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I hope you and your family are having a wonderful summer! In this letter, you'll find a convention report (with a link to a special slideshow!), as well as information on
- Our New Homeschool Manual,
- Upcoming Homeschool Success Seminars,
- FREE support group listings on the HEAV website,
- Proposed legislation, and
- An upcoming College Board score reporting change.
If you're not the right one to get this information, rather than deleting this e-mail, would you please let me know? Just send a quick note to support@heav.org. Thank you for helping us get this information where it needs to go.
Ads like the one below help support our publications. I hope you don't find them intrusive, but instead enjoy learning about new companies and resources. Thank you for taking a moment to support/thank our advertising sponsors.
Dolls! Dolls!
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Learn about history and travel the world through hundreds of amazing doll exhibits! Party room available for group meetings or functions. Open from 9 AM Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Located at 2850 Sandy Bay Road, Suite 101, Williamsburg. Less than 5 minutes from the Jamestown Settlement. Call 1-888-202-3518
CONVENTION REPORTA Lesson in Homeschool History
At the 2008 convention, HEAV celebrated its 25th Anniversary, giving thanks for 25 years of homeschool freedom in Virginia. It was a joy to have some of the early homeschool pioneers with us. Most of these pioneers are now grandparents, but there was a time when, by standing firm before judges and legislators, these young parents laid the foundation for homeschooling as we know it today. Watching the special anniversary video presentation was a reminder of the sacrifices these families made for our homeschool freedoms as well as a testimony to God's faithfulness to His people.
Leadership Luncheon Fun and Fellowship
Greeting new support group leaders and
welcoming leaders from previous years is
always a joy. During the luncheon, we
celebrated HEAV's 25th anniversary with
small gifts for leaders who had been
homeschooling 25 or more years; leaders who
had 25 or more grandchildren; and leaders who
had more than 25 families in their support
groups. Then we gave out more than 25 door
prizes donated by vendors! Prizes included a
variety of items such as books, totes, vendor shopping passes, a
weekend at the
Leadership Institute, and a $100 gift certificate! It was lots of fun!
We've put
together a slideshow of the luncheon--see if you can find yourself in some of our
pictures!
This year we
had the special privilege of
having Dr. Mary Kay Clark and her husband,
Bruce, join us at the luncheon. Dr.
Clark was the founder of HEAV and one of the catalysts in developing
the homeschool law
in 1983. It was wonderful to hear her share
about HEAV's early years and express her
vision for home education. Most importantly,
she encouraged us to keep our focus on the
Lord as we serve others.
.
Jane Bullivant traveled across
"the
pond" and shared a heart-felt message (in
her lovely British accent) about working from
our strengths. She reminded us that we often
let our weaknesses hinder us. Instead, we
should be focusing on the strengths God has
given us. The very simple yet profound message of encouragement left us
in tears.
Thanks for Helping Us Solve Our Problem
Last year, you all were very gracious in
offering suggestions about how we could
solve the attendance problem at the
Leadership Luncheon. As you know,
reservations were made for the free luncheon,
but some failed to attend for various
reasons--this left us with a number of wasted
meals costing HEAV almost $500.
This year when you made your luncheon reservation, we held your credit card number and promised to destroy it after you checked in at the luncheon. This worked really well! We had the highest attendance ever without the wasted meals. For those of you who joined us at the Leader Luncheon, the office confirmed the deletion of your credit card numbers soon after convention. Thank you for working with us and helping us be good stewards of the funds we have been given!
[Pictures: A 25th Anniversary display at the convention; HEAV president Anne Miller and support group leaders enjoying the Leadership Luncheon; Mary Kay Clark and her husband, Bruce, at the luncheon; Jane Bullivant sharing an inspiring message for leaders. Photos by Seth Fisher, Through My Lens Photography.]
HAVE YOU SEEN OUR NEW MANUAL?For the first time ever, The Virginia Homeschool Manual is available as a single perfect-bound book, or as a two-volume coil-bound set. With updated Virginia law and testing sections that reflect this year's changes, you'll want this comprehensive guide that puts Virginia's homeschooling information at your fingertips. As a former support group leader, I used my Virginia Homeschool Manual again and again and again.
Already own the manual? Get PDFs of this year's updates for FREE! Just drop me a note and I'll see that the new sections are sent to you.
Need the manual? Take advantage of our sale on the two-volume set. While quantities last, this set is available for only $33.99 (a $10 savings!). See www.heav.org/store/currentspecials.html to take advantage of both this great deal and our other specials.
HAVE THE CALLS STARTED? Check Out Our Success Seminars
I know you're willing to answer all the questions related to beginning homeschooling and choosing curriculum, but it takes a LOT of your time to answer the same questions over and over again. Here's where we can help!
Let parents know about our How-to-Begin Homeschool Success Seminars at the HEAV Office and Resource Center. We have several seminars planned for parents who are interested in getting started and one for parents who are preparing to teach high school. Simply have them contact our office at 804-278-9200, or go to our website at www.heav.org for more information about the seminars.
August 5 - How to Begin Homeschooling, Yvonne
Bunn and Vicki Bentley
August 14 - High School 101, Vicki Bentley
September 4 - How to Begin Homeschooling,
Yvonne Bunn and Vicki Bentley
HEAV can also bring Homeschool Success Seminars directly to your group! We can do this during the summer or after the school year begins. As you're planning your fall calendar, consider a presentation on a topic of your choice. Send me an e-mail at support@heav.org if you would like more information.
FREE Support Group Listings
Every year our website has tens of thousands of visitors, and whether new homeschoolers call us or come to a Homeschool Success Seminar, we always encourage them to connect with a local support group, and direct them to our website to locate a group nearby that meets their needs. We recently found that some fields had been omitted from our support group form, meaning some of you may not have had the option to list your group under all the appropriate regions, counties, and cities. Please take a minute to make sure your information is listed in all the areas you serve and to double-check your contact information and website link. We're happy to update your information so families can find you!
Delegate Chris Saxman is developing a coalition to support school choice in Virginia. He has asked HEAV to represent the interests of home-educating parents. Delegate Saxman is hopeful that the legislation he has introduced for the past several years will continue to gain support and move forward during the 2009 session. His school choice proposal includes a tax credit for homeschoolers. Stay tuned for more details.
The College Board has approved an important change in the current SAT score-reporting policy. The new policy will give students the freedom to send colleges and universities the scores by test date that they feel best represents their ability. There is no additional cost. Designed to reduce student stress and improve the test-day experience, this new score-reporting feature will launch in early February 2009, and will be available to students participating in the March 2009 test administration. Learn more here.
Even though it's summer time, we're still available at the office to answer your questions about the law, testing and evaluations, curriculum, or any other homeschool issues. Please give us a call!
I hope you and your family have a wonderful summer!
Blessings,
Yvonne Bunn, HEAV Director of Homeschool Support
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OFFICE HOURS: Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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This page last edited: 14 August 2008
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