Volume 13 Issue 1 March 2013 - hems-ns.cahems-ns.ca/hems/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/march.pdf · You will learn how to help your student evaluate statements, look for hidden assumptions,

...the truth is mothers - and fathers - exert far more influence over their children's intellectual development than is commonly realised. In fact,

more than three decades of research shows that families have greater in-fluence over a child's academic performance than

any other factor - including schools.

Family Research Council, The One-House Schoolroom

(Sept 1995 issue of Family Policy)

In everything, set them an example by

doing what is good.

Titus 2:7

What’s Next with the AG Report? After the initial response to the Auditor General’s Re-port, it may seem that there has been a bit of a lull in the action. In fact, as suggested at the public meetings in Novem-ber, members of the Home Education: Call to Action Coalition, have requested a meeting with the Minister of Education to follow up on her commitment to work in consultation with the Home Education Com-munity. On February 14th, the Min-ister responded to our re-quest, denying our initia-tive to meet stating, “I will be in a position to make recommendations on the matter to my government colleagues, and I would prefer to do so after exten-sive public consultation”. Since she will not meet with homeschoolers, we

are asking the question, “What public?” After many media pledges for consultation with the Home Education Commu-nity, we are concerned that the Minister is refusing to meet with us. In her response, Minister Jennex informed us of an internal committee she has formed and advised us that we were welcome to re-quest a meeting with them if we thought it might be useful. More than two months af-ter the initial contact, the Regional Education Offi-cer contacted HEMS and briefly discussed his re-search and work to date. We are looking forward to having the opportunity to meet with Dr. Lowe and the Department of Educa-tion Committee along with other home educators from

around the province. As part of the effort to raise awareness, Stephanie Jack-son and Odin Ortiz made a presentation to the Liberal Caucus on Wednesday 21 March. The Caucus was both encouraging and sup-portive and the overwhelm-ing response was that homeschoolers are doing an outstanding job and they believe that we should be allowed to continue with-out government interfer-ence. You can help make this happen by contacting your MLA and building a relationship now so that if the Minister of Education raises the issue in the house we will be well prepared to defend our right to homeschool without exces-sive government regula-tion. To find contact infor-mation for your MLA see page 17 of this newsletter.

HEMS Spring Conference

2

Spring Swimming Lessons

12

Curriculum Night 14

MLA Letter 17

HEMS Response to the AG Report

18

HEMS Spring Calendar

24

Join the Team 25

Inside this issue:

HEMS Ministries

March 2013 Volume 13 Issue 1

Page 2 HEMS Ministries

HEMS Conference & Resource Fair

June 14-15, 2013 Stone Ridge Fellowship

85 Temple Terrace, Lower Sackville

Keynote Speaker:

Dr. Jay Wile Author of:

Exploring Creation with General Science (middle school) Exploring Creation with Physical Science (middle school) Exploring Creation with Biology (high school) Exploring Creation with Chemistry (high school) Exploring Creation with Physics (high school) The Human Body (high school) Advanced Chemistry in Creation (high school) Advanced Physics in Creation (high school) Reasonable Faith (general-interest apologetics book)

$35/family


Schedule

Friday 7-7:15 Welcome to HEMS 2013 Jeff Jackson 7:15-8 Be Open Minded, But Don’t Let Your Brain Fall Out Dr. Jay Wile 8-8:45 Home Education in Canada Paul Faris

Saturday 8:45—9 Welcome to HEMS 2013 Jeff Jackson 9—9:45 Keynote: Homeschooling: Why Does it Work? Dr. Jay Wile 9:45—10 What’s up in Nova Scotia Paul Faris 10:15—11 a) Why Homeschool Highschool? Dr. Jay Wile b) Getting Started Kristen Habermehl c) Special Needs Open Forum Sara Moginot 11:15—12 a) Teaching Critical Thinking Dr. Jay Wile b) Registering & Reporting Merriam Nixon c) Post-secondary Panel Representatives 12-1 BBQ lunch available 1:15—2 Home Education in Nova Scotia Stephanie Jackson Paul Faris HSLDA 2:15—3 a) What About K-6 Science Dr. Jay Wile b) Sensational Social Studies Stephen Michels c) Youth Missions Gospel for Asia 3:15—4 a) Teaching Jr/Sr High Science Dr. Jay Wile b) Making Math Fun Sarah Eastwood c) Holistic Learning Kenton Sefcik


Dr. Jay’s Workshops

WHY HOMESCHOOL THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL Homeschooling parents are often faced with a difficult decision when their children reach high school age. Typically, the parents feel they are not able to teach the more demanding courses that are required at the high school level. As a result, many parents feel that they must send their children to school for a proper high school education. In this seminar, Dr. Wile, a former teacher at both the uni-versity and high school levels, will explain why such a decision is not in the best interest of the stu-dent.

Using data gathered from many different sources, including his own experiences, Dr. Wile dem-onstrates that homeschooled students are better academically prepared and better socialized than their publicly- or privately-schooled counterparts. These facts allow Dr. Wile to make a compelling case that the best thing for a homeschooled student is to stay in homeschool, regardless of the par-ent’s academic abilities.

“TEACHING” THE JUNIOR HIGH & HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCES AT HOME In this seminar, Dr. Wile explains how any parent can help his or her children learn science at the upper levels. As a former University teacher and a former high school teacher, Dr. Wile is a staunch advocate of homeschooling a student all the way through the high school years. He agrees that most parents do not have the ability to teach the high school sciences at home, but he also contends that this is not a problem. By the time a homeschooled student reaches high school, he or she should have the ability to learn independently or with the help of another. Thus, Dr. Wile admonishes the par-ent to learn the subject right along with the student. With both the parent and the student helping each other learn, an upper level science experience can be equally rewarding for both!

In order to help the homeschooling parent plan his or her science curriculum, Dr. Wile provides study timelines for both the science-oriented and the non-science-oriented student. In addition, he discusses the mathematical skills needed in order to maintain the proposed timeline.

WHAT ABOUT K-6 SCIENCE? Homeschooling parents are faced with a dizzying array of choices when it comes to teaching sci-ence at

the elementary level. In this seminar, Dr. Wile, a former teacher at both the high school and university levels, helps parents make sense of it all. He discusses the two major approaches to teaching the sci-ences, giving the strengths and weaknesses of each. He then surveys the major curriculum choices available to homeschoolers in order to help parents focus on what will work for their children.

TEACHING CRITICAL THINKING One of the biggest failures of our public and private school systems is that they do not teach stu-dents how to think critically. In this seminar, Dr. Wile gives you specific suggestions as to how you can teach your child to think critically, regardless of the subject matter. You will learn how to help your student evaluate statements, look for hidden assumptions, find political/social agendas, and dis-cover faulty logic. Although Dr. Wile’s area of interest is science, he will show you how critical think-ing applies to all academic areas, as well as all facets of your life.

Contact Dr. Wile at [email protected] or 765-228-3697 A selection of audio samples of Dr. Wile’s seminars can be found at www.drwile.com


Workshop Descriptions

Kristen Habermehl—Getting Started Kristen’s gentle and encouraging manner welcomes everyone as they seek to embark on the homeschooling journey. Learn about choosing curriculum, scheduling, working with a large family, days of struggle and days that make everything worth the effort. This is a Do Not Miss for anyone considering homeschool-ing.

Paul Faris-HSLDA As President and Senior Legal Counsel of HSLDA Canada, Paul offers knowledable and practical advice on the state of home education across Canada as well as specific counsel on the political relationship with homeschoolers in Nova Scotia. An HSLDA membership (discounted through HEMS) means that if your family has legal trouble with the Department of Education you have a legal support system at the ready.

Sara Moginot—Special Needs Open Forum Do you ever feel like you’re the only one? Like you just can’t get the support you need? Like you are not enough for the needs of your child? Join Sara (founder of a Special Needs Sup-port Group for homeschoolers) for an open discussion time of problem solving and resource sharing. This is not about labeling our children, but about providing them with the best resources available to meet their needs.

Merriam Nixon—Registering & Reporting “What am I supposed to put on the forms?” “How long should my re-port be?” “Should I register at all?” Merriam will walk you through the process; addressing what is mandatory, what is requested and what is absolutely necessary. Why is it necessary to register at all? Merriam will share with you the process and some tips on how to keep things simple while still fulfilling the demands of the Education Act.

Post-Secondary Panel Last year, there were several requests to have the Post-Secondary representatives avail-able for a general question & answer time. Here it is! Ask whatever you want of the school of your choice and hear what other schools have to offer at the same time.

Stephanie Jackson—Home Education in Nova Scotia From the release of the Auditor General’s Report to the state of the response, Stephanie will share what has been going on with the government, what that means for homeschoolers in Nova Scotia and what we can be doing to safeguard our right to direct the education of our children. Paul Faris (HSLDA) will be joining Stephanie to help address any legal issues. This session is important for the whole prov-ince.

Stephen Michels—Sensational Social Studies Swords and skulls, ribbons and raiment; let Stephen make the realm of social studies come alive for your homeschool. His lighthearted interactive approach will leave you de-lighted and enthusiastic to journey through time and embrace history in a way that no paper timeline ever could.

Gospel For Asia—Youth Missions Working with those impoverished and without hope, Gospel for Asia is striving to lead youth to get involved and make a difference. Stretch beyond the comfort zone and see if there is an opportunity here for your fam-ily.

Sarah Eastwood—Making Math Fun Why does math have to be hard? It doesn’t! Sarah has years of experience as a math teacher as well as a homeshooler and has a passion for making math fun. Whether your child is a math whiz or struggles with the fundamentals, Sarah is sure to have insight and strategies to motivate everyone to success in math.

Kenton Sefcik—Holistic Learning Mind, body and soul: each aspect of ourselves is integral to our success. Kenton will explore the well rounded approach to maximizing your health, wellness and a dynamic balance to pro-vide the optimum learning and life experience for your family.


Hungry for lunch?

Visit Zac on conference day & for only $5 get a

burger, drink & bag of chips.

There will be a limited number of veggie burgers available. Cost is $6 for the veggie

burger meal.


Books piling up around you?

Looking for a deal on next year’s curriculum?

Join us for our annual

Second Hand Sale at the

HEMS Spring Conference and Resource Fair Friday and Saturday, June 14th and 15th, 2013

New this year: Central location with lots of space!

The second hand sale area will be available both days!

Tables are still only $10 for a full table and $5 for a half table.


Come join us at the

2013 HEMS Spring Conference and Resource Fair Friday and Saturday, June 14th and 15th

New this year!

Moms, do you have a busi-ness on the side that you are looking for a way to adver-tise or make connections for

bartering or trading with others?

Set up a table at the fair and make lots of connections!

Youth, let your imaginations

run wild this year!

Try your hand at busking. Maybe you play an instru-

ment, or are you learning to juggle, show us what you can do!

Prefer more traditional selling?

We have plenty of tables to display your creations!

Please contact Krista Ortiz at [email protected]

to book your space by May 18, 2013.

Tables are still just $10 for a full table or $5 for a half table.

Buskers will be assigned a time and space for their shows.

Busking spaces are limited, so register early!

Attention all Youth Entrepreneurs and Mom-preneurs!



Welcome to Tree of Life School and Book Service At Tree of Life School and Book Service we have been meeting the educational needs of home schooling families since 1994. Our staff carefully plans and monitors courses of study individual-ized to your family situation as well as providing quality products to support your home education needs. Currently serving over 300 students and thousands of book service customers across Canada and around the world, Tree of Life has been an Affiliate Member of the Association of Classical and Christian Schools since 1997. You are invited to browse our website http://www.treeoflifeathome.com/ and contact us if you have any questions or comments about our curriculum or products.


http://www.homeschoolandmore.ca HomeSchool and More is a home-based family business devoted to supplying curriculum, novels and resources to the home educa-tor community. HomeSchool and More has developed a reputation as a dependable and knowledgeable homeschool supplier. While we provide curriculum and books, we specialize in offering en-couragement and support and providing assistance to families in finding programs and products that best suit their specific needs.

Do you have a

favourite vendor?

Let us know

and we’ll make sure to send them an invitation to

our 2014 conference.

contactus

@hems-ns.ca


Swimming Lessons At the Sportsplex

The time has come to start thinking about spring swimming lessons. I know it is early but don't panic! I'm just giving you a heads up. Levels available: Sportsplex Preschool: ages 3-5 / 30 minute classes Aquatot B1 Aquatot B2 Aquatot B3 Red Cross Learn to Swim: ages 5+ / 30 minute classes Swim Kids 1 Swim Kids 2 Swim Kids 3 Swim Kids 4 Swim Kids 5 Swim Kids 6 Swim Kids 7 Swim Kids 8 Swim Kids 9 Swim Kids 10 Lifesaving Society Swim Patrol: ability to swim (recommended for after Swim Kids 10 or older beginners) / 30-45 minute classes depending on scheduling Rookie Patrol Ranger Patrol Star Patrol Lifesaving Society Bronze Program: Bronze Star - minimum 12 years old Bronze Medallion - minimum 13 years old or Bronze Star / 20 hours (2/week) Bronze Cross - minimum 13 years old and Bronze Cross / 20 hours (2/week) ***In the past, we have offered Medallion and Cross over two terms. This time, it will be completed in the 10 week session (1 term) - hence the price difference below. Red Cross Leadership: Assistant Water Safety Instructor (AWSI) - minimum 15 years old (Bronze Cross is recommended) / 19 hours (2/week) + 8 additional hours of practice teaching (minimum of 5 candidates to run course) Water Safety Instructor (WSI) - 15 years old + AWSI + Bronze Cross / 19 hours (2/week) + 12 additional hours of practice teaching (minimum of 5 candidates to run course) ***Practice teaching can be completed on Friday mornings with our homeschool classes. Lifesaving Society Leadership: National Lifeguard Service (NLS) - 16 years old, Bronze Cross (need not be current), and current Standard First Aid Certification OR another NLS option (need not be current) / 40 hours (4/week)

Registration Deadline: March 29th, 2013

http://hems-ns.ca/content/hems-swimming-registration I know that was a lot of information, thanks for slogging through it all. I look forward to seeing you in the upcoming term.

Registration is available on a first come, first served basis and is open to all homeschool families. You can

register on the website using Paypal or you can email me and pay by cash or cheque.

Be sure to not miss out!

Volume 13 Issue 1 Page 13

***Bronze Star through NLS will be offered only as there is sufficient registration. That means, if you want in, you HAVE to let me know. Waiting until the last minute to see if the program is going to run will probably result in me not being able to retain the necessary instructors. These higher levels require specialized instructors so I need time to get them on board. For more information on the leadership programs, please visit: http://lifesaving.ca/main.php?lang=english&cat=programs http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=32250&tid=001 If you are interested in the leadership programs, it may be helpful to include a second choice in your regis-tration. That may open the opportunity to run a program this term and your first choice next term.

So, now to the nitty gritty...

Dates: April 5—June 7, 2013 Times: will be allocated as I receive registration and emailed to participating families Costs:

Aquatot - Swim Kids 10 $60/swimmer Star Patrol - Bronze Star $65/swimmer Bronze Medallion $110 Bronze Cross $100 AWSI - $130/candidate WSI - $/candidate NLS - $/candidate

12th Annual Science, Art & Technology Fair

efforts are recognized with a certifi-cate and often a small reward of some type.

Projects span the spectrum and in 12 years we have never had two the same! Get inspired and be creative.

The rules: do it yourself, do your best, projects should fit in approximately

March 9th, 9:30 am—1 pm

Bedford Institute of Oceanography

Open to one and all, the HEMS Annual Science, Art & Tech-nology Fair is a great opportunity for students to showcase some of their achievements.

The fair is non-competitive! We do bring someone in to speak with each child and give them feed-back on their work but there are no place prizes awarded. Children’s

3 feet (on or off table). You need to bring your own power cords and there is no internet available. Please remember that although eve-ryone is welcome, we are a Chris-tian group and ask that you refrain from projects that would lead to Biblical controversy...this day is about the children.

Cost is $5/child and families are asked to bring a snack to share after reviewing is complete. Regis-ter by emailing contactus@hems-ns.


Curriculum Night Ever feel overwhelmed by all of the choices available for your homeschool? Join veteran homeschool families as they share some of their favourite resources and participate in a great information sharing round table. What worked? What didn’t? Why? How much? If you are starting out, starting a new phase or simply looking to enhance your homeschool, this night is for you! May 7, 2013 7-9 pm Lake Echo Fellowship Church, Mineville

FREE

Have fun! Connect with a friend. Join swimming lessons. Invite a family over. Co-op a subject or a

project. Participate in field trips or science fairs or conferences.

Check out the HEMS website to find a support group in your area. There are lots of homeschoolers in Nova

Scotia. You are not doing this alone!

http://hems-ns.ca/nova-scotia-support-groups/#


Are you looking for a source to buy quality organic flours and grains in bulk? Speerville Flour Mills offers these and more.

Located in New Brunswick, they have a huge selection of

flours, grains, pastas, sprouting seeds, mixes, dried fruits, seeds, and more!

Sprouts Co-op has been ordering in bulk from Speerville Flour Mills for over a year now;

it is free to join and all are welcome!

If you are interested in learning more about Speerville or placing an order with the Co-op,

just drop Krista Ortiz an email at [email protected]

to be added to our email list and receive their latest product and price list.

Product Review With conference fast approaching, many minds are starting to plan and budget for

next year’s curriculum shopping list.

With almost 200 families in HEMS, let’s help each other out! If you have a favourite—or not favourite—resource, could you please write a review?

Math, English, French, Science, History, Geography, Bible, Latin, Fine Arts

Having the insight of someone who has already used the program is a great way to decide if it is right for your family. Discover the strengths and weakness of those things on your wish list and get a jump

start on choosing your materials for next year.

You can choose to not have your last name included in the published review—just let us know. We will be sharing the reviews on the website and in the pre-conference newsletter.

Please send all reviews to [email protected]

Your work could be seen here too!

Contact Your MLAs

“Home Education is successful because of its capacity to provide individualization. This is why we oppose

excessive regulation: it suppresses the very element that is responsive for much of its success.”

Paul Faris, HSLDA

One of the best ways for homeschoolers to have input on the way they can homeschool in Nova Scotia is for them to build relationships with their MLAs. Let them know that you are in their constituency. Let them know that you homeschool and that your family is doing great. Let them know that you are paying attention to what is going on. If and when the time comes that the Home Education Community is in the position of not being on the same page as the Ministry of Education, those relationships with the MLAs will make all the difference. Please take 10 minutes, between now and early Janu-ary, to visit your MLA. Be friendly, be positive. You don’t have to ask for anything...just get to know them and let them get to know you. Once the doors of communication are open, it will be much easier, and more effective, to lobby their sup-port for home education in Nova Scotia Once you’ve had your meeting, please, let us know how it went. Our goal is for every MLA to be visited at least once before the middle of January.

To find your MLA, visit http://nslegislature.ca/index.php/people/members/



Sample Letter to MLAs… Please feel free to modify for your own use.

Your address MLA's address date Attention: MLA name (underlined) Regarding: Auditor General's Report as it pertains to Home Education As you know, in November 2012, the Auditor General released a report making numerous recommendations on the management of homeschooling. His recommendations reflected his perception of the Department of Education's oversight of record keeping. Unfortunately, if applied, his recommendations would defeat the very tenants that make home education so successful; the ability to customize individual learning plans to specifically meet every child's needs. Shortly after the release of the Auditor General's Report, the Minister of Education, in an interview with Jordi Morgan on News 95.7, pledged to work along with “our homeschooling families. We need to be very supportive of families who have chosen to homeschool.” Minister Jennex assured that the Department of Education would “not be imposing any changes on homeschooling families” and that her Department wanted to “work with homeschooling families”. In her response to the the Auditor General's Report, Minister Jennex affirmed that the Department of Education “would not take any action without working with the homeschool community...anything we do, we are going to be working through, developing a strategy together”, “working totally in consultation and collaboration with our homeschool families”. Minister Jennex stated that she, “didn't want parents to be fearful of what they [the Department of Education] were doing because they were going to be doing this together to make sure our children are receiving a very high quality education”. The Minister asserted that working with the homeschooling community, “we can maintain the rights and privileges that our parents have to homeschool their children”. We would like to hold the Minister to her promises and work with her to ensure that the overwhelming success of homeschooling is not diminished by unnecessary government interference. As an elected MLA, we are asking for your support in maintaining the high calibur of education afforded to homeschoolers by choosing to oppose adding more oversight, regulations and restrictions on how home educating families operate in Nova Scotia. To read our specific response to the Auditor General’s report, please visit http://hems-ns.ca/hems-response-to-auditor-generals-report/ Sincerely, Home Educator


HEMS Official Response to the Auditor General’s Report

Detailed response to AG Report: In November 2012, the Auditor General's Report addressed the Department of Education and its role in homeschooling. Since the release of the report, representatives from HEMS, NSHEA (the other provincial support group), regional representatives from the North Shore, Cape Breton, HRM, South Shore, Eastern Shore, special interest representatives for special needs, French, Christian and secular homeschooling have been in communication to develop a response to the Auditor's recommendations. Although not all of those representatives are part of HEMS, we all agree that there are issues with the Auditor's recommendations that could destroy the effectiveness of home education and seriously threaten the rights of parents and the rights of privacy. Following are HEMS’ specific responses to each of the Auditor General's recommendations: 2.1 The Department of Education should establish clear and measurable learning objectives and outcomes for the homeschooling program. In order for the Department of Education to implement learning objectives for the homeschooling program, it must be understood that families who choose to homeschool are interested in following the public school curriculum. For many families, the choice to homeschool is, at least in part, motivated by a desire to provide their children with an alternative to what is being offered in the public school system. By mandating what homeschooled children learn and when, the parents’ rights to determine the education of their children are overrun. There are many families who do not want their children exposed to some of the materials presented in the public schools, and many children who do not correspond with the timeline of the public school's learning outcomes. By mandating learning outcomes, children are restricted to learning only certain things at certain times. This sets a struggling child up for failure and prevents an excelling child from moving forward in an area where they are motivated to learn. Unlike 30 years ago, there is a plethora of homeschooling and independent learning material available. Each of these programs has a scope and sequence and by allowing parents to choose the materials that best meet the needs of each student, their individual learning requirements are being specifically addressed. On the Department of Education Homeschooling registration form (Appendix A), there is a section that queries if the program being used is commercially available or being developed by the parent. This is the opportunity for the Department of Education to evaluate the learning outcomes and is much more practical and effective than trying to force everyone to be learning the same thing at the same time. As evidenced in the public school system's individual learning plans, children do not all learn at the same rate and by providing a tailored learning plan, each child has the greatest opportunity to reach their learning potential. 2.2 The Department of Education should require periodic, independent assessment of home schooled children against learning objectives and outcomes.


The first issue with this recommendation is the definition of assessment. Is an assessment a test? At what level do you begin testing children? Is testing a realistic evaluation of a child's progress? What about projects or portfolios? According to the Ethical and Fair Testing Protocol of Canada, tests are not appropriate if the taker has not been provided the information. Depending on where a home educated child is in their learning journey they may or may not have studied what the AG would deem the appropriate material for a test. The second issue is, unless the Department of Education institutes mandatory learning outcomes, how will these assessments be developed? For example, our children use a math program based on mastery instead of the traditional spiral approach. This program is available internationally and has won a variety of awards for its comprehensive approach and effectiveness. Unlike traditional math programs that introduce a new topic every few weeks and then move on with the plan to review and revisit in subsequent years (the spiral approach this program has been developed on the premise that mastery is the most effective way to learn. Each level is topic focused with a review of what has been done before. For example, the first book focuses on number/pattern familiarization and counting. The next book, basic adding and subtracting; the next, regrouping; then, multiplication, division; fractions; decimals & percents. The higher levels include Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Pre-Calculus and Calculus. There is also a Consumer math, entitled Stewardship, available. Using this program, each child is receiving all of the foundational instruction required for success in math. If a student were to be evaluated using public school standards, it is conceivable that they would do very poorly. Not because they do not understand the information but because the information is presented in a different sequence than the public school program and thus not suited to the public school test. 2.3 The Department of Education should revise its homeschooling material to provide clear information and guidance to parents on how to outline the program plan and the type of information to provide, including examples of the child's work, in the yearly progress report. There are parents who are curious as to how the Department of Education outlines its scope and sequence. Providing this information online as reference material would certainly not be an issue with the homeschooling community. As stated previously, requiring homeschoolers to adhere to it would be the is-sue. The Auditor General, in section 2.23, expressed concern that the Regional Education staff would be unable to determine the “appropriateness” of the learning outcomes for homeschool programs. If the programs are commercially available, the learning outcomes can easily be identified. If the program is developed by the parent, it is reasonable that the parent would provide the learning goals for the child based on each child's particular progress. It is also important to note that the Nova Scotia Education Act (Appendix C) does not require samples of work to be submitted. Correspondingly, samples are not requested on the Department of Education Report Form (Appendix B). In the public school setting, at the end of the year, each child does not submit a portfolio of their work to the Department of Education.

An education isn't how much

you have committed to

memory, or even how much you know. It's being

able to differentiate

between what you know and

what you don't. - Anatole France


It is the responsibility of the teacher to evaluate the child's work and progress throughout the year. It is inappropriate that the Department of Education would require more from a homeschooling family than they require within their own system. 2.4 The Department of Education should assess the programs proposed by parents to determine if they are designed to achieve appropriate learning objectives and outcomes for homeschooled children. The difficulty with this recommendation is the word “appropriate”. An appropriate learning plan is one that meets a learner's specific needs, addressing areas that need development and providing opportunities for advancement and success. Homeschool parents are in the unique position of knowing their students better than anyone else and are thus best equipped to determine the most appropriate learning plan. It is important to note, that there is a segment of the homeschool community that practice what is commonly known as unschooling. This philosophy applies daily, practical real-life lessons with real literature, hands on science, work opportunities and maximizes the interests and inclinations of each student to help them achieve their education. Although this is not the style of education my family practices, I am acquainted with many who do with great success. Recommendation 2.5 The Department of Education should document its assessment of proposed home schooling programs in its files, through use of a checklist or other suitable form. On its face, this recommendation has merit. The homeschool community would be happy to assist the Department of Education in compiling a portfolio of material available. Having access to this information would allow the Regional Education Office to quickly reference materials that have proven successful. If materials with which the Department were unfamiliar were listed, the Department would have the opportunity to follow up with the family to address any concerns. It is of interest that the Auditor General refers so frequently to the necessity of assessment in his report. It is the policy in Nova Scotia for children to advance to the next grade, regardless of progress, in order to keep them with their peers. Promotion is not based on success but gauged by date of birth. It is only at the end of high school that a child is required to have achieved a minimum standard to receive a graduation certificate that public school assessment becomes an issue. 2.6 The Department of Education should obtain information on learning outcomes of homeschooled children to determine if they are making reasonable educational progress. As outlined in our response to 2.1-2.5, this information is available with commercially available programs and can be outlined by parents for individually developed plans. 2.7 The Department of Education should document in its files the assessment of the learning outcomes of homeschooled children. Any action taken as a result of the assessment should also be documented. Adding files to each student's portfolio is a reasonable course of action. Should there be any reason to follow up with a family, adding that information to the student's portfolio for future reference is also reasonable.


2.8 The Department of Education should track homeschool registration using its computerized database to determine which children are not registered for the current year and whether follow up is needed. No issue allowing that follow up means determining if the child has reached age 16, been registered for public or private school or has moved out of province. 2.9 The Department of Education should track receipt of progress reports using the computerized database to determine which children's progress reports have not been received and whether follow up is needed. No issue. 2.10 The Department of Education should verify whether children no longer registered for homeschooling are registered in the public school system. This recommendation has been addressed in section 2.8. 2.11 The Department of Education should track children leaving public school for homeschooling to ensure they are properly registered for homeschooling. This could easily be accomplished by sending the family the registration package. In section 2.39, the Auditor General suggested tracking children via their health records. This recommendation is totally unacceptable based on basic privacy rights. Considering that the Department of Education has no provision for special needs services for homeschooled children through the Department of Health and Wellness it is totally inappropriate to assume access to these records for the purpose of tracking. 2.12 The Department of Education should explore the possibility of establishing an information sharing protocol with the Department of Health and Wellness to enable tracking of all school aged children in the province to determine whether they are registered for school. As stated in 2.11, this is a totally unacceptable violation of privacy rights and at no level should be entertained as anything else. Conclusion: Based on his recommendations, it is obvious that the Auditor General is unfamiliar with the philosophy behind homeschooling. It is unfortunate that he failed to consult with those in the homeschool community to verify the practicality or appropriateness of his report. In speaking with Liberal Caucus Leader, Stephen McNeil, he commented that the Auditor General is responsible for governmental finances and by making recommenda-tions on how home education should be carried out, he was well outside the scope of his authority. These rec-ommendations are flawed and can only serve to hinder the outstanding, recorded success of home education without government interference.

Join me for a candid walk through the day by day of being a homeschool mum of five, wife,

daughter and friend. Share my journey through ministry and the life lessons of growing for the

Lord. Daily devotions addressing quirks, bloop-ers, trials and triumphs...it doesn’t get more real

than this.

What People are Saying... “Stephanie is obviously an experienced homeschooling mom who understands the trials and tribulations, the ups and downs, the blessings and the days when things seem impossible. Any mom who goes through this study will be blessed not just with Stephanie’s wisdom, but with the wisdom that only comes from getting a glimpse of God’s heart for moms.” Paul D. Faris President & Senior Legal Counsel HSLDA Canada ———————————- “The book you are holding in your hands is a true labour of love from one who loves the Lord and deeply desires to please Him. As Stephanie shares, we are pulled to her heart and encouraged on the journey. You will be blessed.” Kristen Habermehl Writer & speaker MomHeart Www.myheartathome.com

Order yours today for only $17.00. [email protected] Follow us on Facebook

www.facebook.com/hemslovethejourney


HEMS Ministries News

In today’s world, communication is faster and more inventive than ever—

tweets, text messages, email, cell phones, laptops, notebooks—you get the

point (we’ve come a long way from smoke signals and Morse code).

Connecting with family from any corner of the planet over the internet keeps us close in heart and

is cheaper than buying a plane ticket!

Here at home, we want to support families by staying connected with each other. We meet for fel-lowship and encouragement at many of our HEMS

sponsored events.

The HEMS newsletter enriches our support as we share our experiences…

the victories and the failures.

HEMS Ministries publication will reflect our Diverse community and to that end we invite you

to participate.

Please submit your articles, event

notices, poetry, favourite or worst

curriculum experiences, recipes, field

trips, etc. to:

[email protected].

All ideas & contributions are welcome!

HEMS Ministries

Newsletter Team

the newsletter

enriches our

support as we

share our

experiences...the

victories and the

failures.”



March 9 15 22 22-24 31

Science Fair Spring Break—NO Swimming Lessons Last day of Swimming Lessons (Winter term) IMPACT Youth Conference (Fredericton) Easter

April 5

1st day of Swimming Lessons

May 7 17-19

HEMS Curriculum Night Focus Youth Retreat (Charlottetown)

June 7 14-15 21

Last day of Swimming Lessons (Spring term) HEMS Spring Conference HEMS Picnic

Field trips and extra events will be added as they come up through the year. Please check in with the calendar on the website for up to date information.

Please remember that we are a family first and sometimes ‘life’ happens.

If we need to cancel or reschedule an event we will do our best to post that information as soon as possible.

Don’t miss out!

fee for these as we need to cover the costs of the events. We do charge a little bit extra to help cover the ongo-ing operational costs of the website, photocopying, printing, etc. I can as-sure you, your money is going back into HEMS and making it possible for us to continue to provide these events.

The HEMS family conference, held each October, is offered to everyone at no cost. We do thankfully accept any love offering you may feel led to give to defray unexpected or special ex-penses that HEMS incurs throughout the year. Please, if you are wondering

Volunteers make up the back bone of many organizations and HEMS is no different. We are surrounded by men and women, dads and mums and teens who offer up their time, talents, energy and resources so that HEMS can provide its various ministry out-reaches.

Whenever possible, we try to avoid charging for our events. Times are tight for many and if we can keep the bills at bay we try to do that. There are activities that demand payment, such as swimming lessons and the spring conference. We do charge a set

if there is a place for you to get in-volved, take a look at the list below. “Many hands make light work” as the saying goes, so even if you don’t see a job that interests you, if there is some-thing that you feel you could contrib-ute to your homeschooling community through HEMS get on board and get in-volved. Make some new friends and share the adven-ture!

What Makes it Work?

Our Team...

...Is There a Place Here For Your Name?

HEMS Spring Conference

Conference Coordinator: Stephanie Jackson Vendor Hall: Merriam Nixon Registration: Julie Laidlaw Used Curriculum: Krista Ortiz Audio Tech: Nicolas Oritz Speaker Coordinator: Stephanie & Jeff Jackson Lunch: Zachaeus Jackson Youth Entrepreneurs: Krista Ortiz Mom-preneur: Krista Ortiz Tables & Set Up: Roy & Astrid Monstur Database: Julie Laidlaw Donations: Door Prizes: Goodie Bags: Advertising: Sara Moginot Facility Rental: Janet-Lynn Yeomans Facility Reassembly: Roy & Astrid Monstur Announcements:

HEMS Facilitators: Jeff & Stephanie Jackson

Reading Club: Hannah Grace Jackson

Swimming Lessons: Stephanie Jackson

Website: Jeff Jackson

Used Curriculum: Krista Ortiz

Blog: Stephanie Jackson

Science Fair: Jeff & Stephanie Jackson

History Fair:

Field Trips:

HEMS Family Conference

Conference Coordinator: Jeff & Stephanie Jackson Registration: Julie Laidlaw Used Curriculum: Krista Ortiz AudioTech: Nicolas Oritz Workshop Coordinator: Stephanie & Jeff Jackson Lunch: Zachaeus Jackson Tables & Set Up: Database: Advertising: Signs: Facility Reassembly: Announcements:

Newsletter: Stephanie Jackson


Political Oversight: Jeff Jackson

6 Brian Andrew Street Lake Echo, Nova Scotia,

B3E 1M4

902-701-2410 [email protected]

Helping Encouraging Mentoring Serving

We believe that the greatest support available to homeschooling Mothers is found in having a personal re-lationship with the Lord Jesus Christ followed by the sup-port offered by the fathers of homeschooled children. The goal of HEMS is to provide homeschooling families with resources, encouragement and edification to help make homeschooling a positive experience; and one that fol-lows the Scriptural pattern for raising children for God. Although HEMS is a Christian group, we encourage all homeschoolers in the Halifax Regional Municipality and beyond, to participate in our activities and events. One of our hopes is to see more Dads involved at home and par-ticipating in supporting homeschooling in their communi-ties.

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

HEMS Ministries

www.hems-ns.ca


Check out our new website!

Stay tuned as it continues to grow with a curriculum swap board and online access to past audio workshops, newsletters and an interactive

calendar updating what is coming up with HEMS.

If there is something you would like to see on

our website, let us know and we’ll do our best to make it available.

You can also friend us on facebook

(HEMS Homeschooling ) for blog updates and highlights as well as invita-

tions to HEMS events.

Documents

Volume 13 Issue 1 March 2013 - hems-ns.cahems-ns.ca/hems/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/march.pdf · You will learn how to help your student evaluate statements, look for hidden assumptions,