Auditor General’s Reporthems-ns.ca/hems/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/december.pdfyour homeschool...

Psalm 133:1 How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity.

One of the benefits of

homeschooling is the free-

dom to get to know people

who would not normally be

in our circle of friends.

Sometimes, the diversity

can stretch us and cause us

to either reevaluate the

choices we make or it can

reaffirm the things we hold

dear.

Encouraging our children

to grow outside their com-

fort zone (and us too) pro-

vides the whole family with

the richness of experience

and the blessing of oppor-

tunities.

Stop for a minute and con-

sider the amazing people

around you and think of

how they have enhanced

your homeschool journey.

In everything, set them an example by

doing what is good.

Titus 2:7

Auditor General’s Report The Auditor General’s Report was made public on 21 November 2012. Homeschoolers from around Nova Scotia met at the Department of Education Building in Halifax, with Dr. Alan Lowe, the Regional Education Officer, responsi-ble for homeschooling. The meeting with Dr. Lowe went very well. A diverse group of homeschoolers met, discussed and brainstormed together. The result: Nova Scotia Home Education: Call to Action Coalition. Find it on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NovaScotiaHomeEducation-CallToAction Updated information will be posted here so that everyone has timely and consistent ac-

cess to the most up to date information. This page will not be hosted by or represent any one group. All informa-tion will be moderated by rep-resentatives from across the province. We encourage you to take a few minutes and read the AG's report www.oag-ns.ca “HSLDA condemns this report for it’s clear anti-home edu-cation bias and clear lack of understanding of home education. It is obvious that the Auditor General’s office has not con-sulted the research on home education, home educating fami-lies, or home educa-tion experts.”

“If the recommendations in this report are put into prac-tice, Nova Scotia will become the most oppressive province in Canada in which to home educate. HSLDA will be working with local home edu-cation leaders to ensure that homeschooling freedoms are maintained in Nova Scotia.”

Education Act & Regulations

2-3

Auditor General’s Recommendations

4

Minutes of Dept of Education Meeting

6

HSLDA Public Meet-ing Highlights

12

Swimming Lessons 16

Transition From Pub-lic/Private to Home

21

Calendar of Events 24

Inside this issue:

Building a Community

HEMS Ministries

December 2012 Volume 12 Issue 2

HOME EDUCATION: Provision of home education 128 (1) A parent may provide a home education program to a child of the parent centered in the child's home. (2) A parent providing a home education program to a child shall (a) register the child for each school academic year with the Minister; and (b) report the child's progress to the Minister, as prescribed by the regulations. (3) With the approval of the school board, a child in a home education program may attend courses offered by a school board, subject to any terms and conditions prescribed by the school board. (4) The Minister may require the parent of a child in a home education program to provide evidence of the child's educational progress by providing one or more of the following as the parent determines: (a) results of a standardized test; (b) an assessment from a qualified assessor; (c) a portfolio of the child's work, as prescribed by the regulations. (5) Notwithstanding subsection (4), where, in the Minister's opinion, further evidence of a child's educational pro-gress is required, the Minister may appoint an independent assessor, as prescribed by the regulations, to assess and report to the Minister whether (a) the child is making reasonable educational progress; (b) the home education program is adequately addressing the child's needs; and (c) the available public school program will do more to further the child's educational progress than the home education program. (6) A parent may request that a child in a home education program be assessed through an assessment instrument authorized by the Minister in order to determine the child's educational progress, in accordance with the regulations. (7) When, following participation in a home education program, a child enrolls in a public school, the school board shall determine the child's grade placement. 1995-96, c. 1, s. 128. Termination of right to provide home education 129 (1) A parent may not provide or continue to provide a home education program to a child if, based on the evi-dence provided pursuant to subsection 128(4) and the report made pursuant to subsection 128(5), the Minister deter-mines that (a) the home education program does not meet the requirements of this Act and the regulations; or (b) the child is not making reasonable educational progress as determined by the child's performance as measured pursuant to subsection 128(4). (2) Before making a determination pursuant to subsection (1), the Minister shall (a) notify the parent, in writing, by registered mail of the Minister's intent to make the determination; and (b) give the parent an opportunity to make representation to the Minister in writing as to why the home edu-cation program should be provided or continued. 1995-96, c. 1, s. 129 .

Nova Scotia Education Act: section 128

HEMS Ministries

Nova Scotia Education Act Regulations

HEMS Ministries

39 (1) A parent providing a home education program who registers a child for each school academic year with the Min-ister pursuant to clause 128(2)(a) of the Act, shall, (a) where the parent registers the child for a full school academic year, submit the registration to the Minister on or be-fore September 20 of the school academic year in which the parent wishes to provide the program; or (b) where the parent registers the child for less than the full school academic year, submit the registration to the Minister before commencing the provision of the home education program. (2) A registration form required by subsection (1) shall include, (a) in the case of previous public school experience, the last grade level attained; (b) in the case of previous home education experience, the program level of achievement and estimated equivalent pub-lic school grade level; and (c) identification of the proposed home education program. 40 A parent providing a home education program who reports the child’s progress to the Minister pursuant to clause 128(2)(b) of the Act, shall provide the report (a) at least once a year in June of the school academic year in which the child takes the home education program; and (b) in a manner consistent with the type of program provided and which accurately reflects the child’s progress. 41 (1) For the purpose of clause 128(4)(a) of the Act, a “standardized test” means a nationally or internationally recog-nized achievement test given under standard conditions to measure the level of academic achievement of individual stu-dents. (2) For the purpose of clause 128(4)(b) of the Act, a “qualified assessor” means a person, other than a parent of the child whose educational progress is being assessed, who is (a) a teacher; (b) a person holding a teacher’s certificate issued by the Minister; or (c) a faculty member of an education faculty of a Nova Scotia university that trains teachers, whose area of expertise relating to assessing educational progress includes students within the age range of the child. (3) For the purpose of clause 128(4)(c) of the Act, a “portfolio of the child’s work” means a representative, multi-curricula selection of the child’s work performed over a period of time, for the purpose of assisting the Minister in as-sessing the child’s progress and achievement. 42 For the purpose of subsection 128(5) of the Act, an “independent assessor” means a person who has at least the qualifications of a “qualified assessor” prescribed in subsection 41(2). 43 An assessment instrument authorized by the Minister through which a child in a home education program is assessed under subsection 128(6) of the Act shall be (a) administered to the child by a school board at the same time and under the same conditions as it is administered to public school students; and (b) taken by the child with age-alike or grade-alike public school students.

Audit Objectives & Scope: 2.9 The objectives of our audit were to determine whether: -the Department has standards and processes for evaluating the adequacy of home schooling programs to ensure that each child’s right to an appropriate education is being protected; and -the Department has appropriate processes to monitor the educational progress of children enrolled in a home schooling program.

Recommendations: 2.1 The Department of Education should establish clear and measurable learning objectives and outcomes for the home schooling program. 2.2 The Department of Education should require periodic, independent assessment of home schooled children against learning objectives and outcomes. 2.3 The Department of Education should revise its home schooling material to provide clear information and guid-ance to parents on how to outline the program plan and the type of information to provide, including example of the child’s work, in the yearly progress report. 2.4 The Department of Education should assess the programs proposed by parents to determine if they are designed to achieve appropriate learning objectives and outcomes for home schooled children. 2.5 The Department of Education should document its assessment of proposed home schooling programs in its files, through use of a checklist or other suitable form. 2.6 The Department of Education should obtain information on learning outcomes o home schooled children to de-termine if they are making reasonable educational progress. 2.7 The Department of Education should document in its files its assessment of the learning outcomes of home schooled children. Any action taken as a result of the assessment should also be documented. 2.8 The Department of Education should track home school registration using its computerized database to deter-mine which children are not registered for the current year and whether follow up is needed. 2.9 The department of Education should track receipt of progress reports using the computerized database to deter-mine which children’s progress reports have not been received and whether follow up is needed. 2.10 The Department of education should verify whether children no longer registered for homeschooling are regis-tered in the public school system 2.11 The Department of Education should track children leaving public school for home schooling to ensure they are properly registered for home schooling. 2.12 The Department of education should explore the possibility of establishing an information sharing protocol with the Department of Health and Wellness to enable tracking of all school-aged children in the province to determine whether they are registered for school.

Auditor General’s Key Points

HEMS Ministries

HEMS Ministries

Ask any homeschool

mum and she’ll tell you that she doesn’t

do this because it’s easier than

public school!

Canadian Homeschool Studies

15 Years Later: Home Educated Adults http://www.hslda.ca/assets/pdf/2009-study.pdf

Home Education in Canada http://www.hslda.ca/assets/pdf/summary-final.pdf

Courtesy of the Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents (OFTP), this link leads to a selection of studies and

articles relating to home education. http://www.ontariohomeschool.org/discussion.shtml#studies

Regarding Auditor General's Report 21 November 2012 Present: Dr. Alan Lowe, Regional Education Officer Chad Lucas, Department of Education Communications Officer (Homeschooling) Jeff & Stephanie Jackson, HEMS Scott & Merriam Nixon, HEMS Sara Moginot, Representative at Large Patty MacLeod, Comedy of Errors, NSHEA Kimberly Charron, NSHEA Fracis Laframboise, NSHEA Janice Rowe, Annopolis Valley Homeschoolers Nikki Heilbron Garnhum, Eastern Shore Home Education Families Ken & Lori Quick + 2 sons, Julie Laidlaw, Emma & Amelia Cruddas, Susanna Eve, Vicki Trainor, John & Mary Shearouse, David Richey, Charlene Hubbard, Kate Watson, Andrea Hubley, Lesley Neily, Connie Gaul, Charmaine Dymond, Paula Arruda, Debora Solarski, Flora Yetman, Connor MacLeod, Andy & Danielle, Thomas Kubik, Gina Alexander, Lisa Harder, Rose Hogerterp, Maureen MacInnes, (I know there were more, sorry if I've missed you. I did not include all of the little children but did include the teens.) Dr. Lowe opened the meeting. He informed the group that the Office of the Auditor General had been conducting an audit on the Department of Education's Homeschooling Division since June. The purpose of this meeting was to present the key elements of the Report to the Homeschool Community and to identify the Department of Education's response the the Auditor General's recommendations. I. The Auditor General made 12 recommendations with regard to homeschool administration. Dr. Lowe chose to address only three at this meeting: 1. Recommendation 2.1 The Department of Education should establish clear and measurable learning objectives and outcomes for the home schooling program. Dr. Lowe indicated that the Nova Scotia Department of Education Learning Outcomes were being revised

Minutes of Department of Education Consultation Meeting

HEMS Ministries

to be easily understood by parents and would be available in the future on the Department of Education website. The consensus, of those who spoke out or spoke to group leaders, was that it would be of benefit to have this information easily accessible. There was some question as to whether homeschoolers should 'exactly' follow the scope and sequence used by the Department of Education (learning the same things at the same time and in the same order as everyone else). This suggestion was not well received by the homeschoolers who spoke out or spoke to group leaders at the meeting. Part of this issue included the suggestion that homeschoolers should all use a standardized curriculum. Dr. Lowe referred to this as a prescribed curriculum. He indicated that he did not believe that this was a reasonable approach to homeschooling. He readily acknowledged the benefit of homeschool programs developed specifically for individual learners. He also acknowledged that children learn best when they have a positive emotional attachment with their teacher. In the case of homeschooling, there would be a double bond with the parent as the primary source of instruction. Beyond the suggestion of making Nova Scotia Department of Education Learning Outcomes easily accessible, the Homeschool Community ,who spoke out or spoke to group leaders, was not in favour of this recommendation.

2. Recommendation 2.2 The Department of Education should require periodic, independent assessment of homeschooled children against learning objectives and outcomes. This recommendation was of particular concern because it presupposes that all children will learn the same material at the same time. The term independent assessment was not clarified and as the learning objectives and outcomes vary so significantly from family to family and even child to child, those present at the meeting were not in favour of this recommendation. Dr. Lowe mentioned that it is significant to note that many publicly schooled children do not write the assessments because they are on individual programs (IPPs).

3. Recommendation 2.3 The Department of Education should revise its home schooling material to provide clear information and guidance to parents on how to outline the program plan and the type of information to provide, including examples of the child's work in the yearly progress report. This recommendation referred specifically to the registration and reporting forms that homeschool families are required by the Education Act to submit. It is significant to note that the Auditor General completed his audit before the end of the registration period and so did not have access to the complete inventory of registrations. It is also significant to note that Pearl, the lady who receives our registrations and reports, was out of the office for eight weeks, following knee surgery, and her usual prompt attention to the paperwork was postponed during her healing process. Dr. Lowe indicated that having homeschoolers include samples of work would be one way for families to demonstrate the progress of each student.

HEMS Ministries

II. Open Forum After addressing these three key issues, the conversation moved throughout the room with homeschoolers asking questions of Dr. Lowe. Because there has been no consultation, Dr. Lowe was not prepared to offer definitive responses to most of these questions. Following are the major questions with summary responses: Q: Is there evidence that those registered for homeschooling in Nova Scotia are not providing their children with a progressive and appropriate education? Dr. Lowe: No. Q: Does Dr. Lowe have concerns that homeschooling is ineffective? Dr. Lowe: No. Q: Does Dr. Lowe agree with all of the recommendations of the Auditor General's Report? Dr. Lowe: No, not all, but he would like to see more specific progress information included with the reports. Q: Does the Department of Education have any evidence that homeschool students are not succeeding past the traditional grade K-12 years? Dr. Lowe: No. ***Response: It has been suggested that homeschoolers of Nova Scotia compile, complete and publish a study identifying results of homeschooling in the province. Questions will be determined by the population and administered by the Nova Scotia Home Education:Call to Action Committee. More information will be available on this in the future. It is hoped that this study will help identify some follow up for individuals who stopped registering after the compulsory age of 16 but in no way stopped learning. Q: If the Auditor General is looking for standardized testing, is he prepared to consider that different children learn at different rates and progress is dependent on a child's specific learning needs. Dr. Lowe: The Auditor General has made no such acknowledgment to this office. Q: What about special needs? The Department of Health provides testing for children up to school age. After that, a child needs to be in the public school system in order to receive covered assessments. The way the current system is structured, families are not only responsible for the costs of assessments, but the IWK cites a two year waiting period for many tests. A struggling child should have access to those services without being forced into the public system where there are not the resources to provide children with the individualized attention they are able to receive within an homeschool environment. Dr. Lowe: I agree that this is a problem. Q: As unschoolers, many of us use non-tradtional (non-curricula based) methods of teaching our children. Those of us here all have success stories recounting this method. How will these recommendations affect

HEMS Ministries

unschooling? Dr. Lowe: The recommendations do not address the broad spectrum of homeschooling styles. Q: What about funding? Dr. Lowe: There has been no discussion regarding funding and these recommendations. III. Special Needs & Special Services As previously mentioned, in the Question and Answer portion of these minutes, concern was raised regarding services available to homeschoolers. Dr. Lowe suggested that it may be appropriate for the Department of Education to work more closely with the Department of Health to address the special needs of those children between the ages of six through 16 who are not enrolled in the public school system. IV. What about Sports? The question was raised as to why homeschoolers are ineligible to play on public school sports teams. The answer is liability. The insurance does not cover a child who is not enrolled in the public school system. V. Why is this happening? After a long and positive relationship between the Department of Education and the Homeschooling Community, the question was raised as to why this area was being targeted. Dr. Lowe explained that the Auditor General has concerns that some children are not being sent to public school and are being kept home under the guise of homeschooling while no actual education is being provided. According to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, every child is entitled to an education. The Auditor General referred to this possibility as, “worrisome”. The Auditor General has accused the Department of Education of, “failing in its responsibility to protect the education rights of children enrolled in the provincial home schooling program.” (see chapter 2 Education: Home Schooling Summary paragraph 1 of the Auditor General's Report) The question was raised that if the concern is that children are being neglected, why is this not under the Department of Social Services. Dr. Lowe responded that historically, the Department of Social Services has refused to become involved in truancy issues. VI. What does the Auditor General know about homeschooling? Dr. Lowe was asked if the Auditor General had consulted with any homeschool families and indicated that, no, he had not. Furthermore, the Auditor General has not availed himself of the available studies pertaining to homeschooling in Canada. When invited to this meeting, the Auditor General declined to attend.

HEMS Ministries

Based on his unrealistic expectations and uninformed response to the issues, the opinion of the room was that the Auditor General produced his recommendations on accounting principles without regard to the exceptional results of homeschooling. VII. Conclusion: The Auditor General's Reports are reviewed with a two year window. As a body, the Homeschool Community has agreed that we need to review the Report and prepare to respond to its potential outcome. Dr. Lowe is an advocate of homeschooling and would like to work together with the Homeschool Community in consultation regarding any upcoming changes that may result from this report. Home School Legal Defence Association (HSLDA) is very aware of the Auditor General's Report. As of this writing, Paul Faris, President & Senior Legal Counsel has already responded to the report and is planning to be in Halifax December 10th, 2012, to meet with the Nova Scotia Home Education:Call to Action Committee and with the Homeschool Community at Large. Representatives from many regions, styles and purposes of homeschooling were present at this meeting and it is the hope of the Nova Scotia Home Education:Call to Action Coalition that the Homeschool Community at Large will continue to work together in a cohesive and positive way to promote solidarity on the primary issue: parents have the right to home educate their children in the manner that best suits the needs of the children and the family.

Homeschool Community Meeting

With HSLDA

When: December 10th, 2012

2—4 pm or 7—9 pm

Where: Dartmouth Sportsplex

Paul explained, to all who were

there, what we're up

against, what we can do about it and strategies to make us most

effective.

HEMS Ministries

HEMS Ministries

There have been a lot of questions about what the AG’s Report means for the future of homeschooling in Nova Scotia.

Essentially, the AG is not an elected official. His position is de-signed to help keep Government account-able. He holds a 10 year term and is free to audit at his discre-tion.

The 2012 audit focused

on a few issues, including the Depart-ment of Education: Homeschool divi-sion.

The power of the docu-ment rests in the re-sponse of the Depart-ment. In other words, the Minister of Education can choose to adopt all, none or some of the rec-

ommendations made by the Auditor General .

Currently, the Regulations (page 3) allow the Minister

to apply many of the AG’s recommen-dations in the case of concern over the homeschool program or the progress of a child.

Should the Minister choose to pursue the issue of tracking via the Depart-ment of Health and Wellness,, there will be privacy issues to consider.

To sum it up, the Auditor General’s Report is a prompting for government departments to improve performance.

It is important now, for all of us to lis-ten to what the Minister of Education has to say in the days ahead.

accurate and consistent updates to as many home educators in Nova Scotia as possible. The group is comprised of :

Patty MacLeod-Comedy of Errors

Stephanie Jackson& Merriam Nixon-HEMS

Sara Moginot-Special Needs

Lesley Neily & Frank Laframboise-NSHEA

Susanna Eve-Secular Homeschoolers

Janice Rowe-Valley

Kimberly Charron-Cape Breton

Julie Halfpenny-North Shore

Vickie Trainor– retired unschooler

There is huge diversity within the homeschool community and one of the key reasons many homeschool is be-cause parents want to do what works best for their family.

A group of experienced homeschool-ers from different philosophies, re-gions and backgrounds have formed a coalition; the primary—and in some cases only thing they have in common is that they homeschool.

The Call to Action Coalition is com-mitted to watching the media, the Ministry of Education and communi-cating with Home School Legal De-fense Association in order to provide

What Does the Auditor General’s Report Mean?

No One Represents Me!

Policy—this is not law but a bureau-crat’s application of the Regulations.

The Education Act is Legislation and would require significant effort to

change. The Regulations can be amended at any time by the Department of Education and any changes would be-come law. A policy change could come by means of the forms homeschoolers com-plete for registering and reporting.

It is important that all homeschoolers become familiar with the Act and Regula-tions so they know the potential impact of the changes the Minister may recom-mend or implement.

There are four levels of law in Nova Scotia:

Constitution—overview, applies to entire Country

Legislation—big framework, in-cludes the Acts & is voted on by MLAs

Regulations—Ministries, has ap-proval of Cabinet, no warning of change required.

How Can Changes Be Made?

HEMS Ministries

Constitution Legislation Regulations

Policy

The power of the AG’s Report is in its motivational

impact for change.

Within the group, there are un-schoolers, classical, traditional, eclectic, French, special needs and some who mix the styles together. Some in the group are a part of more than just the group they are listed as representing.

The purpose of this group is to reach as many people as possible. If you know of a region that is not receiv-ing the information, either via one of the support groups or the Call to Action Facebook page, please let us know so that no one misses out on the latest updates and notices of meetings where EVERYONE will have the opportunity for input.

Testing tells us what we don’t know. It doesn’t tell us what hasn’t been taught, has been taught but not un-derstood, has been taught, has been understood but cannot be reproduced.

To suggest that all children at all stages of their development should be

subject to a test designed and admin-istered by an ‘independent assessor’ who has no knowledge of or relation-ship with the child’s education process is akin to asking an elephant to climb a tree.

Within each classroom or each home, teachers and parents administer dif-ferent types of tests every day. Hav-ing a learner apply their comprehen-sion or skill to a problem with which they are familiar and for which they have been prepared is a much more accurate assessment of their progress.

How does that apply to homeschool-

ing? If two children are using two dif-ferent programs that teach all of the same information but in a different order, which one is going to succeed on the test? Because home education programs are tailored to individual students, accurate assessments must also be tailor made.

The solution, however, is not part of the AG’s Report and will require com-

munication between these fami-lies and the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

For those want-ing access to testing, that

There is ongoing outcry at the lack of services available to homeschooled children. The focus of this lays primarily in the realm of special needs students who are having to wait months and in some cases years for appointments, assess-ments, and resources. In many cases, families are having to pay out of pocket for services that are available through the public school system for those not homeschooling. This is a real problem and needs to addressed.

may very well be one thing made available via the Minister of Educa-tion’s response to the Auditor Gen-eral’s recommendations.

CAT3 tests are available for purchase and can be administered by any homeschool family. The cost is minimal and HEMS has a copy of the NORMS books available for those who would like to pursue this option.

http://hems-ns.ca/content/canadian-achievement-tests

What’s Wrong With Testing?

Access to Services

Some services may be available through Departments other than

Education.

Consistent Message

community in Nova Scotia is commit-ted to ensuring that families have the freedom to choose what is best for their children’s education.

One of the AG’s comments was that it is “worrisome” that a child in Nova Scotia could be kept home from public school under the guise of homeschool-ing and not be provided with an edu-cation.

The over-whelming re-sponse to this is that unpar-enting and un-schooling (or not public schooling) are not the same thing.

Because families homeschool for so many reasons, it only makes sense that they would have differing opin-ions on how they would like to see home education managed by the Min-istry of Education.

In the weeks and months ahead, we want to focus on the facts and not feed the fear. Homeschooling works, it works well and the homeschooling

Research supports the

results: homeschooling

works!

Volume 12 Issue 2

Attached to the Auditor General’s Re-port are the initial responses of the Minister of Education to the recom-mendations.

It is important to real-ize that the Ministry has had significantly longer than the Homeschool Commu-nity to review and con-sider their reaction to the AG’s Report.

The Minister of Educa-tion has promised open

consultation with the Homeschool Community on the best way to move forward. As yet, none of the larger

groups have been invited to be a part of this process.

It is our hope that as we move into the New Year, the Minister will honour her promise to work with the Homeschool Community and not simply inform us that she has made her deci-sions.

You can help in this proc-

ess by communicating with your MLA and letting them know that homeschoolers need to have a voice in this process.

It is evident from his recommenda-tions that the Auditor General does not understand why homeschooling is so successful—its freedom to provide an individually customized learning plan/environment for every child.

New policies are already being posted on the Department of Education web-site.

www.http://homeschooling.ednet.ns.ca/

on a family’s adherence to the public school curriculum. In other words, the more like the public school you are, the more funding you receive. That means teaching government cur-ricula using government texts on the government’s timeline.

Families who are interested in pursu-ing funding are free to do so but they should all realize that there are sig-nificant strings attached to govern-ment money in any Department.

Since the AG’s Report did not address funding, it is not an issue we will be taking on at this time. As we wish to address the recommendation at hand.

Provinces like British Columbia and Alberta have funding available for homeschooling families. For many, this money represents the opportu-nity to provide different curricula than what a family’s budget allows.

Funding was not one of the items on the Auditor General’s list of recom-mendations. It is significant to note that in provinces where homeschool-ers receive funding, there is also funding available for private schools. Not so the case in Nova Scotia.

Also noteworthy is the fact that the funding in other provinces is based

Department of Education Response

What About Funding?

At this stage, these forms are policy and not law and how they are com-pleted is ulti-mately up to each family. As the Ministry of Education re-

veals what it plans to do in the future, HSLDA is committed to working with homeschoolers to help navigate our re-sponse.

At the 2013 Provincial Conference in June, there will be a workshop dedicated to registering and reporting and we will try to provide families with the resources to understand exactly how they want to complete these forms.

The Department of Education has already modified the registration and reporting forms on their

website.

Registrations & Reports

HEMS Ministries

“I wish to confirm that there will be open consultation on questions raised by the Auditor General’s Report and also on any possible consideration of changes to the Home School-ing Program.” Ramona Jennex, Minister of Education

Every system has a failure rate. The failure rate of homeschooling is al-most non-existent while the failure rate of public schooling, as evidenced by their own assessments is signifi-cant.

Statistically, homeschool failures are a direct result of family breakdowns.

“For most parents, the initial motiva-tion to keep their children at home is based more on achievement than avoidance. That is, most parents do not choose to homeschool in response

to a negative situation, but rather to proac-tively achieve some combina-tion of moral, social, familial and aca-demic goals (such as teaching within a framework of cer-

tain beliefs and values, encouraging enhanced family interaction and individualizing curricu-lum). Many, however, do re-port avoiding such negative aspects of classroom and school attendance as wasted time, perceived lack of discipline and safety concerns.”

Home Education in Canada: A Summary of the Pan-Canadian Study on Home Education

2003

When Doesn’t Homeschooling Work?

Call to Action

countable to submit to other class-room standardized testing.

The AG has recommended that homeschooling children submit sam-ples of their work to the Department of Education. At this time, no public school child is required to submit sam-ples of their work to the Ministry of Education. Work is seen and evalu-ated by each child’s teacher.

That is what homeschoolers are doing now.

A point of interest, in Nova Scotia,

students are automatically promoted to the next grade, regardless of performance or achievement of learning outcomes. The only requirement for promotion until grade 11 is a birthday that falls before December 31st.

Some of the recommendations of the Auditor General are approved curricu-lum, standardized learning outcomes and testing.

It is important to remember that Dr. Alan Lowe, Regional Education Offi-cer responsible for homeschooling has stated that many publicly schooled children are not held to this standard and are following Individual Learning Plans customized to meet their par-ticular educational needs. Dr. Lowe also confirmed that those students following IPPs generally are not ac-

They Don’t Do That In Public School

HEMS Ministries

Our goal right now: to generally promote homeschooling as a successful alternative to public schooling, to meet with and educate our MLAs with regard the viability of homeschool-ing and to highlight how well learning works in a homeschooling environment.

Keep up to date with all of the latest an-nouncements, releases and meetings by visit-ing the Nova Scotia Home Education: Call to Action Coalition facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/NovaScotiaHomeEducationCallToAction

Now is the time to take action.

As home educators in Nova Scotia, it is essential that we stat con-nected. Spread the word about meetings and updates. Talk, email and facebook one another.

Watch for changes in Department of Education policies. Look for di-rectives and changes from the Ministry and talk to your MLA about any potential new laws be-ing presented to the Legislature.

HEMS Ministries

Swimming Lessons At the Sportsplex

The time has come to start thinking about winter swimming lessons. I know it is early but don't panic! I'm just giving you a heads up. Levels available: Sportsplex Preschool: ages 3-5 / 30 minute classes Aquatot B1 Aquatot B2 Aquatot B3 Red Cross Learn to Swim: ages 5+ / 30 minute classes Swim Kids 1 Swim Kids 2 Swim Kids 3 Swim Kids 4 Swim Kids 5 Swim Kids 6 Swim Kids 7 Swim Kids 8 Swim Kids 9 Swim Kids 10 Lifesaving Society Swim Patrol: ability to swim (recommended for after Swim Kids 10 or older beginners) / 30-45 minute classes depending on scheduling Rookie Patrol Ranger Patrol Star Patrol Lifesaving Society Bronze Program: Bronze Star - minimum 12 years old Bronze Medallion - minimum 13 years old or Bronze Star / 20 hours (2/week) Bronze Cross - minimum 13 years old and Bronze Cross / 20 hours (2/week) ***In the past, we have offered Medallion and Cross over two terms. This time, it will be completed in the 10 week session (1 term) - hence the price difference below. Red Cross Leadership: Assistant Water Safety Instructor (AWSI) - minimum 15 years old (Bronze Cross is recommended) / 19 hours (2/week) + 8 additional hours of practice teaching Water Safety Instructor (WSI) - 15 years old + AWSI + Bronze Cross / 19 hours (2/week) + 12 additional hours of practice teaching ***Practice teaching can be completed on Friday mornings with our homeschool classes. Lifesaving Society Leadership: National Lifeguard Service (NLS) - 16 years old, Bronze Cross (need not be current), and current Standard First Aid Certification OR another NLS option (need not be current) / 40 hours (4/week)

Registration Deadline: Aquatot - Ranger Patrol - December 31st Bronze Star & higher - you do not need to pay until the 31st, but I

need to have your registration no later than December 14th so I can book the instructors.

http://hems-ns.ca/content/hems-swimming-registration I know that was a lot of information, thanks for slogging through it all. I look forward to seeing you in the upcoming term. Registration is available on a first come, first served basis and is open to all homeschool families. You can register on the website with Paypal http://hems-ns.ca/content/hems-swimming-registration or you can email me and pay by cash or cheque.

Be sure to not miss out!

Volume 12 Issue 2

***Bronze Star through NLS will be offered only as there is sufficient registration. That means, if you want in, you HAVE to let me know. Waiting until the last minute to see if the program is going to run will probably result in me not being able to retain the necessary instructors. These higher levels require specialized instructors so I need time to get them on board. For more information on the leadership programs, please visit: http://lifesaving.ca/main.php?lang=english&cat=programs http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=32250&tid=001 If you are interested in the leadership programs, it may be helpful to include a second choice in your regis-tration. That may open the opportunity to run a program this term and your first choice next term.

So, now to the nitty gritty...

Dates: January 11 - March 22 (skipping March 15 for spring break) Times: will be allocated as I receive registration and emailed to participating families Costs:

Aquatot - Swim Kids 10 $60/swimmer Star Patrol - Bronze Star $65/swimmer Bronze Medallion $110 Bronze Cross $100 AWSI - $130/candidate WSI - $/candidate NLS - $/candidate

Home School Legal Defense Asso-ciation (HSLDA) is a national or-ganization that works on behalf of home educators across Canada. Our purpose is to empower, pro-tect, and encourage home educa-tors across the country, as well as represent home education to those who are not home educating them-selves. This includes prospective home educators, antagonists, me-dia, government etc.

We are a non-profit organization in that all funds received are used to further the mission and goals of our organization. We are struc-tured on a membership basis. This means that people become mem-bers of HSLDA and our resources, in turn, go to benefit our members. Through annual memberships, HSLDA is thousands of families united in service together, provid-ing a strength for home educators across the country.

Legal Services Since 1991, HSLDA's primary goal has remained the same: to bring together a large number of homeschooling families so that each can have a low-cost method of obtaining quality legal defence. After you join HSLDA, there are no further charges of any kind for providing

you with homeschool-related legal counsel or defending you on homeschool issues in court. HSLDA pays in full all lawyers' fees, expert witness costs, and all other court costs permissable by law for us to pay. Insurance Services As an HSLDA member family, you also receive liability insurance coverage at no extra cost beyond your regular membership fee. As our society has become more litigious, many rental locations now request insurance coverage and homeschool support groups have also struggled to find leaders willing to serve without being covered. Your HSLDA liability insurance policy covers your own family's home education activities

and events you organize in service to other home educators.

General Services In addition to providing legal and insurance services, HSLDA also offers our member families a variety of additional general services including: assistance to home educated students seeking entrance into college or university, resources for teaching special needs children, member referrals to homeschool support groups, letters helping students obtain ID cards and educational discounts, and assistance throughout any contacts with school boards and other officials regarding your homeschool.

Why HSLDA?

HEMS Ministries

The Reading Club is going very well. Even though we don’t have that many readers, the ones who are participat-ing are reaching their goals. I’m so proud of all of them.

Friday, 23 November, was the last day of the fall term and everyone did a great job. One of our clubbers read 59 books! I hope our readers come back for the winter term because Jaquelle and I enjoy listening to them tells us all about the stories they have read.

It is so nice to see some of the

children open up and be able to come to use without their parents. I can

hardly wait until Friday because on Friday we have the pleasure of re-warding the children with prizes that are well deserved.

It would be wonderful if all of the chil-dren plus even more joined us in January.

I would love to hear more about the books everyone is reading.

Remember that the acknowl-edgement award for the winter term is a free family swim pass to the Dart-mouth Sportsplex!

Written by Hannah Grace Jackson

Reading Club

12th Annual Science, Art & Technology Fair

Volume 12 Issue 2

recognized with a certificate and often a small reward of some type.

Projects span the spectrum and in 12 years we have never had two the same! Get inspired and be creative.

The rules: do it yourself, do your best, projects should fit in ap-proximately 3 feet (on or off table). You need to bring your own power cords and there is no internet avail-able. Please remember that although everyone is welcome, we are a Chris-

February 9th, 9:30 am—1 pm

Bedford Institute of Oceanography

Open to one and all, the HEMS Annual Science, Art & Tech-nology Fair is a great opportunity for students to showcase some of their achievements.

The fair is non-competitive! We do bring someone in to speak with each child and give them feedback on their work but there are no place prizes awarded. Children’s efforts are

tian group and ask that you refrain from projects that would lead to Bibli-cal controversy...this day is about the children.

Cost is $5/child and families are asked to bring a snack to share after reviewing is com-plete. Register on the web-site.

***link will be available after the New Year.

Your work could be seen here too!

HEMS Ministries

Contact Your MLAs

“Home Education is successful because of its capacity to provide individualization. This is why we oppose

excessive regulation: it suppresses the very element that is responsive for much of its success.”

Paul Faris, HSLDA

One of the best ways for homeschoolers to have input on the way they can homeschool in Nova Scotia is for them to build relationships with their MLAs. Let them know that you are in their constituency. Let them know that you homeschool and that your family is doing great. Let them know that you are paying attention to what is going on. If and when the time comes that the Home Education Community is in the position of not being on the same page as the Ministry of Education, those relationships with the MLAs will make all the difference. Please take 10 minutes, between now and early Janu-ary, to visit your MLA. Be friendly, be positive. You don’t have to ask for anything...just get to know them and let them get to know you. Once the doors of communication are open, it will be much easier, and more effective, to lobby their sup-port for home education in Nova Scotia Once you’ve had your meeting, please, let us know how it went. Our goal is for every MLA to be visited at least once before the middle of January.

To find your MLA, visit http://nslegislature.ca/index.php/people/members/

HEMS Ministries

For our family, homeschooling has become a way of life. Books strewn about the home, bookcases overflowing with years’ worth of wares, works of art and projects prominently displayed…all the marks of our love of learning at home. How-ever, there may be times/circumstances when you decide to go to private or public school for a season, or perhaps you’ve decided to homeschool when your children have already been in school for some time. Here are some tips for making the transition… 1. Planning. As with any change, planning ahead helps prepare the

way. If you have already homeschooled, these decisions may come more easily, but what-ever the case, they need to be in place.

1 What curricula will you use? The options are overwhelming so seek some help from others. Depending on the age of your children, give them choices wherever possible (within reason ) .

2 Where will you set up a learning place in your home? 3 What kind of structure will you have to your day/week/year? 4 How much money are you willing/able to spend?

2. Start Simply. 1 Don’t put too much on the agenda during the first weeks of transitioning. Allow

breathing room for you and your student(s) to adjust. 2 Do the basics – the three R’s (reading, writing and arithmetic) while you all get your

bearings. 3. Have Fun.

1 Plan fun activities in those early weeks to get off to a great start. Maybe it will be a lunchtime swim, mid-day walk in a local park or a trip to a favourite museum.

2 Make opportunity for your children to stay in touch with friends they’ve made at school: phone calls, play dates, sleepovers, etc.

4. Evaluate. o Frequently take a good look at how things are going. What’s working and what’s not

going so well? The beauty of learning at home is its flexibility so don’t be afraid to switch things up.

o Don’t overlook yourself – Are you struggling with scheduling? Are you trying to do too much or not enough? Are the curricula working for you as the teacher/planner?

Whatever has brought you home to teach your children, take a deep breath, make sure you take time to enjoy each other and grab those midday hugs whenever you can. They really do grow up so quickly!

Written by Marina Perrault

4 Tips To Help Transition From Private/Public School To Homeschool

Join me for a candid walk through the day by day of being a homeschool mum of five, wife,

daughter and friend. Share my journey through ministry and the life lessons of growing for the

Lord. Daily devotions addressing quirks, bloop-ers, trials and triumphs...it doesn’t get more real

than this.

What People are Saying... “Stephanie is obviously an experienced homeschooling mom who understands the trials and tribulations, the ups and downs, the blessings and the days when things seem impossible. Any mom who goes through this study will be blessed not just with Stephanie’s wisdom, but with the wisdom that only comes from getting a glimpse of God’s heart for moms.” Paul D. Faris President & Senior Legal Counsel HSLDA Canada ———————————- “The book you are holding in your hands is a true labour of love from one who loves the Lord and deeply desires to please Him. As Stephanie shares, we are pulled to her heart and encouraged on the journey. You will be blessed.” Kristen Habermehl Writer & speaker MomHeart Www.myheartathome.com

Order yours today for only $17.00. http://hems-ns.ca/lovethejourney

Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/hemslovethejourney

HEMS Ministries

HEMS Ministries News

In today’s world, communication is faster and more inventive than ever—tweets, text messages, email, cell phones, laptops, notebooks—you get the

point (we’ve come a long way from smoke signals and Morse code).

Connecting with family from any corner of the planet over the internet keeps us close in heart and

is cheaper than buying a plane ticket!

Here at home, we want to support families by stay-ing connected with each other. We meet for fellow-

ship and encouragement at many of our HEMS sponsored events.

Bringing back the newsletter enriches our support

as we share our experiences… the victories and the failures.

HEMS Ministries publication will reflect our di-

verse community and to that end we invite you to participate.

Please submit your articles, event no-

tices, poetry, favourite or worst curricu-lum experiences, recipes, field trips, etc.

to:

[email protected].

All ideas & contributions are welcome!

HEMS Ministries Newsletter Team

“Bringing back

the newsletter

enriches our

support as we share

our

experiences...the vic-

tories and the

failures.”

HEMS Ministries

December 10 14

HSLDA meetings HEMS Christmas Pool Party

January 11

1st day of Swimming Lessons

February 9 16 24-26

Science Fair Mother/Daughter Day WOW Youth Conference (Summerside)

March 15 22 22-24 23 31

Spring Break—NO Swimming Lessons Last day of Swimming Lessons (Winter term) IMPACT Youth Conference (Fredericton) HEMS 5th Annual History Fair Easter

April 5 13

1st day of Swimming Lessons Father/Son Day

May 7 17-19

HEMS Curriculum Night Focus Youth Retreat (Charlottetown)

June 6 13-14 21

Last day of Swimming Lessons (Spring term) HEMS Spring Conference HEMS Picnic

Field trips and extra events will be added as they come up through the year. Please check in with the calendar on the website for up to date information.

Please remember that we are a family first and sometimes ‘life’ happens.

If we need to cancel or reschedule an event we will do our best to post that information as soon as possible.

HEMS Ministries

fee for these as we need to cover the costs of the events. We do charge a little bit extra to help cover the ongo-ing operational costs of the website, photocopying, printing, etc. I can as-sure you, your money is going back into HEMS and making it possible for us to continue to provide these events.

The HEMS family conference, held each October, is offered to everyone at no cost. We do thankfully accept any love offering you may feel led to give to defray unexpected or special ex-penses that HEMS incurs throughout the year.

Volunteers make up the back bone of many organizations and HEMS is no different. We are surrounded by men and women, dads and mums and teens who offer up their time, talents, energy and resources so that HEMS can provide its various ministry out-reaches.

Whenever possible, we try to avoid charging for our events. Times are tight for many and if we can keep the bills at bay we try to do that. There are activities that demand payment, such as swimming lessons and the spring conference. We do charge a set

Please, if you are wondering if there is a place for you to get involved, take a look at the list below. “Many hands make light work” as the saying goes, so even if you don’t see a job that in-terests you, if there is something that you feel you could con-tribute to your

What Makes it Work?

Our Team...

...Is There a Place Here For Your Name?

HEMS Spring Conference

Conference Coordinator: Stephanie Jackson Vendor Hall: Merriam Nixon Registration: Julie Laidlaw Used Curriculum: Krista Ortiz Audio Tech: Nicolas Oritz Speaker Coordinator: Stephanie & Jeff Jackson Lunch: Zachaeus Jackson Vendor Lunch: Sara Moginot Youth Entrepreneurs: Tables & Set Up: Roy & Astrid Monstur Database: Diana Crowe Donations: Door Prizes: Goodie Bags: Advertising: Signs: Facility Rental: Janet-Lynn Yeomans Facility Reassembly: Roy & Astrid Monstur Announcements:

HEMS Facilitators: Jeff & Stephanie Jackson

Reading Club: Hannah Grace Jackson & Jaquelle Crowe

Swimming Lessons: Stephanie Jackson

Website: Jeff Jackson & Jeff Harold

Used Curriculum: Krista Ortiz

Blog: Stephanie Jackson

Science Fair: Jeff & Stephanie Jackson

History Fair:

Field Trips:

HEMS Family Conference

Conference Coordinator: Jeff & Stephanie Jackson Registration: Julie Laidlaw Used Curriculum: Krista Ortiz AudioTech: Nicolas Oritz Workshop Coordinator: Stephanie & Jeff Jackson Lunch: Zachaeus Jackson Tables & Set Up: Database: Advertising: Signs: Facility Reassembly: Announcements:

Newsletter: Stephanie Jackson & Marina Perrault

HEMS Ministries

6 Brian Andrew Street Lake Echo, Nova Scotia,

B3E 1M4

902-701-2410 [email protected]

Helping Encouraging Mentoring Serving

We believe that the greatest support available to homeschooling Mothers is found in having a personal re-lationship with the Lord Jesus Christ followed by the sup-port offered by the fathers of homeschooled children. The goal of HEMS is to provide homeschooling families with resources, encouragement and edification to help make homeschooling a positive experience; and one that fol-lows the Scriptural pattern for raising children for God. Although HEMS is a Christian group, we encourage all homeschoolers in the Halifax Regional Municipality and beyond, to participate in our activities and events. One of our hopes is to see more Dads involved at home and par-ticipating in supporting homeschooling in their communi-ties.

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

HEMS Ministries

www.hems-ns.ca

HEMS Ministries

Our thoughts and prayers

go out to the families and

friends affected by the school

shootings in the USA and

China Last week.

Remember, it is within our

power to make a

difference.

Auditor General’s Reporthems-ns.ca/hems/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/december.pdfyour homeschool...

Documents

Transcript of Auditor General’s Reporthems-ns.ca/hems/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/december.pdfyour homeschool...