Meeting This Thursday Anyone?

I would love to get together with you all this week - is anyone interested? Can anyone think of a place to meet? Should we try Bean to Cup again if there are only a few of us?

Artisans Guild Show and Sale Invitation

You are cordially invited to the

Okanagan Artisans Guild 31st annual Show and Sale

Best Western Vernon Lodge

November 26, Friday (12 noon -9 pm) and

November 27, Saturday (9:30am -3:30pm).

Christmas Faire Invitation

Christmas Faire

Come and celebrate the magic and wonder of the winter season with the entire family!

Marketplace offering natural toys and handcrafted gifts for all ages.

With:
Creative activites for children
Delicious food and baking
Puppet shows
Live music


Where: Cedar Bridge School
730 Whitevale Rd. Lumby
When: Saturday Dec 4th 11am - 3pm

Sincerely,
Cedar Bridge School Community

Downhill Skiing Invitation

Dear skiing families.

First of all thank you all for the welcoming emails. I will hope to be able to offer you the same service that Holly Mitchell provided so efficiently. I will try to make the transition as smooth as possible. Since the group is already known as SOHE by all participants in the skiing as well as the resort, we will continue to identify ourselves as such.

I have booked the following dates for the 2010-11 season. Prices are the same as last year but you have the option to a two hour lesson for $18.00. Please make sure to mention wether you wish to book your children for the usual one hour for $10.00 or for the two hour.

Be sure to let me know which dates you are interested in and for how many skiers.

Date Lesson time

December 7 @ 10 AM
December 15 @ 10 AM
December 21 @ 10 AM
December 29 @ 10 AM
January 4 @ 10AM
January 11 @ 10AM
February 9 @ 10 AM
February 23 @ 10 AM
March 1 @ 10 AM
March 16 @ 10 AM

I will email you more information about the forms that need to be filled out as soon as I get them from Silver Star.

Warm regards,

Miracle of Peace Cripps
250 547-8829

Silver Star Downhill Skiing Invitation

Hello Again......
Well, I have taken your feedback, and along with our family schedule have complied a list of a few alternative ski/boarding dates for Silver Star this year.

Seems the end of the week works well, so we've requested most dates on Fridays. Here they are........

Jan 14th (Fri)
Jan 26th (Wed)
Feb 4th (Fri)
Feb 11th (Fri)
Mar 4th (Fri)
Mar 25th (Fri)

Prices are as follows, and lesson times will be firmed up when we've got all our registrations done. Earlier morning sessions seem to work best for having all the students together at relatively the same time. It worked fairly well when Holly scheduled them at 10am, but we have the option to go at 9:00 am, 11:00 am and noon as well. If you have any input, it's welcome...

Also, as Miracle of Peace stated in her previous e-mails, 2 hour lessons are an option, but it kinda works like this....... either "everyone" from our group is doing a 2 hr lesson on a given day, or a 1hr lesson. But the hill doesn't want it broken up between student in the group. It's kind of a 'hard-stop' administratively speaking, so to make it easy (chances of everyone wanting to pay for the extra hour are slim), for these alternative dates, we'll keep it to 1 hr lessons.

Pricing - per Student
$10.00 1 hr lesson
$ 5.00 lift ticket
$ 7.00 equipment rental (skiing or boarding)

Calculation - total for those with their own equipment = $15.00, and for those who need equipment = $22.00 per day

Pricing - Adults
No Lessons for Adults (we must follow incongnito)
$25.00 lift ticket
$10.00 equipment rental (same)

Pricing - Children under 5
Free lift ticket (but must still obtain a special lift ticket at the hill)
No lessons available (under the school pricing options - but at the hill as a separate offer - lessons are available for younger children)

I will forward the necessary paperwork to fill out when you respond, and can process everything from there.
Email me at kelliemast@... or call 833 5466 with any questions
Have a wonderful week........
Kellie Mast

Bowling Invitation

EDIT to ADD: Lincoln Lanes called me, and they need to change our December bowling date; their normal league is having a Christmas party on the day that we had booked,
Friday, December 17: 11:30-1:00. So, we've changed the date to Friday, December 10th: 11:30-1:00.

The next two bowling dates are as follows:

Friday, November 19: 11:30-1:00 @ Lincoln Lanes
Friday, December 10: 11:30-1:00 @ Lincoln Lanes (Edit: New Date)

The cost is $4.00/person. I think rather than people signing up with me, I'll make it a drop-in event. If you are coming on that day, please be there by 11:30 and we can form the groups based on who comes each time (first come first serve). If you come late, I can't guarantee who you'll be bowling with...and I think the whole idea is that we mix up the groups so it's not just families bowling with their siblings.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks.
Kerry Gilbert
ktrevelyan@hotmail.com

Christmas Craft Day Invitation

A Christmas craft day has been planned for Friday, December 3rd at 10:00am. There will be two main crafts available for your children. One of the crafts will be decorating a wooden 5X7 picture frame. This craft will cost $2.00 per frame. The other craft will be decorating gingerbread cookies. The cost for the gingerbread cookies will be $2.00 per child. The card making table will be set up also and that will be free for the kids to make cards to go along with their gifts. This will take place at Vernon Christian Fellowship Church.

Please RSVP to me at lina-r@shaw.ca and let me know if your children will be attending. We need to get a good idea of numbers to make sure we have purchased enough picture frames and made enough cookies.

Kind regards,


Lina Rogers

Last Thursday of November -- Meeting?

Several people have asked me about a meeting this week. My kids are sick and I'm going to be away from them on the Friday night so I won't be attending a meeting. But if you ever feel like having a meeting, just find a place to have it and let people know about it. There aren't any "official leaders" in this group and anyone can call a meeting any time! Chances are if you're feeling the need for support then other people are as well! I'm almost always up for a meeting. I know the Talkin' Donkey is booked Thursday nights now, so I don't know how that plays into it, but there must be other good places in town to have a meeting?

Just a reminder about this Friday's Hike

November 26th - Cousins Bay Hike

There is only going to be one hike this month, Cousins Bay.

• Friday November 26th, 2010.

• Meet in the parking lot. Bring loonies, twoonies and quarters in case you have to pay for parking.

We changed the starting time:

• Meet in parking lot at 12:00pm! Hike will begin at 12:15pm :0)

Bring water and a lunch. Hike will take approximately 2-3 hours.

Email me gilbank@gmail.com for any questions.

Update on Previous Post

Dear Support Group Contacts:

We don't have all the details, but I can tell you that the BCHLA will continue on with the good work of representing home learning families in British Columbia.

There is a new board of directors. They are holding their first meeting right now.

All is well.

Thank you to everyone who helped by sharing the news and sending in your memberships (and please don't forget to send in your fees!).

We can certainly celebrate this wonderful extended home learning community we have in BC.

Please feel free to forward this fantastic news to your local support groups!

Warm regards,

Rebecca McClure

www.homelearningvictoria.com

BCHLA is in peril

I got this through a google group I am a part of from someone in the lower mainland. This is a copy of an e-mail circulating on the HS Vancouver e-mail list. Vernon used to have an active voice on the BCHLA. In fact, one of the founding members of the North Okanagan Homelearners was a board member. I can't vouch for its accuracy or its importance but there are lots of links there to verify the information. I thought I would pass it on in case anyone was interested in getting involved.

The BCHLA Is in Peril

Home
learners in BC have recently learned that the Board of the BC Home Learners’ Association (BCHLA) has called an Annual General Meeting (AGM) for Tuesday, November 16, to pass a special resolution to dissolve the BCHLA.

BC
Home Learners' Association 2010 Annual General Meeting

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

7:00 - 9:00pm

Holiday Inn Express Meeting Room

8750 204th St.,Langley, BC

No explanation of why this dissolution resolution was initiated has been made public, but there is correspondence suggesting that the BC Home School Association (BCHSA - see below) is moving to take over the lead role as BC's "voice of homeschoolers" to the BC Ministry of Education.

According to the BCHSA spokesperson, Grace Jorgenson, BCHSA, BCHLA, and Home School Legal Defense Organization (HSLDA - see below) have been in meetings about this for the past eight months. The BCHSA spokesperson is organizing a meeting on November 27 with mainland homeschool "leaders" to discuss policies, insurance issues, events, political considerations and a provincial vision.

Home learning families in BC were unaware that any discussion along this line was taking place. Many of us are very concerned that this change was not publicized to the main stakeholders, the actively home learning families in BC who are affected by provincial laws and policy. Instead, the dissolution of the BCHLA was settled behind closed doors by these three groups.

BC home learning families need an active, informed, and independent home learning advocacy group, which:

• has the support of BC homeschooling families
• is run by actively homeschooling parent volunteers chosen by its membership
• is based solely in BC
• is united regardless of religious or philosophical beliefs
• can speak to the government with authority and confidence on our behalf if and when the need arises.

We need the BCHLA.

BC Home Learners’ Association

____________________________________________

Why We All Should Care

Many home learners who are currently enrolled in DL programs are wondering why they should care about all of this:

IF REGISTRATION WERE NO LONGER AN OPTION IN BC, AND YOU WERE FORCED TO ENROLL (rather than choosing to), HOW WOULD THIS AFFECT YOUR HOMESCHOOLING EXPERIENCE?

* We are complacent in BC, enjoying the luxury of the best homeschooling laws in Canada (thanks to the BCHLA), and possibly all of North America! But what if all that changed?

* Section 12/13 (the Registration option) allows parents to take complete responsibility for their children's learning and opt out of state-mandated education.

* Annually in BC, fewer than 3,000 children take advantage of Registration under Section 12/13, but the freedom this option guarantees every homelearning family is paramount!

* Currently DL programs have to compete with the option of Section 12/13 homeschooling: if parents are unhappy with the program requirements, they are free to leave DLs altogether and Register under Section 12/13. This gives DLs an incentive to make sure that their programs are attractive to home learning families.

* Who speaks to the government in a united voice, irrespective of religious or philosophical beliefs, to advocate and remind them that Section 12/13 affects hundreds more than the 3,000 currently using it?

The BCHLA is the *only* grassroots, volunteer, parent-run advocacy group lobbying the government for homelearning freedom in BC regardless of religious or philosophical beliefs - it was created for the people, by the people!

Since 1987, before Sections 12 and 13 even existed, before educating your children at home was legally recognized, BCHLA (then CHEA BC) has been advocating for and protecting our right as parents to take sole responsibility for our children's educations if we so choose - the founders created the 1988 Royal Commission on Education submission that led to legal status for home learners in BC - something we all celebrate and take for granted 20 years later!

BC-wide, parents are saying that resurrecting BCHLA may give homelearners in BC the most consistent, respected, continuous, and inclusive voice with government agencies so we can continue to protect what we are all lucky enough to enjoy today.

History of Homeschooling in British Columbia

____________________________________________

What We All Can Do

Step 1: Pledge to join the BCHLA today.

Let’s show the current board that homeschoolers in BC are not apathetic and that we do care what happens to us in the political arena. Let’s inform them that we want to be able to choose our own representation to the Ministry of Education in matters relating to homeschooling legislation and that we choose BCHLA to be our voice. If you haven’t joined or have let your membership lapse, pledge to join today.

If you can attend the meeting on Tuesday night, bring your membership form and $25 fee with you.

If not:

• You can fax your membership form to 1-866-228-2398 and we will print it and take it to the meeting on Tuesday for you.
• You can also scan your form and email it to Melissa Hodges and she will print it off and ensure it gets to the meeting.
• You can then mail in your membership fees on Wednesday, November 17 to the address shown on the form.

Membership Form


Step 2: Attend the AGM on November 16th if you can.

7:00 - 9:00pm
Holiday Inn Express Meeting Room
8750 204th St., Langley, BC

Anyone can become a member of the BCHLA. Only members actively home educating (registered or enrolled) their children can vote at an AGM.

Any member who is currently home educating their child(ren) in grades K-12 in B.C. and is in good standing shall be entitled to vote at any meeting of the Society and the Branch Society of which he/she is a member. Voting is by show of hands or ballot. Voting by Proxy is not permitted.

BCHLA Constitution and Bylaws

Step 3: Please volunteer for the board or to help with administration.

Any home educating parent (registered or enrolled) can be a BCHLA board member at this time.

The Directors of the Society shall be not less than three (3) who, at the time of the election or appointment, and as a condition precedent thereto, shall be members of the Society and either currently home educating their child(ren) or
have home educated their child(ren) for a minimum of five (5) years.

BCHLA 2009 AGM Minutes

Both short-term “stop-gap” people are needed as well as long-term “dig-in” people. Feel free to put your name forward for either. Even if you are not voted onto the board at this time, it’s so important to know who is willing for future years or who can offer other ways to help at this time. Please indicate your interest on your membership application form.

Step 4: Wait to hear back. Then act.

If the BCHLA is saved and a new board is formed, then we all need to give it our
full support as our spokes-organization.

If the resolution to dissolve the BCHLA is carried and BCHSA assumes it can step
into the role of advocacy (in a relationship with the HSLDA), people are poised
to move forward to create a relationship with the Ministry as part of a new
advocacy group that is inclusive of all homeschooling styles and religious or
non-religious beliefs.

Step 5: Spread the Word. Become involved.

Whether advocacy continues through the BCHLA or a new group is formed, let’s inform all support groups in BC about what's happening and encourage people to join the continuing BCHLA or new organization. We need a strong and connected group that will be able to communicate with many British Columbian home learning families about the political climate in BC as it relates to our home education freedoms. We need this grassroots group to be our representative voice in times of crisis
or change.


Step 6: Know that you matter

You really do. Each of us does. We all need to step forward in whatever way we can to show our support for this organization that has paved the way for the home learning freedoms we enjoy in the province of British Columbia.

____________________________________________

BC Home School Association (BCHSA)

BCHSA was formed to support the running of a homeschooling conference that was initiated by the Traditional Learning Academy (an independent religious school). There is, however, no opportunity for membership in the BCHSA mentioned on their website. There is no mention of the board (and criteria for board members), the constitution and bylaws, or the mandate of the organization beyond:

The BC Home School Association is a registered society in the Province of British Columbia endeavoring to inform, support and encourage families choosing to provide their child with a home based education. (From About Us)

We are not certain if their spokesperson, Grace Jorgenson, is a paid employee and under the direction of their board of directors or a homeschooling parent volunteer acting as a board member.

Grace Jorgenson of BCHSA is a lovely person with her heart in the right place. She has done a great job with the BCHSA convention for years and her contributions in that arena are appreciated. She is, however, likely quite unaware of the how very important the BCHLA, a grassroots and parent-run organization, is to home learning families in BC. She also probably does not realize how many homeschoolers in BC do not wish the HSLDA to have any role in speaking to or influencing the provincial government on our behalf.

BC Home School Association

____________________________________________

Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)

The Homeschool Legal Defense Association is an organization that many homeschoolers appreciate and many do not. Each individual homeschooling family can look at the information provided by both the HSLDA and its critics and make their own decision.

Some facts:

• HSLDA has been in Canada since 1994 (seven years after the BCHLA began its effective advocacy work on our behalf). It was invited to intervene in Alberta, which now has the most restrictive and complicated homeschooling laws in Canada (1999, 2006). Alberta Home Education Regulation
• HSLDA joined with groups such as REAL Women and Focus on the Family to oppose Bill S-209. The bill called for the elimination of Section 43 of Canada's Criminal Code, which permits parents, teachers and caregivers to use “reasonable force” when disciplining a child.
• The HSLDA board is comprised of six men, one of whom is American. It does not appear that any of them live in British Columbia.
• HSLDA states that it does not support families with children enrolled in a school program. In the US, it’s clear on their website that this includes home-based school programs with the same role as BC’s Distributed Learning programs.
• HSLDA states that it only supports families who provide their children with a clear program of study. This policy excludes many relaxed, eclectic and unschooling homeschooling families from their support.
• Critics of the HSLDA in both Canada and the US have noted that when they are involved in creating homeschooling laws, the laws are more restrictive and difficult to navigate, suited only to the most school-like homeschooling methodologies.

For more information: Concerns about the HSLDA and HSLDA Canada

Many home learning families in BC are uncomfortable aligning with the HSLDA. Two years ago, the BCHLA membership insisted that there be no formal association between the two groups.
It’s also important to note that the two provinces with the best homeschooling laws are British Columbia and Ontario, where parents took the helm and negotiated directly with the government through their own grass-roots, parent-run organizations and without assistance from the HSLDA.

November 26th - Cousins Bay Hike

There is only going to be one hike this month, Cousins Bay.

• Friday November 26th, 2010.

• Meet in the parking lot. Bring loonies, twoonies and quarters in case you have to pay for parking.

We changed the starting time:

• Meet in parking lot at 12:00pm! Hike will begin at 12:15pm :0)

Bring water and a lunch. Hike will take approximately 2-3 hours.

Email me gilbank@gmail.com for any questions.

Puppet show by Runaway Moon Theatre

Hi All
I was asked to post the following:

Runaway Moon Theatre is doing another Vernon performance at Vernon
Secondary school, this coming wednesday 10th november at 7pm. It is a highly recommended show, it's very appropriate for young kids and
is very engaging, beautiful and also teaches us something about how
water is used and understood in the small Kenyan village of Akonjo.
$5 for kids $12 adults, $30 families

Support Meeting - Thursday, Nov. 4th at 7pm

Talkin' Donkey isn't available, but how about meeting at 7pm at the Blenz across from SuperStore? It has a nice long table or comfy chairs if there's only a few of us.
See you there!