Archive Notice:
This is an archived version of the emailed newsletter: “Updates!” All contact info has been deleted for privacy sake. If you need information on any of the events/items posted on this blog please email ccheupdates@gmail.com for further information.
Copper Country Home Educators
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INCH Announcement
Dear Fellow Home School Leaders,
By now you have probably heard that INCH founders Dennis and Roxanne Smith have decided to pass the baton of INCH leadership to us, Mike and Kim Winter, under the organizational helm of Citizens for Traditional Values. This email serves first of all to confirm that information, but also to do several other things:
1) To share with you a summary of a meeting that was held in Lansing on January 17th to formally announce the INCH leadership change.
2) To invite you to join us in Lansing on Friday morning, May 15, for a Leadership Summit with leaders from around the state! We will be sending more details about that soon, but would like you to mark it on your calendar and plan now to come. We will begin at 9:00 a.m. and continue until 1:30 p.m., when the Convention begins. The agenda includes state and national legislative updates, networking opportunities, an optional luncheon ($10/person), a legislator "Mix and Mingle" and much more.
3) To ask you to share the 2009 INCH Convention Registration packet (link to download @ www.inch.org ) with your support groups. Please forward the information to all homeschoolers you have contact with... and pray with us that the INCH website can be updated ASAP so that online registration and all other details are available there very soon.
SUMMARY OF INCH MEETING ON JANUARY 17, 2009
Dennis and Roxanne began, then carried, the INCH banner for twenty-five years, bringing together the home school community of Michigan. In that spirit of unity and desire to strengthen the Michigan home school community, an announcement of this transition was made in person to more than 20 home school leaders from around the state. These leaders represented such groups as HELM, HSB, MCH, HSMA, LIFE, CACHE, JAHE, FETCH, and CHESS, along with several ministries such as Citizens for Traditional Values and Wisdom's Gate publishers. It was a wonderful time of fellowship, acquaintance, and reacquaintance, as we met to discuss what the transition of INCH leadership would mean to the Michigan home schooling community.
After prayer and brief personal introductions, Dennis gave a history of INCH's origin, describing a political atmosphere in the early 1980's which was hostile to home schooling. James Muffet , founder and president of Citizens for Traditional Values, then shared how their organization has assumed legal "ownership" of INCH. He pointed out that though our current political climate is friendly to home schooling (due mostly to our current homeschool-friendly State Senate education committee Chairman), things could drastically change over the next few years, especially in 2010 when 17 of 21 Republican Senators will be out of office due to term limits. For this reason, among others, home schoolers in our state need to come together as a unified political force in order to preserve the freedom we have enjoyed and for which Dennis and Roxanne have worked so diligently these past twenty-five years.
The Winters then introduced themselves and shared the following information and vision for the future. First, our desire is to continue the work of building bridges between home schoolers all around the state, across geographical and denominational lines, among all who share in our traditional Biblical values and Christian worldview. Our hope is for a unified Michigan Christian home school community, while recognizing and retaining our many uniquenesses and diversities. Our goal is unity without uniformity. The key question that we desire to answer practically over the coming years, is how Michigan's Christian home school leaders can further bring the state together for communication, celebration, and educational networking purposes (i.e. the INCH convention), as well as for persuasion when necessary (i.e. among our political opponents and allies.)
Second, we want to continue to offer membership benefits to home schoolers on a state-wide level. We are asking the leaders in Michigan to help us brainstorm and let us know what we can offer as a state-wide organization to enhance and add to that which local support groups are already doing so well. What, to you, is the value of membership in INCH? We want to remain cutting edge in the delivery of value, both to leaders and to individual home school families in Michigan. A new membership package will be announced at this year's convention, and we would value your input as we work to pull that together and figure out exactly what that looks like. All ideas and suggestions are welcome.
Third, we discussed a new leadership structure for INCH. We are proposing five areas of emphasis, praying God will lead five couples to join us as part of a leadership team to move the INCH ministry forward. We seek to continue to build on the vision laid forth by the Smiths, focusing on family, faith, and freedom, and aptly articulated in 3 John 4, that we "know no greater joy than that our children are walking with the Lord."
As we endeavor to continue to grow INCH as an asset to God, we are looking to build in five strategic areas with five couples who will help shoulder the load. These areas are 1) the annual convention, 2) legislative/legal matters, 3) INCH membership, 4) distribution of home school information, and 5) networking support groups and leaders. An outstanding foundation has already been laid in all of these areas, and now we are looking to build higher and deeper as we continue to serve the home school community of Michigan. We know that it is imperative to bring that community closer together for political strength, academic and extra-curricular development, and spiritual encouragement.
Finally, we shared where we are currently with preparations for this year's 26th annual Home Education Convention, to be held May 15 & 16, here in Lansing. Using the theme of "Family, Faith, and Freedom," which Dennis and Roxanne identified as three fundamental areas key to healthy home schooling in Michigan, we have obtained keynote speakers to address each of those themes in our general sessions. The attached convention document gives you most of the details, and we hope that you will assist us in getting the word out about this year's convention to all the families in your sphere of influence.
Attempting to make the convention as 'family-friendly' and affordable as we can, we have a new pricing structure which offers a 'family rate.' There will be an on-site children's conference for kids ages 5 to 12, and many special workshops for teens. Hoping to offer overnight accommodations to fit tight budgets, we have obtained discounts at a number of different hotels and campgrounds, as well as setting up "host home" opportunities with Lansing-area home schooling families. In addition, we want to add a little something special at our closing session, hoping to inspire parents to persevere in their homeschooling- all the way through high school! We will be recognizing the home school graduating class of 2009 by providing an opportunity for this year's graduates to be honored. Of course the usual excellent vendors and many workshops will continue as we seek to encourage, equip, and inform the home school families of Michigan.
We are excited about the future of INCH! But we need your partnership as we go forward, seeking to fulfill God's calling and purpose by helping home schoolers throughout Michigan as they train the next generation to love and serve the Lord. We want to be your allies and partners in the work you do within your communities for the home school families you serve. We want to know how we can increase our value to you and assist you in your labors, as we work together to ensure our continued freedom to home educate in this great state.
Let us know your thoughts. Feel free to ask questions. And please pray for us during this transition time. Know that we are praying for you, too, thanking our God for all your faithful service.
Blessings,
(withheld for archive)
INCH Coordinators
(withheld for archive)
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Class Acts Events Still Open
There are 3 more Class Acts Events coming up this year and very few people signed up to attend. As homeschoolers, we compete with area schools for seats to these events each year and it would be a shame if we weren't able to use them. I have yet to be disappointed with the quality of these performances. Please try to make time in your schedule to attend if you have children in the indicated grades. The cost is only $1 per student (parents are free!) due the day of the performance. Sign up through me by phone at (withheld for archive)
We still have 15 seats available for:
MTU's Momentum Jazz (6th-8th grades)
Wednesday, March 4th at 1:00 p.m.
Everyone will have a rockin' good time at this fun, interactive session. You'll find out how these three great American styles of music are related, and what makes each style distinctive. Muddy Waters, Duke Ellington, Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix - if these names aren't familiar to you, they soon will be. Join the band, Momentum, for this presentation and find out all of the details and juicy tidbits. You do the math. Jazz + Blues = ROCK!
We still have 20 seats available for:
The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere (3rd-6th grades)
Monday, March 23rd at 1:00 p.m.
http://theatreworksusa.org/touring_productions.cfm
"One if by land, two if by sea..." Join Paul Revere on his landmark midnight ride to warn Americas of the British Redcoats' arrival in Boston - a humorous and inspirational musical about one of the most famous historical events of the Revolutionary War.
We still have 18 seats available for:
Max & Ruby (K-2nd grades)
Tuesday, April 14th at 1:00 p.m.
http://theatreworksusa.org/touring_productions.cfm
Big sisters have big responsibilities, especially when the little brother is a big troublemaker! Follow the escapades of bunny siblings Max and Ruby in this new musical inspired by Rosemary Wells' books and based on the popular television program on Nick Jr. and Noggin.
MTU's Momentum Jazz (6th-8th grades)
Wednesday, March 4th at 1:00 p.m.
Everyone will have a rockin' good time at this fun, interactive session. You'll find out how these three great American styles of music are related, and what makes each style distinctive. Muddy Waters, Duke Ellington, Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix - if these names aren't familiar to you, they soon will be. Join the band, Momentum, for this presentation and find out all of the details and juicy tidbits. You do the math. Jazz + Blues = ROCK!
We still have 20 seats available for:
The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere (3rd-6th grades)
Monday, March 23rd at 1:00 p.m.
http://theatreworksusa.org/touring_productions.cfm
"One if by land, two if by sea..." Join Paul Revere on his landmark midnight ride to warn Americas of the British Redcoats' arrival in Boston - a humorous and inspirational musical about one of the most famous historical events of the Revolutionary War.
We still have 18 seats available for:
Max & Ruby (K-2nd grades)
Tuesday, April 14th at 1:00 p.m.
http://theatreworksusa.org/touring_productions.cfm
Big sisters have big responsibilities, especially when the little brother is a big troublemaker! Follow the escapades of bunny siblings Max and Ruby in this new musical inspired by Rosemary Wells' books and based on the popular television program on Nick Jr. and Noggin.
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Cincinnati Homeschool Convention
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Application Deadline - March 2nd
Just a reminder that the National Rifle Association is currently taking applications from outstanding high school sophomores and juniors to participate in the 13th Annual Youth Education Summit July 6th-12th. Don't miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity!
Approximately 40 students are chosen to take part in this expense-paid, seven-day event in Washington D.C. The summit encourages young adults to become active and knowledgeable U.S. citizens by learning about The Constitution and Bill of Rights, the federal government, and the importance of being active in civic affairs.
Activities on this year's schedule include:
- Guest speakers at NRA Headquarters and the National Firearms Museum.
- Competitive debates with other high school students from across the nation.
- Informative tours at historic sites and monuments in and around Washington, D.C.
YES participants also compete for a total of $30,000 in college scholarships. $10,000 is given at the conclusion of the week, based on their initial application, on-site debates and speeches, and participation during the week's activities.
$20,000 involves a second application, available to the participants after they go through YES. Since the program's inception in 1996, over $200,000 in scholarships have been awarded.
For additional information on the 2009 Youth Education Summit, please visit www.nrafoundation.org/yes, or call (withheld for archive)
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