Category: Experience

Not Back to School Party

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While everyone else is celebrating going back to school, how about we homeschoolers get together and celebrate with a Not Back to School Party.

All Homeschool Families are invited on  Thursday, August 10 at 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. to our Not Back to School Party.  This will be held at Collar Park located at 2625 Joe Jerkins Boulevard, Austell, Georgia 30106.

Not Back to School Party is a chance for local homeschool families to hang out and get to meet one another while learning more about EPIC Homeschool Network, Inc.

We will bring the light snacks, you bring the fun!

This is FREE but RSVP is requested! Go to https://notbacktoschoolparty2017.eventbrite.com to register!

3 Tips to Wrap Up the School Year

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As the school year draws to a close there are a few things to consider before you put the books away.  Documentation and Next Year.  How will you document your child’s progress?  What will you do next year?

Here are 3 tips to help you wrap up the school year.

Tip 1: Check Your State Laws

Each state has different compliance regulations for homeschoolers.  To find your state rules go to www.hslda.org.  If you live in the state of Georgia our rules are pretty simple. <!– page title – can be overridden by –>   You must do a nationally standardized test in grades 3, 6, 9 and 12 and you must write an annual progress assessment report in each required subject area (Math, Reading, English, Science, Social Studies) for each child. These reports must be kept for at least three years.

If you find that you are not in compliance in an area (i.e. you did not give a national standardized test like the ITBS or Stanford 10) seek to rectify it as soon as possible.  EPIC Homeschool Network, Inc. has testing sessions in the fall and in the spring so contact us to register.

Tip 2: Prepare Your Documentation

After checking your home school laws now it is time to prepare your documentation such as attendance sheet and  report cards.

We have attached some documents that our members have found helpful.

Tip 3: Look Ahead

Don’t end the school year without doing some evaluations on what you are currently doing and look ahead to what you will do next year.  Did your curriculum work this year for all of your kids?  Why or why not?  What will you change?  When will you start the year?  Check out our Tips for Navigating Homeschool Conventions for a free curriculum budget worksheet.

If you are homeschooling high school students you need to ask your child, “What are your future career goals?”  If the answer is “I don’t know” then think about some summer experiences to expose your child to different careers.  If their answer is in one or more areas, that is great!  Look up the top 5 schools in each area and what their requirements are for home school students.  You do not necessarily need to have an “accredited” diploma to enter college, however, some schools do have special requirements.  If  in doubt, accredited diplomas always makes it easier, check out North Atlantic Regional High School at  http://www.narhs.org/.  They will evaluate your child’s course of study and issue you an accredited diploma.  There is a charge though so sign up early!

After you have wrapped up the school year, now it’s time to take a break!  You have earned it.

What are some things you do to wrap up your school year?

 

Tips for Navigating Homeschool Conventions

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It’s that time of year when homeschool conventions are well on their way (Click here to see the events in Atlanta, GA in May and July).  If you have never been to one, it is truly an inspiring, rewarding, and at times overwhelming experience.  If you attend with no goal or vision or budget in mind you might find yourself swept away.

As a result we created a FREE Homeschool Convention Planner to help you navigate the exhibit hall and the multiple sessions.  Here’s how to use it.

Curriculum Budget

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On the first page you will see the Curriculum Budget which we sometimes call the Exhibit Hall Planner sheet.  Homeschool Conventions are great places to attend workshops but the biggest blessing could be the Exhibit Hall where you can get great deals on curriculum.  However, there are so many options that if you do not have a game plan, you will lose yourself.  The Curriculum Budget sheet allows you to break down how much you intend to spend on each subject for each child.  We suggest you do some preliminary research to check out the going rate on what you desire.  We also suggest you think about your child’s learning style before you go out on a purchasing binge and get something that you will never use.  Google “Learning Style Quiz for Kids” and you will come up with several free options.

Convention Session Schedule

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On the second page you will find the Convention Session Schedule for each day.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner have been put to remind you to eat and slots for sessions as well.  It is suggested that you have two (2) choices for each slot for two (2) reasons.  First, the session you want could be full and you might not be able to get in.  Second, the session you attend could be boring (WhAT??  It happens 🙂 ) and you would want a back up.  There is also space at the bottom for notes or additional items.

We hope you find this planner helpful.  To download the complete Homeschool Convention Planner click here.  What are some of the tips you have for navigating Homeschool Conventions?  Please share below.