There's an updated Co-op Room Assignments posted under documents.  Study Hall will now be in B06 on both Tuesdays and Social Studies, ASL II and Spanish 1B will be in B04 on Thursdays.

If you have any questions or concerns re. the room assignments, please let me know.

Susan

The Newseum in Washington, DC, is offering kids free admission now through Sept. 6. (Normally kids are $13 each. Up to ten kids can get in with each paying adult!) It is located at 555 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, and the website is newseum.org. The Merryman family expected to spend 2-3 hours there and ended up staying for 6 hours! We would recommend it for ages 10 and up.

Adfontes Academy now has some classes opened for homeschoolers.  If you want the flyer and application - let me know and I will forward it to you by e-mail.  This is from them.....

This year we are excited to provide home school student opportunities at Ad Fontes Academy, an accredited K-12 classical Christian school in Centreville.  I have attached a flyer and application for enrollment in athletics, electives, clubs and classes for Grades 6-12.  We are looking to provide some K-5 opportunities in the future.  We invite you to share this with anyone who might have an interest.

One special note:  Ad Fontes has been blessed to win the state Mock Trial championship the last two years.  We do expect to have some openings on our team this year, and we encourage home school students to try out.

 For more detailed questions on our programs, please contact Al Popp, Upper School Principal at 571-345-475 or at apopp(at)adfontes(dot)com.

MS Kings,

Fall practice begins the week of September 20. We will practice Mondays, 6-7:30pm at Frost Intermediate and Wednesdays, 6-7:30pm at Fairview Elem. Our first game is Dec. 1.The full schedule is at http://www.fhs-aa.org/fhsevents/ulist.php?league=2010BBBM&events=

I understand that some of you are playing soccer or football now and that those schedules will conflict with basketball practice. Just email me your conflicts and we'll work around them.

Coach Ipsan
703-675-3375 (c)

John Jenkins 11:00 a.m. class, British Literature, has changed to American Literature. Full description of his classes can be found at www.reconciliation.com.

 John Jenkins Writing Classes Still Open for Enrollment. Please contact Patricia Jones for registration and further information if you are interested. These are the three classes being offered to Sovereign Grace Homeschoolers every Tuesday morning, September - May.

Introduction to Effective Writing - 8:30 - 9:30 - This is a basic course recommended for young Jr. High (grades 6-8) students who will learn how to take notes, research, paraphrase and organize information,write effective sentences, paragraphs and, ultimately, complete essays.

Effective Writing - 9:30 - 10:30 - In this course Sr. High students will further develop how to write and communicate effectively, including a focus on avoiding plagiarism and documenting sources, preparing for timed SAT writing essays, and writing critically for literature.

Exploring British Literature - 11:00 - 12:15 - This Sr. High course will help students understand the usage of literary devices, analyze and write on various pieces of British Literature such as Gulliver's Travels, Frankenstein, Beowulf and other short stories including poetry. In class students will discuss and present their critical thinking short and long answers.

(This 11:00 class has now been changed to American Literature.  See www.reconciliation.com for details.)

The room assignments for this year's Co-op are now posted under documents.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  Thanks.

 From Carol Marriott - "This is a wonderful running team for homeschoolers. Megan has participated with the team for several seasons and has greatly enjoyed the leadership of David and Robin Fouse."

Running: Cross country - (Springfield) - Join Spire Running (formally AYRC) in our 5th season of running. This cross country team is open for all junior high and high school homeschool students. Practices are held on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons (4:30 PM - 6:00 PM) at Harvester Presbyterian Church on Rolling Rd. as well as on Saturday mornings at Lake Accotink. We compete at meets held throughout the area. The season begins the end of August and runs through mid-November. Cost: $150 for the entire program. For more information and registration contact Robin - fousefam007(at)aol(dot)com.

Dear Homeschooling Families,

Two homeschooling deadlines are here:

August 1st – Proof of academic progress
August 15th – Intent to homeschool

PROOF OF ACADEMIC PROGRESS:

This is a reminder that the Virginia home education statute requires that you send proof of academic progress to your school district not later than August 1, of the completed academic year.  This can be an independent educational evaluation, portfolio or standardized test scores. This requirement does NOT apply if you have religious exemption, a certified tutor, or your child was not six years old on September 30, of the completed academic year.

In Fairfax County, you can send this proof of progress to:

Home Instruction
Fairfax County School Administration Center
8115 Gatehouse Road, Suite 4700
Falls Church, VA 22042
Phone: 571-423-4460
Fax: 571-423-4407

INTENT TO HOME-SCHOOL:

August 15th is the deadline to notify the county of your intent to homeschool. Below is the wording (and link) from FCPS's website. On this site you will find a PDF document you can download to make notification a bit easier. This also does not apply if you have religious exemption.

ANNUAL NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENT

Documents (All):
1. Notification by parent or guardian of intent to provide home instruction. (There is a form available on the website that may be used for this purpose.)
2. Evidence of meeting one of the four qualifications described on the website.
3. Curriculum description to be followed during the school year.
4. Upon request by the Division Superintendent evidence of immunizations, medical contraindication certified by a licensed physician, or affidavit attesting that the administration of immunizing agents conflicts with religious tenets or practices.

Time:
1. By August 15 prior to the school year in which the child will receive home instruction.
2. A parent or guardian who moves into Fairfax County or who begins home instruction after the school year has begun, shall provide notification as soon as practicable and comply with all notification requirements within thirty days.

Location:
Home Instruction
Fairfax County School Administration Center
8115 Gatehouse Road, Suite 4700
Falls Church, VA 22042
Fax: 571-423-4447

http://www.fcps.edu/dss/osp/StudentRegistration/homeinstruction/index.htm

If you still need an educational evaluation of the completed academic yearfor this reporting requirement, or if you desire an independent assessment of your child(ren) for any other purpose: grade level determination, curriculum selection, assessment of learning styles, teaching strategies, youmay contact Bob "Coach" Lamons who has been providing this service to home educating families throughout Virginia for more than 20 years. You can contact him at plamons (at) cox (dot) net

If you have any questions on any of this, feel free to contact me (Susan Thorson). Thanks!
As always, HSLDA is a wonderful resource as well to get answers or clarification

http://www.hslda.org/Default.asp?bhcp=1

Thanks to Cherie Sullivan and Laura Briggs, the Thursday morning soccer times have been (and continue to be) a great success this summer.  (A little hot - but still great.)  There are 5 more and will wrap up on August 26th.  In the past, we have celebrated our last time together with lemonade and snacks. Laura plans to make lemonade on the 26th of August and whoever wants to can bring a snack to share.