1.  Flag football!
Are you ready for some flag football? MassHOPE’s 8th annual Turkey Bowl will be on Thanksgiving morning – November 22 – from 9:30-11 at Holden Chapel, 279 Reservoir Street, Holden. Come and join us for some fun and fellowship. Burn those calories before you even eat them! RSVP by November 19 to (508)829-0973, leaving your name, phone number, number in party, and your email address, OR just email the same info to info@masshope.org. Thank you! Hope to see you there!
 
2.  National Homeschool Day of Prayer next Friday
On Friday, November 2, join homeschoolers all across the nation and world in a special day of prayer. Special email coming soon about this event.
3.  Group discounts with Clonlara at Wachusett Mountain
Registration for the The Clonlara Home School Ski Group at Wachusett Mountain has begun!  If you have a student 8 years or older interested in skiing or snowboarding on eight Fridays from January 4 – March 1 (with February 22 off for vacation week), please register on-line at www.wachusett.com/schoolgroups and enter CLHS for the group code.  Parents can register as well.
Please contact Tammy Cassidy at jccustomwoodworking@verizon.net  to receive more detailed information.
4.  Group discounts with CHEC at Wachusett Mountain Group Discounts for Skiing and Snowboarding at Wachusett Mountain!
All homeschool students in grades 3-12, as well as parents/chaperones are eligible for the CHEC ski/snowboard student program. Our group skis at Wachusett Mountain from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays starting on January 4, 2018. The dates are January 4, 11, 18, and 25; February 1, 8, and 15, and March 1.

OR, you may opt to purchase a discount Season Pass through our group and ski at your convenience!

Here are the highlights:

FEES (before 12/5/18):

  • 8-week lift badge $130.00
  • 8-week ski/board rental $110.00
  • 8-week helmet rental $24.00
  • 6 one-hour lessons $60.00
After 12/5/18 lift badges go up to $150.
All beginners and novices are required to take lessons.
Lessons are typically at 10:30 a.m.Bronze Season Passes may be purchased for $269 (after 12/5/18-$369). Discount gold and silver season passes are available, as well.Card of Wachusett (COW cards) are available at discounts, too. You can purchase a $50 card for $45 through our group!

How do I sign up?

Registration opens Tuesday, October 9, 2018.
Step One: Go to www.wachusett.com/schoolgroups
Step Two: Parents enter this Program Code to access order form: CHCHIf you have any questions contact your group coordinator:
Kristen Raskett
call or text: 508-736-2515
Please feel free to share this info! It’s on facebook, too! And let me know how I can help you this ski season!
5.  New daytime classes at Christian ballet school
New daytime ballet classes are being offered at Beautiful Feet Ballet School, a Christian ballet school for girls in Marlborough. These classes include Mommy & Me (ages 18-36 months with their mom or female caregiver) on Thursdays, 9:30-10:15 a.m.; Pre-Ballet (preschool) on Mondays, 10:30-11:30 a.m.; and Ballet Company (5th-12th grade) on Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. For more details, please visit httpss://www.beautifulfeetballet.com/classes.6.  Jeannie Burlowski speaking on college admissions and finances
From Cindy Clarkin, RI HOPE Chapter Sponsor
Got kids ages 12-26? Get them through college debt-free-WITHOUT SCHOLARSHIPS!
Have you got kids ages 12-26? You and your children are invited to attend one of the LIVE Sessions with Jeannie Burlowski, author of the book LAUNCH: How to Get Through College Debt-Free and Into Jobs They Love Afterward.
You will learn:
       * 7 things parents can do right now to put kids on the fast track to getting through college debt-free
       * How kids as young as age 15 can get an exciting, liberating sense of career goal early on, and then sign up for only   the amount of college absolutely necessary to accomplish that
       * How kids as young as age 12 can get a massive head start on racking up the 10,000 hours it takes to be viewed as an expert in a career field
       * Why deeply inspired caring-not the fancy name of the college you attend-is the key to fulfilled, satisfied career life in the long term.
See links for ticket prices.  It is highly recommended (but not required) that students ages 12-26 attend this session along with both their parents.
LIVE Session Title: Get Your Kid Through College Debt-Free-WITHOUT SCHOLARSHIPS!
DATE: Thursday, November 1 at 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM   
Location: New Covenant Christian Fellowship, 609 North Main Street, Attleboro, Mass.
Eventbrite Registration:   bit.ly/debtfreecollegeATTLEBORO
LIVE Session Title: Get Your Kid Through College Debt-Free-WITHOUT SCHOLARSHIPS!
DATE: Friday, November 2 at 2:00 PM- 4:00 PM
Location: Youth Center at  Quidnessett Baptist Church,  6356 Post Road North Kingstown, R.I.
Eventbrite Registration:  bit.ly/debtfreecollegeNORTHKINGSTOWN
LIVE Session Title:  MAKE THEM SAY WOW: How to Write One Brilliant Scholarship Application Essay and Use It Over and Over.

DATE: Saturday, November 3, 2018, 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM

Location:  Coventry-West Greenwich Elks Lodge, RI No.2285, 42 Nooseneck Hill Rd, West Greenwich, R.I.

Eventbrite Registration:  bit.ly/scholarshipessaysWESTGREENWICH
FREE Event: “Bring Your Own” Lunch
DATE: Saturday, November 3rd, 12:00 – 1:00
Location:  Kent County Church of Christ, 42 Nooseneck Hill Rd, West Greenwich, RI 02817 (Church entrance is behind the Elks Lodge.)Bring your own snacks or lunch and enjoy an informal setting to continue the conversation with conference attendees.
FREE Event: BOOK SIGNING at the Louttit Library
Date: Saturday, November 3rd, at 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM with Cookie Reception to follow at 3:00 – 4:00 PM
Location: Louttit Library, 274 Victory Highway, West Greenwich, R.I.
Help Spread the word.  Tell your friends about the Attleboro event! Facebook event: httpss://www.facebook.com/events/2175710136003401/
To see what other parents and students are saying about this session, view a short sample video, and hear Jeannie Burlowski interviewed on a national podcast, visit JeannieBurlowski.com/SPEAKING.
Jeannie is a full- time author, academic strategist, and speaker. Her writing and speaking  help parents set their kids up to graduate college debt-free and move directly into careers they excel at and love. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Huffington Post, USA Today, NerdWallet, and US News and World Report.  Jeannie also helps students apply to law, medical, business, and grad school at her website  GetIntoMedSchool.com. You can follow her on Twitter @JBurlowski. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two children.
Local contact: Cindy Clarkin – Cindy.Clarkin@ICCinc.org (401)392-3612
The Institute for Cultural Communicators has been training communicators for Christ since 1997.
 
7.  Get ballot question voter guides placed in your church
Call to Action from Robert Aufiero:
Volunteers Needed to Distribute Voter Guides
With less than three weeks left before the November elections, we need your help. Can you assist with voter guide distribution? The Coalition has a goal of reaching hundreds of churches with guides this November, but we need over 90 volunteers to do it. So far, we’ve recruited to about a third of our goal: twenty-seven people have signed up. But we’re still a long way from where we need to be! If you can help with distributing voter guides at your church, or a neighboring church, we need your help. It only requires a few hours of your time on Sunday, November 4 and can help make a huge difference in ensuring that pro-life, conservative voters know who they should be casting their ballots for.
Many voters still do not know that their incumbents have such poor voting records – supporting the Bathroom Law and Health Curriculum, and funding Planned Parenthood. We need to make sure they receive our voter guides.

Do not worry if you’ve never done this before– we provide the instructions, printed guides, and a schedule of service times for you. Like the flyering we did to fight the Bathroom and Locker room bills, you don’t need to interact with parishioners – we’re simply leaving the guides for them. If you can take a few hours to help, it can make all the difference.

Please email me at Robert@renewmacoalition.org if you’re able to help. Thanks!

8.  1st annual STEM week: three more days of activities

In an effort to boost students’ interest and raise awareness of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, the Baker-Polito Administration has declared a statewide STEM Week. There will be lessons, events, and activities focused on science, technology, engineering, and math throughout the week at various venues. Click HERE to view programs in your area.
9.  We’ve heard…
…of a possible field trip destination in MetroWest: LexFarm. LexFarm is an organic CSA (community supported agriculture) farm in Lexington, near the Arlington border. They sponsor occasional programs and events, including one this coming Saturday, 10/27. See httpss://lexfarm.org/education/# for details.
10. The SAT: film and discussion in Providence, R.I. next week
ENRICHri – https://enrichri.org/ – is pleased to announce Rhode Island’s premiere screening of “The Test & The Art of Thinking”. Shown at select locations across the country, this documentary about the SAT gives voice to many of the issues the test engenders. It was created with hope to spark thought and conversation.
Andrew Palumbo will be the featured guest speaker for the evening, facilitating a discussion following the movie. Mr. Palumbo is the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and is well-versed on the topic of test-optional admission policies. This past summer he participated in a panel presentation with one of the high school counselors from the film.
About the film:
Parents, educators, students and college admissions professionals all intimately understand the financial, emotional and intellectual burden of the SAT/ACT-tests that are not only an integral part of the college admissions process for most American students, but also can be a rite of passage for teenagers in the United States. Even as adults, few of us forget our score, or how we felt about what it took to earn it. The Test & the Art of Thinking traces the history and evolution of the SAT/ACT as a major player on the pathway to higher education in America, and it documents its current power in our culture. In so doing, it strives to support individuals who are embarking on the road to college, by examining what the SAT and ACT measure and mean, and asking a range of educational leaders, admissions professionals, and stakeholders in the test-from tutors to parents to test designers-to grapple with the test’s use, ramifications, and future.
Date and time: Thursday, November 1, 2018
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Location: Brown University Auditorium, 85 Waterman Street, Providence, RI 02912. Room # 130 (first floor, main entrance, room is facing you when you walk in)

Where to park: Street parking is available. If you would like to park in a garage, you may choose to do so for a minimal fee.
Tickets are $10 adults, $8 teens, and $5 kids 12 and under. To purchase, go to
 
11.  From HSLDA: What is your Homeschooling Anniversary Story?
Tell yours in 150 words or less. For details of this and upcoming contests, click HERE. Prizes!
12.  Winter getaway at Great Wolf Lodge
This year, Great Wolf Lodge in Fitchburg is offering MassHOPE families two dates to choose from!
In need of a kid-friendly resort near Boston that offers fun for the entire family? Need to feel the fun of summer in the dead of winter?  Look no further than Great Wolf Lodge in Fitchburg. The friendly staff at Great Wolf Lodge New England is out to prove that their resort is so much more than just an indoor water park. Regardless of the weather your family will be in store for an incredible water park experience, with special amenities like food, games, shopping, and spectacular rooms.
Two dates are available this year: 1/21/19 through 1/22/19, and 1/28/19 through 1/29/19
$129/night – Deluxe queen suites (lodge fee waived)
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS NOT A MASSHOPE EVENT. IT IS SIMPLY AN OFFER MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH US.
DETAILS: There is a one-night room and tax deposit at the time a reservation is made. All rooms are blocked for Deluxe Queen Suites at a rate of $129 plus 9.7% sales tax. These rooms are equipped with two queen beds, pull-out twin sofa, microwave, refrigerator, and coffee maker, and sleep up to five people. Room also includes access to our ropes course and our two water parks. Guests may arrive early to enjoy the facilities of the resort by stopping by the front desk for wrist bands as early as 1 p.m. (although room check-in begins at 4 p.m.).  On the day of departure, waterparks may be used until closing (although room check-out is at 11 a.m.). Standard cancellation policy will apply: $40 cancellation fee if cancelled more than 72 hours prior to arrival. If reservation is cancelled within 72 hours of arrival there is a one-night room and tax cancellation fee. If there is a family with more than five, they may contact Katie Dutch at (978)516-0138 for a discounted room rate on a larger room.  Pricing and availability are not guaranteed for larger room types.
INDIVIDUAL RESERVATIONS: Individual guests must make their own reservations by calling the toll-free Central Reservations Department at (866)980-9653by January 1, 2019. They must identify themselves as being associated with MassHOPE, with Reservation Codes below. All reservations must be guaranteed by the individual and accompanied by a first night room deposit or guaranteed with a major credit card. Each individual has up 72 hours prior to arrival date to cancel the individual room with a $40.00 cancellation fee per room. If the individual cancels the room within 72 hours of arrival date, 100% of the first night’s room rate plus tax will be charged to the individual’s credit card or taken from the deposit.  1/21/19 Code: 1901MAHOPE21
1/28/19 Code: 1901MAHOPE
 
13.  Amazing Grace Christian Dance Company in Hopkinton
We are a Christian Dance Company which strives to bring glory to Jesus through dance.
We offer Beginner Ballet, Intermediate Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Advanced Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Musical Theater, Hip Hop and Contemporary. We meet on Tuesday and Thursday Nights at Community Covenant Church, 3 W. Elm St, Hopkinton.
For more information, please email Jan Misarski at misarskifamily@verizon.net, orcall (508)344-5616.
14.  Suzuki violin lessons in Southbridge
Alicia Rattin is a professional violinist with the Hartford Symphony, has a master’s degree in Suzuki Pedagogy, and is also a homeschooling mom. She currently has openings for lessons at her home in Southbridge.  You can contact her at (978)790-1856 or aliciarattin@live.com.
15.  Jobs-focused essay contest from HSLDA
Accepting submissions through November 1, in three age categories. See Rules & Guidelines HERE for instructions.
16.  Fall campaign assistance needed
The Renew MA Coalition is a socially and fiscally conservative organization supporting pro-life and biblical values. The organization is involved with a variety of efforts and projects, including the ballot question to repeal the Bathroom and Locker Room Law. The Coalition is looking for volunteers as well as paid assistance to distribute voter guides and to knock on doors in targeted areas. Hours are flexible: weekdays, weekends, part time, or full time. More formal internships are also available, and we’re happy to tailor student efforts to meet requirements for course credit or volunteer hours. Please email Chanel@RenewMACoalition.org for more information and to start a discussion about how you can help stem the tide of liberalism in Massachusetts.
17.  IEW workshop in Hyde Park, New York
Dutchess County LEAH (Loving Education at Home) has invited Mr. Andrew Pudewa, creator of the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) curricula, to do several workshops for both parents and students this November. No IEW experience is necessary. What a great opportunity to get some first-hand experience with the IEW process! It’s great for the newbies and old hats alike.
Space is limited. Teachers and parents may observe most workshops for free.
When: Thursday through Saturday, November 8-10, 2018
Where: Hyde Park Baptist Church, 10 Romans Road, Hyde Park, NY 12538
Presenter: Andrew Pudewa, Founder and Director, Institute for Excellence in Writing
Get all the details HERE.

18. Remember to “Like” MassHOPE on Facebook

“Like” MassHOPE’s Facebook page: facebook.com/MassHOPE?fref=ts. You’ll be encouraged in your homeschooling journey and will receive all updates for upcoming events.

 

19. Your news item HERE

Do you know of an event or activity in or near Massachusetts that would edify or interest the homeschool community? Email Anne Smith at ewsjfamily@startmail.comand we will review it for possible inclusion in the MassHOPE Messenger.

The MassHOPE Messenger is a biweekly e-newsletter that is sent free to approximately 2500 mailboxes. Unfortunately, it is not free to distribute. This cost increases each year, and MassHOPE has limited funds. Therefore we charge a nominal fee of $10 for unsolicited submissions from individuals, and from most organizations or groups unaffiliated with MassHOPE, who wish to advertise their for-fee services. Items will ordinarily run in two consecutive issues.

 

20.  Miss a workshop? or forget to buy a recording?To order recordings from the 2018 convention, just click on ORDER FORM for a printable form; or go to MassHOPE.org and click on Convention, and then on Recordings on the list on the right. For previous years’ recordings, go to the bottom of the Convention page.

 

21. Do you receive The Voice of HOPE?
MassHOPE publishes a quarterly print newsletter, The Voice of HOPE. In addition to announcements you might also find in the Messenger, we provide three or four full-length articles on a variety of homeschooling topics. If you would like to add your name, please send your name and “snail mail” address to newsletter@masshope.org.22. Support MassHOPE through AmazonSmile
Do you shop at Amazon? If you shop through AmazonSmile, Amazon will make a donation to MassHOPE! If you’re not already signed up, you can do so more easily than ever. To start supporting our organization, simply click this link, which is unique to MassHOPE: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/04- HYPERLINK “https://smile.amazon.com/ch/04-3220412”3220412. That’s all! From then on, when – and only when – you enter the Amazon website through amazonsmile.com,Amazon will automatically donate a 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to MassHOPE. Thank you for supporting the work of your Christian state homeschool organization!

23.  Submit Box Tops for convention savings!

Did you submit any of the 8,003 Box Tops for Education MassHOPE received during 2017? If so, we thank you! And if you requested partial 2018 convention credit, you were able to save on your registration fee. We tallied everything up, and here are the final numbers:

Value of submitted Box Tops:  $800.30

Designated for convention credit:  $264.80 (with one individual receiving a credit of $20.75!)

Designated for support groups:  $44.57

Designated for MassHOPE scholarships:  $490.93

 

Want to submit Box Tops for 2019 convention credit but aren’t sure how to proceed? See the detailed instructions below.

 

Follow us on Twitter?  @MassHOPE is our Twitter handle.

 

HOW TO SUBMIT BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION

You can earn free or reduced admission to the 2019 convention AND support MassHOPE at the same time!  Bring your Box Tops for Education tabs (found on lots of products you may already buy) with you to any MassHOPE function, or mail them to us c/o Anne Smith, 85 Liberty Street, Haverhill, MA 01832. They should be postmarked by December 31, 2018, for 2019 convention credit. (Submissions received from January 1-December 31, 2019 will count for credit toward the 2020 convention.) You may choose either of the following options, but please note with your submission which you have chosen:

1. Donate all of them.  The proceeds will be used for MassHOPE scholarships.

2. Receive credit for 50% of the value of your Box Tops toward registration for next year’s convention. The remainder will be used for MassHOPE scholarships. In either case, if you designate a MassHOPE affiliated support group, one half of the MassHOPE portion will be donated to that group.

Box Tops should be enclosed in a sealed envelope. Submissions must include all of the following information: name, address, phone number, email address, number of Box Tops enclosed, option chosen, and (if applicable) name of support group that will benefit.

NOTE: If you have any electronic Box Tops that need to be submitted online, send them to us along with your cardboard Box Tops, and we will submit them online for you.

Please keep track of expiration dates. Box Tops take a LOT of time, and a LOT of work on our end to process. Soon-to-expire Tops will probably not get submitted in time for us to receive any credit for them. We currently honor all those that expire no less than two months from when you mail them or drop them off. We cannot guarantee any others. AGAIN: Box Tops need to be at least two months from expiration. (If you submit Box Tops expiring in under two months we may be able to submit them in time for you to get credit, but we cannot guarantee anything.) Contact Anne Smith at (978)372-1339 or ewsjfamily@juno.com with any questions.(Please do not send us Campbell’s Labels for Education, Kellogg’s Family Rewards codes, or tabs from any other collection program. We collect only Box Tops for Education.)