Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Psalm 148:3

We are so excited about this year’s lineup of of participants for our annual Showcase of Shining Stars!  We will have beautiful music to enjoy then will migrate to Fellowship Hall for a marvelous variety of displays ready to be shared with fellow students and the grown ups.

We are looking forward to seeing all who are participating in this year’s Showcase.  If you do not have a student with a performance or display, don’t stay home!  Come out and support all the efforts the kids have put into their selection and their willingness to share their talents and gifts with others. This is a great family outing for all to enjoy!

Meetings are free and open to the public. Click here for directions.  Doors open at 6:45 p.m.  The meeting will begin promptly at 7:00.

Note: Active members:

Voting will take place from 6:45 until 7:05. Please come and vote.

At our March 8, 2012 meeting, Mr. George Dauler will portray Ulysses S. Grant as he reminisces about his years as President, General of the Armies, and his formative years spent growing up in Ohio. He will discuss General Grant’s achievements and the important influences on his life.

We encourage you and your children to research and learn about General Grant’s life and accomplishments before you attend the meeting, so you will be equipped to ask questions of Mr. Dauler.  Also, attendees are welcome to dress in clothing of the Civil War period. The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. Doors open at 6:45 for signing in and field trip sign ups.

This program is being sponsored in part by the Ohio Humanities Council, which is a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Jennifer Beck

January 12, 2012, 7:00 p.m.

She will be encouraging us with “I Once Threw a Chair” and Other True Tales of Successful Homeschooling along with a short discussion on how to occupy preschoolers. Come out, fellowship and be encouraged. “I Once Threw A Chair” and Other True Tales of Successful Homeschooling: Remembering that day, many years ago, when Jennifer Beck found herself at the point of utter frustration, is just another opportunity for this homeschool mom to praise God. It is true; she really threw a chair. She knew it was a better option than throwing a child. But she’s happy to announce that she never threw another chair (and she never threw a child!) Come to this meeting and learn you are not alone with your feelings of frustration, lack of control and sometimes, the desire to quit. Hear stories of homeschool moms from all across the country and be reminded that God can pick you up from every stumble and make you an even stronger vessel for Him.

Jennifer Beck is one of the many who never considered homeschooling as on option. She was busily focusing on her rising career as a television news anchor when it was time for her children to enter school. Off they went to private education, and off she went to work. But without even realizing it, God decided to infiltrate homeschooling into Jennifer’s career life. After working with a college intern who had been homeschooled, she found herself repeatedly reporting on stories of homeschoolers winning national competitions, and then attending public events that were, interestingly, filled with homeschoolers. Considering it all a message from God, Jennifer said good bye to her rising stardom and potential fortune as a news anchor and said yes to something she did not know if she could successfully do: teach her children at home. It was one of the most important decisions she has ever made. In fall of 2011, Jennifer and her husband, Dan, began their 11th year homeschooling. They are strong advocates of home education from birth all the way to graduation, but are sensitive to the individual needs and direction that God gives to each family. Jennifer’s ultimate goal is to see young people grow to become valiant tools whose top desires are to further God’s kingdom.

The doors open at 6:45 p.m. Come join us at Arrowbrook Baptist Church in Xenia.

Becky Cooke will be our speaker for our November 10 PEACH meeting. She will be speaking on the following topics:

• “High School Transcript Clinic—Practical Tips and Helps”
• “You Can Homeschool High School … If You Can Make It through Tomorrow!”

Please come out to hear this encouraging talk.  Even if your children are not in high school yet, you will walk away with something that will help your homeschooling right now!

Also, come take advantage of HSLDA’s special conference discounts!

• If you join or renew your membership at the conference for one year, you’ll receive $10 off your membership (at the conference only).
• If you join or renew at the conference for two years, you can choose between either $25 off your membership (at the conference only) or receive one of our new Drive Thru History DVDs (Columbus and the Pilgrims to the Freedom Trail or Cities, Soldiers, and Battlegrounds of the Revolutionary America) for free.

Additionally, if you bring someone to the HSLDA table who joins at the conference, we’ll give you another $10 coupon for your recommendation—which you can apply toward membership (at the conference only) or HSLDA products.

Please note that these offers are only valid at the conference.

Hope to see you there! Doors open 6:45 p.m. 

Join us October 13, 2011 at 7pm (doors open at 6:45) for our monthly meeting. This month we will welcome Kathie Morrissey, founder of Courtship Connection/Character Corner. She will be speaking on: Training Character Into Your Children. Character is the most important fruit that parents can nurture in their children, and is the foundation for academic learning. Discover how character is learned and how to establish a plan for teaching it to your children. Kathie will give several creative ways you can encourage your children to develop in this important area. After hearing this, you will be motivated, and full of ideas to use with your own children. Don’t forget that the doors open at 6:45! Stop by the membership table to sign in and then head down to the Fellowship Hall for Field trip and CareGroup Sign-ups!! Hope to see you all there!

September 8, 2011, 7:00 p.m.

Do you feel like you are ever striving for success and yet never obtaining it? Sometimes we need to stop and analyze our definition of success. Are we defining success by others’ standards or by God’s standards? Every year of homeschooling, presents different circumstances and challenges.

Come join us for our September 8, 2011 PEACH Meeting as we discuss a method to ensure success every year, no matter what we face. Our speaker is Dari Mullins*, co-author of Galloping the Globe and Cantering the Country. She will focus on the broad heart issues which build the foundation for continued success, regardless of curriculum choice, ages of children, or number of years you have been homeschooling. Dari will encourage you to build your foundation of success on Truth, as well as give you concrete suggestions to implement in your homeschool.

In addition to our speaker, we will have sign ups for activities, field trips and CareGroups. Look for information about these opportunities in the September newsletter (due out the first week of September.) Also, you can find a list of all our upcoming meetings here.  Please plan to join fellow homeschoolers for these evenings of fellowship, encouragement and support.

*Speaker bio: *Dari Mullins began researching homeschooling in 1995. She and her husband, Allen, have taught their 3 children at home since the oldest started kindergarten in 1997. They live in Asheville, NC where Dari teaches co-op classes and stays active with the local community.  She is currently working for Bright Ideas Press, publishers of Mystery of History and other great titles, as the project manager for their new all-inclusive curriculum, Illuminations. She stays busy speaking for various homeschool support groups, conferences and conventions throughout the United States.