ENOCH of NEW JERSEY e-NEWSLETTER
April 2009
From the President’s Pen
Dear Friends,
ENOCH has launched the new website.
Visit us at www.enochnj.org to view it. The old website will not have the convention information. You need to renew the site as a bookmark to your favorites. Thanks to Mark August and Zachary Williams for all their hard work in making this happen in time for the unveiling of online registration. The new look is refreshing and we are excited over it. I also want to thank Jim Abrams, our Webmaster, for his hard work in setting up our credit card service for the registration. This year ENOCH is able to offer credit card sales for online registration, at the convention in the registration area, as well as, in Used Curriculum. Also, when you buy the CDs at the convention, you can purchase them using a credit card.
As you can see ENOCH is busy! We are officially in full gear with the convention approaching in May. Early Bird registration opened online on March 15th.
On April 1, 2009 ENOCH began their official date for a new slate of Officers on ENOCH. They are as follows:
Richard Millward, President
Peter & Rosemary Laberee, Southern Jersey Rep
Rich & Chris Gunther, Central Jersey Rep
Mark (& Sue) August, Legislative Liaison
Minerva Millward, Secretary & Treasurer
With this change came some losses. We are sad to see the Baillies leave us after serving us a number of years. Mark was our Treasurer and he did a fine job getting us on track and fine tuning the accounts. He and his wife, Kathi, will continue to serve us at the convention. Also, Greg & Susan Hartman have stepped down from the Board. Greg & Susan served as Southern Reps for a number of years before Greg became President and then Vice President. Greg still serves on the Board of Trustees for ENOCH. They will be greatly missed. We want to thank them for their years of service to the Board and the homeschooling community. Both have been a rich blessing and have added to our lives.
The ENOCH Board of Officers and Trustees are made up of couples who volunteer their time to serve homeschoolers throughout New Jersey. There are no paid positions. So when you see them at the convention this year or you speak with them, be sure to tell them - thank you. We are in need of new Board members to serve homeschoolers. If you feel you would like to serve with ENOCH, please contact me at president@enochnj.org.
I want to remind you again that the GPA Superstore is for you the homeschooling family. Please click the link above and register if you haven’t already. During these economical times, you can save your family money while shopping there.
Don’t forget to register Early Bird before April 30th!
Looking forward to seeing you in May,
Rich Millward
President
Table of Contents
19th Annual ENOCH of New Jersey Homeschool Convention
This year’s convention will be held Friday and Saturday, May 29-30, 2009 at the Raritan Center in Edison. This is NOT Memorial Day weekend. Make your plans now to attend. The most current information regarding the convention can be found on our website at www.enochnj.org.
ENOCH Convention 2009 Registration Update
It’s official! ENOCH began Early Bird registration on March 15th. We had a few kinks to work out with the credit card processing but in the end we are up and running. I want to remind you that Early Bird registration closes April 30th. Be sure to look at the new form when registering via regular mail. The envelopes must be posted by April 30th in order to receive the special discount.
Also, when you have register, please remember that you will not be receiving a verification of registration. You just have to pick up your nametags at the convention. If you registered using a check, please be sure to mail your check in before April 30th in order to receive the special discount.
If you have any specific questions, you can contact me at conventionregistrar@enochnj.org . Thank you.
Minerva Millward
Registration Coordinator
What’s It Gonna Take? - Sue August, Convention Coorindator
I’ve been homeschooling for 10 years now (16 if you count everything I’ve taught my son since birth!). In looking back I can remember different seasons during these years. There were seasons when our school looked more like play – we spent hours playing board games or constructing things, always with the hidden agenda of learning something. There were seasons when most of our homeschooling was NOT at home – the field trips and co-op opportunities were too good to resist. There were long dry seasons of training and discipline with an eye toward the future – doing what we could to equip Jack for his adult years. In all these seasons, there were many, many things we did to help us stay the course and keep our eyes on the goal.
My recommendation to any homeschooling family is to always do as many things as possible that will support you in your call to homeschool. However, if a family could only manage to do one thing to help them stay on track, I would, without hesitation, advise them to attend ENOCH’s annual convention every year. There is no better place to get so much support, information and inspiration in so little time! Setting aside two days (May 29-30) to help you get regenerated for an entire year of homeschooling, doesn’t seem like such a big investment of time and energy.
But of course, I’m probably preaching to the choir. If you read this e-newsletter, you have probably attended the convention in the past. The people that need to hear this advice are probably not on ENOCH’s mailing list. They may not even have heard of ENOCH! Unfortunately, this advice is for them and may be just the thing they need at the end of this school year. Maybe they just don’t realize what they’re missing.
Please partner with ENOCH in helping spread the word to the homeschooling families that are less connected than you might be. This year, first-timers to our convention will receive a $20 rebate if they pre-register. How much more inviting can we get? If you know of homeschoolers who have never been to the convention, please invite them to attend. Direct them to ENOCH’s website (www.enochnj.org) or better yet, print out a brochure for them to keep. There may just be a workshop description or two that will entice them!
ENOCH’s whole reason for existence is to reach as many NJ homeschoolers as possible in order to walk alongside them and make their homeschool experience richer. If each of the 5,000 families who received a convention brochure in the mail would target one other homeschool family, the NJ community of homeschoolers would be strengthened tremendously. Please pray about who you can invite!
ENOCH’s Audio Lending Library: The Joy of Storytelling (Audio Lending Library Review)
Jim Weiss is a master story teller. People of all ages love his audio books. In this workshop, Jim reminds us that everyone loves a story and that stories should be a big part of family life. He then proceeds to give tips on how to tell a good story and even teaches how to do different voices for different characters. To order this recording, use this link:
http://www.enochnj.org/index.php/resources/lending_library
and request Recording #307.
While you’re at the Convention, visit Greathall Productions in the Exhibit Hall to pick up some of Jim Weiss’ audio books – they’re real gems!
Volunteer Needed at ENOCH Convention
NEEDED: 4 (FOUR) RECORDING & DUPLICATING VOLUNTEERS!!!! Please Help!!!
ENOCH has ventured into a new area of service this year and will be doing its own recording. In order to succeed and satisfy attendees we are calling on you, our faithful supporters, to assist us in accomplishing this task. We are in need of four technically minded volunteers who are proficient in recording and repairing masters, making copies and duplicates at our entire convention weekend - Friday, May 29 & Saturday, May 30, 2009. These volunteers will be responsible for producing quality masters and duplications and will insure that masters are moving from the master recording machines to the duplication machines and the errors are detected and corrected. We are in need of at least one volunteer who has a technical background and the ability to rip, repair and re-master messages that have otherwise gone bad. Volunteer compensation will be given. Willing candidates should reply immediately to Rich Gunther at guntherfamily5@verizon.net. Thank you.
Convention Appetizer: Betty Ford Called by Carol Barnier
Carol Barnier is one of the Featured Speakers at ENOCH’s upcoming convention:
Betty Ford Called
Carol Barnier
“I called the Betty Ford Clinic! They still have an opening.” Heh heh heh. My husband is so pleased with himself and his humor.
“Yeah, honey....you’re terribly funny. I’ve always loved that joke..”
One of my husband’s favorite chuckles is to poke fun at my addiction. No, I don’t have an alcohol or drug problem. (Caffeine notwithstanding). I don’t gamble or display typical compulsive behaviors. I am, by all generally accepted measures of mental health, a reliably stable person. But yes....there is a problem.
I collect books..
That sounds rather harmless, don’t you think? When I say it that way, it sounds like a quaint hobby. She collects tea doilies. He collects antique glassware. And Carol? Oh, she collects books. But such a sweet pronouncement doesn’t really do justice to the questionable intensity of activity that actually accompanies her “collecting”. To make matters worse, now that she homeschools (I prefer to speak ill of myself only in third person) it almost puts a noble face on her addiction. Well.....don’t homeschoolers always need more books? Are there ever enough books when one homeschools? Why can’t we put shelves up in front of that exit door?
Over my years of homeschooling and speaking I’ve walked the aisles of many a vendor hall. In the beginning it was a painful experience. I saw so many wonderful books and materials that I wanted....I longed for...books that I was certain would radically revolutionize our schooling until my children were such prodigies they would make appearances on Jay Leno to amaze America with the wonders of homeschooling. But now, after so many years, after so many vendor halls, after so many used curriculum sales, local library sales and garages sales....now I walk those same halls, looking like a lost bag lady, scanning the many books being offered and muttering under my breath...
“Got it.. Got it. Already got it. Got that too. Whoops. Got two of those.” (Big sigh).
I am, after many long years, finally feeling a slowing in the drive to find, obtain and hold books. In fact, as I wander the aisles now, my mind travels in a different direction. Now that I’ve seen every book that was ever written for homeschoolers, (Really. I’m pretty sure about this) I can indeed make the profound announcement...there are some books you will simply never find in a homeschool vendor hall. Isn’t that amazing? Even with all the thousands of offerings, I have come to the conclusion, that though we are a diverse group of folks with a multiplicity of needs, wants and characteristics, there are still some books you will never see in our halls. In just such a spirit, I offer some possible titles:
I can safely proclaim, you’ll not be seeing these. (Although I secretly think the Dr. Seuss book has great merit and potential). Nonetheless, my mind continues to wander...and wonder. What other books might we be missing and not know it? In fact, are there books that we actually could use that have not made an appearance? I pondered this a bit and sent off to my publisher a list of possible titles that could, indeed, come in handy for a homeschooler, but are as yet an untapped market.
So far, I haven’t heard from my publisher. But I can only assume that he’s shopping these titles around with marketing executives. The possibilities are just staggering. The spin-offs are endless. The energy is infectious! Then again, perhaps it’s time to feed that other addiction and get my morning cup of coffee.
Carol Barnier, veteran homeschooler, tackles these and other slightly more serious topics in her many homeschool talks, but always, always, always with a chuckle.
ENOCH of NJ Fourth Annual Essay Contest
Topic: What is a true friend? If possible, give an example of a true friend in your life.
Awards:
6 to 10 years: $75.00
11 to 13 years: $100.00
14 to 18 years: $125.00
The winning essays will appear in future ENOCH e-Newsletters and on the ENOCH website.
Eligibility:
Must be a child living in New Jersey between
the ages of 6
and 18 who is being home educated when writing the essay.
Children of current
or former ENOCH Board
members are not eligible.
Judgment Criteria: Focus on assigned
topic, Theme, Presentation, Creativity,
Christian world view and Message.
Deadline: Must be received by end of day - Friday, May 1, 2009
How to submit:
All essays
must be emailed in plain text in the body of an
email to contest@enochnj.org.
The Subject of the
email should be “ENOCH Essay Contest”.
Prior to the actual essay please
include the following information:
Student’s first and last name
Parent’s first and last name
Family’s mailing address
Family’s telephone number
Child’s birth month and year
Essays
should not be submitted as an attachment to the email, as we
may not be
able to open attachments. If you do send as an attachment and we cannot open
it, we will not attempt to contact you. Plain text means: no italicizing, no
underlining, no bolding, no mixing of fonts and no graphics.
Essays
will not be accepted by any other means such as mail or direct
delivery.
Format: Essay written
by a single author. Other literary forms of communication
such as poems are not acceptable. Group submissions are not
acceptable.
Length: There is no minimum length, but a
length should be chosen to age
appropriately and adequately answer the topic question. The following
also apply
6 to 10 years: 800 word maximum
11 to 13 years: 1200 word maximum
14 to 18 years: 1500 word maximum
Winner Notification: Winners will be notified by email on or before ENOCH’s Annual Homeschool Convention May 29-30, 2009.
OTHER EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
The links and descriptions below contain information regarding classes, field trips, and other opportunities which may help you in your homeschooling journey. For an accumulated look at opportunities compiled for the current school year, visit www.enochnj.org and click on the Opportunities directory.
New Jersey School of Music Expands …
New Jersey School of Music, based in Medford, NJ celebrates half a century by expanding! A new location will open in Cherry Hill, NJ.
The Music plays on, defying a bad economy, determined to educate the community, provide jobs, and increase opportunities for musicians.
Five decades ago a small music school was founded in the community of Medford New Jersey. Over the years, the New Jersey School of Music expanded as it nurtured thousands of students while providing culture, educational opportunities and enrichment to the community. Currently, with homeschool mom, Renee Sutin, at the helm, the Medford location continues this rich tradition, employing twenty four professional musicians, teaching in excess of 600 lessons per week to a new generation of aspiring musicians.
New Jersey School of Music is pleased and excited to announce the opening of the New Jersey School of Music Piano Annex in the studios above the Jacob's Music showroom, located at 1200 Haddonfield Rd. in Cherry Hill.
On April 6, 2009, the New Jersey School of Music Piano Annex will begin lessons, bringing a long history of experience and tradition of service to the community of Cherry Hill. For more information please call (856) 910-0060, or visit our website at: www.njschoolofmusic.com
HSN - Used Curriculum Sale in Lawrenceville, NJ
It is that time of year!!! Spread the word!!! Gather all the books, videos, magazines, readers, educational resources, and curriculum that you are no longer using.
Mark your calendar for HSN’s annual Used Curriculum Sale!
Date: Saturday, May 16, 2008, 2 - 5 pm
Place: Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
2730 Princeton Pike
Lawrenceville, NJ
For more details, contact Barb @ hsn@homeschoolsupport.org.
CHEG - Used Curriculum Fair/Bake Sale in Howell, NJ
Cornerstone Home Education Group will be hosting their annual Used Curriculum Fair on May 21, 2009 at 7 PM. This event will be held as Cornerstone Calvary Chapel, 6550 Route 9 South, Howell. This curriculum sale is a service to fellow homeschoolers. Sellers are limited to homeschoolers ONLY but ANYONE is welcome to come and purchase! Tell your teacher friends!! This will not be a "yard sale" but rather an "educational items" sale. The items which can be sold must be education-related (i.e. curriculum / books/video and audio tapes / CD's / DVD's / games / Legos/ Kinex, etc). Please, NO yard sale items.
Items made by homeschooled children can also be sold - i.e. potholders, scarves, refrigerator magnets, etc. This is a nice way to sell books/curriculum you are finished with and purchase needed items at the same time! Last year we had a great turnout. There were many wonderful books and materials available for sale at fantastic prices. We are looking forward to more of the same this year!
This year we will be hosting an ice cream parlor during the curriculum fair. Stop by for a sweet treat. All proceeds will go toward the CHEG homeschool group.
If you are planning on selling at the fair please RSVP at www.homeschool-life.com/nj/cheg by Tuesday, May 19th. You will find the link on the right side of the webpage. All information can be found at this website. Any questions, please contact Michele at grace2u5@verizon.net.
Blessings!
Michele Gross
Living Water – Used Curriculum Sale in Marlton, NJ
Date: Saturday, April 18, 2009 from 9am – 1pm
Place: Marlton Assembly of God
625 E Main St
Marlton, NJ 08053
To reserve a table for $10 contact Heather Zampino at hzampino@comcast.net or 609-268-1142. Deadline to reserve tables is April 6th
To sell you must be a homeschooler but anyone can purchase! The table reservation money is due on April 6th. Please make the check out to Living Water and send to:
Heather Zampino
231 Forked Neck Road
Shamong, NJ 08088
Burlington County Homeschool Teens perform Romeo & Juliet
Love and laughter, song and dance, Romeo and Juliet. Come experience this timeless tale as you’ve never seen it before. Our adaptation will provide family-friendly entertainment! 35 home educated teens are involved in this production!
There are 4 performances from which to choose:
Tuesday, April 28th at 7:00
Thursday, April 30th at 4:00
Thursday, April 30th 7:30
Friday, May 1st at 7:00
All are performed in the theatre at the Burlington County Institute of Technology, 695 Woodlane Road, Westampton, NJ 08060. Admission: $5 donation at the door
Proceeds to benefit Urban Promise of Camden, NJ and 4-H Youth Development.
Directions: from I-295 take exit 45A. The ramp feeds onto Rancocas Road heading towards Mt. Holly. Turn left at the third light onto Irick Road. Turn right at the next light onto Woodlane Road. The BCIT driveway is just ahead on the left.
For more information contact mrsthib@gmail.com
May Fung’s Homeschool Drama Performances
May Fung’s Homeschool Drama Class will hold their annual Family Performance on Monday, May 11, 2009 at 8 p.m. With a double billing of Romeo & Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing. This will be an evening of lamentation, laughter, and literary wit. Each play is shortened to a fast-paced 25 minutes, and is appropriate for all ages. The performance will be held at Rutgers Community Christian Church, Building C. Visit: www.rccc.org for directions.
May Fung has been teaching the Homeschool Drama Class for four years. Her students have attended and won awards at the annual Shakesperience:NJ Festival (www.shakespearenj.org - http://www.shakespearenj.org/). If you have a student interested in attending drama class in grade 8 or above, please contact Mrs. Fung at may@cfung.net. Or, come and see the show to get a taste of what it’s like, and talk to Mrs. Fung in person!
Choir Registration for New Families - 2009-2010
Children and youth, ages 5-18, are invited to join the Princeton Area Homeschool
Choir for the 2009-2010 season. Seven separate divisions rehearse on Mondays,
from October through April, in Pennington, N.J. Registration brochures will be
mailed at the end of March. To be placed on the mailing list, e-mail your name
and standard mailing address to: homeschoolchoir@ aol.com. Further information
about the Choir may be found at www.pahc.org.
Annual Spirit of the Renaissance Poetry Competition
I hope you will encourage youth in your associations or programs to submit poetry in the Annual Spirit of the Renaissance Poetry Competition. The deadline is April 4, guidelines are attached. Students chosen as finalists in the competition will read their poems and receive cash prizes at the sixth Annual Jessie Redmon Fauset Day, April 25, at 2 p.m. in the Lawnside Public School.
Additionally, the Society is hosting a free workshop with spoken word artist Napalm called "From the Page to the Stage" on April 11 at 2 p.m. in the Lawnside School.
If you have questions, please call or send email.
Linda Shockley President
Lawnside Historical Society, Inc.
P.O. Box 608
Lawnside NJ 08045-0608
856-547-8489 (home)
856-546-8850 (Peter Mott House)
Theme: The American Dreamers
Eligibility: Fifth through 12th grade students who reside in Camden County
Format: Each page of each entry must bear a page number, the typed name, home address including city and zip code, home telephone number, school name and grade
level of the student submitting the entry. Each entry must consist of no more than three pages of sonnets, ballads, rhymes or other poetic genres.
Entries containing profanity will be disqualified. Email submissions are not permitted.
Deadline: All entries must be received by mail by April 4 at:
Lawnside Historical Society
P.O. Box 608
Lawnside, NJ 08045-0608
CASH PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED
Poets will read their winning entries at the 2009 Jessie Redmon Fauset Day, which will be held at2 p.m. on April 25 at Lawnside Public School, 426 East Charleston Ave.
Somerset County Christian Homeschoolers – In the Spotlight!
We
are the Somerset County Christian Homeschoolers (SCCH), formerly known as
Somerset County Christian Parent Educators Association. (SCCPEA)
Our group runs in order to support Christian homeschoolers in the area, though
not limited to Somerset County. One must be a Christian to join our group since
we have a co-ops and we, ourselves, are teaching the children. It is important
to us that the values we hold dear are being passed on during class.
We meet about 5 -6 times a year for evening support group meetings, and
bi-monthly in the afternoon for our co-op which goes up to Jr. High age level.
The co-op is held in Bridgewater. We are presently in the process of developing
a high school program but, at the moment, it is still in the construction phase.
.
We offer field trips, a co-op which consists of 2 hours; one being an education
hour, and the other gym time, field day at the end of the year, parent support
group meetings, an education fair once a year, graduation ceremony, family game
night, tea-time for moms, a curriculum review meeting, guest speakers, a monthly
newsletter full of information for the homeschooler in NJ, and general all
around encouragement.
If interested, I, Madeleine Farrell, am the contact person; my email is
irishtropics@mac.com and my telephone
number is 908-561-4941.
If you have any questions, feel free to call me.
Homeschool Basketball Tournament
Recently we were blessed to host an all day basketball tournament for many of
the NJ homeschool basketball teams. There were 10 games in all and the event
ran from 9am to 7pm. 4 boys varsity teams, 3 girls varsity teams, and 3 boys JV
teams competed. Even though the tournament was organized at the last minute (a
culmination of a few of the teams we had played throughout the year, rather than
a formal statewide invite) it still proved to be a wonderful day of fun and
fellowship.
The various team players are really beginning to get to know each other and look
forward to meeting for annual competitions. We are truly excited and encouraged
to see NJ homeschool sports growing, and our heart is to continue to share the
good news that there are wonderful options available for your athletically
inclined homeschooled child.
A warm and sincere "thank you" to our snackbar volunteers (Judy Wright, Stacy
Guerrini, Tricia Burch, Steph Thomas, Grace Wright, Jamie Cramer, Lee
Thorne, Donna Crist, and Mary Beth Trulli) who worked tirelessly throughout an
extended day AND to the dedicated score board volunteers (Karen Fenwick who also
MC'd the day, Bev Kendall, Mike Perseo, Judy Perseo, Doris Gansereit, Sarah
Gansereit, Betsy Fenwick who was our "go to girl" and Jacklyn McQuarrie).
Thanks also to the Thorne boys who helped with setup the night before. And
finally, thank you to all the coaches and players who participated.
Here are the results from the tournament:
Boys Varsity Championship Winners - NJHSA NETS
Girls Varsity Championship Winners - F.U.N. Academy HEAT
Boys JV Championship Winners - MCCHE PATRIOTS
If you would like more information about NJ Homeschool Sports, please visit the
website below.
ENOCH of NJ e-Newsletter NEXT DEADLINE
Here are the spring deadlines for the ENOCH of NJ e-Newsletters. The deadlines are firm and coordinated so that we can get you a fresh newsletter by the first of each month. Please have all submissions in the editor’s hands by 6 p.m. of the announced date. Thanks.
May 2009 issue: Friday, April 27 at 6 p.m.
June 2009 issue (post-Convention issue): Friday, June 12 at 6 p.m.
It’s also the time to announce early fall opportunities for homeschoolers. Send all submissions to newsletter@enochnj.org. This deadline serves the purpose of allowing time for editing and formatting the newsletter in order that time-sensitive information can be posted and mailed in a timely manner.
Final editing begins at the deadline. Submissions prior to the deadline are always welcome and encouraged.
Posting and emailing is normally by the 1st of the month (except for the June issue).
Thanks for your help in getting the newsletter delivered promptly.
SUBSCRIBE TO ENOCH'S e-NEWSLETTER
Why and How to Subscribe
If you are not already subscribed to this newsletter, you can subscribe now! If you would like the e-Newsletter delivered directly to your e-mailbox each month, go to Monthly Newsletter link on our website at www.enochnj.org.
Encourage your support group members to subscribe to the ENOCH email list! Include this portion of our newsletter in your monthly hardcopy newsletter. Get the word out that this newsletter is for them! We use our subscription list to notify the homeschooling community of changes to our website, of the Convention and our Leadership Conference, alerts, and other important news.
All submissions desiring consideration for publication in the e-Newsletter should be sent to newsletter@enochnj.org. Thanks.
ENOCH of NJ
Box 308
Atlantic Highlands NJ 07716
732.291.7800
Neither the ENOCH e-Newsletter, nor the Board of Directors for ENOCH New Jersey, endorses nor recommends any of the non-ENOCH programs, events, or opportunities listed. They are selectively provided as a service to those who wish to explore further.