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Homeschool Information

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Vital information for homeschoolers:

The following information is in my opinion, and I'm not a lawyer!...

It's online! The Private School Affidavit ("R4") is now on-line. As most of you already know, homeschooling is neither legal nor illegal in the state of California. We're considered "private schoolers" in California.

http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/ps/rq/affidavit.asp

Do NOT file before Oct 1. The California Dept of Ed (CDE) is very specific that they want new and renewing affidavits between Oct 1 and 15 ONLY. However, if a new private school starts later in the year, they should file it when they begin. Renewals MUST be done yearly between Oct 1 and 15 only.

The www.CaliforniaHomeschool.net (CHN) Web site will have instructions soon that you can use to complete the CDE's form and instructions on how to file your own "in lieu of" affidavit letter. The CDE asks for information not required by law, which is why the CHN site offers an alternative to the affidavit.

You can request a paper copy of the Private School Affidavit in the mail if you prefer. See the link above for instructions.

If you're unclear about your four legal options to homeschool, I recommend reading up on the Home School Legal Defense Web site's CA summary:

http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp?State=CA

HSLDA has a good description on filing an affidavit as well:

http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/ca/200309170.asp

If you'd rather be a part of a private umbrella school, you might consider:

Excellence in Education (Martin & Carolyn Forte), 626 821-0025 (In Monrovia)
www.excellenceineducation.com

Faith Academy (Bill & Breta Norton), 337-9341 (In Cedar Glen) http://www.fahomeschool.com

Mountains Christian Academy (Robin & Mary Leggewie), 337-7391 (In Lake Arrowhead)
www.mountainschristian.com

If you join one of the above schools, you would be registered under their affidavit. The school is required to keep your records for you, and you are required to follow your private school's rules, not public school rules.

PLEASE do not join a government "homeschool" program. The more people who join these programs, the more weakened the voice of the independent homeschooler becomes. E-mail me if you need more information on the dangers of government "homeschool" programs at mary@homeschoolchristian.com .

If you are in a financial bind, please contact Mary Leggewie for ideas on how to homeschool on a tight budget. Government money comes with government strings.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING: http://californiahomeschool.net/howTo/filing.htm California Homeschool Network. How to Establish Your Private School. This is an excellent page to begin with, and includes instructions how to obtain and complete the R4 Affidavit as well as a copy you can print off. The CA Homeschool Network affidavit has ONLY the information required by law on it, whereas the affidavit from the state asks for information for which they have no legal right.

http://www.hsc.org Homeschool Associates of California. Good info and a legal brief on the legal ways to homeschool in CA. Read "Getting Legal in CA."

http://www.cheaofca.org Christian Home Educator's Association of CA. CHEA's CA law summary.

http://www.hslda.org Homeschool Legal Defense Association. Gives a good law summary of homeschooling in California with its several options.

Homeschool Christian.com's Homeschool Essays Includes articles about the dangers of government education programs.

Homeschoolers, Is Our Good Name For Sale? by Larry Kaseman, published in Home Education Magazine. WELL worth reading--shows how public education is trying to intrude on homeschooling.

California Education Code

CHSPE Test (California High School Proficience Examination)

CHSPE info now available at http://www.chspe.net

Eligibility to Take the CHSPE
You may take the CHSPE only if, on the test date, you:

• are at least 16 years old, or
• have been enrolled in the tenth grade for one academic year or longer, or
• will complete one academic year of enrollment in the tenth grade at the end of the semester during which the next regular administration will be conducted. (Regular administrations are the fall and spring administration each school year.)

CHSPE 2006 SCHEDULE

March 18, 2006
June 24, 2006

Are you a new homeschooler? Check Mary's "Beginner Page."

Looking for a support group that comes to your house 24 hours a day, rain or snow? See Mary's Homeschool Christian.com. Hundreds of pages of information and 20 message boards. This link will take you to a site map.

Homeschooling in Big Bear: Contact Vivan e-mail at wh1tecap@yahoo.com
Info on Calvary Chapel Big Bear: Stocker Rd., Big Bear Lake, (909)866-9328 Contact Rebbeka Scalice.
Boston Schools (909)585-7188
Boston Schools Bookstore (909)584-9540

Faith Academy field trip information- if any one wants Faith Academy to advertise your field trip, I need the information by the 15th of each month. The information will go into the following month's newsletter. Please be as brief as possible and put you name and address and telephone number for those that are interested to get in touch with you. Call Breta Norton if you are interested. 909 337-9341. You can subscribe to Faith Academy's newsletter for $7 per year even if you are not a member.

The monthly newsletter from Faith Academy is available to those not enrolled for a fee of $7.00 per year. Send your check to Faith Academy P.O. Box 910 Lake Arrowhead, Ca. 92352 attention: Breta Norton. Faith Academy is a private Christian Independent Study Program.

Southern Californians please join THE HAWTHORNE CENTER (near Riverside) announcements list. To join send an email to: HawthorneCenterNews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com . This e-mail list is well worth joining. I do not duplicate what is sent out on this valuable e-mail, except occasionally.

Another group that organizes field trips can be found at http://www.emersons.org/fieldtrips/ . At this Web site, you can sign up to be on their e-mail list for up-coming field trips. They have a very fun variety of trips in Southern California, mostly in San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego Counties.

Bargain hunt/"putting the word out": Are you looking for something cheap/free, or have something to share/sell?

There is a Yahoo E-mail Group for Freecycle in Lake Arrowhead. Sign up for this list, which is a great place to offer items for free, or ask for items for free locally. http://www.groups.yahoo.com

Please remember the rules...
1) NEW Pick-up is Wednesday between 4:30-6pm
2) NEW Order deadline is Monday night by 9 p.m. FIRM. e-mail Kim@realtraders.com by phone 337-6632, or by fax 337-8388.
3) Bring cash when possible.
4) Bring some bags if you have some.
5) PLEASE don't expect Kim to cover you being a "few cents short." It adds up fast!
6) When you get Kim's e-mail, delete what you don't want to buy, leaving only what you want, with the quantity listed in front of the item. This makes everyone's life much easier!
7) Please sign up for your turn to help from 1:30-3 p.m. on the Wednesday of your choice. THIS IS A CO-OP (=cooperation). If you do not help out once in a while, you will be dropped from the co-op.
8) Park on the opposite side of Kim's street...her side is VERY dangerous.
9) Please consider tipping Kim a bit...she does not do this as a money maker and some weeks she barely breaks even. We need to help cover her gas AND dinner for that day if we can!

Thanks to Kim King about the tip on inexpensive groceries! She tipped me off to three great places to shop (unfortunately they are in San Bernardino!). I wouldn't visit any in the evening.
     Notrica's 32nd Street Market: Highland Ave & Sterling, in the shopping center across the street from Target off the 30 Fwy (east of 18). (Where the old Von's was) This market seems to make up for low prices by selling cheaply. The produce is REALLY cheap! Occasionally they have strikers out front because it's not a union market.
     London Mike & Judy's Grocery Warehouse: Off the 215 Fwy. Mill Street exit, go east, on south side of street less than a mile away. This is the scratch and dent of grocery stores. Not in a good neighborhood either, and has very limited hours. Closed on Mondays, and they close at 4 p.m. on the other days. You'll find real steals here, but the products might not be very pretty! They clean things up very nicely, and the prices more than make up for the dented cans and stained labels. They recently started carrying a few refrigerated goods and some bakery goods.
     Orowheat Bread Store-10 Fwy, Pepper Street, left on Valley, it's on the south side of the street. This is a thrift store and has great deals and fresh bread, even though the dates are "near."

Make astronomy a personal experience! Mountain Skies Astronomical Society's Astronomy Village offers home school families membership for $15.00 per year. Their facilities feature the Robert Brownlee Observatory and include an office, picnic benches, gift shop, library and indoor classroom. This is a superstar field trip! You sign up under classroom membership. This gives you (1) use of the lender library--teacher resource files, telescopes (8 inch Newtonian), microscopes, videos, slides, books, and other resources, (2) free admission to StarWatches for the family (since they are the school), (3) discount on adult admission to SkyQuest classes featuring a lively lecture, dramatic slide show, unique demonstrations, observatory viewing (weather permitting), and question and answer period on a variety of topics and (4) a bi-annual newsletter with educational color update. Members get a 10% discount on sweatshirts and other clothing with the logo. Pre-scheduled programs at A! stronomy Village are fun for the whole family and groups of all ages. Customized programming is available for a minimum of 20 participants and can be suited to any grade level.

You can call (909) 336-1699 for information and scheduling and visit their website at http://www.mountain-skies.org. They're open 7 days a week, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The MSAS Astronomy Village is located just west of Rim of the World High School off State Highway 18, above the athletic field parking lot. Drive up past the rock wall entrance and stop in!

The Library On-Line!!! You can access the catalog and reserve in your own home! The PIN number is the last 4 digits of your phone number. They're tweaking the Web site, but it looks like it's going to be GREAT for us! You can "shop" for books at home with all your catalogs at your side!

http://sbclibweb2pub.co.san-bernardino.ca.us/Welcome.html

For other helpful links on Lake Arrowhead, see: Lake Arrowhead Information

The ultimate Weather site: Ben Brissey's Weather

I'm a weather addict and spend a lot of time comparing weather Web sites, and Ben consistently calls the weather right when no one else gets it! Besides being a great guy, he also homeschooled for a few of his school years!

Our lawmakers

President:
George W. Bush
president@whitehouse.gov
The White House, Washington, D.C., 20500

Fun--get a greeting card (baby, marriage, anniversary, etc) signed by the president. Send your request with the address of the person to receive the card to: White House Greeting Office, Washington, D.C., 20500

Governor:
Governor Gray Davis (D)
(909) 680-6860 (Riverside: 3737 Main St., Suite 201, Riverside, 92501)
(916) 445-2841 (State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814)
(909) 680-6863 FAX

U.S. Senators:
Barbara Boxer (D)
e-mail senator@boxer.senate.gov
312 N. Spring St., Ste. 1748, Los Angeles, CA, 90012
(213) 894-5000
Fax (213) 894-5012

Dianne Feinstein (D)
11111 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 915, Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 914-7300
Fax (619) 231-1108

U.S. Representative (Congressman): (40th district)
Jerry Lewis (R)
1150 Brookside Ave., Suite J-5, Redlands, CA 92373
(909) 862-6030
Fax (909) 335-9155

State Senator (31st District)
James Brulte (R)
10681 Foothill Blvd., Suite 325, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
(909) 466-9096
Fax (909) 466-9892
senator.brulte@sen.ca.gov

State Assemblymen:

63rd district:
Bill Leonard (R)
10535 Foothill Blvd., Suite 276, Rancho Cucamonga
(909) 466-4180
Fax (909) 466-4185
assemblyman.leonard@assembly.ca.gov

62nd district:
John Longville (D)
201 North E. St., Suite 205, San Bernardino, CA 92401
(909) 388-1413
Fax (909) 388-1176
Assemblymember.Longville@assembly.ca.gov

San Bernardino County Government:

3rd District (Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead)
Dennis Hansberger
County Government Center, 385 N. Arrowhead Ave., Fifth Floor, San Bernardino, CA 92415-0110
ebailes@co.san-bernardino.ca.us

CA Assembly
CA Senate

US House of Representatives
US Senate

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Last update 11/14/2005