1.  Status of curriculum trunk sale
We tried very hard to create a venue for parents to buy and sell curriculum this year at a Trunk Sale, but it was not to be. Our original date of Saturday, August 8 did not work out. We then rescheduled for Saturday, August 15, but due to continuing changes in outdoor gathering limits as well as other COVID-related restrictions, the event has become unworkable and the MassHOPE board feels forced to cancel it. We realize this may be yet another disappointment of 2020, but we’d like to remind you of an alternative.

Did you know that MassHOPE has a new Facebook group for used curriculum, where you can both sell and buy used curriculum? Please consider joining the group – MassHOPE Massachusetts Homeschool Marketplace and UCS. (There is one question you need to answer before being approved. Don’t miss it!) Then, from the comfort of your own home and during any time of day, you can list your books and/or buy books you need.

Again, we apologize for the inconvenience.

2.  Add music to your curriculum with online piano lessons
Sam Partyka, a former homeschooler and professional pianist, offers online piano lessons specifically geared to beginners. The crucial first steps in playing piano can all be taught online, and the benefits to learning classical piano are numerous: the ability to read written music (which is essentially a coordinate system in two dimensions), an improved understanding of music that you hear, exposure to the Italian, French, German and Latin languages, and, if all goes well, the ability to give pleasure to your friends and family, and to participate in worship in new ways.
Sam is the Music Director at the Community United Methodist Church of Allston-Brighton. He currently teaches a studio of about 20 students online. He has a degree in music from the College of the Holy Cross and studied piano with Sergey Schepkin. Find out more at www.sampartyka.com.

3.  Christian clarinet lessons – home studio and online!
From David Knizewski:I am an orchestral clarinetist, K-12 music teacher, and home school dad offering Christian clarinet lessons to students ages 10 and older. I have a passion to help students enjoy making music for the glory of God and offer lessons which are fun and inspiring!

I currently offer lessons through TakeLessons.com, an online company which connects students to teachers in their areas. I teach in-person lessons at my home studio in Amesbury, and I can teach online lessons to students from anywhere in the world! Taking online lessons is a good option for students who want to avoid traveling long distances, or who want a safe alternative during the COVID-19 pandemic. I have been background-checked by TakeLessons, and all booking and financial management takes place through their secure website. If you would like to view my profile and set up lessons, please see my page here.
If you are interested in learning the art of clarinet playing from a Christian perspective, or if you have any questions, feel free to contact me anytime by messaging me through my TakeLessons page, or by phone or e-mail at (540) 244-0000 or davidknizewski@gmail.com.

4.  Barn pickin’ days a successSince we had to cancel our used curriculum sale this year, we (MassHOPE) needed to clear our storage space in Holden of the donated items that would have been in the FREE room at our sale. On August 6 and 7 we were able to serve a total of 35 families who came to pick over material at the barn. Cleared out space; happy families; a blessing all around!

5.  MassHOPE Facebook discussion group
Connect with us on Facebook at MassHOPE’s brand-new Massachusetts Homeschool Discussion and Support Group. This group provides support and encouragement for homeschoolers pursuing privately-funded, parent-led home education. Its purpose is to encourage and equip homeschool parents to disciple and educate their children for the Lord, and to connect families within our state to give them opportunities to gather together for educational and recreational experiences.https://www.facebook.com/groups/MassHOPEDiscussion/

6.  Air Force ROTC scholarships
Offered at more than 1,100 colleges and universities across the country, Air Force ROTC develops the leaders of tomorrow by preparing students to become officers in the U.S. Air Force while earning a college degree. The High School Scholarship Program (HSSP). pays up to full (100%) college tuition and authorized fees at any public or private institution with an Air Force ROTC detachment. The annual book stipend is $900 per academic year, and cadets can earn a monthly stipend of up to $500 per month by senior year.

Lieutenant William Walker, a recently graduated/commissioned Air Force officer from the University of Delaware, is currently the Scholarships and Admissions officer for the Air Force in New England. As a homeschooled high school student, he was offered a full college scholarship through HSSP).

If you are interested in Air Force ROTC, please give Lt. Walker a call at (718)775-5206 or email him at boston@afrotcadmissions.com. He will be happy to answer any questions or address concerns you may have.

7. “America’s First Constitution” offer
Yvonne Spalthoff of the Liberty Tree Society has let us know about a free offer to all by that group. Their founder, John Hansel, was prompted by the death of his Mayflower-descended wife of 71 years, to investigate the importance of the Mayflower Compact. Much to his surprise, he found that a number of prominent historians believed the Compact, as man’s first attempt at self-government, should be ranked with the Magna Carta and perhaps considered to be America’s “First Constitution.” And so, in celebration of what many consider to be America’s 400th birthday, the Liberty Tree Society will email a copy of an America’s “First Constitution” certificate, suitable for framing, to you if you are a descendant of a Mayflower Compact signer or passenger, without cost of any kind. And even if you are not a descendant of a passenger but would like to honor America’s  the Mayflower Compact, we will email a certificate of that effect without reference to descendancy – also at no charge.Please call Yvonne, 800-367-3567, or email libertytreesociety@gmail.com for further information.

8.  Chirps of Joy™ 
From Start Imagining Birds:

We are introducing to homeschoolers a beautiful series called Chirps of Joy™. These are 6″ x 9″ bird photo descriptive cards which can be utilized to bring some fun and educational learning for K-12 students. A beautiful glossy photo of a bird on the front and an easy to read description of the bird on the back can lead to many activities to foster the imagination including arts and crafts, research projects, field trips, etc.Please visit www.startimaginingbirds.com/chirpsofjoy for details on ordering. Also see 
https://www.facebook.com/chirpsofjoy and https://www.instagram.com/chirps_of_joy/ for additional bird photos and cute videos.

9.  A bevy of materials, offers, and helps for you and new https://www.mfwbooks.com/
My Father’s World materials. Includes offer of two free activity packs.
https://homeschoolhistory.com/
Notgrass History web-based curriculum. Free trial.
https://www.iew.com/three-weeks-of-language-arts-instruction-from-iew
Free language arts lessons from IEW.
https://coronavirushomeschooling.com/
Getting started, with free access throughout May.
https://homeschoolfreedom.com/
The importance of Christian homeschool organizations for homeschool freedom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRgV-1tfKz8&feature=youtu.be
YouTube with Dr. Kathy Koch: Having Conversations about Today’s Tough Stuff
https://www.oaclub.org/
Remember Adventures in Odyssey? Free 28-day trial.
https://billygrahamlibrary.org/continue-the-journey-from-home/
Family activities from the Billy Graham Library.

10.  Variety of interesting sites suggested by the Heritage Foundation
Science, engineering, and building projects and lessons from The League of Young Inventors.

Exciting free courses from Hillsdale College in literature, politics, history, and economics.

From Joy Hakim: DIY lessons on topics such as the human body, Magellan’s travels, the story of Elizabeth Jennings Graham, and plagues from previous eras.

Students can explore the remains of Athens’ ancient Acropolis, Parthenon, Temple of Zeus, and more in these virtual tours.

Free online language learning materials in English, Spanish, French and German, from Lingoda.

More free language learning from Duolingo, with 23 languages.

Explore Shakespeare with Folger Shakespeare Library, which is offering free access to seven full-cast audio recordings of plays such as HamletRomeo and Juliet, and Othello. The library is also providing free access to their video recording of Macbeth. These resources are available free of charge through July 1.

Minecraft  has released its Education Edition (free through June 2020) to help children at home. The program provides 50 lessons, STEM, and project based learning activities. Using the platform, students can visit the international space station, explore the human eye, tour D.C.’s most memorable sites, and more.

Core Knowledge offers a vast array of resources. Their Language Arts, History and Geography, and Science curricula are available for free.

TouchMath offers free downloads of TouchMath Workbooks.

11.  Browsing corner for vets and newbies
How To (and How Not To) Homeschool During COVID-19 by John Stonestreet by John Stonestreet‘Most Rewarding Thing You Can Do’: Homeschool Experts Offer Hope to Parents in COVID-19 School Shutdowns by Kayla RootHome-school family feels the impact of social distancing, offers advice to other familiesby Tiffany Kafer5 Tips From Homeschool Veterans For Parents New To Learning At Home by Laura Isensee

12.  Legal issues
Keeping an eye on the Massachusetts legislature.

Regarding annual testing and the federal coronavirus waiver:HSLDA wants to clear up any confusion that homeschoolers may have.

13.  For-fee advertising
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 $20 for unsolicited submissions from individuals, and from most organizations or groups unaffiliated with MassHOPE, who wish to advertise their for-fee goods or services. Items will ordinarily run in two consecutive issues. Note: Normally an ad will be limited to one round (two issues) per quarter. Contact Anne Smith at volunteer@masshope.org. for specifics.

14. The MassHOPE Educator ID CardEducator IDs are now available for benefits such as potential discounts at retailers. Order them from our website HERE.

15.  Are you on our mailing lists?
To those who have been recently added to our email list through our website: if you would also like to be added to our “snail mail” list to receive information (such as our print newsletter) via the U.S. Postal Service, please send your full name and complete mailing address to newsletter@masshope.org.

16. Your news items wanted
Do you know of an event or activity in or near Massachusetts that would edify or interest the homeschool community? Email Anne Smith at volunteer@masshope.organd we will review it for possible inclusion in the MassHOPE Messenger. 

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. Support MassHOPE through AmazonSmileDo 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: http://smile.amazon.com/ch/04-HYPERLINK “http://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 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to MassHOPE. Thank you for supporting the work of your Christian state homeschool organization!

20. How to submit Box Tops for convention savings
You can earn free or reduced admission to the MassHOPE conventions AND support MassHOPE at the same time! Submissions for the 2020 convention are now closed, but you can start getting credit toward the 2021 convention. Want to submit Box Tops for convention credit but aren’t sure how to proceed? Just click on this link: https://masshope.org/boxtops/.