Treasure Home Educators' Association Covid-19 Liability Release Waiver

Below is a link to the Treasure Home Educators' Association Covid-19 Liability Release Waiver that every family will need to fill out and sign each time they attend a Treasure event.

Please read it carefully and fill it out completely before submitting it.

Thank you.


Student Schedules Classroom Map https://sites.google.com/site/theaofva/minute www.treasurehomeeducators.com/construction Ways to Pay Member Directory

Treasure News You Can Use



Treasure Tips


Bookmark the Treasure Website on your Phone
Right now, if you're on your phone, there's a menu you can click. On Android it's three dots. On iPhone it's the square with the arrow. Tap your menu, then tap "Add to Home Screen."

Now you have an icon that looks like an app on your phone's homescreen, and you can get back to the Treasure webpage with a single click.
Yay!


Homeschool Helps
Spotlighting Resources that Help You Homeschool

From the Homeschool Community
  • Jamie from SimpleHomeschool.Net
    Jamie Martin does it all over at simplehomeschool.net
    https://simplehomeschool.net
    Reading about her multinational family, her homeschool curriculum, and her successful blogging/writing career can make her seem unrealistically perfect. Then she comes out with this statement right here:
    (Note to readers: I still can be found, on challenging days, researching public and private school options in my area. Superwoman does not live in my house, just a mama in the trenches like you.)

    Just a mama in the trenches like you. There is wisdom to be found here, friends. For subscribing to her email list, you can get her free ebook Secrets of a Successful Homeschool Mom. But even as an anonymous stalker reader, you can find gobs of ideas for everything from (international!) field trip ideas and curricula, educational philosophies, help and advice on deciding whether to even homeschool and how to start, and a little comfort for those days when you question everything you've ever done.

    In the spirit of one year coming to a close, and planning for the coming year, I'll share a post from Jamie that I've found particularly helpful:

    10 ways you’re making your homeschool day harder than it needs to be

    April 27, 2015 // by Jamie Martin// 77 Comments

    10 ways you're making your homeschool day harder

    In her article, Jamie gives such amazing suggestions as...
    Be willing to put down the curriculum you're using in favor of one that will actually work for your family. Go outside when the weather is good. Look for tasks you're doing that could be delegated to the kids. Reevaluate the atmosphere if you might be pushing them too hard. Do today today. Do what you love and bring your kids along with you. Declutter. Teach your child, not your child's grade. Focus on your child's progress instead of comparisons. Evaluate your priorities and then focus on the important things.

    She gives great explanations, so click on over to simplehomeschool.net and check out all the resources she has for you. Then go forth and homeschool in confidence!

    from simplehomeschool.net

    About Jamie Martin

    Jamie is a mama to three cute kids born on three different continents. She is the co-founder and editor of Simple Homeschool, where she writes about mindful parenting, intentional education, and the joy found in a pile of books. Jamie is also the author of a handful of titles, including her newest release, Give Your Child the World.

    Posted Dec 11, 2018, 8:13 AM by DanandBecky Kee
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Learning Tools
  • AudioBooks - It's like sneaking in the veggies!
    This month's Learning Tool is for everyone. Excellent readers love audiobooks. Reluctant readers love audiobooks. They are a great way to get in the practice of using correct English grammar and syntax. They exercise your ability to interpret & imagine. Hearing great literature helps our minds develop a framework for our own compositions. Children who are too young to sit down with a written book can often take in much more advanced stories read aloud to them. Audiobooks help develop listening skills and quiet concentration.

    We have always enjoyed StoryNory as a free service that provides excellent material, so be sure to check them out.

    But, today, I have FOUND AN AMAZING RESOURCE!!!
    https://simplehomeschool.net/deals/
    Jamie, over at Simple Homeschool, has put together a directory of audiobook deals, sorted alphabetically by grade level. She's put some effort into finding good narrators, as well.

    https://simplehomeschool.net/deals/

    Y'all. I just got Anne of Avonlea for 69¢

    Seriously.


    So, these are audio books you purchase from Amazon. There is a free app called Audible. (Download it now. You want it.) There is no subscription necessary to use the app. However, you can sign up for the free trial and get a few free books if you like. Anything you purchase with your membership is still yours if you cancel your membership. You can keep the free app and all your books.

    After you have the audible app, head on over to Simple Homeschool's Audiobook Deal Directory and start perusing.

    If you haven't been using audiobooks, start with something simple, like a short story from StoryNory or Jamie's link to Aesop’s Fables, narrated by Wanda McCaddon (ages 6+) You can use audiobooks just when you need some mommy time. You can use them to institute a "quiet time" because your ridiculous children decided to stop taking naps. You can add them to their daily checklist-- 30 minutes of audiobook is part of my kids' school assignments. You can listen to them together as a family, or park a kid on the couch with headphones, or use them to break up a long drive over the holidays. But you should definitely use them.

    Happy Homeschooling!
    Posted Dec 11, 2018, 9:06 AM by DanandBecky Kee
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State & National News
The latest updates for Virginia homeschool families
Notes from HEAV
  • HEAV discount on Weekend to Remember
    http://familylifeministries.org/weekend-to-remember/?groupName=HEAV#where

    Get $100 off the cost of a Weekend to Remember retreat for you and your spouse, courtesy of HEAV. The next local event is in Norfolk Feb 8-10, 2019. These retreats are an amazing time for couples to reconnect. Find a Treasure friend, farm out your kids, and take advantage of this great deal.






    Posted Dec 11, 2018, 7:31 AM by DanandBecky Kee
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HSLDA Updates
  • VA Religious Exemption - Update from Loudoun County
    (reprinted from HSLDA.org)

    Loudoun Targets Virginia’s Religious Exemption

    by Helaina Bock • December 4, 2018

    “Don’t try to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. I ask you not to repeal the religious exemption,” said Paul Millhouse at a Loudoun County School Board meeting last Tuesday. The multitude of hands raised in silent applause after he finished speaking revealed the audience’s agreement with his statement.

    Millhouse, who lives in Loudoun County, was one of over two dozen Virginia residents who came to the meeting to defend their right to homeschool under the state’s religious exemption to compulsory school attendance.

    On November 13, Loudoun County Public Schools announced that they intend to ask the Virginia Legislature to alter the religious exemption, under which thousands of families currently homeschool.

    The county board’s proposal seeks legislation that would require families to educate their children only through “an alternative public, private, parochial and/or approved home instruction setting.”

    Curtailing Freedom

    If the exemption were changed in this way, parents would no longer be permitted to opt out of the public school system on the basis of their religious convictions.

    As Home School Legal Defense Association Senior Counsel Scott Woodruff explained, “This action is very disturbing because it means that the school district wants new ways to control religious-exempt families.”

    Woodruff had notified homeschool families about the resolution and encouraged them to attend the school board meeting.

    The public response was overwhelming—at least two dozen people spoke, and even more came to support the speakers. So many people registered to comment that the school board cut the standard two-minute speaking time in half.

    People rushed to make their points before the buzzer signaled the close of each person’s speaking time. The comments came from individuals of all different ages and backgrounds. Some were seasoned homeschooling parents, while others were homeschooled students. Many speakers said they homeschooled under the religious freedom exemption.

    Speaking styles ranged from emotional to cool and composed. Some told personal stories, while others used statistics and history to craft their arguments.

    More than a Choice

    Yet a common thread woven through all the presentations was a firm commitment to preserve one of the fundamental rights upon which our nation was built: religious freedom. This public comment period served as a powerful reminder to the school board that, for many, homeschooling is more than just a matter of school choice; it is a matter of religious freedom.

    Millhouse explained that, for him, homeschooling his children is a calling from God. As Christians, he and his wife believe that “the Lord holds us accountable for what and how we teach our children.”

    Removing the religious exemption would allow the state to interfere with religious-exempt families’ educational choices. The school board justified their proposal by alleging that they only want to make sure that children are getting a satisfactory education.

    First of all, Scott Woodruff pointed out, no empirical evidence suggests that homeschooled children are currently lacking a satisfactory education. Secondly, under the school board’s proposal the district—not the parent—would become responsible for determining what a “satisfactory education” looks like.

    Citizens throughout Loudon County recognized this threat and refused to watch in silence as the school board discussed compromising their rights. Although we have yet to find out what the board will decide, the message of individuals who spoke out at the school board meeting undoubtedly will impact the school board’s decision-making process. And the public comments serve as a reminder to us all that when we stand up for the right to homeschool, we are also standing up for religious freedom.

    As Woodruff said, “Parents must be empowered to educate their children according to their faith.”




    Helaina Bock

    Media Relations Specialist

    Helaina Bock serves as HSLDA’s media relations representative and writes content for HSLDA’s website. In 2018, she graduated from Patrick Henry College with a degree in American Politics and Policy. In her spare time, Helaina enjoys hiking and spending time with friends and family.


    Posted Dec 11, 2018, 7:36 AM by DanandBecky Kee
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