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The MassHOPE Messenger

May 24, 2023

Welcome to The MassHOPE Messenger, an up-to-the-minute email summary of events and other opportunities for homeschoolers as well as other news items related to home education.

Please note that listing of items herein that are not sponsored by MassHOPE does not imply endorsement by MassHOPE. Due diligence should be exercised in determining what you consider appropriate for your own family.

Calendar of future MassHOPE events


June 3, 2023: Formal graduation ceremony, Holden Chapel,

Holden, Massachusetts


June 24: Annual used curriculum trunk sale

Chapel of the Cross, Westborough, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Rain date: July 15

New or Updated

  1.  Used curriculum sale June 24 in Westborough

 2. Introducing Sattler College, and a VERY exciting scholarship opportunity

 3. Home school day at Old Sturbridge Village next month

 4. Participate in important academic study

 5. Free online course from Hillsdale on ancient Christianity

 6. MassHOPE graduation ceremony – June 3, 2023

 7. Summer at Thayer conservatory!


From You

  8. I was pretty embarrassed


For Your Encouragement

  9. Passing on the faith


Continued

10.   Discount from SchoolhouseTeachers.com

11. Standardized tests at 10% off; several options!

12. From you: Looking for more responses!

13. For your encouragement: Just three reasons

14. Convention recordings available

15. MassHOPE Facebook groups

16. MassHOPE advertising opportunities

17. MassHOPE Facebook discussion group

18. The MassHOPE Educator ID Card

19. Your news items wanted

20. Remember to “Like” MassHOPE on Facebook

21. Are you on our mailing lists?


Getting Started?

22. How to homeschool legally in Massachusetts

23. Videos and webinars from HSLDA

24. MassHOPE: homeschooling in Massachusetts

25. A bevy of materials, offers, and helps

26. Variety of interesting sites suggested by the Heritage Foundation

27. Browsing corner for vets and newbies

1. Used curriculum sale June 24 in Westborough

We are happy to announce MassHOPE’s 2023 used curriculu m trunk sale at Chapel of the Cross, 160 Flanders Road in Westborough.


Due to the style of the sale, tagging items is left to the discretion of the seller. All sales will be done directly from buyer to seller. Come prepared for cash sales. There may be sellers who will accept other forms of payment (e.g. Venmo), but we cannot guarantee that. MassHOPE will likely be bringing a limited number of free items, and some sellers may do the same.

To register as a seller, please send an email to  info@masshope.org  with “UCS” in the subject line.  Please include your full name and cell phone number in the email. Click HERE for further information.


Monetary donations to offset the cost of this free event will be gratefully accepted!


2. Introducing Sattler College, and a VERY exciting scholarship opportunity

You may not have heard of Sattler College, so we’d like to introduce ourselves. We’re located right in the middle of downtown Boston , and we’re dedicated to starting a revolution in higher education.


Modern higher education has become frightfully expensive while leaving students ill-prepared for a life of fruitful labor, much less service to Jesus Christ, and we’d like to change that. Sattler combines rigorous academics with fervent relational discipleship dedicated to the development of the whole person. Our rigorous academic core ensures that regardless of whether they graduate as a computer programmer or a pre-med student, each person will be solidly grounded in the “faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” That is why Sattler College is the only college in the United States requiring every student to take a year of biblical Hebrew and Greek.


Our ultimate purpose is to train graduates to be a city on a hill: a shining light in Boston and the nations. Because the city of Boston is one of the most important global cities for world-changing movements and institutions, pursuing higher education in Boston provides students with the opportunity to train for a lifetime of impact for Jesus and His church.


Sattler College offers bachelor’s degrees in biblical & religious studies, business, computer science, history, and human biology, as well as a one year certificate in biblical & religious studies.


For our Massachusetts residents , we have a really sweet deal: The Adoniram Judson Scholarship covers full tuition for four years of study!


This award is available to two qualified admitted students from Massachusetts enrolling in the 2023-2024 academic year as full-time students in one of our five bachelor's programs.


In order to qualify, your application and scholarship essay (Adoniram Judson only) must be submitted by the Thursday, June 15 deadline. 


If you have any questions or would like to pursue applying, please contact Austin Lapp (Director of Admissions) at alapp@sattler.edu or visit us on the web at sattler.edu !


3. Home school day at Old Sturbridge Village next month

Home school days are back this year at the Village, with the next coming up soon, on Wednesday, June 21. Unfortunately, most of the workshops are already full, but of course discounted ticket prices are still in effect. The June 21 day will celebrate natural resources and be a chance to learn about how early New Englanders utilized the plants, trees, and fields around them. Click on HOME SCHOOL DAYS  for more details.


4. Participate in important academic study

According to Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), t here’s “a bunch of research out there on homeschooling, but the last big study addressing academic achievement is over 13 years old New data and facts are needed all the time   to serve families, scholars, policymakers, and the media. It’s time for new data - new facts and figures - and   we need your help .”


If you gave your homeschooled child an academic achievement test during 2023  and want to be part of this important study,   click survey now . No personally identifiable information will be collected. 


Parents who participate and request a copy of the study will also be put into a drawing to  win a signed copy of Doctor Ray’s now-classic book Home Educated and Now Adults: Their Community and Civic Involvement, Views About Homeschooling, and Other Traits . (Five copies will be given away.)


IMPORTANT NOTE: Do  not  complete this form  if you've already completed  the survey for BJUP, Seton, or Basic Skills during the past few months.


5.  Free online course from Hillsdale on ancient Christianity

Hillsdale College has just released its newest online course, “Ancient Christianity.” For this course, “ Professor Kenneth Calvert is your guide through the first four centuries of Christianity as he explains the remarkable ways the new faith transformed the Roman world.”


Watch the video trailer for the course and register today using this secure link: https://online.hillsdale.edu/landing/ancient-christianity/prereg .


6. MassHOPE graduation ceremony – June 3, 2023

You are cordially invited to join us at Holden Chapel in Holden, Massachusetts on June 3, 2023, at 2:00 p.m.. Come, be encouraged in your homeschooling journey and support our graduating seniors!


7. Summer at Thayer Conservatory!

Thayer conservatory in Lancaster, Massachusetts is offering summer lessons and camps.


Folk and Fiddle Camp  - June 26-30, 9:00-4:00. Learn fun fiddle tunes, folk dances, and artisan crafts. Ages 8 and up and all skill levels are welcome. Strings, percussion, and wind instruments including ukulele and tin whistle. Text Kathyrn at 978-413-9117 for information about Folk and Fiddle camp.  


Choir Camp  - July 10-14, 10:00-12:00 for ages 7 and up. Choral conducting workshop from 9:00-10:00 for interested participants (Conducting workshop is for ages 10 and up.)


Little Mozarts Preschool Music Week - August 7-11, 9:00-11:00 for ages 3-7 with parents or caregivers.  


Private lessons on most instruments -  We are currently accepting registrations for summer music lessons as well. Email us at  Thayerconservatory@gmail.com  or call 508-843-8265.


8. I was pretty embarrassed

From an anonymous father:

Me (teaching my children the catechism): “What was Adam's part of the covenant?”

Young son: “Adam's part of the covenant was to obey God perfectly. And Eve's part was to make the food.”


**************************************************

We invite you, our readers, to submit material to be considered for inclusion in the MassHOPE Messenger. We would love to receive short items containing tips, encouragements, questions, thoughts, observations, funny stories – just about anything you feel would be of interest to our readership. MassHOPE will reserve the right to accept or reject submissions. Don’t be shy!


If you have something to share, please email Anne Smith at  volunteer@masshope.org  and include your name and a phone number. (If your item is chosen for publication, however, you may choose to remain anonymous.)


9. Passing on the faith

In this BREAKPOINT ARTICLE from the Colson Center, John Stonestreet and Kasey Leander remind us that we do is as important as what we say.


10. Discount 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. The regular price is $267.97, but JOINING HERE  you'll save over $90 and pay a total of only $179 for the year. Also, you will receive a print subscription to The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, with a fresh issue delivered each quarter as long as you remain a member.


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!


11. Standardized tests at 10% off; several options! 

Be prepared! Purchase your spring standardized tests, defend homeschool freedom, and  get a 10% DISCOUNT!  Use  THIS LINK  to the masshope.org website to learn more and order the Iowa form E or the Iowa form E with CogAt achievement tests from BJU Press. Both paper & pencil and online options are available.  OR   use  THIS LINK   to order directly from Seton Testing Services; choose from IOWA form E paper & pencil assessment, the Stanford-10 online achievement test, and the TerraNova 2/CAT 6 complete battery - paper & pencil.


12. From you: Looking for more responses!

Your material doesn’t have to be remarkable. It just has to be From You. Or even just Via You. 😊


13. For your encouragement:  Just three reasons

Tired of reading through 101 reasons to homeschool? Here are just THREE reasons

for Christian parents, from Karen Jensen Salisbury Ministries.


14. Convention recordings available

Recordings are available from our recent 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  https://www.alliancerecordings.com/index.cfm ?   to find the recordings. Under "Featured Conferences" to the right on the homepage, click on MA-2023 to get a listing of speakers and sessions. Next to each session title, "Show More" will give a session description.


15. 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 #17, below) 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.


16. 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.


17. MassHOPE Facebook discussion group

Connect with us on Facebook at MassHOPE’s 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/


18. The MassHOPE Educator ID Card

Educator IDs are available for benefits such as potential discounts at retailers. Order them from our website   HERE .


19. 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.


20. 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.


21. 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 .


22. How to homeschool legally in Massachusetts 

This video features Michael Donnelly, 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 .


23. Videos and webinars from HSLDA

Could Homeschooling Fit My Family?—Q&A , with Rochelle Matthews-Somerville, HSLDA Special Needs and High School Consultant, and Tj Schmidt, HSLDA Staff Attorney.

Single-Parent Homeschooling: Success Strategies—Q&A , with Kim Sorgius, Not Consumed community founder, and Erin Eskew, Have Soldier: Will Travel blog.

Helping Your Child Love Learning—Q&A with Ainsley Arment, Wild + Free founder, and Natalie Mack, HSLDA High School Consultant.

Homeschooling Through Major Life Changes—Q&A with Faith Berens, HSLDA Special Needs Consultant, Tracy Klicka, HSLDA Director of Development, and Sunny Coté, state department spouse .

9 Tips for Homeschooling in the Military—Q&A ,  with Natalie Mack, HSLDA High School Consultant and U.S. Navy Chaplain’s wife, and Sabrina Riley, Army National Guard, active duty spouse. 11 Ways to Homeschool More Efficiently—Q&A , Nov. 11, 7 p.m. ET, with Vicki Bentley, HSLDA PreK–8 Educational Consultant (and homeschooling mom to eight biological kids plus nine foster kids through the years), and Tiffany Jefferson, writer, speaker, homeschool coach (and homeschooling mom to 10).

Ask Any Question About Homeschooling (Except Legal Advice!)—Q&A Nov. 18, 7 p.m. ET, with Rochelle Matthews-Somerville, HSLDA Special Needs and High School Consultant (and homeschooling mom to six), and Darren Jones, HSLDA Senior Counsel and Director of Group Services (and homeschool grad and dad to four).

Homeschooling through the Holidays? (or taking a month off? or flexing with hands-on learning and unit studies? or . . . ?)   with Vicki Bentley, HSLDA PreK-8 Educational Consultant and homeschooling mom to eight biological kids plus nine foster kids through the years), and Chelsea Moore, HSLDA blogger (and homeschooling mom to two).

T hree-part video series on getting started:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVOzkYx2vcA&list=PLe7Gz-9V5xsWAtvLTz1gA1CYyPLBBe-Ke .

Helpful overview of how to start homeschooling:  https://hslda.org/post/ready-set-go-choosing-homeschool-curriculum-and-more .

You Can Homeschool Through High School:  https://hslda.org/post/you-can-homeschool-through-high-school .

How to Start Homeschooling with Special Needs:  https://hslda.org/post/how-to-start-homeschooling-midyear-with-special-needs-q-and-a .

And many, many more:  https://hslda.org/community/webinars .


24. MassHOPE: homeschooling in Massachusetts

Check out this MassHOPE site for  getting started .


25. A bevy of materials, offers, and helps

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/

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.


26. 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 l anguage learning materials in English, Spanish, French and German , from  Lingoda .


More free language learning from   Duolingo , with 23 languages.

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.


27. 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 Root

Home-school family feels the impact of social distancing, offers advice to other families  by Tiffany Kafer

5 Tips From Homeschool Veterans For Parents New To Learning At Home  by Laura Isensee

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

*    *    *       
The MassHOPE Messenger is published by  Mass achusetts  H omeschool  O rganization of  P arent  E ducators (MassHOPE). Visit our website at  masshope.org/ .
 
Any questions about items in this e-news can be sent to info@masshope.org . If you know someone who would like to receive our news, or if you wish to unsubscribe or change your e-mail address, please contact us at   info@masshope.org . Items for possible inclusion in the newsletter should be sent to volunteer@masshope.org . MassHOPE reserves the right to edit or reject any items submitted for the e-news.
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