2009 August

Chapel Boy Choir Auditions

The Chapel Boychoir of San Antonio will be holding auditions for boys age 8-15 on August 29 and Sept. 12  from 10:00 am to noon at Christ Episcopal Church, 510 Belknap in Monte Vista. Previous singing experience is not required. The Chapel Boychoir of San Antonio was formed in 1999 by its current artistic director Owen Duggan, D.M.A., A.R.C.T. This year Dr. Duggan will be joined by associate director Mary Ann Winden, A.A.G.O., ChM. Rehearsals are held throughout the year at Christ Church on Mondays from 4:00 to 5:00 PM. The choir sings at special services and at weddings in the San Antonio area. Affiliated with the Royal School of Church Music the choir offers instruction in voice and music theory while emphasizing the development of leadership skills. In addition the choir provides a foundation for life-long multi-cultural learning drawing from a broad range of religious as well as folk, jazz and world music. To schedule an audition please contact Dr. Owen Duggan at info@chapelboychoir.org  or call (210) 241-5589.

Wee World Consignment Sale

Local children's consignment sale will be held Friday, September 11th & 12th at the Live Oak Civic Center.  We have nearly 250 families consigning their new & gently used children's items with us.  We invite families to save money by coming and shopping through over 18,000 sq. ft. of infant & children's clothing, toys, furnishings, home decor, scrapbooking supplies and more!

In addition, we will have FREE activities for the children including, trackless train rides, pony rides, a petting zoo, face painting & balloon animals.  We are also hosting Alex's Lemonade Stand http://www.alexslemonade.org in an effort to raise money and awareness for pediatric cancer research.  As an additional service to families, Farmer's Insurance will be there to provide free software identification kits for children.  These are used to assist police in expediting the search for missing children.    All remaining unsold items are donated to SAMMinistries and Blue Bonnet Babies. We also have a pre-sale for anyone who volunteers or consigns and we even have a special "PreSale Party" for new & expecting parents!!  You can visit our website and view a video at http://www.weeworldresale.com. 

Oil Painting Classes for the Serious Student

I am talking to local artist, Robert Wilkens, about restarting his teaching of classes in the NE area.  Would you please be willing to circulate my contact info within your homeschool arena to help me locate another 5-8 interested students? Prequisites:  adults or older youth with art background   He is looking to teach in the Schertz area. Thank you:) LaDonna Ferguson 845-9998 ferguson7@sbcglobal.net 

Schlitterbahn Home School Family Days

Event:Schlitterbahn Home School Family Days
Date: August 29 and 30, and September 12 and 13, 2009.
Location: New Braunfels

Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort in New Braunfels An advance ticket purchase with a minimum order of four tickets is required. Orders must be prepaid 10 days prior to your visit. This event applies ONLY to the New Braunfels location, does not apply to other Schlitterbahn locations.
http://www.schlitterbahn.com/nb/groups/ Contact Group sales at 830.608.8532 for ticket prices and order forms. http://www.schlitterbahn.com/nb/groups/contact.htm

Tickets for the Lion King

The offer for the Lion King homeschool theater discount in San Antonio is now up and ready for orders.

I need to clarify one matter, previously I had stated that BAA revamped their order system. That is only correct for Houston and Austin orders (which is handled by the same office). For those 2 cities, they are no longer using EventUsher and as shows come up, you will have a unique offer link for each show.

BUT for BAA San Antonio, they have decided to continue to use EventUsher. For that city, our rep handles the Magestic, the Alamodome and not just BAA. If they used a new system, their proceeds wouldn't got to the Magestic but would go directly to BAA.

So for San Antonio only

Order your tickets by logging on to:
http://www.broadwayacrossamerica.com/groupsales
and enter your special password:
taffiesa

I will update the Lion King info here within the next day or so:
http://www.jsoft.com/archive/taffie/BroadwaySA.html

If you order, please email Susan Frederick at sjf@jsoft.com and let me know how many tickets and which show, that helps me keep track of if we are making our group min. The offer expires on September 16, 2009 all orders must be placed by then to get the homeschool discount. Tickets start at $24,50 includes discounts on main floor seating save up to $20 per ticket. Service fee $2, shipping - $1 mailing or will call for FREE

Performance dates

Wed Dec 9 at 8pm
Fri Dec 11 at 8pm
Sun Dec 13 at 2pm
Wed Dec 23 at 2pm
Fri Dec 25 at 8pm
Mon Dec 28 at 8pm
Sat Jan 2, 2010 at 2pm

6 ticket max per order.

The Lion King at the Majestic in San Antonio
Experience the phenomenon. Visually stunning, technically astounding and with a musical score like none other you've ever heard. Giraffes strut, birds swoop, gazelles leap. The entire savannah comes to life and as the music soars, Pride Rock slowly emerges from the mist. See the Tony Award-winning Broadway sensation that Newsweek calls "a landmark event in entertainment." The New York Times says, "There is simply nothing else like it."
Marvel at the breathtaking spectacle of animals brought to life by a cast of more than 40 actors. Wonder at the inspiration of award-winning director Julie Taymor, who created visual images for this show that you'll remember forever. Thrill to the pulsating rhythms of the African Pridelands and an unforgettable score including Elton John and Tim Rice's Oscar winning song "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" and "Circle of Life."

Please continue to vote in our theater polls to let me know which shows you would like offers set up for.
http://www.jsoft.com/archive/taffie/theater/ Feel free to pass this onto homeschoolers, friends and family and cross-post to other lists.

Hill Country Homeschool Scouts

Join the GIRL and CUB SCOUTS of the HILL COUNTRY HOME SCHOOL SCOUTS! Friendship, camping skills, leadership skills, and fun are just some of the reasons you should consider joining us! For girls age 5 through 17 years old and boys age 6 through 11. We meet every other Tuesday at Beefy's Backyard, 25900 US 281 N 78258, about 5 miles north of Loop 1604. Cub Scouts' pack meeting is once a month at the Bulverde Community Center. We are a very camping oriented group, offering 5-6 campouts per year. Contact Michelle Vequist: miamid13@yahoo.com

Encino 4H Club

Are you interested in joining our homeschool 4-H group? We work on various projects including but not limited to: Foods and Nutrition, Public Speaking, Clothing and Fashion Show, Entomology (bugs), GIS (Geo Information System), Health, Home and Housing, Robotics, Photography, Aerospace, Bowling, and dozens of others; basically anything you are interested in can be turned into a project. These can go onto competition or simply used as life skills and learning experiences. For those of you who know us very well, know one of our daughters received a $12,000 scholarship through 4-H, not huge but nothing to sneeze at either.
All that to say we meet the 2nd Wednesdays of the month at Mac Arthur Park Church of God, 2938 Nacogdoches Rd, about a mile north of 410. Contact Terry Duncan at tduncan1@satx.rr.com for more information.

SAT Prep Class Coming to ENAACT

SAT Prep Classes are being held at ENAACT every Monday and Wednesday afternoon from 3:15-4:25 beginning Aug. 24th and running through Dec. 9th.  The class is open to all homeschool student.   The goal of the class is to prepare the students for the December  SAT testing date.

The cost is $200 for ENAACT students and $215 for non-ENAACT students.  Students will need to purchase The Official SAT Study Guide,  Second Edition (which can be purchased at www.collegeboard.com) prior to the beginning of classes. The Monday class will be devoted to the quantitative and writing sections and the Wednesday class will be devoted to the reading and sentence completion sections of the test.

The key to the SAT is timing and practice.  The content is not generally difficult but much can be gained through practice.  Practice under time pressure and in a contained environment teaches the student how to work under time pressure, how to pace the exam, and teaches familiarity with the questions and general layout.

The cost is $200 for ENAACT students and $215 for non-ENAACT students.  Students will need to purchase The Official SAT Study Guide,  Second Edition (which can be purchased at www.collegeboard.com) prior to the beginning of classes. For additional information or to register for the class, call 830-626-0320.

Kids' Science Challenge

In a nutshell, we ask kids to propose an original question, problem or experiment that relates to four fields of scientific inquiry or engineering: flavor science, water quality, skateboard engineering, and the search for life in outer space. The entries judged in each field to be the most original win the Grand Prize for that field – a visit with the scientist or engineer to work with them to solve the question or problem proposed, along with possible appearances in Kids’ Science Challenge videos and Pulse of the Planet radio programs. Additional Finalists were also selected in each field. Visit the website for more information.

Medina River Natural Area Fall Explorer Classes 2009

Plants and People
Tuesday September 15, 2009           9:30am - 11:30am and
Thursday September 17, 2009         9:30am - 11:30am if needed
 
Objective: To explore how people interacted with plants for food, fiber, shelter and other uses; Study how people cultivated native plants using cochineal scale insects, Mesquite meal, live oak galls, acorns, and prickly pear cactus. Students will make ink out of galls to write with and pouches out of prickly pair cactus.
 
Who’s Who With Owls
Tuesday October 13, 2009                 9:30am – 11:30am   and
Thursday October 15, 2009              9:30am – 11:30am if needed  
Explore what owls eat and their physical features and habits as well as more specific facts about a few local species. Listen to owl calls and investigate owl pellets.
 
Social Insects 
Tuesday  November 17, 2009           9:30am - 11:30am  and
Thursday November 19, 2009          9:30am - 11:30am  if needed
 
Objective: Explore the lives of social insects such as ants, bees and termites. Investigate the realm of social insects, their role in the environment and the biological features that make them unique. Insect crafts included.
                                   
Beaks and Eats
Tuesday December 15, 2009            9:30am-11:30am  and
Thursday December 17, 2009          9:30am-11:30am as needed
 
Objective: Investigate avian adaptations that allow them to be successful in their environment; Explore birds in nature with binoculars. Study avian bones, feet and claw replicas. Learn how to use binoculars in the field to view birds with a local bird guide. Make a small wooden birdhouse to take home.
                       
Classes are $3/child/session-maximum of $6/family/session
Target age is 7-10 years and older and younger children will benefit from the classes. Classes are limited to 15 children. To ensure a spot for your child, pre-registration is required. Call 624-2575 to register.                        www.sanaturalareas.org

Friedrich Park Fall Classes

Elementary classes - Targeting 2nd – 4th grade
All classes meet from 9:30 – 11:30
 
Explore! Desert Lifestyles                        September 8, 10, or 11     
Explore the climate of the desert and how plants and animals cope with the hot, dry conditions. Compare shaded and sunny habitats.  Each family gets a spiney friend.
 
Explore! The Web we Weave                 November 10, 12 or 13     
Who is the better weaver: people or spiders?  Examine the raw materials and techniques that each organism uses and practice your spider and people weaving skills.
 
Explore! Treemendous Trees               December 15, 17 or 18     
How is a tree like a city?  Dive inside a tree and see its transportation system, factories, library, stores, hospitals and inhabitants.  Make a tree cookie necklace or key chain.
 
 
Middle School classes - Targeting 6th – 8th grade
All classes meet from 12:30-2:30
 
Explore! Eyeballs                                                   September 10 or 11
Explore insect, mammal, bird and fish eyes with models, demonstrations and dissections of pig, sheep and cow eyeballs.
 
Explore! Natural Systems                                   November 12 or 13   
From cells to ecosystems nature is an organized place. In this class we will learn compass, topography, measuring and habitat assessment skills used to describe a small ecosystem or habitat.
.
Explore! Mapping Habitats                                 December 17 or 18 Building on the skills learned in the previous class, we will be out in the field making a map of an area at Friedrich Park. 
 
Classes are $3/child/session – maximum of $6/family/session
Class limit is 15 children.  To ensure a spot for your child, pre-registration is suggested. Email peggy.spring@sanantonio.gov or call 210/564-6402 for information and reservations.  Confirm reservation by sending money to Friedrich Wilderness Park Explore – 21395 Milsa – San Antonio, Tx 78256.  Make checks payable to ‘Friends of Friedrich’.
www.sanaturalareas.org

Pizza Hut BOOK IT!

BOOK IT! motivates children to read by rewarding their reading accomplishments with praise, recognition and pizza.  BOOK IT! is simple for the teacher to use, flexible because goals match reading ability, and fun because achieving a goal is a great reason to celebrate. 
A literacy activity that parents can participate in, BOOK IT! was created in 1985 and has since grown to 22 million students strong.

BOOK IT! runs every school year from October through March.  The teacher sets a reading goal for each child in the class.  A tracking chart and reproducibles are included to make it that much easier.  As soon as a child meets the monthly reading goal, the teacher gives him or her a Reading Award Certificate. 

BOOK IT! goals are based on reading ability.  Number of books, number of pages, or number of minutes – they all work.  BOOK IT! can also be used with the reading curriculum or as support for comprehension or intervention programs.  For children not reading independently, the goal can be set where a parent or others read to the child.

Who is eligible for the BOOK IT! Program for homeschools?
Any student in grades K-6 (5 years old by September of current school year) that is homeschooled and does not attend any other educational facility.

What are the program dates for 2009-010?
October 1, 2009, through March 31, 2010.

When will the 2009-10 materials be shipped to enrolled homeschools?
Materials will arrive by early to mid-September.

http://www.bookitprogram.com/enrollment/homeschool.asp

Home School Hill Country Event

September 11-13th Canyon Lake, TX. Jellystone Hill Country (www.jellystonehillcountry.com) and CLEAR (Canyon Lake Educators and Resources) is sponsoring our Second Homeschool Weekend out at the Jellystone Park this year. (they have cabins, hotel rooms, indoor and outdoor pool, sand volleyball, basketball, horseshoes, playground, etc. ~ as well as close access to the Guadalupe River, Canyon Lake, Schlitterbaun in New Braunfels, Wimberley…). Jellystone is owned by a homeschooling family, and they have been providing discount weekends for homeschoolers each year, but last year, we took a step and invited speakers, had hands-on educational activities for children, workshops and food.

This isn’t your typical homeschool conference; we want people to get out here with their families, enjoy the park and activities, as well as have an opportunity for parents to be encouraged and the kids to have some activities, free time and fun. We hope that it will grow to the place where we actually have exhibitors bring their curriculum. That space is available now. Hank Tate (www.educationalsupport.org) will be our Keynote speaker on Friday night and then do a workshop on Saturday. Hank has been speaking at home school events since 1987 and is one of the most encouraging, knowledgeable and experienced home school speakers in Texas. The community is invited out for free attendance for Friday night keynote speaker, as well as a question and answer forum that will follow for any interested in homeschooling afterwards. We want this to be an opportunity to educate the community on the option of home education.

We still have room for interested speakers or those interested in doing a hands-on or educational workshop for students; if you are interested please contact me! Saturday will feature speakers, hands-on and educational activities for children, an optional “brown bag lunch” or you can do your own thing. Saturday evening we will have star-gazing with giant telescopes set up, an outdoor movie, or s’mores ad songs around the campfire. Sunday morning is the Pancake Breakfast and then you have the option of attending a short service at Jellystone, a homeschool friendly family-integrated service at Church at Canyon Lake down the road, or any other local fellowship.

Families can come for the day and enjoy all the amenities of the Park as well as attend any of the workshops and activities, or they are welcome to spend the weekend at Jellystone for a discounted rate. Day rate is $5 a person or a max of $25 per family. Please feel free to call with any questions.

Lynette
210—254-5424
To reserve a spot for the weekend: www.jellystonehillcountry.com

Interpretive Speech Workshop with Andrew Roblyer

We are having a fun and busy summer. Several ACTION speech and debate club students traveled this month to NCFCA national competition-- a few brought home awards:  7TH TEAM POLICY DEBATE AND 9TH in HUMOROUS INTERPRETATION!!  They are looking forward to a new year of fun and learning. We hope all of you can join us for an  Interpretive Speech Workshop with Andrew Roblyer, a nationally recognized NCFCA alumnus and coach ( he coached the 9TH place HI student before NATS). Please forward this to other home schoolers who may be interested.

Adventurous and exciting are some descriptions of Andrew's class.  His talents are many but foremost he is a gifted teacher as well as a patient and encouraging coach. Please look over his extensive resume attached below: "a bit about Andrew." Similar to last year, we will have a two day camp with Andrew leading us through lectures and games to help novice students as well as experienced ones interpret literature. Please consider sending your child for a fun time with this wonderful speech coach. We are so blessed to have him come back to visit us!!

Who:      Home schoolers ages 10-18 yrs
When:    August 12 and 13th from 8:30 am- 4 pm 
Where :  Christ Presbyterian Church, 1620 Common St, New Braunfels, Tx 78130
How:      Call or EMAIL me for registration form or if you have questions.
 
Please let us know if you can come. 

Patti Davis
ACTION Speech and Debate club
830-606-1630
pdavis6@satx.rr.com

The Trojan Women

San Pedro Playhouse, Russell Hill Rogers Theaters (website)

The San Pedro Playhouse has received a generous grant for $10,000 from the Ruth Lang Charitable Fund of the San Antonio Area Foundation to sponsor this summer's "Playhouse in the Park" event and educational program.

This year's show, THE TROJAN WOMEN, will be presented in the park on the natural ledge area just north of the spring pool. There will be no charge for admission. Performances will begin at 7:00 p.m. on July 30 and 31 and August 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 and 9. The Thursday night performances have been added for the first time this year. A Classical Theater intensive will be held in conjunction with the production for high school and college students.

STACA Hornets Basketball Try-outs

The STACA Hornet's are excited about beginning their 2009-2010
basketball season and would like for you to join them. If you are
interested in attending try-outs, please contact STACA
(info@stacahornets.org). The deadline for try-out registration
is Aug 25,2009. STACA will send out registration forms upon
request. Forms must be received by STACA no later than
Aug 25,2009.  Listed below are the times, locations, and fees
that will be included in the STACA season.

Tryouts: There will be a fee of $15, please make checks payable to STACA
Dates- August 27-28, 2009
Location- Good Shepard Lutheran Church ( 1630 Goliad Rd. SA, TX 78223)
Times- (Same for both days)
Girls Middle School- 1:00- 2:30pm
Boys Middle School- 2:30- 4:00pm
Girls High School-  4:00- 5:30pm
Boys High School-  5:30-7:00pm

Visit http://www.stacahornets.org/ for more information

Middle School Boys Basketball Team

The San Antonio Christian Homeschool Athletic Partnership, otherwise known as SA CHAP – Missions, is forming a middle school boys’ basketball team for the 2009-2010 season.  Practice will not begin until November, but a lot needs to be coordinated before then.  I am hoping to form a competitive basketball team consisting of boys live in the Bulverde/ Spring Branch/ far north San Antonio area, a competitive basketball team that also has the possibility of forming friendships between boys who live close enough to each other for visits outside of basketball, a neighborhood team if you will.  This team will be under the same directorship as the girls’ team that Rachel Scott formed last year (see below).  We will hold a meeting likely in early August to discuss practice venues, uniforms, etc.  Practice will not start until November and games run from December through February.  Please let me know if you are interested for your son or sons.  We have not yet decided on a coach so please let me know if you are interested in that as well.  
 
Thank you and God bless!
Sandy Graham

sandyg@gvtc.com