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Monday, April 20th 

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Homeschooling produces excellence in academics, in character, and in strong families. Homeschooling also presents challenges and opportunities to grow. Being with your children 24/7/365 can put unusual stress on marriages, finances, and parent-child relationships. But working through those challenges with the help of the Lord, provides the opportunity to disciple the next generation, to equip them in family life, and to develop close relationships between parents and children. 

 

The Oregon Christian Home Education Conference June 19 & 20, 2015 will help you seize the opportunities and meet the unique challenges of your homeschool by providing sessions on: 

how-to homeschool teaching specific skills and multiple agesbiblical marriage advicebiblical parenting and child-trainingparental-rights and homeschool freedomsSpeakers

Each year, OCEANetwork scours the nation looking for speakers to equip you to homeschool and to make the most of the unique family dynamics of home education. These are speakers who know homeschooling first-hand. God has given them a message that resonates with the Christian homeschool community.

  

This year we will be having workshops from Jon and Ann Dunnagan from Harvest Ministry, Daniel Craig from LifeLaunch, Faith Berens an HSLDA Special Needs Consultant, Gregg Harris from Noble Institute for Leadership Development, Hal and Melanie Young authors of Raising Real Men. They will be joined by Davis and Rachel Carmen from Apologia, Lee Binz from the HomeScholar, and other great speakers to help you homeschool and disciple the next generation.

 

Exhibit Hall

Gain hands-on experience with homeschool curriculums and materials in the 15,000 square foot exhibit hall as part of the conference experience. Speak with the creators of the curriculum. Comparison shop. Find just the right materials for your next school year.

 

Used Curriculum Exchange

Sell last year's school books or find bargains for next year - you can do both at the Used Curriculum Exchange. 

 

Visit OregonHomeschoolConference.com for more information

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.

HSG News Flash

HSG families,

This is not typically the kind of post you'll see here on HSG, but an important issue effecting parental rights has been brought to my attention. Since part of our mission here at the Homeschool Gathering is to keep homeschool families informed on "of interest" topics and events, I've decided this needs to be shared. 

The following is the email I received from Lynn Barton, fellow homeschool mom, shared with her permission, and the recent email from OCEANetwork. It is lengthy, but I would encourage you to read it, research it, pray about it, and take action as you see fit.

Thank you and God bless,

Tika Weeks

Administrator for the HS Gathering of Southern Oregon

-------- Original message -------- 

From: Lynn Barton

Date:02/28/2015 6:20 AM (GMT-08:00) Subject: Alert: HSLDA's alert on SB 442-3 

Mandatory Vaccination  

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...)

http://www.cogforlife.org/fetalvaccinetruth.htm#_ftn19 

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 PST

From: OCEANetwork <mail@oceanetwork.org>

Reply-To: mail@oceanetwork.org

To: xbartx@q.com

Subject: Alert: HSLDA's alert on SB 442-3 Mandatory Vaccination

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

February 27, 2015 HSLDA'S ALERT ON SB 442-3: ELIMINATES MOST VACCINE EXEMPTIONS - PARENTAL RIGHTS THREATENED Dear HSLDA Members and Friends:   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: 503-986-1701 Senator 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

Win a Family Pass to the OCEANetwork conference!

If you didn't know already, I'm happy to share with you:

OCEANetwork has a new blog, "Encouraged Together with You."(They've got some giveaways going between now and the conference June 22nd.)


Win a Family Pass to the OCEANetwork conference. Read the latest latest blog entry: A Veteran's Opinion: Why Conferences Still matter, and submit your entries through Rafflecopter.

Are YOU going to the OCEANetwork conference in June?

OCEANetwork has a new blog!

OCEANetwork has a new blog, "Encouraged Together with You." Check it out at http://blog.oceanetwork.org. (They've got some giveaways going between now and the conference June 22nd.)

Be sure to check it out:)