Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Change in Drop off and pick up... Letters needed.... for Friday's Youth Vision Day...

Parents and Youth,

Please come to Belinda Ballantyne's home this Friday the 30th at 8:50 am. We will leave for South Fork at 9:00 am.

Parents, we are not exactly sure when we will return. We are trying for 2:00 pm but it might be closer to 3:00 pm.  You can pick your children up at Belinda's home.

Youth, please RSVP to Sister Allen right away. Don't put off for later what you can do right now.

Parents, please email your letters to me so your youth will have something to read on Friday. We do not want any youth left out.

Youth, remember your lunches, scriptures, pencil or pen, coat/sweater and comfortable shoes for running around in.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Invitation for youth: Parents and Youth Please R.S.V.P. by this Thursday the 29th

Vanguard Youth Vision Day!

Calling all Vanguard Youth!!! That's you! It's finally here!

Vision Day 2013: Friday August 30th
Time: 9am to 2pm (approximate)
Place: South Fork Park up Provo Canyon
Bring: Your scriptures and pen or pencil (paper will be provided)
Bring: A warm jacket for the morning
Bring: A lunch that works for you
Bring: A water bottle
Bring: A smile and a happy heart
Wear comfortable clothes to play in, shoes good for running and walking on rocks

Prepare for your Vision Day by doing the following Inspirement:

1. Watch, read, or listen to “There Are Many Gifts” by Marvin Ashton
2. On a piece of paper, write any of the gifts you think you have that Elder Ashton mentioned as the less-conspicuous gifts.
3. On that same paper, include gifts that you would like to seek after and develop. Explain why you are desiring such gifts, what you hope do with the gift(s).

R.S.V.P. by Thursday to veronnicaallen@gmail.com

We are meeting at Sister Allen's and driving to South Fork. If bad weather, we'll meet at her home.

All youth planning to attend Vanguard need to attended this vision day. Please prepare yourself with a good night-rest Thursday night. Follow through with the above inspirement and come prepared for fun, learning, and pushing yourself to new limits.

The Youth Vision Day is for the youth not the parents. If you want to drop your child or children off at South Fork please call Sister Allen so she isn't waiting. Otherwise we will meet at Sister Allen's and drive up from her home.


Any questions? Call Sister Allen.      We're excited to meet all of you.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Ideas to Afford Books for Vanguard



  1. Start by praying that Heavenly Father will open a way and guide you how to get the books
  2. Library – Check early and put them on hold 
  3. Buy used books online (Amazon or other used sites have them starting around $4 including shipping). On Amazon check the fine print under the regular price.
  4. E-books are often cheaper than paper books
  5. Take your book list to the DI or other thrift stores. If you see extra copies pick them up and offer the deal to others 
  6. Sell pizza cards or another fund raiser that allows you to use the funds for education. Ashley Baird sells them from Papa Murphy’s. You can buy them for $1 and sell them for whatever price you want, like $7 or $10. 
  7. Sign up for an Amazon credit card (and then you can cancel it later) – they give you an instant $50 of books free
  8. When there’s a choice of buying or using a free online book, choose the free one
  9. Have your teen get a part-time job to help earn money for books (paper route, bagging groceries)
  10. Put the word out using email or Facebook to family and friends to see if they have certain books that you can borrow
  11. Ask another family in Vanguard if you can share books – maybe switch books mid-week
  12. Sign up for Harmony Education or MyTechHigh or another “charter school” that helps with homeschool costs. Harmony gives $300-400 reimbursement per student plus other reimbursement for curricula, and a lending library. 
  13. See if your husband can pick up a few extra hours at work
One more...


Book trading.   I've been using this site for years and get a lot of my books this way.  There are several of this year's books available for the taking.

Here is the info about it...

 If you're a reader, you know how books can accumulate after you have read them. They pile up and gather dust, and you know you won't read them again. You can try to sell them to used-book stores, but you wont get very much for them, even if they are in perfect condition. PaperBackSwap is a better way!

All you have to do is create an account for FREE, list your books that you are ready to share, and send them out to other members when they are requested. Yes, you pay the postage to send your books out (between 2 and 3 dollars for an average-sized book), BUT you get a Book Credit for sending each book (each Book Credit is good for one book - you can order from any member in the club), AND when you request books for yourself, the senders pay the postage to send those books to you.

It costs nothing to participate, except for postage - there are no membership fees. You even get 2 startup Book Credits free if you are the first account at your household - you can use those credits to order 2 books for yourself, right away!

Give your books a better life - no more languishing on dusty bookshelves! Find new readers for them and get new books for yourself. Send a book, get a book. It's easy and it's free!

 If you do sign up, please use the following link:

http://www.paperbackswap.com/index.php?r_by=clowardjen%40hotmail.com

If you use the link above to join and you become an active member, Jen will get a free Book Credit for referring you to the club!

For more information about PaperBackSwap, you can visit our Help Center by clicking the link below:

http://www.paperbackswap.com/help/help_index.php

Friday, August 16, 2013

The Kids Corner has postings...

Parents with children attending preschool or the jr./sr. kids classes need to go to the tab entitles The Kids Corner and  add your email to the FOLLOW BY EMAIL box on the right side of the blog.

Kristine of the preschool needs questions answered and Julie of the older kids school has a beginning outline posted.

I am wondering if any of you moms want to hold a club like Knights of Freedom or Liberty Girls after the "class time" is over?  I can offer my home for this but i can not run it. Both clubs would require at the minimum 2 mothers but 3 is best ( 1 to lead, and 2 to assist).

-Nickie

Vision Day Invite for Parents


Wednesday, August 14, 2013

From Becky of the Layton chapter of Vanguard and mentor of the leadership lens...

Parents and Youth; I hope you will read what Becky says and even go to the sites she mentions here in her blog. This is a big reason why I felt guided to start Vanguard here in Utah county.   Thanks Becky for sharing with all of us! Check out the inspirement poster under point #4.

______


Five Things I Love About our Vanguard Homeschool Group  by Becky E. at: http://purposedrivenmotherhood.blogspot.com

1.  It is gospel-based

So we can openly talk about how our LDS beliefs and standards apply to what we're learning. We also have one Lutheran family in our group, whom we love!  It's fun and educational to discuss our similarities and differences.


I LOVE learning and teaching the gospel right along with secular knowledge.
To me, it's the way education should be.

2.  Vanguard provides a wonderful, wholesome social atmosphere for my very social daughter! 

We do temple trips, service projects, field trips, family activities, movie nights, game nights, and even outdoor adventures!  Besides our regular classes twice a week, we do theater and choir too!  Because my daughter is so socially motivated, she's motivated to study hard so she can come to more classes with her friends.
I love these youth!

3.  Our curriculum is guided by personal revelation. 

The teachers (mentors) get the wonderful opportunity to ask for and receive their own personal revelation about which books, curricula, field trips, and hands-on activities to use in each of our classes. That means God is in charge of what these youth are learning. I feel great about that!

Here is my handout on "Creating a Spirit-led Learning Environment."


My husband hosted a tour of the Davis County courthouse.
A bailiff handcuffed Nic and put jail pants on him. Everyone loved that!


4. Vanguard provides a well-rounded arena of subjects.

  • Leadership Academy  -- leadership, liberty, government (I teach this one)
  • History and geography 
  • Imaginative Arts -- art, music, poetry, literature
  • Eureka -- math and science 
  • We also offer optional theater and choir groups

"Inspirements" are a list of choices of ways the youth can "digest" the
information they've read. Choices can include teaching the class with a PowerPoint, a poem, a paper,
a poster board, a white board discussion, an object lesson, a skit, an oral report, or a speech. 

5.  Vanguard follows so many models that I already LOVE and believe in!

  • The seminary and institute model of teaching and learning. The Spirit is the teacher. Students take responsibility for learning. Look for principles as you study. Apply them to your life to become more like Christ. 
  • The BYU-Idah learning model. Students come to class having already studied and are prepared to teach each other. You learn the more when you teach and discuss what you studied.
  • The Principle Approach by the Foundation for American Christian Education (FACE).  God's word is at the heart of education. The main purpose of education isn't just to earn money. It is to become more like Christ and live the missions God sent us to earth to fulfill. Education is service-oriented -- what difference can we make in the world? 
  • Elder Bednar's Increase in Learning. Learning goes from the mind (knowledge) to the heart (understanding) to the actions (doing and becoming).
  • Thomas Jefferson Education (or Leadership Education). Parents and teachers (mentors) are encouraged to study and learn too, setting an example to the teens. We use the term "inspirements" and inspire the youth to want to learn!  We let them choose the level of study they are ready for: apprentice, journeyman, and master. Youth are rewarded for studying more by getting to stay to another level of class with their friends to learn more! 
  • American Heritage School, and LDS-based private school in American Fork, Utah. We use many of their same methods (originally from FACE) like 4R-ing (research, reason, relate, record), word studies, reflection journals, and timelines. 

I love how much our youth love each other. 

If you're interested in starting a Vanguard homeschool group of your own, let me know. I can guide you to the right people and information.

A sunrise hike to Ensign Peak in Salt Lake City.

Memorization for September...Theme: Life and the Pursuit of Happiness

“Our lives are made up of little, simple circumstances that amount to a great deal when they are brought together, and sum up the whole life of the man or woman; and yet in our passing from one to another our little acts and incidents seem to be very minute or simple, but we find that they amount to a great deal.”   
-Brigham Young -



2 Nephi 2:27

“Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.”

We climbed to the top!

 Here we are at the base of...what do we call this mountain anyway?
Well all the same here we are. Eleven youth were able to attend along with Mark F. history mentor and his wife Jolene.
So some of us started to get tired. The nice thing about stopping is the wonderful view you have to enjoy while catching your breath.
We did not stop at the bottom of the "Y" as I had expected. Instead, we made it all the way to the top of the "Y"!
For all but 4 youth this was the first time hiking the "Y". I only heard good reports from the youth and their actions were outstanding.

 Everyone return to Sis. Allen's home and helped make a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast.

Thanks for a fun time together kids!

P.S.  My knees and hips are killing me. Anyone else?

Monday, August 12, 2013

Come Hike The "Y" Tuesday the 13th of August

Calling All Vanguard Youth!!!!

Come hike the 'Y' with Sister Allen and (I hope some parents will come too). Or help/carry Sister Allen to the 'Y'.

Date: Tuesday, August 13th 
Time: 6:45 am  Meet at my house 1375 west 854 north Provo 84604
Afterwards: We'll come back to my house and make breakfast together. How about eggs, bacon, and toast?  

This is to let you all meet each other, start seeing who your new friends are going to be, and I want to share a few things you can expect with being in Vanguard.

Then how about a game?  You guys come with a few whole group games we can play.

End Time: I'd say about 10:30ish maybe 11am.

R.S.V.P.:  How does this sound to you? Please let me know if you can come, or want to come but have family commitments.  Those who have to leave early, perhaps your parent can stay and be my assistant/chaperon?

We do need some adults to drive as I can take just 8 kids in my car and we have 19 in our group!

So excited to meet you and for all of you to start making new friendships and finding similar or new interests to share.

Monday, August 5, 2013

Education

In a way it's sad to say that I've never considered using lds.org for the general education of my children..until this summer. As I am learning and preparing for Vanguard I am so happy to be seeing how this way of learning is correct and true for all education. And it's not that I'm just happy, I'm energized, I'm excited to learn and seek the Holy Spirit to lead our classes.

I'm going to return to this link and consider what to use for our vision days.

https://www.lds.org/youth/for-the-strength-of-youth/education?lang=eng


A Successful Yard Sale

A big THANK YOU to all the families who donated to the yard sale. 

The monies earned will be divided equally among nine youth.
 The funds will go towards the first semester dues.

Not to worry, I have a fundraiser up my sleeve that will be shared with the parents at our Vision Day on the 24th of this month.