Above the Fold FEBRUARY'S TOP PICK
ACHIEVING PEAK PERFORMANCE
Reviewed by Yvonne Bunn, HEAV's Director of Homeschool Support
 
Why wait until testing day to find out if you have covered the right stuff? If you'd like to know how your child may score on a standardized achievement test, Achieving Peak Performance is a great resource. It can help both you and your student be ready and confident on testing day!
 
Read the rest of the review and get your copy today--just in time for testing season!
 
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Homeschooling - Full of Pleasant Surprises!
Tuesday afternoon the doorbell rang and I thought something terrible had happened, but instead I was pleasantly surprised! The fire department had come to our front door...

Read the rest of this true story--sent to us by a homeschool mom in Virginia--on the Homeschooling in Virginia Blog. Have your own homeschool stories? We'd love to share them in future Updates! Send them to kloop@heav.org.

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From our sponsors...

Is Reading a Struggle?
Does your child:
- Skip words, reread lines, or lose track?
- Have problems with comprehension?
- Have a short attention span?
- Take longer to do assignments than he or she should?
Find out how we can help! Samuel C. Smart, OD, FAAO, Wm. Mitchell Powell, OD, Angela Tsai, OD


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Save 20%-90% at the Homeschool Buyers Co-op
With over 55,000 families, the Homeschool Buyers Co-op is the world's largest purchasing cooperative for homeschoolers, founded and operated by homeschoolers just like you!  Membership is FREE.  Join us and save 20%-90%.  How? By using our purchasing power to get discounts that are usually enjoyed only by large school districts.

Click here for more information.

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HELP WANTED!
Update Content Editor
Do you love gathering information and ferreting out details? Do you have godly wisdom and discernment? We are looking for someone to oversee collecting and evaluating resources for the Update. Position typically takes 5-15 hours per week, and a $75/month stipend is provided. If interested, please contact Katherine at kloop@heav.org.

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CONVENTION COUNTDOWN: ONLY 18 WEEKS TO GO!


New Hotel Option!
Country Inn & Suites Richmond West
We now have a new, lower-priced option for those of you who do not mind staying a short drive away from the convention center! A newly built hotel, the Country Inn & Suites Richmond West offers complimentary hot breakfast, free Internet access, and a microwave and refrigerator in each room, plus an indoor pool and spa, a fitness center, a business center, and more. Special HEAV rate: $79 plus tax (for a standard room). View more details.

Focus on the Family's The Truth Project
Come get equipped to reach your household and community with the truth! HEAV is offering a special track for an additional $79* to equip your family to be The Truth Project hosts. The cost covers the DVD set and materials you will be given as part of the training. We are also honored to have Focus on the Family's own Stan John to lead the training!

Find out more, and be sure to invite your friends!
*(The cost is $99 if you are not attending any other part of the convention. Spouses are free!)

Register Today!
Pre-registration saves you time and money--it also lets you shop in the Used Curriculum Sale earlier! (After the volunteers shop, admittance to the Used Curriculum Sale is based on registration time.)*



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UPCOMING HOMESCHOOL SUCCESS SEMINARS
High School 101: Blueprint for Success - THIS FRIDAY!
Richmond, Friday, February 5, 2010
Vicki Bentley, mom of 17 homeschooled students, shares the secrets to mapping out a successful high school course of study, and shows why the high school years are the most important years to homeschool. She covers planning; record keeping; preparing for college admission and/or apprenticeship, military service, or other options; and much, much more. Don't miss this you-can-do-it seminar! View more details.

Getting Organized: A Different View
Richmond, Thursday, February 25, 2010
Would having more order in your life help? Come hear Florence Feldman, who has been HEAV's beloved convention director for 14 years and an organizing consultant for 28 years. You'll laugh, you may cry, and you will come away with a different view on just how to get it all together. View more details.

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UPCOMING HOMESCHOOL DAY EVENTS

NEXT TUESDAY!
Homeschool Day at the Science Museum of Virginia
Richmond--Tuesday, February 9, 2010, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Enjoy the Science Museum of Virginia at discounted rates! The museum has hundreds of hands-on experiences to amaze and inspire you! Investigate alternative energy sources, build a bridge and walk across it, pilot a Segway® Human Transporter, and more! Learn more and register online!

Virginia Holocaust Museum
Richmond--Thursday, February 18, from 10 a.m. to noon
FREE! Bring your older students (10 years old and older) for a guided, two-hour teaching tour of the Holocaust Museum. Students should have some prior knowledge of the Holocaust. Learn more and register!

Both these events are sponsored by HEAV--your support makes events like these possible! View all upcoming HEAV-sponsored events.

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BOX TOP LABEL SUBMISSION DEADLINE APPROACHING
Remember to check your groceries for Box Tops for Education labels. These little labels add up quite quickly! If everyone who receives this collects just five labels, we'd raise more than $4,500--all from empty boxes and cans! The next submission deadline is February 15. View more details at www.heav.org/events/boxtops/index.html.

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HOMESCHOOLING AROUND THE WORLD
Romeike Family Granted Political Asylum in U.S.!
A Christian homeschool family persecuted by German authorities and forced to flee to the U.S. sought political asylum from their new home in Tennessee. On January 26, the judge granted the asylum request while using terms such as "odd," "silly," and "repellent to everything we believe as Americans." Read the report on the HSLDA website, as well as another one on the Homeschooling in Virginia Blog.

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NEW PROGRAM!
President's Volunteer Service Award Program
Established in 2003, this award program recognizes the valuable contributions of volunteers nationwide. HEAV is now a certifying organization! Find out more about letting your volunteer work count toward the award here.

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Scholarship Money for Homeschoolers
CollegePlus! has launched an exciting scholarship essay contest (video or written essay)! Two winners will receive a $2,699 college scholarship (one full year) to CollegePlus!-- choose from 25 degree majors and use the scholarship money to help you earn a fully accredited bachelor's degree! Plus, all essay contestants automatically win a $250 college scholarship to CollegePlus! just for participating in the contest!

The deadline to enter is February 22, 2010; the winners will be announced on February 24, 2010. Mom, dad, and siblings are all encouraged to participate to help the student win. Students as young as 15 can enter the contest to win one of the scholarships through CollegePlus!, so even before they finish high school they can use their CollegePlus! scholarship to begin earning college credits.

Click here for essay submission instructions and complete details on the scholarship contest.

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1) Homeschool Items
View All Homeschool Items
1.1 "America, the Beautiful" at Dumbarton House - Washington, D.C. - Register Now
1.2 Nauticus Homeschool Science Club - Norfolk - Register by February 5
1.3 Homeschool Day: Meet the Trees - Norfolk - Register by February 10
1.4 Annie, Jr. Musical - Virginia Beach - Opens February 26
1.5 Homeschool Hikes - Richmond - Begin March 12
1.6 Free Blend Phonics Challenge: Fixes What Supplementary Reading Programs Don't
1.7 Unique Aid Opportunity: Mother's Milk Donations for Haiti
1.8 Field Trip Ideas: Black History in Virginia

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2) General Interest Items
View All General Interest Items
2.1 D.C. Youth Orchestra Registration - Washington, D.C. - Registering Now
2.2 Free Dental Clinic - Richmond - February 5
2.3 African-American History Month Film - Norfolk - Begins February 6
2.4 Black History Month Programs - Petersburg - February 12 and 20
2.5 Meet Tuskegee Airmen - Richmond - February 23 and 25
2.6 Engineering Day: Great Egg Drop and Bridge Building - Richmond - February 28
2.7 Air and Space Science Camps - Hampton - Registering Now
2.8 Article - "12 First Aid Skills Every Parent Needs to Know"

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3) Cool Sites for Homeschoolers
View All Cool Sites for Homeschoolers
3.1 Free Audio Bible Downloads (Multi-Lingual)
3.2 Still Need a Calendar?
3.3 Bear Den Cam - Mom and Cubs
3.4 Spelling Lists and Practice Through Eighth Grade
3.5 Free First Aid E-courses, Tips, and Newsletters
3.6 Happy Scientist Experiment of the Week
3.7 Benjamin Franklin Unit Study
3.8 February Is National Bird Feeding Month
3.9 Earthquakes and Plate Tectonics
 
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4) Parting Thought - Flawless System
Aunt Edna was sick, and Uncle Roy, who was fixing her a cup of tea, called out that he couldn't find the tea. "I don't know what could be easier to find," she answered. "It's right in front on the pantry shelf in a cocoa tin marked MATCHES." 
 
- Author Unknown

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5) Worth Repeating
"I know of nothing more inspiring than that of making discoveries for one's self."
- George Washington Carver (1864-1943).
 
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6) Verse of the Week
For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
- Psalm 18:28 (KJV)