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1. Convention is right around the corner!
Please be in prayer for the MassHOPE 2025 Convention in April. We are busily confirming speakers and breakout sessions. Speakers include
Heidi St. John
,
Shellie Doub,
Linda Lacour Hobar
,
Cindy Rollins
,
and more. We hope you'll join us!
Watch for convention updates
HERE
.
2. New: introducing MassHOPE’s speaker vault
We’re excited to introduce the MassHOPE
Speaker Vault
!
This brand-new section of our site will feature a curated library of recorded workshops from past conventions. Over the years, MassHOPE has had the privilege of hosting hundreds of inspiring speakers, and we will periodically showcase some of their presentations on this page. Whether you’re seeking advice or encouragement, the
Speaker Vault
will be a valuable resource to revisit some of the dynamic speakers who have spoken at our conventions. Check back often, as we’ll be adding new content regularly. We’ve launched this page with an encouraging message from Voddie Baucham, from our 2015 convention.
3. Attention prayer warriors!
We know that “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much," and so we invite you to join us for a time of prayer over Zoom. We want to plan a time when you are available, so please email
president@masshope.org
t
o let us know what times of day/days of the week are most convenient.
T
ogether, we will lift up our country, our state, and our upcoming convention. As believers, we understand the importance of relying on God’s wisdom and grace, and this is a special opportunity to come together to ask for the Lord’s blessing. If you would like to unite with us in this prayer time, please send your contact info by email to
president@masshope.org
with your contact information so we can send you the Zoom link prior to the meeting. We expect it to be under half an hour.
4. Calling all parents of graduating seniors
Surely you know right now if you have a graduating senior this year. If so, do you also know that MassHOPE holds a formal cap and gown graduation ceremony each year?
This year marks our 20th formal graduation ceremony, and it will be held at Holden Chapel on June 7 at 2:00 PM. If you are interested in learning more, please send an email (including your graduate's name) to Susan Jacobsen -
graduation@masshope.org
.
She will be happy to send you the graduation packet providing more info including how to sign up.
Please NOTE: There are deadlines in order to participate, so don't delay: email Susan today!
5. Social media triple play with our return to Instagram
(Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram. Our Facebook and Instagram accounts are linked, so you can follow us on Instagram and get some of the same info we post there. Go to our link -
https://www.instagram.com/massachusetts_homeschool/
-
and click “Follow.”
6. First aid for homeschool burnout
Here are some
CREATIVE IDEAS
to treat it.
7.
Homeschool basketball tournament coverage
A
TOURNAMENT IN ILLINOIS
has drawn teams from all over the Midwest.
8. We make learning Spanish fun!!!
At Academia Bilingual Bridges, classes are taught online in a way that your children will never forget! They will become so absorbed that they won't want the class to end! We offer classes for parents as well. SPECIAL $20 DISCOUNT FOR HOMESCHOOLERS. Call (240-764-9094), send a text, or send us an email (
academiabilingualbridges@gmail.com
) for more information. You can take a look at our offerings and our instructor bios at
www.academiabilingualbridges.com
.
9. Free skiing in New Hampshire
Did someone say free skiing??? Ski for free this winter at the Storrs Hill Ski Area in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Open weekends only, plus weekdays during New Hampshire school vacations. Find out more info
HERE
,
or visit Storrs Hill
HERE
.
10. Congratulations to...
...Rachel Johnson, who was awarded a free one-year HSLDA membership! Convention attendees who completed the convention evaluation form were all entered into a random drawing for this prize. ~ Yes, WE NEED FEEDBACK from you, and sometimes it pays to give it!
😊
11. Check out our new Resources page
We are excited to have recently launched a brand-new
Resources
section on the MassHOPE website! This dedicated space features carefully curated recommendations for homeschooling and parenting books to support you on your homeschooling journey. Whether you are seeking guidance on curriculum choices, encouragement, or inspiration for fostering a Christ-centered home, you’ll find helpful materials. Visit the
RESOURCE PAGE
today to explore these new resources, and check back for new additions!
12. Partner with MassHOPE?
As we enter this new year, we invite you to partner with MassHOPE in supporting Christian homeschooling families across Massachusetts. As a non-profit organization, your generous donations enable us to continue providing encouragement, resources, events, and advocacy to strengthen and equip local homeschoolers. Every gift, big or small, makes a lasting impact. Please prayerfully consider making a tax-deductible
DONATION
today and join us in building up families in the year ahead.
13. Friends don’t let friends miss out on...
...important information about MassHOPE. So spread the word! Help us share the news about our upcoming convention and so much more! Tell all your homeschooling friends about
The MassHOPE Messenger
, MassHOPE's bi-weekly e-newsletter, filled with opportunities and items of interest for homeschooling families. All they need to do to receive it is to send full name and email address to
info@masshope.org
.
Help them stay informed!
Also,
while you’re at it, why don’t you start thinking about volunteering at our convention? We need you!
14. For your encouragement:
Learning differences?
ENCOURAGING WORDS
from the mother of a child with dyscalculia: “a learning disorder that affects a person’s ability to understand number-based information and math.”
15. Homeschooling in the News:
Growth in homeschooling
VIDEO REPORT
on EWTN on homeschooling growth across the country.
16. Discounts from SchoolhouseTeachers.com
Homeschooling can be challenging.
It can be expensive, time-consuming, and confusing to choose classes and curricula for multiple students. We are writing to tell you that
SchoolhouseTeachers.com
will provide all the courses you need for homeschooling each of your preschool through graduating 12th-grade students at the discounted annual price of $179 (you save $90)
.
With hundreds of online courses, lesson plans, quizzes, tests, answer keys, certificates of completion, and streaming videos, your annual
SchoolhouseTeachers.com
membership will ensure you have a full-spectrum, non-Common Core curriculum platform to confidently educate your children at home.
Membership is good for your whole family—including grandparents—no matter how many children you have. Because everything is included online, there is no need to buy textbooks. PLUS, there are no per class, no per child, nor any other hidden fees. You can also generate quarterly report cards for each student and access help with transcript creation for your high schoolers.
SchoolhouseTeachers.com contains nearly every subject imaginable—art history, drawing, computer technology, foreign languages, history, language arts, math, music, science, and loads of electives. Let your kids help pick out their own courses!
17. Convention recordings available
Recordings are available from our 2024 convention. If there was a particular session you'd like to hear again or share with others, or if there is a subject you wish you had been there to hear, go to
ALLIANCE RECORDINGS
.
18. MassHOPE Facebook groups
Did you know that MassHOPE has two private Facebook groups in addition to its main Facebook page? If you would like to join the
MassHOPE Massachusetts Homeschool Discussion and Support Group
(described in Item #20) or the
MassHOPE Massachusetts Homeschool Marketplace and UCS group
, or if you invite anyone to join these groups, please note that there are questions you will need to answer in order to be approved. If you don't get approved soon after your request to join, perhaps you didn't answer the required questions.
19. MassHOPE advertising opportunities
MassHOPE has a variety of advertising options available at reasonable rates in several media paths – MassHOPE website, dedicated email, Facebook, MassHOPE Messenger. If interested, please send an email to advertising@masshope.org. All ads are subject to availability and space. MassHOPE reserves the right to accept or reject ads as we must apportion limited space and evaluate relevance to our audience.
20. MassHOPE Facebook discussion group
Connect with us on Facebook at
MassHOPE 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/
21.
The MassHOPE Educator ID Card
Educator IDs are available for benefits such as potential discounts at retailers. Order them from our website
HERE
.
22. 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.org
and we will review it for possible inclusion in the MassHOPE Messenger.
23. Remember to "Like" MassHOPE on Facebook
"Like"
MassHOPE's Facebook page
.
You'll be encouraged in your homeschooling journey and will receive all updates for upcoming events.
24. Are you on our mailing lists?
If you are receiving this e-newsletter, you are on our email list! May we also add you to our “snail mail” list to receive occasional information via the U.S. Postal Service? If Yes, please send your full name and complete mailing address to
newsletter@masshope.org
.
25. How to homeschool legally in Massachusetts
This video features Michael Donnelly, formerly HSLDA's designated counsel for Massachusetts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmELLON4OFI&list=PLe7Gz-9V5xsWzxwNhyZUNrdz0K-tbkz9a&index=21
.
The link referenced for further Massachusetts-specific articles is
https://hslda.org/legal/massachusetts
.
26. Videos and webinars from HSLDA
T
hree-part video series on getting started:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVOzkYx2vcA&list=PLe7Gz-9V5xsWAtvLTz1gA1CYyPLBBe-Ke
.
How to Start Homeschooling with Special Needs
:
https://hslda.org/teaching-my-kids/special-needs
.
And many, many more
:
https://hslda.org/community/webinars
.
27. Get started homeschooling in Massachusetts
Check out this MassHOPE site for
getting started
.
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