Introducing Mary's New Baby -- A Little Late

I can't believe it took me so long to get these beautiful pictures up of Mary's beautiful new little girl. My sincerest apologies to Mary and the entire co-op crew.

We've all had the opportunity to meet her, but I wanted to make sure I posted some of the pics from her first days out of the womb.

Once again, congratulations to Mary and Mark and the entire family. Leah is absolutely precious.

Leah Catherine M.
Born 9/24
9 lbs-8oz, 21"

Some Helpful Updates

Just wanted to alert you to some updates to the blog. You'll notice that I've included a permanent search field in the right column in case you need to access information from a past post. Simply type a keyword, and all relative posts should pop up.

I've also added the link to the online suite just above the search field so you don't have to find the post in which it first appeared.

Below the Timeline Videos and Supporting Curriculum, I've added a link that will have upcoming field trips listed.

I hope these updates will help you in your homeschooling adventure, both during the week and at co-op.

Also, we've had requests from some other SHHE moms to read the blog and view the pictures of all the wonderful things going on during our co-op. We'd like to get your feedback on whether you'd be willing to let us invite fellow SHHE members per request to get access to the site so they can get a peek -- a nice gesture for those who missed out this year but might want to sign up later should spaces open in the future, or for our board members who are interested in seeing firsthand what this SHHE-sponsored program is all about. We will also be inviting Alicia Rolling, founder of the Schola Rosa program, so the national headquarters can see all that we're doing with their program.

Please leave a comment indicating whether you are okay or not okay with allowing access to SHHE members who request to read the blog. Final decision will be made by Aryn and Kelly.

Below are some more pictures from this past Monday's meeting, including fun with volcanos and mosaics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week Two Recap

So sorry I'm behind in blogging this week. I had a writing deadline to meet, and while it pays a little more than the Schola Rosa blog, it isn't nearly as fun. ;)

Also, I didn't post a Fieldtrip Fridays for two reasons:

1. I didn't receive any fieldtrips to post.

2. I forgot.

Since I don't have 18 degrees and an IQ of 215 like the founders of the Schola Rosa program, I was having some trouble finding the actual login site to access our Schola Rosa online suite last week. Fortunately a quick email to Mrs. Zuk solved that problem for me, so I'm posting the link here in case anyone else suffers from occasional bouts of cyber-illiteracy.

Here are some photos from week two that I thought you'd enjoy. Mrs. Ferris also sent some photos from the icon art project as promised.

 

 

 

 

 

And here's some exciting news. Your children have proved to be geniuses, and you are doing such an amazing job running the co-op, that I've convinced the Powers That Be to give everyone the day off next Monday.

Don't say I never did anything for you.

So, please don't show up for co-op next Monday, Sept. 30. Instead, go somewhere fun or spend a day stressing that you're failing miserably in homeschooling.

I'm kidding. But, seriously, don't show up next week.

I thought I'd leave you all with an enjoyable quote from comedian and Catholic Stephen Colbert:

"Females need to nurture constantly, so they hate any time alone where they are left to think, shower, or sleep. For a Mom to be happy, every moment away from her children must be filled with the soul-wrenching thought, 'Am I a bad mother?' The answer to that question is a resounding, 'Yes.'

"A good mother cooks, cleans, drives, organizes charity events so her children earn community service points for college, and expects nothing in return except love and breakfast in bed one day a year.

"So, a word to all you Femini-Idi-Amins: Stop 'liberating' moms by trying to make them join the workforce. They're already doing the job that God put them here to do: Everything."

Field Trip Friday - Sept.13

Greetings brave co-opers. Congratulations on getting through your first week. Nobody's quit publically yet, so we're off to a good start.

As promised, here are two field trip possibilities submitted to our fearless leaders by Mrs. Nevins. Just a reminder that no field trip is mandatory unless it involves a spa day for all mothers while the kids remain tied down seated comfortably in some kind of catatonic edified state in front of an episode of Magic School Bus.

You are welcome to organize anything and make it as formal as you want, but please remember that free is a favorite word in the homeschool world.

Upcoming Field Trips

Homeschool Day at Vertuccio Farms.

Monday, Oct. 28 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Cost if $5 per person with a non-perishable food item.

Ages 3 and younger are free.

Vertuccio Farms is located on Power Road between Elliot and Ray.

 

ASU Earth and Space Exploration Day
Saturday, Nov. 2 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost is free.
Registration is required.

They will have activities that complement what we learn this first semester, including volcano activities and lab tour, EarthScope - Earthquake activities and Geology Field trip to A Mountain, plus much more.

 

 

 

Icon Drawings

Icons? More like I can. Check out some samples our kids worked on in art on day one. Mrs. Ferris snapped some photos of these initial sketches and traces. Tune in next week for pictures of the pieces after they've been painted.

If you want to submit photos or any other information for our blog, please check out this post for details on what I'm looking for.

Also, I am going to blog one post a week called Field Trip Fridays, which will highlight upcoming field trip opportunities. Please submit your field trip information no later than Wednesday by 7 p.m.  each week to have your trip included in the upcoming Friday post. If I receive it after the deadline, I will hold it over for the following week. If no field trip ideas arrive, I will draw one name of a lucky mom from a hat who will win one of two exciting gifts: an all-expense-paid vacation to some exotic destination... uh... to be determined later, or a chance to buy me a Mocha Frappe from McDonald's.*

In the meantime, enjoy these pictures of our talented children.

 

 

 

*Disclaimer: Some details in this post may be exaggerated or entirely false.

First Day of Co-Op!

"Nobody had to go see the discipline person, today! Oh, but poor Mrs. Fowler; she didn't have a job."

These, the words from my 1st-grader when I said I felt this first day of co-op couldn't have gone any better.

Of course, we know the success isn't measured in how few demerits were handed out but in how few potty accidents occurred (okay, my daughter was the only one -- thanks for bringing it up).

In all seriousness, it seems it wasn't just rain pouring down over our little co-op in Gilbert, Ariz. Grace flooded the hall of St. Anne today. You could feel the Holy Spirit at work, and I think from what I could tell in talking to other moms, we all seem to feel this co-op was just what we needed in our homeschool journey -- the right fit at the right time.

Hats off to our teachers and assistants today, who managed to make it look like we'd hired them on from local prep schools (no, you're not getting paid; get that out of your head). Kudos to the snack and coffee ladies, who added just the right touch of allergen-free hospitality. A super thank-you to our music instructors, whose vocal talents managed to balance out the off-key notes disseminating from some tone-deaf bloggers moms who shall remain nameless. Great job, as always, by our fearless director, who presented the concept of faith while doing a mean monkey impersonation. Bravo. And let's not forget our kids, who overcame the desperate inclination to pounce in puddles to arrive on time, ready to give their all and learn to say words like "cuneiform".

This is a labor of love, but I think we'd all agree, these kids are worth it. God gave them to us -- and rumor has it He knows what He's doing. So let us finally say thanks to Him for the fruits that did and will continue to grow from this first day of co-op. In the words of Fr. Sergio, "I thought it would be louder."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Homeschool Novena and Some General Tips

Greetings fellow Schola Rosa Arizona co-opers. This is Becky, your friendly blogger, coming to you half asleep at this late hour live from the blogosphere where all the exciting adventures of homeschooling get digitally captured in the annals of Cyberspace for all eternity.

I'm using this initial post to get my feet wet in Blogger. So please forgive me as I get to know the program and play around with the site. The blog will be a work in progress, and because we don't know exactly how everything will run, it will take some time to develop a blogging flow and know what kinds of things should be put up as posts, what should get pinned to the blog site itself, what should just go out as an email, and what should be dumped in the recycle bin because it's just pointless.

Please feel free to send me information you would like to include on the blog (unless it's pointless), including pictures, fun memes, video links, or articles worth sharing with our co-op members, as well as general updates, resources, ideas, tips, or events that pertain to the general curriculum and co-op days.

If you would like me to post something, keep the following points in mind when you provide details regarding things like a field trip opportunity or specifics regarding your class:

• who
• what
• when
• where
• pertinent extras

I will also accept bribes.

Now, because this is specific to Schola Rosa, all submissions should pertain to the co-op or at least homeschooling in general. Please don't use this as a forum to shamelessly promote yourself or your personal blogs or talks or books (except if you're Sherry Boas, because she actually has some books... and they're awesome... and she's going to kill me for doing this).

But anything else, including all complaints about anything, should be reserved for the general SHHE yahoo group, Facebook, or your husband. Examples of things you wouldn't want to send are photos of your pet you're trying to get rid of (uh, no, I'm not talking about the adorable 1-year-old cat we're trying to re-home) or random items you have for sale like the audio equipment I'm hocking on Craigslist. I just won't post those things here because this is a respectable place for Schola Rosa-related activities only.

Now that I've gotten that disclaimer out of the way, here are a couple things I thought might be beneficial to everyone.

In case you didn't catch the homeschooling novena that recently circulated through our beloved Sacred Heart Home Educators group, you can check it out here -- a nice way to kick off our first week.

Just a reminder, we'll be practicing the hand gestures to accompany the CCM song for the Bible History Timeline Week 1 this Monday, so check out the video below, which is also linked in the sidebar to the right.

If you would like to buy a general timeline for your home, check out this one at Rainbow Resource Center. I also have a write-in version of the Jeff Cavins Bible Timeline Chart that I filled in many moons ago at a Mark Hart seminar, and I'm now using it as a visual aid. You can purchase the printed color version at Ascension Press for $4.95, which of course you can't populate with other events but provides a detailed chronology of salvation history complete with color-coded covenantal events and a genealogy that traces the lineage of Jesus throughout the biblical narrative.





Have a great weekend. Don't expect all my posts to be this entertaining, informative, typo-free verbose. I only have so much brain power I can dedicate to life, and I have to save most of it pretending to educate my children.

See you on Monday!

Enrollment is closed! We are full for the 2013-2014 School Year.

Hello ScholaRosaArizona Families!
With 27 families we have closed enrollment for the 2013-2014 School Year.

A few reminders ...

• You do NOT have to purchase the "Our Holy Faith" series of books.  Neumann press went out of business.  Rolling Acres School (who puts out Schola Rosa) is working with Neumann Press to gain formal permission to publish the series digitally.   
• Our mandatory parent orientation is scheduled for Wednesday night August 28th 6pm - 9pm.  Location TBD.  You will receive an email as soon as we have confirmation.
• Remember the curriculum will be available online 15th that you can look it over. 
• Please let us know if you are interested in joining us for the online July 31st meeting with the Rolling Acres School to go over Science and History curriculum.  

Looking forward to a wonderful year growing with you in faith. 

Schola Rosa Arizona Welcomes You!

Hello Schola Rosa Arizona, 

Praise God, we have completed the first 3 informational meetings, with a great response from over 20 families in attendance.  

There is much to do to prepare for the upcoming year.  Please turn your registrations forms into Kelly Zuk in order to hold your spots.  

Research can be so much fun.  Be sure to check out www.scholarosa.blogspot.com the blog started by the original creators of Schola Rosa.  It gives many ideas of how the school year will run.  What a beautiful testament this program is bringing our Catholic Faith alive for our families.  

You may start to purchase materials

Break done of minimum purchases - 

• Classically Catholic Memory CDs, Student Text and Maps ~ $60
• 2nd and 3rd graders only - Latin Primers A and B-  catholichomeschooling.com ~$50 for all 4 books
• Our Holy Faith Book 4 for 4th-6th graders ~$20

Upcoming Fees to remember :

Schola Rosa $200 - purchase it in August

$115 to Kelly Zuk at the Parent Orientation(Date, Time and Location TBD) for facilities, copies and materials 

We are looking forward to a wonderful and Blessed year ahead.  Please offer a Saint Michael Prayer for protection and a Hail Mary for a clear vision for how to best bring our families to Christ through our upcoming year.

Through Grace, 

Aryn and Kelly