CFA Newsletter Feb2015

How to Show Unconditional LoveShaming doesnt work.Your job is not to fix people. Only God can do that. Your job is to love people. And to love people unconditionally.And the first agenda of unconditional love is not to speak but to listen. Sit down, put aside your childs failures,

look at him or her in the eye, hold his or her hand, and say calmly, Im here for you. I love you. How can I help you? Is there a problem you want to tell me? And really listen. Dont listen to respond. Listen to understand. Watch his or her body language for hidden messages. Read between the lines.

From my experience, questions are more powerful than commands. Because orders from above rarely work. But great questionsin a relationship of trustwill put your childs life fully on his or her shoulders, not yours. (Obviously, questions wont work if your relationship is already too strained and there is little trust between you. If that is the case, apologize to your child, ask forgiveness, and start building his or her trust in you again.)

Listening is the first agenda of unconditional love.

The second agenda is to express love and trust: Son/daughter, I love you. I will always love you. No matter what, Ill always be here for you. I believe in you. Youre a very intelligent boy/girl. I know youll be able to get better grades.

Why Unconditional Love Works

When your kids are no longer your gods, and your happiness no longer depends on them but on God alone, thats the only time you can truly enjoy them without correcting them every five minutes.

Many times, you dont need to correct your child for every little thing. Instead, he or she self-corrects. Why? Because he/she automatically thinks of your love for him/her. He/she thinks to himself/herself, Mom loves me. How will my behavior affect her? (If he/she does this, then heart transformation has taken place.)

But if you correct your child every five minutes for every little mistake, subconsciously, hell think, My mother makes me feel bad. What can I do to let my mother feel how she makes me feel? What can I do to make myself a mirror of her emotions? Thus, heart transformation will never take place.

E-NewsletterVolume 3 Issue No. 4 February 2015

HOME BASE Volume 3 Issue No. 4 February 2015 Page 1

Every start of the school year, each member of the family creates a dream board for the year. We have so much fun.

This painting by our son, 9-year-old Francis, is

titled Daddy and Me. I was in tears when I

first saw it! I love Francis and his brother Bene

unconditionally, and I encourage you to love your kids in the same

way, too!

Receive Gods Unconditional Love Today

Its great when people love you. Enjoy it while it lasts.But people will never fulfill your deepest needs.Let me shout this from the rooftops: Theres a God-shaped hole in your heart! No human being can fit inside

that hole. Not your husband or wife, not your best friend, not your leader, not even your father or mother. Only God can satisfy your soul. Only God can meet your deepest needs.

Dont base your self-worth on any persons love. Dont base your identity, happiness and peace on another human beings love. Because human love will flicker, falter and fail. Human love is unstable. Human love is here today but it can be gone tomorrow.

Warning: Everyone will fail you. Your parents will fail you. Your leaders will fail you. Your mentors will fail you. Your friends will fail you. Your spouse will fail you. Your kids will fail you.

One day, your kids will walk out of your house and live their own lives. Youll feel hurt because you want them to visit you, but they cant, because theyre caring for their kids.

And heres another fact of life: People die. My mother was the anchor of our family. Some mothers are so wonderful, we want them to live until 200 years old. But last April 30, my mother bid us farewell. She left us to go to Heaven. Shes no longer here. And if our hearts were not anchored in God, we would have been devastated.

I urge yourun to Gods love! Because only Gods love will never die. Only God will love you for all eternity.

Stop idolatry. Stop looking for your happiness from other people. Not from a boyfriend or girlfriend or husband or wife or parent or friend or leader.

Go to Jesus.He loves you with an endless love. That means He is recklessly extravagant in His love for you. Jesus accepts you

without condition, loves you without condition, and celebrates you without condition.He does not say, You have to be good before I love you.He says, Before you become good, I already love you. And because I love you, your goodness will come out even

more.Let God fill up your love tank today. And let Him use you to fill up your kids love tanks, too. May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez



Our First Camp-OutBy Tricia Faustino and Ciara Carranza

Were not sure if there is a saying that goes, The last-minute plans are the ones that usually push through. Well,

if ever there was, our camping activity would definitely be one of them. The families of the CFA Karate South Chapter

thought it would be wonderful to go camping and make the most of the cool February breeze, before the summer

months kick in. So when Daddy Buddy Del Mundo invited us to hold an overnight camping activity at the grounds

of the Posadas Village Clubhouse, we all jumped at the idea! Why not have it on Valentines Day, like a family date?

Why not? The idea seemed more exciting than spending the evening waiting in line at crowded candle-lit restaurants.

Game!

The event was four days away and the mommies got busy planning the event, reaching a consensus that the

daddies would be tasked to camp out with the kids in the wilderness of the Posadas playground, as the mommies

took care of the food (sssh... we ordered Jollibee!). Of course, the day did not play out as we originally planned. And it

was a good thing, too. The happy-hearts-day-traffic was so bad we started the festivities two hours late. But everyone

was still in high spirits as the kids spent the last few hours under the afternoon sun running around in the nearby

playground while the mommies got busy preparing the registration and snack tables. Each kid lined up to register and

received an activity kit, which consisted of a pen, a tickler notebook, and a blinking charm necklace. The daddies and

kids also wore matching I heart camping shirts.

The Camp Master

Daddy Buddy del Mundo was the kids camp master for the

night, having had experience in camping and being a camp director.

The kids, together with the daddies, gathered around Daddy Buddy

as he laid out the rules of the camp. Rule #1: The kids were instructed

to look for Camp Master Buddy every time they heard his whistle.

Rule #2: You should always stay with your buddy. Rule #3: No one

was allowed to talk when the Camp Master gave out orders (A VERY

hard rule for our ever-talkative homeschoolers!). Surely, camp was

also a test of discipline and obedience. Surprisingly, the kids were

attentive and cooperative all throughout!

Pitching the Tent

The kids were so excited to set up their non-aircon, gadget-

free, cramped but foam-cushioned accommodations for the night. As

soon as they were done helping their moms and dadsby connecting

and inserting the rods, and securing the tent down with pegsthey

couldnt wait to check out each one. The older kids began their top-

secret meetings, while the toddlers jumped into one tent and enjoyed

zipping the doorway up and down, up and down.


Fun with Games

For Sean Hilario and Alyssa Ocampo, one of the best parts of

camp was the treasure hunt. The kids were challenged to look for a

paper bag in the dark using their blinking lights. They had to search

for the bag quietly, without running. The kid who would be able to find

it would get a prize. Francis Sanchez and Zoe Faustino enjoyed the

Duck, Duck, Goose game the most, a game the kids actually thought

of playing after dinnertime. Gather homeschoolers together in one

place and youd be surprised how creative they can be in thinking of

fun activities!

The Bonfire

Of course, camp will never be complete without a bonfire. The daddies and the kids trekked the village streets

in search of firewood. The daddies gathered the wood together and started the bonfire as the kids ran in the dark,

swirling their tag lights like fireflies in the night. When the fire was lit, all the daddies, mommies, and kids gathered

around the bonfire as Daddy Buddy led a prayer of thanksgiving. That

fire was hot! But the warmth of a family hug around the campfire

made it all nice and snug.

Daddy Buddy said, Kids, did you know your parents gave up

their Valentines date to share this camping activity with you? Our

kids then gave us a big hug and a kiss, and thanked us for making the

day so special. For Jolo Alcantara and Tasha del Mundo, the bonfire

was the highlight of the camp. Meanwhile, CJ Carranzas favorite

activity was roasting marshmallows. It was one of the nights

highlights, as the kids and the kids-at-heart had a blast roasting

marshmallows and hotdogs! It rained though, but the rain did not dampen the campers spirits. As we waited for the

rain to stop, the kids stayed indoors watching the mini film, The Greatest Miracle, which was a beautiful story of faith.Before everyone called it a night, the kids were given certificates with awards ranging from Most Behaved to

Jolly Eater.

Lights Out and The Morning After

By 10 p.m., it was time for bed. Two campers that go by the

name of Zoe and Alyssa tried to convince their parents to stay

overnight with a song and dance number. It worked. Soon they

would be sharing a tent and chatting till 3 a.m. while an unnamed

daddy snored through the night. Zoe says she enjoyed waking up to

the cold weather and was glad she got to spend the night in camp

with her best friend Alyssa.


Seeing our children so giddy and happy from this adventure, we declare our first CFA South Camp a success!

We are also reminded how blessed we are to be homeschooling our children because we are able to give them the

best gift of all our presence. We know that the fun memories that were planted will last a lifetime and are more

precious than any fancy Valentine date.

Photos courtesy of Ciara Carranza


CFA Holds First Talents Day: From His Goodness... For His Glory

The members of CFAs different clubs, plus a number of other CFA students, had a chance to showcase their

talents during CFAs first Talents Day-cum-recital on February 21, 2015. With the theme From His Goodness... For His

Glory, the event, held at the 10th floor of Obispado de Cubao in Quezon City, was well-attended by family members

and friends of the recitalists.

Led by CFAs Activities Coordinator Mayette Salvedia and her dedicated team of parent volunteers, the Talents

Days objective was not to show off the performers talents

but to remind them that whatever they could do, they could

do only because of Gods goodness, and for His greater glory.

To emphasize this, each recitalist was asked to make a Star

of Fame. The stars were posted around the event venue as

decorations, and as a sign of the recitalists commitment to use

their God-given talents for the glory of God.

The recital started with opening remarks by Ms.

Mayette, who reminded the recitalists about the importance of

serving the Lord with their talents and skills. The CFA Orchestra

then played the invocation and the Philippine National Anthem.

Members of the following CFA clubs participated in the recital:

Orchestra

Karate North and South

DanceTheater There were also additional presentations showcasing the

following talents: gymnastics, piano and ballet. The recital was a fun

and unique venue for the children to showcase their talents. May the

Lord continue to

bless our children

with opportunities to nurture their talents for His

greater glory, of

course!

Photos courtesy of Maria Dorothea Ochoa Berida, Ciara Carranza and Cecille Aguilar


Photos courtesy of Maria Dorothea Ochoa Berida, Ciara Carranza and Cecille Aguilar


Leveling Up to Better Serve YouBy Pam Cadiz

The CFA team and staff recently had the following training sessions and workshops because they want to serve the parents and children well, and to hone their skills, too:

1. Customer Service Training for CFA Frontliners, conducted by Ms. Beday Fortuna, on January 30 and February 6, 2015, at Obispado de Cubao

2. S.P.E.A.K. U.P. 1-Day Speakers Workshop on February 20, 2015, and 1-Day Stage Production Workshop on March 2, 2015 both conducted by George Gabriel at Obispado de Cubao

This just goes to show that learning truly never stops something that we try to advocate as homeschoolers: lifelong learning is the way to go!

Also, these learning events were opportunities for the CFA frontliners to be reminded again of the core of our work, i.e. to serve Gods families in CFA. Just as Jesus did with His disciples serving them and giving importance to each and every member of His Church (John 13:12-14). As Saint Peter said, As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of Gods varied grace (1 Peter 4:10).

Photos courtesy of Ira Sol


3 Ways Homeschoolers Can Make the Most of Their Summer Vacation

By Tina Rodriguez

By the time you read this, youll probably be done with submitting the fourth quarter grades and requirements for your children (or at least we hope youll be!), which means that summer vacation is just around the corner. This, in turn, means that you and your family will be getting a much-deserved break!

However, just because youre on vacation, it doesnt mean that learning has to stop. As we homeschoolers like to say, the world is our classroom so make the most out of your summer vacation by squeezing as many learning experiences from it as you can!

To give you some idea on how to do this, here are a few suggestions:

1. Enroll in a summer program or activity based on the childs interests.

Summer is usually the time when many students even the non-homeschooling ones take classes or join programs and activities based on their interests and hobbies. Some children prefer sports, while others are more into arts and crafts. Others still, want to learn how to cook, or sew, or other useful skills.

Scout around for the best programs and activities that fit your childs interests, and choose one that he or she likes the best. To get started, you may refer to local websites like Smart Parenting (for younger kids), which usually publishes a comprehensive list of summer activities and programs sometime in March.

For an initial list, you can also go to mom blogger Louise Fandinos site: http://www.mommypracticality.com/2015/02/2015-summer-workshops-lessons-sports-clinics-in-metro-manila.html, or read Tina Rodriguezs post on parent-recommended summer activities for kids on Philstar.com: http://www.philstar.com/health-and-family/2015/02/27/1428319/summer-activities-kids-parents-top-6-picks.

High school students might want to join enriching activities like summer youth camps organized by different Christian organizations, like the Light of Jesus Family (LOJ) Youths Camp Calye, details of which can be found on the website: http://www.lojyouth.com/. (Note: There are usually similar activities for younger kids, too. Check with your parish or Catholic communities like LOJs Awesome Kids or Couples for Christs Kids for Christ for possible kids camps that your children can join.)

2. Start a business.

Summer is a great time for your homeschoolers (and perhaps parents, too) to consider setting up a small business. Kids can learn a lot from doing so not just about school-y subjects like math, but real life skills like how to deal with different people, and so on.

For ideas on summer businesses for kids, here is a list of websites that you can check out:http://ph.theasianparent.com/how-to-earn-money-as-a-kid-in-the-philippines/http://www.powerhomebiz.com/blog/2011/06/5-summer-business-ideas-for-kids/http://businesstips.ph/12-summer-business-ideas-in-the-philippines/https://anc.yahoo.com/video/shop-talk-hot-business-ideas-053204502.htmlhttp://ifranchise.ph/top-business-ideas-kids-will-teach-value-money/

If you have the means, you might also want to enroll your child in the Truly Rich Kids How to Become a Young Millionaire Camp on March 28, 2015. You can find more details here: http://trulyrichclub.com/youngmillionaire/. This will help your child get the jumpstart he or she needs to be successful in life by learning important money lessons and how to have the financial mindset of entrepreneurs and investors.

3. Take a family field trip together.

Field trips are a fun way to learn and what better time to take field trips than summer? Make the most of your familys summer vacation plans by taking field trips together. Whether its to a nearby zoo or museum, or to the beaches in the province, there is always something new to learn!

For suggestions on interesting places to visit, simply browse the Internet. There are many websites that feature unique and fun locations.

Make the trip more educational by preparing for it beforehand read books about the place and the different sights youll see, locate the place(s) on a map, check the distance from your home to your destination, make related crafts and/or experiments, and so on and so forth!

Of course, dont forget to take lots of photos of your family field trip you can use these to make a scrapbook about it later on as a family project.

Whatever you choose to do during the upcoming summer vacation, make sure to make the most of it by marking its beginning Holy Week in a meaningful way: by contemplating the passion, death, and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus, and celebrating the beautiful hope and joy of Easter (which, incidentally, lasts for 50 days*!). God bless you and your loved ones!

*More info here: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=1233



Homeschoolers Are a Fraternity of Sorts

By Marvin Isidore Macatol

If ever there is any consolation in the challenges we encounter in homeschooling our kids, it is the beauty that

we have seen in the last seven years, particularly during the time when it all began, two years further back in time.

Having read up what we could about homeschooling nine

years ago (that was in 2006, when our son was only three years

old) and after having prayed hard about it, my wife and I said,

This is it! We have unwaveringly stuck to that ever since. We

even crafted our life and career decisions around it.

Looking back, we didnt even know about Catholic Filipino

Academy (CFA) when we made that decision; nor were we aware

of any other homeschooling provider, Catholic or otherwise,

in the Philippines at that time. We just somehow jumped, as a

matter of FAITH in God, that He would lead us thereand He

DID! As it turned out, CFA was established in the same year

when we made our decision.

That moment of decision by itself was (and still is)

beautiful, because what followed after that were a series of

landmarks in our life as a familyboth good and badthat

happened all because we said, This is it! By Gods grace, we were able to relish those moments with passion.

When I wrote the blog post I published on March 27, 2010,

about my son just graduating from Prep, I was scraping dirt after

failing in a business and retreating to the province to start anew.

We had been homeschooling our son for two years already by

then, and our dire financial situation did not deter us from that

direction. To paraphrase Invictus, our heads were bloody, but

unbowed.

Our son with my wife and I during a homeschoolers common activity back in June 2009. We had been homeschooling him for a year when this photo was taken.

Back in 2010, we sold almost everything we had except our work equipment and one piece of furniture, and we moved back to Laguna. But, you know what? Homeschooling continued. In the picture above, class was ongoing.

Photos courtesy of Marvin Macatol


Presently, were back in Quezon City and our

homeschooling continues. It is our gift to our two kids.

Most people, including a few of those close to us, do not

understand us. That hurts. But then we do not really expect

people to understand. People do not need to. They just have to

respect our choice, and perhaps make smarter statements. But

to those who sincerely want to understand why we do this, the

articles in my blog (http://RaisingFilipinoBoys.com) say it all.

We get lots of affirmation from people who understand

homeschooling. This one in particular is from someone called

Danny, a contributor of Didache, a devotional published by Shepherds Voice Publications. You have no idea how much

his words inspires us, repeatedly. He wrote this on February 4,

2013 on my Cool Catholics blog and I have been reading it every

chance I get since then:

Hi Marvin & Rhia,

Thank you for posting some of my reflections in Didache.I am happy to note that you are homeschooling your children. My two children who are now graduates (from

DLSU and ADMU) were both homeschooled up to high school. This is the BEST education a parent can give!

Blessings!

Danny

Homeschoolers are a misunderstood lot. But homeschoolers couldnt care less. We *know* what weve got and

we would not exchange it with anything else. We are a tightly knit fraternity of some sort, bound by our common

dreams, struggles and rewards for our children. Were happy were doing this. Our children are happy that were doing this.Most importantly, we believe we give glory to the Lord by doing this.

Ad maiorem Dei Gloriam!

Editors note: This article originally appeared on Marvin Macatols blog, RaisingPinoyBoys.com, on February 17, 2015, and is used here with permission: http://www.raisingfilipinoboys.com/2015/02/homeschoolers-are-fraternity-of-sort.html

A recent family wefie during my birthday last January 2015.

Time flies :)


Each child is unique and has his or her own God-given talents and abilities. Check out these CFA kids achieve-ments and masterpieces:

Does your child have a piece of artwork, a craft, a poem, a short story or anything else to share with us? Feel free to submit them through [email protected].

1. Woven Masterpiece from recycled / scrap paper, by Naeisha Marie Inguito, Grade 2


Does your child have a piece of artwork, a craft, a poem, a short story or anything else to share with us? Feel free to submit them through [email protected].

3. Acting as Mulans younger brother in Kids Acts Philippines version of Hua Mulan, Noel Comia Jr., Grade 4

(From Daddy Noel: Praise God Noel Jr. won the award for Best Child Performer for his role in Hua Mulan during the 27th Aliw Awards last December 2014.)

2. Unicorn, by Zoe Faustino, Grade 4

Each child is unique and has his or her own God-given talents and abilities. Check out these CFA kids talents and

achievements:

Patience, Penance and Piety for a Meaningful Lent, Holy Week and Easter

We can make the month of March (i.e. the remaining weeks of Lent) and the first week of April (i.e. Holy Week) even more meaningful for our families by emphasizing the importance of patience, penance and piety. Here are some links to help us do so: 1. Catholic Culture

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/seasons/Lent/

This special Lenten Workshop on CatholicCulture.org provides valuable resources focusing on the following topics: information about Lent, Lenten prayers & hymns, Lenten activities, ideas for a personal Lenten program, Stations of the Cross and Holy Week. This is a must-visit page!

2. Education.com

http://www.education.com/reference/article/teaching-kids-patience/*

This useful article on teaching patience contains tips for parents of little kids, older kids and adolescents. Heres a quotable quote from the article: Teaching patience by example helps children learn resilience, self-containment, and the ability to self-soothe. These are qualities needed for emotional maturity. (*Patience is a great virtue to work on during the Lenten season, which calls for fasting, abstinence, extra prayers, sacrifices and good works!)

3. A Catholic Life

http://acatholiclife.blogspot.com/2012/02/20-pious-practices-for-lent-what-should.html

This blog post by Matthew, a Catholic catechist from Chicago, provides great insight into different pious practices we can do during (and even beyond) Lent. Dont be overwhelmed by the 20 practices listed though for starters, you can just choose a few to do this year, and then add a few more next year. 4. Catholic Icing

http://www.catholicicing.com/category/lent/http://www.catholicicing.com/religious-easter-ideas-for-kids/

No Lenten and Easter list would be complete without popular Catholic blogger Lacy Rabideaus posts on Lent and Easter ideas and activities for kids. These will be especially handy as Holy Week approaches, particularly if you have younger kids.

5. Lifeteen.com

http://lifeteen.com/tag/lent/ and http://lifeteen.com/tag/easter/Lifeteen.com is our go-to resource for inspiring and empowering articles for teens check out the links above for great Lenten and Easter resources for your high schoolers (and college students, too).

**********May the remaining days of March (and the Lenten season) be extra meaningful for you and your families remember, its never too late to strive for a life full of patience, penance and piety!


CFA Newsletter Feb2015

Documents

Transcript of CFA Newsletter Feb2015