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November 2020 Granite State Home Educators Newsletter

Halloween Fun
Thank you to all who joined us for some Halloween fun! GSHE hosted four different events: a virtual costume parade, an in-person Trunk or Treat with the Praxeum community in Dover, and watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and the animated "The Addams Family" movie. We had a wonderful time and hope you did, too.

SAC Announcement
For the past two years, Alicia Ferguson represented the homeschool community to the State Advisory Committee on the Education of Children/Students with Disabilities (SAC) and is stepping down in January. We want to thank her for representing homeschoolers' interests on this important committee. A handful of people offered to fill her spot, and Becky Owens will be our next rep on SAC. Thank you to Alicia and Becky for your service to our community. Learn more about SAC here.

Special Note

Homeschooling: The First Year is the Toughest
Exeperienced homeschoolers will admit that the first year is the toughest. It's a big learning curve for parents and children, and we're often afraid we'll "get it wrong." Deep breath, friends. You know and love your children, and are fully capable of making the educational decisions for them. You'll get through this.

Homeschoolers correctly say that the entire world is our classroom and anything can be used for educational purposes, but that can be overwhelming at first. 

Know you don't have to have it all figured out at first. You can take your time to figure out your priorities for your children's learning plans and piece together whatever resources are right for them. And if you change your mind, that's ok, too.

Take a look at these GSHE videos that are particularly helpful when you're just starting out: Deschooling, Remote Learning vs Homeschooling, and Getting Started. We have additional videos in our Intro to Homeschool series, and you can find the complete set of videos on our website.

If you're on social media, please join us at our primary Facebook support group, Granite State Home Educators, where we have over 3,800 members. It's a great way to connect with other families to ask questions, find educational and social opportunities, organize a meet-up, or generally find support and community. 

If you are searching for other families and education professionals to form homeschool "pods" or microschools, join us at our new group, GSHE Homeschool Pod Connections. If you're unfamiliar with this variation of group homeschooling, read our What's Old is New Again article and watch two interviews we had with NH DOE Commissioner Edelblut.

Plug in where it fits your family's needs. GSHE has a ton of information and resources, including videos and extensive articles on our website, to help you work through these tough decisions and support your home education journey.

News and Articles

Homeschool to Local Public High School

Are you planning for your homeschooled student to go to the local public high school? We prepared a video that goes through important information and gives practical tips how to maximize the "credits" that could transfer towards earning a diploma through your SAU. Watch the video here.

Free CLEP Classes and Exams
The NH Department of Education recently announced a new program with Modern States for students to take College Level Examination Program (CLEP) over 1,000 classes and exams for free. CLEP exams may be used for high school and college credit and can be a great way to make college more affordable. Homeschoolers are eligible. Here is the department's press release and an interview Commissioner Edelblut did with InDepthNH about the program.

Homeschool to College: Transcript Insights
In September, GSHE co-hosted an event with the New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation (NHHEAF) to interview three college admission officers. We discussed what they want to see on a homeschool applicant's transcript, how it should be presented, and answered parents' questions. Read more about the event and find our video here.

4-H Scholarship Program

4-H is a popular program with homeschoolers, but did you know... "Through this program, New Hampshire students may receive $500 scholarship for each year of active New Hampshire 4-H participation, up to a maximum of $5,000 per year of UNH enrollment. The award is available every year a student is enrolled at UNH (Durham and Manchester campuses)." Read more about this scholarship here.

Free to Customize Learning

Homeschoolers have complete autonomy to create a customized learning plan for their children. They do not have any obligation to follow the local public school’s calendar, schedule, standards, scope/sequence, attendance requirements, or any other aspects of the public education model.

That said, some families may be planning to re-enter public school at some point, perhaps when the Covid protocols change and remote learning ends. These families might be interested in referencing the state standards to use as a guideline for their children’s learning. 

Read more here.

Next HEAC Meeting

The Home Education Advisory Council (HEAC) meets every other month during the traditional academic year, and the next meeting is Thursday, November 19th starting at 3:30pm. The public is welcome, but will need a free Zoom account to participate. The link for November's meeting is available here.

GSHE recorded and reported on the September meeting where the council discussed high school credits and continued work on Ed 315. You can read our article here.

Expanding GSHE Outreach

If you are on MeWe, GSHE has a group there, too! We're not leaving Facebook, but we're building our reach to more people and will work to have a presence there. Join us if you're on that platform

Opportunities and Events

2021 Ski Season

Many ski resorts offer midweek and homeschool-specific group classes; it’s a great opportunity to hit the slopes without the crowds. You can find all of NH’s resorts and contact information here on our website

Read about a few of the available programs for the coming season – it will be here before we know it! 


FarmRich Educational Enrichment -- Homeschool enrichment classes in Chester run by a homeschooling family! Activities include preschool science, playtime with goats, slime science, nature hikes and more!

Free Robot Building Party -- Girl Scouts is hosting a free online robot building party on Thursday, November 12th starting at 6pm for girls in grades K through 5.

Game Day -- A GSHE family is hosting a free game day at Diversity Gaming in Hooksett every other Wednesday at 12:30pm. The next couple are November 11th and December 2nd (due to Thanksgiving week).

Homeschool Bowling League -- Join Lori as she hosts the sixth annual homeschool bowling league! Running all year on Fridays and is at Lakeside Lanes.

The Museum of Science, Boston -- They are hosting several virtual presentations and events! Check out their FB page for a full list. 

Nature Station -- Newfound Lake Region Association is hosting a Nature Walk Mobile at the Grey Rocks Conservation Area in Hebron on Saturday, November 21 starting at 10am

New England Aquarium -- They are hosting several virtual events each week! 

NH Older Kids Homeschool Park Day -- A homeschool family is hosting weekly meet-ups on Tuesdays in Exeter while the weather is decent. 

November Community Market -- The Praxeum in Dover is hosting a community market of local artisans, farmers, and entrepreneurs on Saturday, November 14 from 2pm to 5pm.

Plimoth/Patuxet Field Trip -- a GSHE mom is graciously organizing a group field trip at Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, MA on Friday, November 20th starting at 10am. Pre-registration required and fees apply.

Seminary Ridge Museum -- Free online learning opportunities for middle and high school levels.

Check our article here for even more online learning resources. If you're on our Facebook group, look on the Events page for even more fun and educational opportunities coming up! 

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