Issue No.
10
November 2008
Welcome
to
the CHN online magazine!
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Help support homeschooling!
CHN
is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that needs your support
CHNzine Features
Private School Filing Window Has NOT Changed
CHN Fall Camp Out at Carpinteria State Beach
Homeschool Camping Trip
CHN spent a week at Carpinteria State Beach!
Our photos this month
feature our
Carpinteria Camping trip
Something down there is
pretty funny!
Friends on the beach
~Albert Einstein
It's a sand person!
Shimmer
Beach yoga!
Boogie!
"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself."
~John Dewey
Chumash Indian
presentation
She brought items to show
Indian games
So interesting!
This is how they wore it
Crafty stuff
Look what I made!
The dad's are crafty too!
Rock painting is fun!
Look what we can make!
So many fun things to do!
Teen craftiness
Little artist!
Game time
Group gaming
Chess anyone?
Movie time
Dominoes
Who is winning?
Pony hat!
Look at our banner!
I'm the Joker - see?
So pretty!
Face paint is fun!
Friends and food
Meal times
Good friends and food
It all looks yummy!
It's all good!
Great cooks!
Great stuff!
Mom patrol
On our way to town!
The end of a perfect day
Ready for the talent show
CHN Board of Trustees
Karin Miller—Vice President
Becky Maxwell—Treasurer
Karen Taylor
Ruth Pell
Dinah Williams
Trick or treat at park day
CHNzine
from
California Homeschool Network
Private School Filing Window Has NOT Changed
~ Melissa
Zawrotny, CHN Legal Rights Advocacy Team
Recently, inquiries were made to the Legal Team and to some of CHN’s Local Contacts, that the CDE had extended the filing date with the following notification:
“Due to changes in filing procedures, the filing period for the 2008 Private School Affidavit has been extended to December 1, 2008.”
This information is misleading and has been interpreted by homeschoolers to mean that private schools now have until December 1 to file their Private School Affidavit or Statement-in-Lieu. That is not correct. The California Department of Education is responsible for enforcing the Education Codes. Education Codes are drafted and approved or passed through the State Legislature. To date CHN is aware of no legislation having been enacted that would allow for the filing period established by Code Section 33190 to be extended to December 1. It is important to keep in mind the fact that the CDE does not have the authority to arbitrarily change the current Education Codes. Therefore, the “filing procedures” referenced above would be internal to the CDE and not specific to the Education Code.
California Education Code establishes in Section 33190 that “Every person, firm, association, partnership, or corporation offering or conducting private school instruction on the elementary or high school level shall between the first and 15th day of October of each year, commencing on October 1, 1967, file with the Superintendent of Public Instruction an affidavit or statement, under penalty of perjury, by the owner or other head setting forth the following information for the current year.” You can find the full Code at the CDE’s website or at California Homeschool Network’s website.
To put this in the simplest of terms, this means that if your school exists during that fifteen day timeframe, you must file a Private School Affidavit between those dates. However, for schools that open their doors for business or are established after that date, filing may be done at the time the school starts its first session.
It may help to think of one’s private homeschool as being identical to the large, typical “outside of the home” institution (except for the large tuition). Private schools are required to submit certain information by law, such as the name of the school, the physical address, the number of students, and the name and address of the Custodian of Records. These are essentially all that is required for notification purposes. (Specific information for homeschoolers to keep on file can be found in the Education Codes or on CHN’s website.)
The Private School Affidavit or Statement-in-Lieu is simply a notification; it is NOT a request for approval. The CDE has no approval authority whatsoever over any private school. The public school districts are overseen by the CDE and therefore, ALSO do not have approval authority over a private school of ANY size.
On October 1, the CDE “opens” the filing window and provides access to its online Private School Affidavit. Line by line instructions for filing out this form can be accessed at California Homeschool Network’s website and are reviewed and updated each year immediately upon the opening of the filing window.
The online Private School Affidavit is specifically designed to assist the CDE in capturing statistical data about private schools in California. As such, their online form is designed very specifically for their collection purposes. Most of that data is not relevant to homeschoolers.
CHN has been aware for some time that the filing window remains open each year beyond the October 15 "end date." During the typical school year, the online filing window opens October 1. Until somewhere around January or February, the PSA remains accessible online. But of course, it would make sense that the CDE cannot keep the online PSA available indefinitely.
Each year the CDE collects data for, and prepares, the Private School Directory, a MS Excel document that can be found here. This data is used to report statistical information on private schools in California. Currently, only schools with six or more students are listed in the Directory. The Private School Directory typically becomes available at the CDE’s website in April or May of each year. So, it is logical that the CDE would shut down the access to the online PSA at some point in order to analyze the data it collects.
CHN’s two Statements-in-Lieu samples contain the minimally required information and are available 365 days per year. These documents were reviewed and approved by legal counsel for the California Department of Education. These documents are also regularly received by the CDE throughout the year.
CHN’s goal is to encourage all home-based private schools which exist on October 1, or which open during the subsequent filing period, to file the required form of notification during the required time.
As always, if you have questions, call us! We are here for YOU!
Register Now for the
2009 Expo and get a FREE CHN Membership!
Until December 31, member families that register for the 2009 Family Expo
will save $10 off each couple registration, plus another $10 off each
child's registration. An average family of four will save $30.00, effectively
paying for their next year's membership! If your membership will expire
before the next Expo, why not add it to your registration, and then it
will truly feel like a free membership!
Another benefit of registering early is that as soon as your registration
is processed, you'll be invited to our CHNExpo2009 private email list,
where you can chat with other Expo attendees, be the first to hear all
the news of the upcoming Expo, and have a chance to participate when the
call for volunteers goes out.
Remember, the $10 discount is just for members only (you may join when
you send in your registration) and expires when 2008 expires, at midnight
on December 31. Go to our main Expo
page for more information.
Choose one of these four ways to register:
Register Online at the CHN
Store
Print and Mail the Registration
Form (address at the bottom)
Print and Fax the Registration
Form (fax number at the bottom)
Call 1-800-327-5339
See you at the Expo!
CHN Fall Camp Out ’08
Carpinteria State Beach
October 10th
- October 15th 2008
Another great CHN camping trip has come and gone. We are left with great memories of fun time with new homeschooling friends.
Thanks SO much for everyone who was there, helped me pitch my tent, shared propane, marshmallows, and all of the those cooking in the potlucks (and to Tom & Holly for the extras of the gourmet vittles!) - also to everyone who brought out or organized kid activities (Chumash Indian Elder talk, tide pool walk, pirate treasure hunt, Ty Warner Sea center, tie-dye, rock painting, talent show, Diet Coke & Mentos (with promises of more next year!) - there was SO much - did I miss anything??). It was simply, a blast!! To those that didn't make it this year - *I* was there! And you missed it! LOL ~ Pia
We had such a great time too and made some wonderful new friends as well and deepened some previous friendships. The crochet was so much fun with such enthusiastic crochet buddies too. All the activities/field trips were great and it was the best low tide ever. I hope the craft with the Native American woman work out next year. I really enjoyed her talk and songs. Who could ask for more! ~ Collette
Just
wanted to say we had another fun time with CHN on another awesome campout.
Hope everyone else had as good a time as we did. Maybe we will see you
next year.
~ Jeannie
Ditto to everything. We had a blast. Looking forward to the next one! Thanks to everyone who helped me with my tent and things. The sharing and overall friendliness of this trip was wonderful! I feel so lucky to have met and bonded with so many of you. I hope to see you all at some of the other events around town! :-) ~ Gina
We felt like it was a 5-day park day. It was great to just hang out with so many wonderful friends, in such a beautiful setting, and with fun and educational stuff to do. ~ Vicki
More and more homeschooling families are discovering the joys of group camping. We get to make new friendships, for the entire family, and have a great time doing it! We will have more great camping trips coming up, so stay tuned!
Call
for Candidates
Trustee positions
available
Are you a
CHN member who is passionate about homeschooling and you're ready to make
a difference? Now is the time for you to consider taking that extra step
- candidates are needed to run in our 2009 Board of Trustees Election.
What exactly is a Trustee? A Trustee is someone who helps shape the future
of CHN. This worthy cause is more than attending quarterly meetings, approving
budgets, and developing long range plans; it's being involved in the progress
and development of California's homeschooling climate. If you need more
details, feel free to ask a current Trustee for more in-depth information.
Their emails are listed on page 2 of CHNews and on CHN's website. They'd
be happy to answer all your questions.
Who is qualified to be a Trustee? You must be a CHN member for one year
prior to the start of the Election, which is March 1, 2009. Trustees must
be either active or retired homeschooling parents. Plus, six months of
volunteering within CHN is required. We know that narrows things down
a bit, but you still have plenty of time to sign up and lend a helping
hand to one of our committees. We pride ourselves on being volunteer based
- the more our members get involved, the more our organization grows and
improves.
How long does a Trustee serve? The traditional term for a Trustee is two
years, with the opportunity to run as often as you like. Trustees live
anywhere within the state of California.
Spend some time and think about this exciting opportunity! You have a
little over a month to consider this. The Candidate Questionnaire is due
no later than December 1, 2008. They will be published in the Spring CHNews.
We urge you to consider running in our next election and helping us shape
the future of homeschooling in California!
Click here for our Candidate
Questionnaire
Submit any questions or comments to the CHN
Elections Committee
We look forward to
hearing from you!
CHN Elections Committee
Kirby vs. Bowser
-By
Amara Salyers - age 10
One day at a lake,
Kirby was eating a cake, it smells so good!
Bowser smelled the cake, it smelled so good! He went to Kirby to beat
him up so HE could have the cake! Heheheheh!
Kirby decided to go swimming before he ate the cake. Bowser was getting
PUMPED!
Kirby saw Bowser and heads back.
It was too late! Bowser already took the cake! But, he left a note.
Kirby read the note:
Dear Kirby,
I have
your cake and there is nothing you can do about it!
Ha Ha Ha!
Bowser
Kirby thought about
the cake and then he thought about Bowser. "Oh No! Not Bowser! I
need HELP!" thought Kirby
Kirby went to Yoshi's house. Yoshi greeted Kirby. Kirby asked for Yoshi's
help. Yoshi seemed glad to help.
Yoshi and Kirby set off to find Bowser and the cake.
Kirby and Yoshi found Bowser's secret cave! Oh No! Bowser's pets began
attacking them.
Yoshi fired his eggs at them and Kirby sucked them up with his wind power.
Finally a big Yoshi Dragon helped Yoshi and Kirby get to Bowser's room.
They took a key from one of the guards and went into the room. They investigated
the entire room. It was big and creepy and.....
Kirby flipped a switch, Oh No! A Booby Trap! What will they do!? How will
they get out!?
Kirby and Yoshi found a hidden door and quickly escaped the booby trapped
room.
They went into another room and heard laughter in the distance...Muhahaha!......
Is Bowser waiting for them there? Do Yoshi and Kirby keep going?
Yes!
Now the real battle begins!
"Come out Bowser! We know you are in there!" challenged Yoshi.
"Come on and fight us already! Or are you too scared!?" said
Kirby
"Ha ha ha ha....Muahaha...HA! Fight? Fight you? You stand no chance!"
taunted Bowser.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?" exclaimed Kirby, falling for the taunt.
"Bring it on!" said Bowser
"Okay!", said Kirby and he began to use his wind power! He sucked
in harder and Harder and HARDER! ...Wwwwhhoooooosssshhhhhh!....until......
"Ack! Too much! Stop! PLEASE STOP! AAaaaaaaaa!" cried Bowser
Finally Bowser was whooooshed away.
Kirby and Yoshi heard him cry as he was blown away "You win this
time, but next time it won't be that easy! I'll be back and stronger too!"
Kirby and Yoshi had a tough day. At least Bowser was gone.....for now.
Our hero's return home where Yoshi's mother fixes them.....cake!
THE END
Golden
By Aisha Rigert - Age 12
Gaily, quickly, now the girl
Skips, her hair in golden curl
A coat of roses now she wears
And sees the seeds in golden pears,
The young boy's horn, now it lays
Upon the stack of golden hay,
And in their hive high in the trees
With golden honey wake the bees.
Now the girl with golden hair
Sees the fish in the river there,
Swimming with their golden fins
Twirls and dances, flips and spins.
Who is this girl, this golden one?
This maiden is the shining sun.
Getting
a head start on the holidays can be the key to a smooth and enjoyable
holiday season. Here are a few websites with great ideas to get us started
with great ideas!
No matter how you celebrate the holidays, there are sure to be some helpful tips in the following groups!
Make
a Holiday Planner
Hundreds of ideas for making your own planner for the holidays. What a
fun family project!
Cruising through
the holidays with FlyLady
Our Goal is to be finished by December 1st, so we can be cruising through
the holidays!!
Christmas
Organizing Express
is an express plan to be organized for Christmas and have an organized
Christmas season.
Organized Christmas
Whether you plan for the holidays year-round or begin Christmas planning
at the last minute, we'll help you get organized for a stress-free celebration.
Browse our organizing plans, printable Christmas planner, gift ideas,
homemade Christmas gifts and recipes for gifts in a jar.
Gifts in a Jar
Creative Gifts for Sharing! More than gift mixes in a jar! Gift mixes and homemade mixes, especially TNT (tried and true) recipes!
Christmas Organizing
Throughout the year we work on different areas of getting organized for Christmas including gift buying, decorating, entertaining, Christmas cards, baking, and lots more.
Christmas Clutter Countdown
This group is different from other Christmas countdowns because not only does it show you how to get organized for Christmas step-by-step, but it also deals with getting rid of clutter room-by-room in time for the holidays.
Gifts-in-a-Jar
Check the files section for Dip Mixes to make and give, and seasoned popcorn recipes.
Homemade Gift Ideas
Homemade gifts are always fun and appreciated too! Here are three ideas to get you started!Personalized switch plate covers
These are so easy, and they are the perfect gift for any age! Kids can make these fun gifts, once they get started they won't want to stop!
Materials needed:
*Plastic light switch plate cover
*ModPodge
*Pictures cut from magazines, computer print outs of photos or clip art
Cover plastic light switch plate with Mod Podge and a picture from a magazine or printed from the computer. You can use something that matches their interests or decor!
Spice-Scented Hot Pads and Coasters
These would
make a great gift for Grandma, and can be made by the kids with a bit
of help. They can be sewn by hand or by machine.
Every time you place a hot serving dish on a spice-filled hot pad, or
a set a mug of hot coffee on a spice-filled coaster, a heavenly fragrance
is released. It's easy to make these aromatic pads, and they make great
gifts.
Things
You'll Need:
* Sewing
machine or hand sewing needles
* Thread
* Spice mixture, made of ground cinnamon, ground cloves and ground nutmeg.
* For each hot pad, you need 2 pieces of 9-inch x 6.5-inch fabric; 2 pieces
of 8.5-inch quilt batting and 1/4 cup of spice mixture
* For each coaster, you need two 5 x 5-inch squares of fabric (or any
size square desired); two 4.5 x 4.5-inch squares of quilt batting (or
squares 1/2 inch smaller than fabric squares of a different size)
Step 1
Place two fabric pieces together with right sides facing each other. Stitch
1/2-inch from the edge on three sides. Leave the fourth side unstitched.
Trim the corners and turn the fabric right side out.
Step 2
Insert
two pieces of the quilt batting, and place the spice mixture in between
the pieces. Turn the edges of the open side under, and machine stitch
or hand stitch closed.
Step 3
Top
stitch about 1/4-inch around all four sides. Be sure the stitches go through
the batting.
Step 4
Gently
shake the hot pad or coaster to distribute the spice mixture evenly.
Step 5
If
you like, add a decorative touch. Some ideas include sewing a purchased
edging around all four sides, or hand stitch a button or another ornamental
accent to one or more corners.
You're all done! Wrap it up and give to someone special!
Campfire
starters
These easy to make fire starters are a hit with campers and fireplace
users. They would make a great gift for anyone who loves to camp.
Items needed:
*Cardboard egg cartons
*Wax - old candles, crayons, or paraffin
*Dryer lint
Melt wax in a coffee can placed in a pan of water. While wax is melting,
stuff each egg section with dryer lint. Pour some melted wax over each
section, and let cool to harden.
Break apart to use. Everyone who uses these give them rave reviews!
Have
you joined the Grapevine?
CHN members private email list!
All current CHN members with Family Memberships are invited!
Some of the benefits of joining the Grapevine are:
Private online elist where you can easily meet other CHN members.
Used curriculum sales every Friday - buy or sell!
CHNzine archives
California Homeschool Network
California Homeschool Network is a statewide grassroots organization dedicated to protecting the fundamental right of parents to educate their children.
Field trip to
Santa Barbara
Ty Warner Sea Center
A giant octopus
Let's see
what we can find
There are creatures in there!
"All the world is a laboratory to the inquiring mind."
~Martin H. Fischer
Little shark eggs
Baby sharks!
There's a
whale behind you!Our Tidepool
Discovery Walk
Low tide means tidepools!
Come on in!
There is definitely something in there
A beautiful creature of the sea!
Could it be a treasure?
By golly - it's an octopus!
It's beautiful!
The view is better from up here!
"You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives."
~Clay P. Bedford
Our tie dye day
Just a little more!
So pretty!
A squirt of this and
a squirt of that
Concentrate
All done!
Pretty good!
Is that a Pokemon?
Beautiful!
So creative!
I did it myself!
Colorful!
Cool!
Oops!
An exciting
Treasure Hunt!
Ready for the Treasure Hunt!
First clue
Listen intently to the clue
Getting warmer
Ah Ha!
I found it!
The end of a perfect trip!
Submit
articles, photos, ideas and comments to the
CHNzine
team
We
love stories about homeschooling, anything written by kids, pictures of
homeschooling adventures and other inspirational homeschooling ideas!
CHNzine
credits:
Karin Miller - editor
Ruth Pell
Photos:
Karin Miller
Darrell Harriman
Gina Chapa
Please
send us your pictures of homeschool activities, and you may be featured
in a CHN publication!
Let us know what you think of the CHNzine!
High Desert Homeschoolers Harvest Party
California
Homeschool Network
PO Box 55485 Hayward, CA 94545
1-800-327-5339
www.CaliforniaHomeschool.net