College Planning from A to Z Workshop

What Every Homeschool Parent and High School Student Needs to Know
Presented by Peter Han

Saturday, August 31st
Extraordinary Education Center
9522 Carraway Ln, Magnolia, TX 77354
8:00am-5:00pm
Contact Peter Han to register:
phan@extraed.org

Session #1 (8:00am-noon)
Overview and Timeline for College Admissions
3 hours of Presentations and activities followed by 1 hour of Questions and Answers for a total of 4 hours.
Homeschooled high school students in 10th - 12th grades and their parents should attend this interactive and enjoyable seminar together to learn an overview of the critical steps to take, the deadlines to meet and the smart ideas to use to get the best college planning results. You will learn to avoid the Eleven Common Myths and Mistakes and instead learn the Seven Smart Gems for success in college planning for homeschoolers. You will receive a visually rich Timeline of the entire process and other guidance materials which you'll find indispensable.
You will gain an overview of each of the most important stages of college planning including: discerning the student's career interest, picking a short-list of target colleges, completing the application forms, writing college admissions and scholarship essays, choosing the Early or the Regular Decision route, describing the student's extra-curricular achievements, preparing for exams (SAT, ACT, CLEP, DTTS, etc.) preparing for admissions and scholarship interviews, securing powerful letters of recommendation, applying for scholarships and financial aid, comparing admissions and financial aid offers and negotiating with colleges, selecting the best offer and making the transition from high school to college, overcoming extra barriers for homeschoolers.

Session #2 (1:00-5:00pm)
Essays for College Admissions and Scholarships
1 hour of presentation and discussion followed by 3 hours of writing workshop for a total of 4 hours.
Homeschooled high school students in 10th - 12th grades and their parents should attend this interactive and enjoyable workshop together to learn how to write great essays for gaining college admissions and scholarships. You will learn the Do’s and Don’ts of good essay writing, see examples of great and not-so-great essays, understand which essay topics to avoid and why. You will learn how to pick a great essay topic; find your unique point of view and express it in a coherent, distinctive and memorable fashion; and ensure that your essay fits with all of the other elements of the your application. Student participants will write several pre-writing plans of their essay and write one or more draft paragraphs of their essay and receive feedback on their work.

• Cost for the full day is $85/person
• Optional: Attend just one workshop (AM or PM) for $50/person

B.E.S.T. ‘Bot and Bites’ Open House

What: A Fun and Informative Open House for families with girls and boys age 18 and under.

Who: The Woodlands Homeschoolers BEST Robotics Team is the host

When: Thursday, September 5th, 2013 from 7 pm to 9 pm

Where: Extraordinary Education, 9522 Carraway Lane, Magnolia, Texas 77354  map

Why:  To learn how fun it can be to develop character, leadership, communication and teamwork skills as a member of our team.

What you'll experience at this Open House:
Fun games, tasty food, introduction to the many fun and educational activities we do in our team.

What to do next:
1) Visit our website: thewoodlandshomeschoolers.com
2) Mark this event on your calendar.
3) RSVP to enable us to bring enough tasty food.
4) Enjoy the photos of our team below.

Our team consists of several sub-teams, one of which designs and builds creative and attractive displays to inform the public about our team's inventions. Here are three team members welcoming the public to our display at the regional competition in Dallas.

Another sub-team focuses on team spirit and sportsmanship. Here, two of our team members are having fun illustrating the competition theme of Bug Busters during local competition.

Another sub-team focuses on designing, building and piloting our team robot to compete in an obstacle course at local and regional competition. We use wood, plastic, metal and other materials.

Our team also enjoys social events. In this photo, several team members enjoy a Masquerade Ball which was a successful team fund-raiser.

Several members of our team also create and deliver a professional-quality presentation to a panel of judges during competition. They develop confidence in public-speaking, learn advanced communication skills....

...and have fun doing so.

We also make new friends with humans ...as well as friendly robots.  Shown here are four team members with their new pal, Baxter, the friendly and capable manufacturing robot.

Girls and boys on our team also design, build, test and pilot our team robot.  We program it using a C-based programming language. We emphasize adult-coached safety and youth-led creativity in all we do.

We win competitions. Over the past 13 years, we have been one of the winning teams in the local Woodlands area competition 12 times.  We then compete at the Texas Regional competition in Dallas. Our team really enjoys the road trips to Dallas.

Questions? Ask Peter Han via email at phan1357@yahoo.com or phone at 936-647-3070.

We look forward to seeing you to the Open-House on Sept. 5th.

Sincerely,

Peter Han

Team Adviser

Guitar Lessons now available

Guitar Lessons have been recently added to the Fall 2013 schedule. These lessons are taught by Matt Underwood. He is a popular guitar teacher in the area and has been teaching for many years. He can teach all levels.

As a service to our families, his lesson are very competitively priced. If you would like to take lessons with a friend or sibling, the price per student is even less. Please be sure that both students are at a similar level.

You may sign up online through ClassJuggler just like any other class at EE.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone this next week. It is going to be an extraordinary year!

HOME SCHOOL TUMBLING/PE PROGRAM

Spring Creek Athletics is now offering a tumbling/PE program designed with homeschoolers in mind. NOTE: EE is only passing on this info. We know nothing more about the program.

Home School Tumbling
Practice: Wednesday 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Homeschool Tumbling is structured for tumbling levels 1-4. Come learn tumbling from our certified coaches. Classes are grouped by age and ability level. This class is set up for students ages 7-14.

Home School PE
Practice: Tuesday & Thursday 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Homeschool P.E. is great way for your child to learn valuable physical AND social skills that will last a lifetime. Whether your child is an athlete on a ‘select’ sports team, or an artist that has never kicked a ball… Homeschool P.E. has something to offer. We will explore a variety of sports and games. This class is set up for students ages 7-14.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Annual Registration - $50 (per family)
Monthly Tuition: $48
*Due to the highly discounted rates of these classes, the multi-child discount does not apply

We also offer…
Lil` Flippers Preschool (Ages 2-5)
September – May: Mon, Wed & Fri, 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
June – August: Wed – Fri, 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
At Lil' Flipper's Preschool our goals are to have every child flourish physically, mentally, spiritually, and socially. Tumbling class is an exciting way for students to learn basic gross & fine motor skills. Gym and Learn Curriculum is used to communicate Biblical truths and academic principles through creative use of centers. Music, snack, lunch and nap time are also a part of their scheduled day. Our certified staff is waiting to meet your child and make them feel loved at Lil' Flipper's!

Special Needs – Spinner Stars
Spinner Stars is our Special Needs All-Star Cheerleading & Dance teams for girls and boys age 6 years & up. We accept students with an intellectual and/or minor physical disability who would love to cheer and/or dance. All-Star Cheer & Dance offers friends, fun, music, dancing, cheering, and the opportunity to perform.
Monthly Tuition is $48 each with a $50 yearly Registration (per family)

- Competitive Cheer (Ages 3-18)
- Home School Competitive Cheer Team
(Minimum of 12 people needed)
- Field Trips
- Hip Hop
- Breakdancing
- Birthday Parties
- Cub Scouts, Brownies, Boy / Girl Scouts

Spring Creek Athletics
19821 Stuebner Airline Rd. Spring, TX 77379
281-255-5557
www.springcreekathletics.com

Playground Construction Update

The Playground Project is coming along! We now have it moved and re-constructed in it’s new location. There is still a long way to go, but we are hopeful that it can be ready in time for the first day of class. We still need some volunteer help to make that happen or it might be delayed. If you can help with sanding, painting or installation of edging for the mulch, please let us know.

The playground has been needing to be moved for some time, especially after the portable buildings were installed and kids started trekking back and forth across that area. It has also caused a problem with noise for classes on that end of the building.

The plan was to simply take the structure partially apart into two sections, move it, and put it back together. But the play-set had other ideas. It has been sitting directly on the ground for over 5 years, and it has endured a lot of weather during that time. The legs were more badly damaged than we had realized.

The legs on this section were so badly deteriorated that they broke off when we tried to move it. A cross beam was also broken in the process. You can see the last  broken red leg in this photo.

The second unit was almost as bad, and it was determined that the bottom 6 inches of those legs also needed to be replaced. Our engineer-minded guys put their heads together and came up with some creative and very sturdy solutions. You’ll have to check it out the next time you are on campus.

You can also see from this photo that the paint is badly worn. That is part of the reason why the wood is deteriorating so quickly.
We will be making a point to have an annual “Playground Painting Party” each year from here on out!

One of our parents, Chuck Venezia (Zoe’s step-dad) took on the role of coordinating the playground moving project. This was a huge undertaking, and we all owe him a debt of gratitude.

In addition, Elise Eaton’s sons, Chris Walker, Michael Eaton and Jason Eaton put in many hours of work on the project. Several other EE families also helped with construction or moving of the unit including Fabian Han, Chad Hall, David Young (Dr. Young’s husband), Andrew Hiett and his Eagle Scout project crew, and others that I probably missed.

Thank you to everyone who helped so far, and to those who will be helping in the next few weeks to finish up this important project!

Construction Projects!

Thanks to our fundraising efforts last spring and some of our extraordinary Eagle Scouts, EE has enjoyed several new construction projects this summer.

Alan Abbott and his crew completed a new cement walkway for our portables early in the summer.

As you can see from the photo, we also had new siding installed on the portables around the same time. (That was not an Eagle project!)

Another of our Eagle Scouts, Andrew Hiett, is currently working on construction of a roof to cover the area between the portables. Hopefully, it will be done in time for school – if the weather cooperates!

As the photo shows, the portables were painted after the new siding was installed earlier in the summer.

Although not an Eagle project, parent and student volunteers are working on construction of a pathway to connect the main building and the portables.

Additional help may be needed to complete this project, so don’t be surprised if it’s not done before school starts.

If you would like to help with the pathway project or any other projects around the property, please let us know. We can always use more hands!

Homeschool Choir starts 9/4

Want to really learn how to sing???

The Woodlands Home School Choirs begin September 4th.
Both groups start up on this day. It is always free to visit.

The younger choirs cover theory, a variety of Christian, classical, and other music. Great vocal production, steady beat, blend, diction and sight-reading are all emphasized. The older choir uses these same skills with more concentrated efforts on sight-reading and musical skills.

There is also an orchestra/band used along with the choir. Pianists are used as well.

Choir is reasonably priced - no hidden fees, one year tuition.

SING! Choir is for ages 7-12.
Begins Sept 4 at noon. Dismissal at 1:00 p.m.
$250 yr.

REJOICE! Choir is for ages 12-19.  
Begins Sept  4, 1:20 p.m. Dismissal  at 2:40 p.m.
$275 yr.

New students will purchase a blue polo - $15.

More info on our website: www.singandrejoice.com or email me!

CLASS ACT STUDIOS - http://goo.gl/maps/TBExb  

Sing and rejoice!
Bari Brumfield
www.singandrejoice.com

Parent & Student Orientations–8/21 & 8/22

Class Orientations and Family Orientations will take place on August 21 & 22.

• Monday/Wednesday Class Orientations will take place on WEDNESDAY, August 21.
• Tuesday//Thursday Class Orientations will take place on THURSDAY, August 22.

ALL FAMILIES both "old" and "new" are expected to attend. Please refer to the information below to determine the appropriate time for the specific orientations for your family.

CORE Class Orientations will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, August 21-22. Each teacher will present their own class-specific orientation for parents and students about their class expectations, homework and grading policies, etc. Textbooks and other class materials will be distributed and/or requirements will be discussed.

Each Class Orientation will take place at the regularly scheduled class time in the regularly scheduled classroom. A few classes that are one-day-only classes will meet at the regular class time, but a different meeting room may be assigned. Classroom assignments are not yet finalized. They will be available on the day of orientation. Parents should plan to "divide and conquer" if they have several students and many different class orientations to attend.

Most ENRICHMENT Classes including Martial Arts, Art, Archery, Gardening, etc. will also have a Class Orientation even though they are not graded CORE classes. These teachers will need to communicate equipment requirements and other important information about their classes. A FEW enrichment classes that do not have grading or major class expectations may not have a class orientation. You will receive a message from the instructor if your child's class will NOT have an orientation meeting. Otherwise, you should plan to attend Class Orientation at the regularly scheduled time and location for each of your child's classes.

A separate EE Parent Orientation and EE Student Orientation will be offered during each class period throughout the day on Wednesday and Thursday, August 21-22. ALL PARENTS AND STUDENTS are expected to attend one of these general orientation sessions at the time of their choice.

EE SUPPLY LIST 2013

It's Back-to-School time, and it's everywhere! Parents have been asking what supplies their child will need for their classes at EE, so we wanted to give you a head's up on what your child will need.

Supply Fees do not generally cover individual student supplies such as pencils, notebook paper, folders, binders, computer print-outs, etc. Teachers will likely hand out a list of individual supplies needed for their own classes at Orientation prior to the first day of class. Parents should plan to provide typical individual school supplies for their own student as well as special supplies requested by the teacher.

BASIC SUPPLIES: EVERY STUDENT

• Book Bag or Backpack for personal belongings (Bags must FIT inside our lockers—no wheels, minimal pockets & exterior gadgets. Selection of a bag that does not fit is not in an excuse to leave belongings sitting on the floor, in walkways, on top of tables, on top of lockers, etc.)
• Lunch bag/lunch kit if bringing lunch
• Reusable Water Bottle (with name in permanent marker)

BASIC SUPPLIES: EVERY STUDENT IN ACADEMIC CLASSES

• 3 Ring Binder (one large binder or one per class, check with teachers for specific requirements)
• USB Flash Drive (all students in language arts classes, computer classes or any other class that may require use of the computer)
• Pencil Bag (with holes—to stay inside Binder) with the following contents
• Pencils (PENCIL must be used for all MATH classes!)
• Pens
• Erasers
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Pencil sharpener (hand held)
• Colored pencils (only needed for certain classes)
• White-board markers (only needed for certain classes)
• No white-out or permanent markers

Pencils, Pens, Notebook Paper, Graph Paper, etc. will be available for sale at the House Manager’s desk.
Emergency Copies/Prints may be made at the House Manager's desk for $.25 per page. (i.e. last minute class assignments, etc.) Please limit supply and copy requests to emergencies only. Students who abuse this privilege may lose it.

BASIC SUPLIES: EACH FAMILY (per semester)

• Facial tissue (1 box per child)
• Paper Towels (1 roll per child)
• White copy paper (1 ream per child)
• Colored copy paper (any color or mixed color package) (1 ream per family)

NOTE: While we do charge a Supply Fee for each class, these funds are allocated to the teachers to spend on class curriculum, copies, and other class materials. A small portion is also used for general facility and office supplies such as ink, copy paper, toilet paper, paper towels, water cups, cleaning supplies, garbage bags, etc. Unfortunately, we are unable to pay for all of our general and office supplies out of class supply fees. We must rely on donations to cover the remaining need. Your help in providing these supplies is greatly appreciated!

OTHER ITEMS NEEDED YEAR-ROUND
(donations are greatly appreciated!)

• Toilet Paper ("Scott" tissue, single-ply ONLY) - We have had problems with other tissue stopping up our plumbing and septic system.
• Paper Napkins (cheapest you can find, easily biodegradable, not heavy dinner napkins) - These are used in the bathroom for hand-washing. We have trouble with heavier paper towels ending up in the toilet and stopping up the plumbing.
• Water cups (3 oz "bathroom" size, paper only) - These are used for the water cooler.
• Ziploc bags (sandwich size or quart size) - Used for all sorts of things!
• Dry Erase Markers (black or dark color, low odor, chisel) - These are used in all classrooms and tend to run out quickly.

General supply donations are considered an "in-kind donation, and a donation receipt can be provided if requested. Please give supply donations to the Receptionist of House Manager on duty in the office.

ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES

Students may receive an additional supply list for certain classes. Most teachers in academic classes will expect the students to have a binder, dividers, spiral notebook or composition book, pens/pencils, and other common supplies. Some classes will have specific supply requirements. You will receive information about these requirements directly from the teacher via email and/or during class orientation.

Please also be aware that classes that require a computer or internet use are "BYOD" as of this year. BYOD means Bring Your Own Device. Please plan to provide a suitable device for the class your child is taking. If it is a typing or writing course, please consult the teacher regarding specific needs. Loaner computers will ONLY be available for limited use in EXCEED and in the Library. EE owned computers may not leave these areas. If you do not own a laptop, it is the perfect time of year to get one. Many stores have them on sale!

REMINDER: Meet the Teachers & New Family Information Meeting - August 6th

Tuesday, August 6th
6:30 - 8:30 Meet the Teachers
7:00 - 8:00 New Family Information Meeting
Extraordinary Education Center
9522 Carraway, Magnolia, TX 77354

Come meet our teachers and find out about our programs for Fall 2013. New families are invited to attend an overview presentation from 7:00-8:00 with the Director.

We offer extraordinary classes for your family to help you on your homeschool journey. Classes are available in a university style school setting for grades K - 12. Our Jr. and Sr. High classes are college preparatory. Come see our campus and meet our teachers!

Eta Sigma Alpha - National Honor Society

The national home school honor society, Eta Sigma Alpha - Gamma chapter, will be holding its first meeting of the year on Friday, September 13, 2013, from 2-4 p.m. at the Tomball Community Library, 30555 Tomball Parkway, Room L129. All high school students interested in joining are welcome to attend!

This meeting will feature Mr. Peter Han, founder of College Planning A to Z . 

College Planning for Homeschooled Students and their Parents – College Admissions & Scholarships

The seminar will cover principles on how to get into the right college for your student and how to maximize scholarship opportunities. Peter and his wife, Ester, have lived in The Woodlands/Conroe area since 1990 and have home schooled their two sons, Javier and Fabian, since their birth. Gamma Sponsor, Teresa Strack, will also share practical tips from her experience of working through the college application/scholarship process with 3 of her 4 children.

We strongly encourage parents and students currently in the 9^th to 12^th grades to attend this meeting together since this is a process in which both must be involved to achieve the greatest success.

Eta Sigma Alpha Information

The Gamma Chapter of Eta Sigma Alpha Honor Society was formed in 2001 to recognize academic achievement and to provide community service opportunities for home schooled students. We accept applications for membership from current freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. Honor society membership is an important designation for college and scholarship applications and provides a wonderful venue for leadership and service opportunities!

Eta Sigma Alpha applicants must have a 3.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale and must provide proof of test scores from one of the following tests:

• SAT (1800 no essay scores added)
• ACT (26)
• PSAT score (180 selection index)
• IOWA or STANFORD (90 % composite score) The parent is NOT to administer the test.

Gamma monthly meetings will consist of either informational forums or community service projects.  Students must complete 10 hours of community service annually, participate in the monthly meetings (50% attendance required), and maintain high character.  Annual dues are $15.

Past service projects:  Joy Ride, New Life Pregnancy Center in Magnolia, His Grace Foundation, Operation Military Embrace, Interfaith Ministries in The Woodlands, SOS in Magnolia, TEAM in Tomball, Habitat for Humanity, etc.    

For an application, see contact information below.

Sponsors: 
Mrs. Teresa Strack
hshonorsociety@gmail.com   
(281) 259-3456

Mrs. Gigi Bolman  
bolman.sgkt@gmail.com 
(832) 610-1896

For general information regarding Eta Sigma Alpha:  www.etasigmaalpha.com

Even if you are waiting for your standardized test results (listed below), you can still attend the meetings and service projects – there is provisional membership until December. This means you can participate in the meetings and service projects and get your attendance requirements met while you are waiting on your results.

Meetings are held once per month, usually on Friday afternoons. The full Fall schedule of events will be available at this meeting, and the Spring schedule will be available shortly thereafter.

Fall Basketball League for High School Students

Christian Homeschool Sports Ministries would like to do a fall league for our high school boys and high school girls this year, but we need to find out how much interest there is. This will be open to boys 15 and older, and girls 14 and older on September 1st.

The cost will depend on the amount of players we have, so it's very important that we get a good understanding of who might be interested.  In the past, these types of events cost anywhere from $50-$75 for 4-6 weeks of games. 

Please email director@chsmhouston.com if you are interested in playing on a C.H.S.M. fall league team.  We cannot keep this open for long, so please respond by August 15th.

Homeschool Support Group Meetings

Many local homeschool support groups are having Back to school events at this time of year. This is a great opportunity to find out more about these groups and see if membership can benefit your family. These upcoming meetings are open to interested families.

Conroe Area Christian Home Educators
Back to School Meeting

Thursday, August 22, 2013
7:00-9:00 pm
Conroe Bible Church
4491 Interstate 45 North, Conroe, TX 77304
http://www.cacheonline.org/

Workshops and Activities:

• Question & Answer Workshop 7:15
• Dual Credit Classes Workshop 8:00
• Vendors Hall
• Used Book Sale
• Registration for school year 2013/2014
• Refreshments

Cypress Homeschool Association Open House

Friday, August 16,2013
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Lone Star College Cy-Fair
Conference Room 151/152
9191 Barker Cypress Rd, Cypress, TX 77433
http://cypresshomeschool.org/chas-2013-2014-open-house/

BEST Robotics Team Meeting 8/10

Please join us on Saturday, August 10th, 2013 for our next robotics team meeting, during which we will:

1. Discuss the team's new recognition program
2. Hold officer elections
3. Prepare for the September start of our new season
4. Conduct leadership training

Colleges That Change Lives Tour 2013

Since 1998, the Colleges That Change Lives have been traveling together to meet directly with students and families.
www.ctcl.org
(pre-registration is not required)

Houston CTCL Event
Saturday, August 10, 2013
10:00 a.m.
Westin Houston Memorial City
Azalea Ballroom
945 Gessner Road
Houston, TX 77024
http://www.ctcl.org/events/houston13