[homeschoolhub] Join local Alumni Band during May

 

Christ Lutheran School Band Director, Carl Steffens welcomes Berrien County instrumentalists with at least 3 years band instrument study and performance experience to play May 19, 2015  6 pm in Christ Lutheran's Alumni Band, theme of music is "CLS Goes To The Movies!"
Jen Siek is sponsoring music distribution and support to interested area homeschooling families.

Cost: free

Join in this great community experience, adults are welcomed, too- this is a great way to model a love of music to your family.

Rehearsals: With Carl and CLS Band, at Christ Lutheran in Stevensville--Tuesdays and Fridays 7:30am- 8:15 am begining May 1st, Carl Steffans 269-830-5135 

or With Jen Siek, house rehearsals: Mondays and Tuesdays beginning May 4th 11:00am-12:30pm Jen Siek call (610) 945-7895 for details.

RSVP by May 4, 2015 12 N.

 
Jennifer Siek
empowering innovation in independent, responsive education

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[homeschoolhub] MI Senator responds to proposed homeschool bill

 

Open Letter to Michigan Parents

Posted on April 20, 2015

Dear Parents,

Stoni Ann Blair and Stephen Gage Berry were precious children with
limitless potential, and their senseless deaths at the hands of their
mother have shocked and saddened the entire state of Michigan.

Mitchelle Blair, the Detroit woman accused of killing Stoni and
Stephen and then hiding their bodies, is a murderer who deserves, at
best, to spend the rest of her life in prison.

This tragic situation is not, and never was, however, a homeschooling problem.

That's why I am so dismayed by the introduction of a new bill in the
state House of Representatives to exploit Stoni and Stephen's tragic
deaths as an excuse to impose new regulations on loving, committed,
and law-abiding Michigan families.

Let's be clear-this legislation would not have stopped Ms. Blair from
killing her children. Blair was willing to break every law on the
books, and routinely and effectively lied for years to hide her
crimes.

Instead, the new bill is a transparent attempt by some in Lansing to
bully, threaten, and intimidate parents who choose not to send their
children to traditional public schools. The legislation would force
every homeschooling family to register with local officials and to
open their homes twice yearly for police inspections, to prove that
they have not murdered their own children.

Parents have rights. Parents deserve choices. And parents deserve so
much better from Lansing.

As the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee I wanted to write
you today to assure you that this anti-parent legislation will not see
the light of day in my Committee.

Parents who choose homeschooling as the best education option for
their children lovingly pour themselves into their kids, and they get
great results. Homeschooled children are among the most successful in
the state, go on to attend colleges and universities, get and keep
great jobs, and help lead our communities.

Every child learns differently, and no one understands the needs of a
child like his or her parents. That's why when it comes to making
education decisions for their children, or for choosing the kind of
education that will work best, Lansing should trust parents, not bully
them.

Sincerely,

Senator Phil Pavlov

Chairman, Senate Education Committee

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Re: [homeschoolhub] State Bill on Homeschooling Update Friday April 17th

 

Jenny,

I don't think you need to fear that local homeschoolers will readily accept an assault like this.  Just because I let the school system use some of my tax dollars to pay for my kids to take some classes in the community does not mean I am not an independent homeschooler.  The school does not dictate my curriculum, my philosophy, or my methods of educating my children.  I have no obligation to public school authorities, nor have I ceded ANY of my rights to raise my children as I see fit to the state.

While not every homeschooler in the area is likely to speak out or mobilize, I think many will.  As a parent who has enrolled her son in the partnerships with local schools for many years, I can say Chang's proposal seems over-the-top drastic to me.  I will write/call/visit/speak out as much as necessary to stop any bill like this.

--Andrea

On Sat, Apr 18, 2015 at 8:59 AM, sevensieks@yahoo.com [homeschoolhub] <homeschoolhub@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
 

On this matter, we welcome calls no matter what state you are in...Tell Stephanie Chang (313) 451-3597 and your own house rep. to pursue a more comprehensive approach to address the current challenges in the state's social service and criminal justice system, not assume all homeschoolers will abuse their children unless they are controlled by state and federal authorities. INCH is encouraging everyone to pray as well. 


I will encourage anyone reading this to consider a sober assessment on our area's readiness to mobilize. The legislators in Lansing have been wanting to bring MI homeschoolers in line for years and bills like these are always just a breath away.

My heartfelt concern, coming from PA where the state regulates most independent families out of existence is this : are our Southwest MI homeschooling groups healthy and independent enough of the government schools to affect any push back? 

Chang's proposed requirements may not seem very drastic to many area homeschoolers who have already signed up under government school oversights and our will, ability and teamwork to stand against these actions weakens the more we are voluntarily under obligation to school authorities. 

I am deeply concerned and believe it is time to rebuild the independent groups that keep homeschooling strong and healthy in our communities.

Jenny Siek



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Re: [homeschoolhub] State Bill on Homeschooling Update Friday April 17th

 

On this matter, we welcome calls no matter what state you are in...Tell Stephanie Chang (313) 451-3597 and your own house rep. to pursue a more comprehensive approach to address the current challenges in the state's social service and criminal justice system, not assume all homeschoolers will abuse their children unless they are controlled by state and federal authorities. INCH is encouraging everyone to pray as well. 


I will encourage anyone reading this to consider a sober assessment on our area's readiness to mobilize. The legislators in Lansing have been wanting to bring MI homeschoolers in line for years and bills like these are always just a breath away.

My heartfelt concern, coming from PA where the state regulates most independent families out of existence is this : are our Southwest MI homeschooling groups healthy and independent enough of the government schools to affect any push back? 

Chang's proposed requirements may not seem very drastic to many area homeschoolers who have already signed up under government school oversights and our will, ability and teamwork to stand against these actions weakens the more we are voluntarily under obligation to school authorities. 

I am deeply concerned and believe it is time to rebuild the independent groups that keep homeschooling strong and healthy in our communities.

Jenny Siek


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Re: [homeschoolhub] State Bill on Homeschooling Update Friday April 17th

 

Yikes.  Any suggestions on fighting this?

On Fri, Apr 17, 2015 at 2:58 PM, Jennifer sevensieks@yahoo.com [homeschoolhub] <homeschoolhub@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
 

Here's the latest:

It has come to our attention that some political leaders are aggressively planning to attack the home school freedoms we currently enjoy. The attack is based on an unfortunate occurrence in Detroit incorrectly linked with the home schooling community. This morning at 9 AM Rep Chang and Al Williams introduced legislation that will possibly put home education at risk of ending as we know it. The legislation proposed will include the following points:

1. Register

2. two home visits

3. Pay a certified teacher to review our records every two years

4. Submit to Standardized testing

5. Submit curriculum for state approval

6. Parental accreditation. High School diploma or GED will be required.

7. Failure to comply will result in probation

8. A second year of non-compliance will result in a non-exemption status to home school. That family will be forced to send their children to traditional schools



Stephanie Chang believes her role is  "to bring Michigan in line with other states regarding common sense, reasonable and honestly quite minimal requirements."

Jennifer Siek


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[homeschoolhub] State Bill on Homeschooling Update Friday April 17th

 

Here's the latest:

It has come to our attention that some political leaders are aggressively planning to attack the home school freedoms we currently enjoy. The attack is based on an unfortunate occurrence in Detroit incorrectly linked with the home schooling community. This morning at 9 AM Rep Chang and Al Williams introduced legislation that will possibly put home education at risk of ending as we know it. The legislation proposed will include the following points:

1. Register

2. two home visits

3. Pay a certified teacher to review our records every two years

4. Submit to Standardized testing

5. Submit curriculum for state approval

6. Parental accreditation. High School diploma or GED will be required.

7. Failure to comply will result in probation

8. A second year of non-compliance will result in a non-exemption status to home school. That family will be forced to send their children to traditional schools



Stephanie Chang believes her role is  "to bring Michigan in line with other states regarding common sense, reasonable and honestly quite minimal requirements."

Jennifer Siek

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[homeschoolhub] File - Important Info

 


This post will go out each month as a reminder. Just delete it once you have it memorized. :-)

First, you can access the website at hshub.org. It is FULL of info on local groups, homeschooling, contests, scholarships, how to make your own free/nearly free individualized curriculum, fun youtube videos, etc. If you haven't been there in a while, check it out! New homeschoolers might especially find this article useful: http://hshub.org/New_to_Homeschooling_.html

Second, if you haven't signed up for the weekly email newsletter, YOU ARE MISSING OUT! It is full of events, field trips, activities, scholarships, volunteer opportunities, etc. for families. To sign up, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HUBnewsletter/ OR send an email to the following address: HUBnewsletter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Third, the Homeschool HUB is a volunteer organization. We need local homeschool support to continue to function. Please consider helping out. You can serve on the board, teach a class, organize a play group, organize a field trip, teach a one-night workshop (on anything--cooking pizza, using Prezi or MS Word, painting, martial arts, dog breeds, Chinese culture...), throw a party, host a Shakespeare club, give a talk, or anything else you can think of. If you're interested in something, chances are another homeschooler will be, too.

Thank you!

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