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1. Battleship Cove homeschool days
BATTLESHIP COVE
in Fall River is holding SIX homeschool days this school year on three Fridays in the fall, and three in the spring. The first is
next week, on September 19
. This is a great opportunity to explore naval and maritime history, and at a discounted rate. You can do self-guided activities and/or participate in workshops. Topics vary from month to month and range from trench warfare, communication methods, sailing, and crewmember jobs to the how and why of weather prediction. Click
HERE
for more information and to purchase tickets. Questions? Call (508)678-1100 or email
battleship@battleshipcove.org
.
2. Choose “MassHOPE” when purchasing from Christian Book
MassHOPE has been approved for the GiveBack affiliate program at Christian Book and will receive a 4% cashback donation on any orders that are placed with MassHOPE as the beneficiary! Look for a box at checkout that says to find your church (which actually includes Christian schools and 501(c)(3) organizations as well as churches).
3. Legislative update: tracking H518
MassHOPE is closely following
House Bill 518
, recently introduced in the Massachusetts legislature and scheduled for a hearing before the Joint Committee on Education on September 16. This bill, titled
An Act to Facilitate Homeschooling and Encourage Educational Innovation
, proposes changes to homeschool notification requirements and creates new “educational innovation entities.” Because of its potential impact on homeschooling families in Massachusetts, we will continue to closely monitor H518, keep you informed, and call on the homeschool community to take action if and when it becomes necessary.
4. Save the date! January 27-29, 2026
Tuesday, January 27- Thursday, January 29 has been reserved for another great MassHOPE Winter Getaway at Great Wolf Lodge New England in Fitchburg. More details next issue. Meanwhile, save that date!
5. Field trip fun in Lowell
The
BOOT COTTON MILLS MUSEUM
provides a first-rate immersive educational experience on America’s Industrial Revolution. Run by the National Park Service at Lowell National Historical Park, you can witness actual weaving looms in operation. Rave reviews
HERE
.
6. Speaker vault for September – Mike Smith
Our newest section of the MassHOPE website features a
CURATED LIBRARY OF
RECORDED WORKSHOPS
from past conventions. Over the years, we have had the privilege of hosting hundreds of inspiring speakers, and we periodically showcase some of their presentations on this page. For September, we invite you to listen to an inspiring message by Mike Smith -.The Angry Child: What Ticks Johnny Off. Have any of your children demonstrated a tendency toward anger or a bad temper? If so, this session is absolutely essential for you. Anger is a God-given emotion and did not come about as a result of the fall. However, the Bible says, “Be angry, and sin not.” This talk addresses anger from a biblical perspective, focusing on the positive and negative aspects of anger. Michael Smith also delineates the five steps that lead to rebellion.
7. For your encouragement: 7 persistent myths about public education
.
Feel like you’re getting nowhere? Tempted to chuck it all and put your kids in public school? Read
THIS
first (and then get some encouragement from a veteran homeschooler...or from For Your Encouragement columns in prior MassHOPE Messengers).
8. In the news: New York State
I wasn’t aware that our neighboring state was “second in the nation for homeschooling growth.” Read about it
HERE
.
9. Christian ballet class registration
A few spots are still available in the Christ-centered ballet classes at Beautiful Feet Ballet School in Marlborough, Massachusetts, for girls ages 3-18 for the 2025-2026 season. Classes are offered in both the daytime and afternoon/evening. Registration Weekend will be held September 4-9. For more information, visit
beautifulfeetballet.com
or email director Miss Amber Pollard at
beautifulfeetballet@gmail.com
.
10. Historic New England offers homeschool programs
Last month we featured
HISTORIC NEW ENGLAND
in the Field Trip Fun column. Now check out their history-based homeschool programming
HERE
.
11. OSV homeschool days for September
Old Sturbridge Village has scheduled two Home School Days this month. Pre-registration is required. For information, and to register, click
THURSDAY THE 11th
(tomorrow!) or
FRIDAY THE 19th
. September days feature workshops including Hearth Cooking: Apple Fritters; Cidermaking and Corn Processing; Back to School; Make a Needle Felted Apple; Play Ball! Simple Machines Scavenger Hunt; and more. Many are already sold out, but some spaces are still available.
12. Field trip fun in New Bedford
New Bedford was once one of the most important whaling ports in the world. To preserve this heritage, the
NEW BEDFORD WHALING MUSEUM
was founded in 1903. Along with collections of scrimshaw and whaling logs, it features five complete whale skeletons and the world’s largest whaling ship model, built at half-scale, which visitors can climb aboard.
13. Speaker vault for August – Sonya Shafer
Our newest section of the MassHOPE website features a
CURATED LIBRARY OF
RECORDED WORKSHOPS
from past conventions. Over the years, we have had the privilege of hosting hundreds of inspiring speakers, and we periodically showcase some of their presentations on this page. For August, we invite you to listen to an inspiring message by Sonya Shafer - Laying Down Rails. In this workshop, Sonya explores the transformative role of daily habits in creating a more productive and less stressful home life. She explains how small, intentional actions can set the tone for the entire day and make learning and family life flow more naturally. You’ll discover why habits are so powerful, and come away with practical strategies you can start using right away to nurture habits that promote responsibility and harmony in your household.
14. For your encouragement: 10 best things
I’m not crazy about the title of her article, because each of you may well be doing one or more of these things. However, in
THE 10 BEST THINGS YOU'RE NOT DOING FOR YOUR HOMESCHOOL
, Pam Barnhill lays out some great, but simple, “actions” to implement (and also references Cindy Rollins, a speaker at the most recent MassHOPE convention.) My favorite sentence is in one of the introductory paragraphs: “Forums [online] are filled with opposing curriculum recommendations.” Yes. How, how true.
15. In the news: flawed data and sloppy analysis in Connecticut
In a case built on flawed data and sloppy analysis, bureaucrats in Connecticut are seeking to greatly increase regulation in homeschooling, with recommendations of burdensome mandates. In fact,
the state’s child-welfare agency would be told to treat homeschooling itself as a red flag.
Homeschool advocates are fighting back against the far-reaching proposals. They “blasted the state’s analysis as statistical malpractice. The National Home Education Legal Defense (NHELD) asked three outside Ph.D. level statisticians from UConn, Yale, and the University of California, Santa Barbara to review OCA’s methods. All three agreed — the report was not legitimate analysis.”
Read this concerning story
HERE
.
16. Convention recordings
Did you miss a session because there were too many great workshops to choose from? Or, sadly, did you miss the entire convention? No problem. Order session recordings individually, or get the whole set. Just click
HERE
.
17. Social media triple play
We’re on each of the Big Three: X
, 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.”
18. Friends don’t let friends miss out on...
...important information about MassHOPE. So spread the word! Help us share the news about our 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 next convention? We need you!
19. 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!
20. 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 #22) 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.
21. 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.
22. 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/
23.
The MassHOPE Educator ID Card
Educator IDs are available for benefits such as potential discounts at retailers. Order them from our website
HERE
.
24. 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.
25. 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.
26. 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
.
27. 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
.
28. Special education resources
Here are two valuable resources for homeschooling parents of special needs children.
FREE DOWNLOADS
provides IEP templates, therapy resources, a Getting Started guide, and more.
EMPOWERING HOMESCHOOL CONVERSATIONS
, which covers a wide range of issues.
29. 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
.
30. Get started homeschooling in Massachusetts
Check out this MassHOPE site for
getting started
.
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