Moms' Time Notes - February 22, 2013

Christine R.

·       We discussed class ideas for next year. We will be discussing ideas next week as well

o   Continue thinking about classes that you would like to see on the survey.

o   We want to do this ASAP because even after the surveys are completed, it take time to finalize the details.

·       Be flexible about where you are willing to serve next year.

o   Are you willing to teach half of a class?

o   Are you willing to serve as in the nursery?

o   If you have a child in the nursery, are you willing to pay a fee so that we can staff the nursery?

o   Do you have a high school student or other church member who would like to earn extra money by working in the nursery.

o   Other thoughts? Share them with Christine. The details for next year are still being worked out.

·       Next year, the focus will be on the K-8^th grade program.  High school will not be the focus, but moms may plan among themselves. High school students may take the junior high classes.

·       It is important to be in the room for moms’ time, especially when information regarding report cards, forms, course of study etc. is being presented. It takes much time to prepare for and give these talks, and we want do not want to make those presenting have to take additional hours repeating the same information. Make it a priority to be in the moms’ room. 

·       Start thinking about the Andrew Pudewa seminars.

o   The all day parent seminars will be on Wednesday and Thursday, October 30 and 31.

o   The cost for the parent work shop is approx. $80.

o   On the Friday, November 1, there will be a workshop for high school students. The cost is $50 per students and $25 for parents to sit in on the workshop.

o   There will be three workshops on Saturday, and a free seminar on Saturday night.

o   You will need to act quickly once this becomes available on the IEW website.

o   Anyone will be able to sign up even if they are not a part of Grace Church.

o   Christine is working on getting a password so that members of Grace can have priority registration, but even if this happens, you will need to act quickly.

·       Next week (3/1), we will have a language arts curriculum share. Remember to bring anything that you would like to share with the group.

·       Next week (3/1) is also the blessing barn.

·       If you have a graduating student, get your ten pictures to Rene W. and Jen T. ASAP!

·       Pray for Nicole T. who had cataract surgery this week. Pray for her vision.

Char M. Choosing Gratitude, chapter 6

How to say thanks

This chapter was all about putting gratitude into action. The chapter gave us for specific things to do.

1.     Speak up. Psalm 145:1-12  uses verbs such as declare, sing, speak, utter, shout. In this Psalm, David turns his thoughts of blessing into words of praise. Thanking someone encourages that person to continue in his/her service. Be specific in your thanks to others. Have you gone home and thanked your husband for working every day?

2.     Sing out. Sing anytime to benefit yourself and to praise.

3.     Kneel down. Prayer is more than asking; it is a form of worship.

4.     Publicly show gratitude as in giving testimonies.  

Think about when you are on the flip side of gratitude. Be gracious in accepting thanks from others.

Moms' Time Notes - February 8, 2013

Christine R.

·       For the speech meet next week

                  Everyone is in regular uniforms.  There is no nursery care.

o   Plan on being in the chapel and seated by 8:30. It will be a busy day.

o   The presidential candidates in the government class will be giving their speeches.  The business students will be giving their “commercials” to promote their products.

o   Bring money to purchase students’ products.

o   After all the students are done with the speech meet, everyone will be able to tour the home school fair.

o   After touring the home school fair, everyone can go to the business students’ trade show next door.

o   After the home school fair and business displays are finished, clean up your projects. Everything needs to be cleaned up and removed by 12:30.

o   Pack a lunch if you are going to Scooter’s Jungle. There will be no Grace Grill.

·       Remember if you volunteer to teach or run a class for next year that you should check with your husband before your name is put on a survey.

Kristen H.

·       Set up for the home school fair will be on Thursday from 4-6.

·       If you need to bring your project on Wednesday evening, please email Kristen.

·       If you want to help out with the home school fair judging, plan on staying after 6 on Thursday evening for judging and a pizza dinner.

Brenda S.

·       Brenda will be sending out an e-mail with your group assignment for the speech meet.

·       Let Brenda know if you plan on bringing extra people (i.e. dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles) so she can have enough chairs set up.

Susan O.

·       The Sacramento field trip is coming up!

·       Research where you will be eating your meals and spending your free time.

·       Susan prepared a final itinerary and put them in your mailboxes. There were a few changes.

·       For the train, you can check in your luggage if you would like or carry it on the train. If you want to check your bags, you need to be there one hour early.

·       Bring a lunch to take with you on the train.

·       Char M. has planned scavenger hunt of Old Sacramento for after the capitol tour. It is optional but should be a lot of fun.

·       Susan needs the cell phone numbers for all the adults going on the trip.

·       Please review the Amtrak baggage policy.

Speaker Jocelyn Devaney

Jocelyn shared that she was at PSP for 11 years.  When she started in 1996, there were 35 children, and she saw it grow to 140 children.

Perseverance involves prevailing through changes and struggles. James 1:2-3, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

February can be a difficult month as you home school. We need to press on when our children are difficult.

 Sometimes we need to experience difficulty/struggle to develop perseverance. To develop means to become more advanced and to mature. Perseverance is steadfastness in doing something despite the difficulty or the delay in achieving success.  It is continuance in a state of grace to a state of glory.

Sometimes as women, we resist change.  We need to persevere through change. Changes will come, and it is difficult to let go of our children. Our children will not be with us forever. Women have a much harder time with this than men. We often do not allow our children to “fly” early enough.  We can start in little things like allowing them to fail more and not giving so many helps.

Sometimes as home school moms, we put all of the focus on our children. Put your husband first. We need to invest in our husbands now, not later. Plan a date night. Enjoy each other’s company. Your relationship with your husband is your primary relationship.

We will all get to the point that we have to let go of our children. Letting go requires change. As much as we invest now, we must not be result driven.

A book dealing with women’s life changes (particularly in mid-life) is The Afternoon of Life by Elyse Fitzpatrick   

Moms' Time Notes - February 1, 2013

Konni T.: Business Class

·       The business students have been working hard to come up with a product that they thought you would be interested in purchasing. 

·       Next Friday, students will be opening a store.  The store will be open weekly at lunch time.

·       Each week the students selling their products will rotate. 

·       Please stop by the store and talk with the students about their products.  Bring some cash and support the business students.

·       On the day of the speech meet/home school fair, they will have a room featuring all the products at one time.

Char M. : Graduation Pictures Friday, Feb. 8 in the basement

·       All parents of 6^th, 8^th, and 12^th grade students should have received a flyer in their mailboxes.

·       Mr. M. will be at PSP to take pictures of the graduating students. 

·       Students having their pictures taken:

o   Avoid wearing black or busy prints.

o   Avoid shorts or tank tops.

o   Long sleeves are recommended.

o   Can have a wardrobe change.

Susan O.

·       The deadline to sign up for Scooter’s Jungle is next Friday, February 8.

Christine R.

·       Speech meet starts at 8:30 in the chapel. Please arrive in time to be seated by 8:30.

o   There will be no nursery on the day of speech meet. Try to find child care for your little one.  If you bring him with you, please be mindful that he is not making noise while the children are speaking.

o   Everything will need to picked up and taken home when you leave at 12:30 that day.

o   There is a wedding at the church the next day, so we need to make sure we clean up before they come to decorate at 1:00.

·       Next week, Jocelyn Devaney is speaking on “persevering with diligence.”

·       Gifts of Gratitude is open each week at lunch time. Support the business students by stopping by their table.

·       There will be no scholarships for PSP from the church next year. However, you can still give a scholarship for a specific family or you can give funds to be used wherever there is a need.

·       Brainstorming ideas for next year’s classes:

o   There will be four morning classes.  One will be chapel, and one will be PE.

o   That leaves two open slots for morning classes.

o   We did not discuss high school classes, only k-8^th.

o   All classes will be taught by a parent volunteer or will be a co-op.

o   7-8^th grade ideas

§  A World View Class—One possible curriculum is Starting Points.  Angela d. is willing to teach if necessary.  This may be a good class to have some of the dads involved in teaching.  Vatche? Brian?....

§  Class ideas that need a teacher: photography (Karitza?) , history, science, art, Spanish 3 (Karitza?), life skills, book club, geography.

o   5-6^th grade ideas

§  Writing—Carrie R. might be willing to teach this.

§  Class ideas hat need a teacher: math games/Latin roots (prepared curriculum), science club,

o   3-4^th grade ideas

§  Apologia’s Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day (outside coop).  Angela d. is considering having an outside coop which will meet the first Tuesday of each month and will take field trips to study the flying creatures studied in this Apologia course.

§  American Girl Book Club—Rene W. would be willing to teach this.

§  Writing—Sarah D. would be willing to teach this.

§  Class ideas that need a teacher: Science Club—Considering God’s Creation

§  Literature Club—The curriculum is already set up, and the class would be a co-op.

§  Art-There is a 3-4 grade art co-op that is already designed.

o   K-2^nd ideas

§  Library/arts and crafts—Karitza G. might be willing to teach this.

§  Remedial/ basic skills for students struggling in reading or math (possible afternoon)—Sarah D. and Carrie R. would be willing to teach this.

§  History Pockets—This would be a co-op possibly led by Donna T.

§  Class ideas that need a teacher: music (curriculum prepared), geography, science

o   Choir (6^th-high school)—Joy C. is thinking about teaching a choir class. She would like to have the help of a parent who is proficient in piano to accompany them.

Cindy shared as she and her family will be leaving for China.

Their target date for departure is March 15. Thank you all for your continued prayer and support of their family.  Three years ago their daughter Sarah was experiencing heart failure.  The doctor even thought she may need a heart transplant. Although she did not get the transplant, she was sick with a serious heart condition for over a year. They were not sure if they would even be able to go to China. After a year and a half, God healed Sarah.  The Lord used this time to prepare them for ministry and to draw them closer to Himself.

Why China?

1)     There is a great spiritual need in China in the following areas:

a.     Truth—Communism basically removed all religion and stripped away all truth.

b.     The church

c.      Leadership training

d.     A biblical worldview

2)     There is great potential to send out workers to other hostile regions.

3)     It is a great blessing to serve with churches in a persecuted country.

What will they be doing in China?

1)     They will be preaching the Gospel and making disciples.

2)     They will be training pastors. Many of the house church pastors have not had proper training.

3)     They will be planting churches.

Persecution continues in China, although in a much milder form than in many places. If you would like to read stories about and know how to pray for persecuted Christians in China you can look for voice of the martyrs online.

How to Pray for their Family

·       For their personal growth in the Lord

·       For their marriage

·       For their children’s salvation

·       For the children’s adjustment to a new country/lifestyle

·       For security

·       For Health

·       For partnership (They have between 90-95% of their budget)