already said they want to move forward with requiring adult vaccines. I looked up the schedule; it's about 25 recommended. There are many new vaccines in the research pipeline, as many as 200. They seem to be added to the mandatory schedule as soon as they make it to market. I believe the current schedule for children recommends 69 doses for 16 vaccines from birth to adulthood (I keep seeing different iterations of this, but it's close.)There is a website for the no campaign: http://www.noonsb442.com/ and a facebook page as well.This is a religious freedom issue, we must not allow it to stand. (In many countries of Europe, with its Nazi medcial history, vaccines are not allowed to be mandated, including the U.K., Ireland, Germany and Sweden. Wouldn't it be ironic if we end up with much less liberty than across the pond? They don't seem to be dropping like flies from dread diseases either.)Currently the bill is in the Health Committee, which has only two Republicans. Tim Knopp is one. He has said the pressure is working; he knows of three legislators who have changed their position to no, but that's if the bill makes it to the floor. I don't know what Jeff Kruse will do, but I believe he is sympathetic. But we need a third vote. I'm told Chip Shields (contact info below) is the swing vote we can most hope to turn. On the positive side, many Democrat citizens are very opposed to this bill and getting active to stop it. So if enough citizens put the heat on Salem, there is a chance we can do it.Please contact the legislators below (phone is better than email because it takes their time to answer your call - of course remember to be polite), and forward to any other home school loops you know of, or friends who need to know this.It's probably best to keep the focus on the religious freedom and civil rights...unless you have a vaccine injured child and a personal story to tell. Arguing about science usually is not productive.And please pray that God will move the hearts of the legislators to stop this bill. At the moment it is being fast tracked and very popular.Trusting in God,Lynn Barton
Begin forwarded message:Date: February 27, 2015 at 12:15:31 PM PSTFrom: OCEANetwork <mail@oceanetwork.org>Reply-To: mail@oceanetwork.orgTo: xbartx@q.comSubject: Alert: HSLDA's alert on SB 442-3 Mandatory Vaccination
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An amendment to Senate Bill 442 has been proposed that will eliminate both the religious and the philosophical exemption for immunization. The proposed amendment will only allow an exemption for immunization because of a medical condition. Often a medical exemption is extremely difficult to obtain and can only be applied to a specific immunization.
In Oregon every child through grade twelve is required to be immunized if they attend a school or children's facility in the state. A certified child care facility or a program providing child care or educational services to children up to kindergarten entry are defined as a children's facility. Children being taught at home by their parent or legal guardian are not operating a school or a children's facility. Thus, homeschool students are currently exempt from Oregon's immunization requirements.
If the proposed amendment to Senate Bill 442 is adopted, parents across the state will no longer be able to claim a religious exemption to any immunization they find objectionable. No parents will be able to claim a personal objection to an immunization that they had researched and decided that they had strong objections to forcing upon their child.
In Oregon children 18 months or older are required to have at least 17 shots including several doses of DTaP, polio, MMR, Hepatitis A and B, and Hib. They must also be given the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine. Once a child enters Kindergarten a parent must show proof that he has received at least 19 shots. By the time a student reaches the 7th grade he will have been required to show proof of receiving a total of 23 shots. The Oregon Health Authority currently recommends 9 other shots including three doses of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). These recommended shots do not even include the flu vaccine.
We strongly believe that all parents should carefully research the immunization of their children regardless of whether they are legally required to immunize their children. Immunizations have a specific benefit and purpose. They also have a certain degree of side effects or risk. No one can better decide what a child needs than his parent. It is highly recommended that you discuss any concerns that you may have about immunizations with your family doctor.
Unfortunately, the proposed amendment to Senate Bill 442 is going to remove the right, and the duty, of parents to determine what is best for their child when it comes to immunization. While this bill does not currently impact homeschool families, we believe that this bill will have a very negative impact on parental rights and family wellbeing in general. We urge you to contact the Senate Committee on Health Care members listed below and voice your objection to the proposed amendments to Senate Bill 442. A work session on Senate Bill 442 is currently scheduled for March 9 and we expect the Committee to vote on the bill.
Requested Action
Please contact the Committee members listed below and give them this message in your own words:
"Please oppose Amendment 3 to Senate Bill 442. As a parent I believe it is vital to the health and safety of my children that we continue to have the opportunity to object to immunizations that we are opposed to due to our religious or personal beliefs. As my child's parent I have the right to carefully research and discuss the immunization of my child with my family doctor without being forced to have my child immunized against my will. Please ensure that Amendment 3 is defeated."
Remember to be courteous when communicating with the Committee members listed below. You do not need to identify yourself as a homeschooler and can instead identify yourself as a concerned parent and a voter.
Senate Committee on Health Care:Senator Laurie Monnes Anderson, Chair (D-25)
Phone: 503-986-1725
Email: Sen.LaurieMonnesAnderson@state.or. us
Phone: 503-986-1701Senator Jeff Kruse, Vice-Chair (R-1)
OCEANetwork note: Senator Kruse has indicated he will be voting against SB 442-3. You can write to thank him.
Phone: 503-986-1701
Email: Sen.JeffKruse@state.or.us
Senator Tim Knopp (R-27)
Phone: 503-986-1727
Email: Sen.TimKnopp@state.or.us
Senator Chip Shields (D-22)
Phone: 503-986-1722
Email: Sen.ChipShields@state.or.us
Senator Elizabeth Steiner Hayward (D-17)
Phone: 503-986-1717
Email: Sen.ElizabethSteinerHayward@state.or.us
We support OCEANetwork's neutral position as Senate Bill 442 does not directly affect homeschoolers at this point. We will continue to work together to monitor all legislation and keep you updated on any changes to this bill or others that will impact homeschool freedom.
Thank you for your prompt action on behalf of parental rights in Oregon!
Sincerely,Thomas Schmidt
HSLDA Staff Attorney
IMPORTANT!
Earlier this week, I received word from Gathr Films regarding the upcoming Beyond the Mask Movie:
"Unfortunately, Cinemark is not interested in working with our screenings at this time. We hope that, in the future, we are able to reach an agreement with their corporate offices. For this reason we will be unable to fulfill your request for a screening at the Tinseltown in Medford, OR."
If bringing quality family films with strong morals and values is important to your family, I strongly encourage you to let Cinemark hear your voice. Please take a few minutes to contact Cinemark corporate offices by email at sitesupport@cinemark.com or phone 1-800-Cinemark.
Thank you and God bless,
Tika Weeks
Admin for
The HS Gathering ~Southern Oregon
Folks,
I'm sure we can all relate to trying something new and finding it didn't quite work out the way we'd hoped. Such is the case with our recent admin changes. No worries though, the Homeschool Gathering will NOT be going anywhere!
I would still like to find a one or two homeschool "scouts" to contribute posts and local activities to our homeschool community. I am definitely looking for one volunteer with younger elementary aged children. (Activities for that age-range have kind of fallen off my radar as my children got older.) You don't necessarily have to plan field trips (but you can) I just need someone on the lookout for activities that would appeal to that age and send them my way. IF THIS MIGHT BE YOU, please email me ASAP.
Thank you for your patience and continued support!
Blessings to you and yours,
Tika Weeks
Admin for HSG
I have GREAT NEWS! Please welcome Donna Jordan as our new HSG administrator :) Thanks to her the HS Gathering sites will remain up and running!
Happy New Year from HSG!
IMPORTANT HSG ANNOUNCEMENT:
Since a new administrator or assistant has not been located, I will be shutting down the following HSG resources beginning January 1st to focus on my family and business obligations:
· The HSG Facebook page (www.fb.com/thehsgathering)
· The HSG Curriculum Swap & Resale Facebook group (www.facebook.com/groups/HSGCurriculumSwap)
· The HSG blog (www.thehsgathering.blogspot.com)
Thank you & God bless,
Tika Weeks
HSG Administrator
IMPORTANT MESSAGE from HSG:
As many of you know, the HS Gathering was established several years ago as a communication resource to support our Southern Oregon homeschool families. There have been countless field trips, Mom's Nights (aka, Gatherings), classes and workshops, and community events and activities announced both here and on our Facebook page. Last spring, HSG launched the HSG Homeschool Curriculum Swap & Re-Sale, a HUGE hit for Facebook users! And don't forget our 1st "in person" Used Curriculum Sale earlier this year.
My friends, this has been a labor of love! It has truly been an honor to serve the homeschool community through this ministry. That being said, I have prayed for months now for guidance on how to go forward with HSG that is compatible with changes in my own family. I firmly believe that the time has come to "pass the baton" to another family.
Prayer request- Please pray that another family will come forward soon to continue the work of HSG. If another is not found soon, I'm afraid HSG will be no more. Please prayerfully consider if that might be you! I am absolutely available to answer any questions as to what this would entail.
May God's will be done here now and forevermore!
Blessings to you all,
Tika Weeks
Administrator for the HS Gathering
For many, the start of the new school year is just days away. For others, it has already begun. If you are already finding yourself overwhelmed or discouraged, please read this article: http://simplehomeschool.net/harder/
Please remember that the HS Gathering is a ministry here for your family as both a resource and a source of encouragement. Please let us know if we can help or pray for your family in any specific way.
Happy homeschooling!
Tika Weeks
Admin@HSG
Dear HSGathering families,
I just have to take a minute to share this note with you. It's not often I receive a thank you note for the time I put into maintaining the HSG website, Facebook pages, answering questions and emails, and planning events, activities, and Gatherings, but today I did 😊
For those of you that don't already know, the HS Gathering of Southern Oregon is a "one-(wo)man show", with the occasional assistance from my small family. Anything you see posted here was planned by ME for YOU, emailed directly to me from folks just like you, OR it was gleaned from one of several sources I turn to regularly looking for activities "of interest" to local homeschool families. I require no membership fees and I charge no advertising fees. What does that mean? That means it's FREE to you and I don't receive a dime 😊 My little labor of love 💜
And THAT, my friend, is why this little thank you note is so valuable to me!
God bless you all as you are planning and starting your new school year!
In Christ,
Tika Weeks
Admin@HSG
