Home School Field Trip--September 15, 2009

Our first field trip of the year!

We will have a sign up sheet at the meeting for school sign ups (see previous post!) If you can't (or didn't) make the meeting, please e-mail Shawnna if you wish to go.

OREGON GARDENS Home School Day
Tuesday September 15th, 2009 - 10am - 2pm
Admission
$8 Adults
$6 Students (8-18)
Children 7 and under Free
Admission includes tram ride

Description
The Oregon Garden would like to invite all home schoolers ages 5-12 to visit the Garden in full bloom. Learn more about your natural world as you investigate a wetland habitat and visit the Rediscovery forest. See our new tropical house and discover unique plant adaptations. We will have hands-on learning stations set up throughout the Garden that you may visit at your own pace. Pre-registration is not required! Check in at the Visitors Center located at the upper parking lot entrance to pay admission and receive packet of station information and resources. Activities are geared toward ages 5-12, younger siblings or older students are welcome. Picnic area will be available. Bring your own lunch or visit our café.

Back To School Meeting

Hi!!

We are scheduling our back to school meeting at Brownsville Park in Brownsville.

Bring your brown bag lunch and a drink, and join us to get your kids signed up for class. We will let the kids have fun hanging out with their friends (and meet new friends)and play on the playground while we meet. We will discuss schedules for this fall, curriculum and take your suggestions for future things that will be taught.

Where: Pioneer Park--Brownsville From Hwy 228: Turn onto Main Street, cross the bridge, and turn left at City Hall. We will meet at the back of the park near the new play structure.

When: August 10th, 11:30AmWhat to Bring--Lunch for you & your kids, something to drink and if you wish to stay to swim in the river after the meeting....your bathing suit & towel!

Questions? Call Shawnna at 367-5178

Year End Pictures

Our last day of school was spent having some FUN!

We enjoyed some fun activities in our own class groups, and then headed outside for some field games. We had a great time with three legged races, sack races, and a relay race with eggs. The kids did a great job of working together. One thing about our group....young or older kids, they all work together great.

Afterward we had a great lunch bbq style, with help from some great Moms (and a Dad!) Thanks so much! Check out the blog listing below for the details of the last day. The pics are all here!

Enjoy the pictures!

Barnes & Nobel Summer Reading Program Info and other Helpful Tips

We've received lots of useful information from Barnes & Nobel. This info is from the Eugene Store, but is available at all Barnes & Noble. Be sure to get your educator discount card. You only need you EDS paperwork showing your child is homeschooled to get this discount. If anyone has any questions they can contact Andrea at the Eugene store by phone 541.687.0356 or by email at crm2978@bn.com. I hope to see some of you in the store soon to pick up those Summer Reading Logs!

Educator Discount Card
To educators of grades PreK-12, Barnes & Noble offers 20% off the publisher's listprice on titles for classroom use. You can apply for an Educator Discount Card at any Barnes & Noble store- simply present your valid school ID, state registration, or pay stub. A valid driver's license or state ID must be presented each time you use your card.

Educator Appreciation Events
To honor our PreK-12 educators, Barnes & Noble offers a 25% discount on classroom and personal book/gift purchases and 10% off music and DVDs during several Educator Appreciation Weeks throughout the year. We also host Educator Receptions, inviting local educators and school librarians to hear presentations on new book titles and to receive free classroom resources through raffles and giveaways.

Extensive Education Selections for Parents & Teachers
Our stores are great resources that offer an abundance of curriculum-based materials, as well as books about the process of schooling and the nature of education. We also feature reproducible books ideal for use in the classroom and workbooks to aid parents with skills practice at home.

Summer Reading Program
Students in grades 1 through 6 can earn a free book in the Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program by reading eight books and completing a Summer Reading Log. When students return the completed reading log, they can pick a free book from a list of popular titles. This program begins May 26 and goes through Sept 7, 2009. Stop by the store to pick up your Summer Reading Log today!

In-Store Tours
Kids love to visit Barnes & Noble for a personalized store tour. Options can include a personalized storytime, scavenger hunt or "Red Dot" music appreciation lesson!

Summer Break

We finished classes on Monday with a wrap up/field day. It was great fun, and I'm hoping that someone will e-mail some pictures, as I neglected to get my camera out there! Check back, just in case someone takes pity, and e-mails some pictures this way!

The weather was beautiful, the luncheon very well organized by some great volunteer parents ( I usually say ladies, but this year we had a Dad help out--yahoo!) Thanks ladies & Brent for the great job in the kitchen.

Great news...Fetal Pigs for next year's science class have been ordered, and will be shipped to us in mid September, so when we are done with the systems of the body in late September/early October, they will be ready to go. Hoping that some parents might consider helping out with this big venture!

We will have a meeting in August for September classes, which are estimated to resume Monday, September 14th. Watch your e-mail and this website for details. Please remember, if your address, phone or e-mail info changes, please drop us a line, so we can keep you informed.If you have not filled out your end of year survey, letting us know if you are returning or not, please e-mail your answers to us soon!

Boxtops have been submitted, we gathered 400 to send in! We have 32 in our can for the next round! Great job. Keep saving those boxtops through the summer. Those sure add up to help us with science supplies, sign language books and PE supplies.

Have a FUN & SAFE Summer! Thanks for a great year!

RUMOR

School is on for MAY 4th, 2009--


The rumors about the district being closed due to Swine Flu are not true. There have been no outbreaks, and we are on for classes tomorrow, May 4th!! See you then!


PS. While you're here, check out the pictures from our field trip on the post below!

Civil War Re-Enactment Field Trip May 1st, 2009

Brownsville Homeschool Group heads to Cheadle Park to view our 2nd Civil War Re-enactment. We were not disappointed! The rain held off until we were at home!! Yahoo!

The weather was perfect, the stations informative, and the re-enactment,small, but enjoyed by all!!

Angel was chosen to get dressed up in the many layers that women in 1863 wore!

It was a great day at Cheadle Park. There were fewer school groups due to Lebanon and Albany both having in-service days....so therefore, no school for those districts. Bad for them, great for us, who had pretty individualized attention at some stations. With many stations (there were more than 12 this year), and only the ability to hit 7 of them, it makes it tough to decide where to hit. Like last year, many of us spread out, to see the things that most interested us. Even though we go as a group, it's fun to be able to get the group benefits, yet still be able to oversee what your kids do. Those of us that attended last year, were able to catch those stations we missed last year, and visit the favorite ones...still, it wasn't enough. Many headed back today (Saturday) to see the actual enactment, with many more re-enactors than there were yesterday.
Micah with a very heavy cannon ball

The school day is one that is loved and appreciated by us. Thanks to the NW Civil War Council for putting this on. It's all volunteer, and put together well. Thanks again for another great year!!

Ryan & Miranda in the bandage contest at the medical tent

For more info on the NorthWest Civil War Council & events-- visit http://www.nwcwc.org/events.html

Our favorite horse & rider.....Ken Morris & Jeffy....of the 10th NY Cavalry http://nwhorse.com/10ny.htm