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How do I "RaiseRight"?

9/27/2023

What is the easiest fundraiser at CHA?
RaiseRight! Last year I raised over $125 towards my family fundraising goal just by purchasing gift cards for places I already shopped at through the RaiseRight app. One year a CHA family met their ENTIRE family goal just through Scrip/RaiseRight fundraising!

It really is easy! Buy a gift card. Spend (or give) your gift card. Earn money for CHA. The earnings come from the brand so there is no extra money that comes out of your pocket. And with 750+ brands you are sure to find some of the regular places you frequent on RaiseRight.

So how do I get started?
Complete the quick sign-up form on the website or mobile app.

Go to: https://www.raiseright.com/enroll or download the RaiseRight app from the Apple Store or Google Play Store
Select “Join a Program” and enter our unique code: CED8F668251LL
Complete the fields to finish setting up your account. (If it prompts you to enter a teacher’s name just use your family’s last name. Grandparents and cousins in California can sign up too! Give them our code and have them enter your family name to help you raise funds too!)
Enter and verify your phone number for 2-step verification.
Congratulations! You’ve created your account.

What do I do once I have an account?
Get your gift cards and go shopping! 90% of your earnings count towards your family fundraising goal. This is the “a little bit at a time adds up to a lot” strategy. Unless you are taking a cruise on Royal Caribbean. At 13% earnings you could meet your entire goal just by paying for a cruise with Royal Caribbean gift cards from RaiseRight.

I use the app on my mobile device. Every pay period I refill a few regular gift cards that we use. I add money to my husband’s Sheetz card so he can buy gas and coffeez. I refill my Walmart card and I take a look at any birthdays or special events coming up. If I have a Kohl’s bill to pay I buy a Kohl’s gift card. (These are the “Kohl’s Cares” gift cards and YES! you can actually pay your credit card bill with them!) My mom orders her Weis grocery gift card. If I need a physical gift card I will order it by the Monday 9am deadline and get my card at dismissal on Wednesday. If an e-card will do the job I pay through the app using my linked bank account and get the card delivered instantly. (This works great for Amazon because you just copy and paste the claim code.) Otherwise, I give my cash or check to Stacy Baxter in the office.

The app linked to my bank account is very handy when I am at a restaurant and the bill comes. I can instantly buy an e-gift card for the total of my check and pay using my phone. At Marshall’s or Bath & Body Works I simply chit-chat with the salesperson for 2 minutes while I order an e-gift card for whatever amount I just spent on foaming hand soap. Or that one time my husband and I got away for a weekend in February, I booked a room through Hotels.com using a RaiseRight gift card. (Best.Decision.Ever.)

Seriously, the hardest part about RaiseRight is remembering to do it. But thankfully Jessica Dietrich (mom of CJ, 8th grade) will be sending you monthly reminders so that you don’t forget! And if you have any questions you can direct them to her anytime throughout the year. Her email address is: jdietrich410@hotmail.com.

This is part of the Board Bits: Tips, Tricks, and Hacks series.

Is there a question about CHA or homeschool that you would like answered?

Submit inquiries toTracey at tracey.willet@classicalcha.org

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What is an R & R Day?

9/20/2023

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CHA’s “R & R” stands for Reading and Rejuvenation! The family policies state, “There are six months of the year where one day is designated as an ‘R & R day.’ Families are encouraged to use these days as outreach project and field trip days. You may use these ‘free’ days, frequently Tuesdays, in the manner you wish. Literature reading will be assigned on R & R days in Middle and High School. When an R&R day is scheduled for a Thursday to free students to participate in March for Life, light writing assignments may also be assigned. Elementary students should read whatever is assigned by mom [or dad] on R & R days.”

There are families at CHA that truly enjoy authentic leisure on these days. They engage in quality reading and take time out to appreciate nature, music, art, or good food together. They seek out things that will inspire deep wonder, not superficial distraction. A well-spent R & R day is a Sabbath rest to enjoy God and His work in our family. Often, the Community Coordinators will plan an optional (and delightful!) field trip for CHA families and many families will attend.

Often the reality of the R & R day looks like tutors catching up on grading, students catching up on late work or making corrections to returned work, some may be getting ahead (or caught up) with their Literature reading, Monday’s math homework gets pushed off until Tuesday, and parents of K-2 are still making their child do Phonics or Math facts, or something- because you never quite feel as though you had gotten as far as you would have liked in your lessons with the younger ones. Oh and we are cramming in those doctor appointments that can only be scheduled on Tuesdays (of course) and the fifty-five loads of laundry that still need to get done, and the huge pile of dishes, and maybe dinner will actually get planned for a change- you know, never mind. None of that sounds very rejuvenating. See you on the field trip!

This is part of the Board Bits: Tips, Tricks, and Hacks series.
Is there a question about CHA or homeschool that you would like answered? Submit inquiries to Tracey at tracey.willet@classicalcha.org

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Taming the Toddlers

9/6/2023

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Homeschooling with younger ones “underfoot”? Here are ideas from some of our experienced parents on how to keep those younger ones occupied while you work with your student!

Call Grandma! Ask her to take the little ones to a library story time, a park, or even just another room of your house until naptime.
Call Grandpa! Ask him to help you with the homeschool work for the older ones until you catch a break at naptime.

***Note: These ideas can work interchangeably. Grandpa is also capable of taking children to the park and Grandma can help you homeschool. The point is, if grandparents or other trusted adults are around and available, use them! (Especially on Tuesdays.)***

Take advantage of naptime and plan your homeschool work accordingly.
Breastfeeding time may be a convenient time to read a History story to your older child!
Plan some type of new activity. (Especially on Tuesdays).

Preschool tutor and Mom of 8, Rosalie Seeley advises: “Having a plan with the activities prepped is best when trying to keep the little one busy so you can work with the older one(s). You can grab the next activity out when their attention span is ready to move on. Don’t be surprised if the older one wants to play too; try to provide breaks and recess so that they are able to focus.”
Ideas for activities you can plan for include:

Play-Doh / Kinetic Sand
Painting / Fingerpainting
Placemats that have activities on them
Small chalkboard and chalk (or whiteboard and markers)
Activity workbooks that are age-appropriate, so the little one feels like they’re a big kid
Puzzles
Cheerios
Sensory Bins
Lacing cards (make your own with cardboard and a hole punch)
Make “jewelry” with beads (or pasta)- also doubles for fine motor development
Building blocks and cars with a task to “build a town”

Collages- little ones can learn how to cut and paste as they cut pictures out of old magazines or even old books you can get from the thrift store. You can guide them with themes (flowers, cars) for their pictures or just whatever they think is pretty.
Bathtub play keeps a little one contained and you can give them lots of things to do in the water while you sit close by; foam letters to stick on the walls of the bathtub, bath crayons or paints, cups for pouring & stacking, squirt bottle for misting, a few drops of food coloring in the water teaches colors and color mixing.
Try a “dry” bath. Yes, your child can actually play in the bathtub without water. An indoor plastic pool works too. S/he will be contained and any big mess can be easily cleaned up!
Search for Baby Activities and Toddler Activities on Pinterest… but search BEFORE Tuesday. Don’t wait until the homeschool day to come up with the activity. Trust us… having a plan helps!

This is part of the Board Bits: Tips, Tricks, and Hacks series. Is there a question about CHA or homeschool that you would like answered? Submit inquiries to Tracey at tracey.willet@classicalcha.org

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Top 10 Ways To Keep Your Homeschool Organized by Heather Diehl

8/30/2023

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Staying organized reduces the amount of stress on my family, and it guarantees that we live each day to the fullest. I don’t like spending half an hour remembering if we’ve completed all our homework, or scouring my house for a pencil that still has its eraser intact. What a waste of time! In hopes that you might learn from my past mistakes, I created a “Top 10 List” of my favorite ways to stay organized.
(And because listing them backwards seems more dramatic…)

#10. Designate a homebase for your homeschool.
My kids started their education in the public school system, and therefore we had a very specific idea of what a school classroom looked like. To make the transition to homeschool easier for them, I turned our very small spare room into a traditional classroom. Everything has its place. The books are where they should be, the (sharpened) pencils are in their assigned cup, and the dry erase markers all work. I even trained my boys to drop their backpacks in the classroom as soon as we get home from school! You don’t need one entire room dedicated to homeschooling, but it is certainly helpful if every room isn’t dedicated for that purpose.

#9. Use a planner.
Using a planner lets you off the hook for having to remember things! Along with dentist cleanings and soccer games, I make a note when every CHA-related event is going to take place. There is an email that goes out before the year begins that includes most of the important events, such as parent/tutor conferences, holiday breaks, and the well-deserved R&R days.
I’m old school and carry around a paper planner and write the information in with a pencil. I like to see all of my monthly events at a glance, and physically writing something down helps me remember it later. Many people prefer an electronic calendar, which has the invaluable alarm feature. Either way, you can’t go wrong.

PRO TIP: The first thing you should do when you start putting dates into your new calendar is make a note on almost every Tuesday between September and May that reads, “Do not schedule anything else on this day other than CHA-related work.” You’ll thank me later.

#8. Make sure you and your kids know what to expect from the day.
I find it helpful for my kids to have a visual list of what work needs to be completed during the day. I bought a hanging tree pocket from the dollar store and display subject cards in them, indicating what homework is assigned. When my son completes a subject, he gets the gratification of flipping the card over. It’s the same delightful feeling I get when I put a line through something on my “To-Do” list.

#7. Answer your CHA emails as soon as you get them.
Answering emails in a timely manner not only helps the sender, but you as well! The sooner you reply, the less likely you are to forget to do it. Why wouldn’t you want first dibs on signing up for the easy class snack (ahem, paper products), or to snag the best job for Field Day? After you sign up for something, go ahead and write the information down in your new planner 😊

#6. Check ThinkWave weekly for missing assignments.
Consider your child’s homework like a missing person. The more time that passes from when he thought he had it in his binder, the less likely you are to ever find it. So, the sooner you know an assignment is missing, the sooner you can go digging through his backpack before it is lost forever.

#5. Help your children organize their school supplies.
Unfortunately, my children weren’t born with the magical ability of organizing their own binder tabs. Until they can, I find it helpful to model good organizational habits, and do it for them. As I’m painstakingly writing out each tab and inserting it into the world’s smallest piece of plastic, I let my boys know how important it is to know exactly where the HASs go, and that they, in fact, do have graph paper.

#4. Know what you are going to do with the CHA work that comes home in family mail.
To prevent family mail from getting lost on the table by my front door (don’t we all have that table?), I organize it right when I get home. If my child needs a paper for homework, it goes right into the appropriate binder. Any returned/graded work gets put into an organizer that I will eventually put in their homeschool portfolio. I usually let those papers pile up for about a month before I put them in their portfolios behind subject tabs. Having the work organized like this comes in handy during my homeschool reviews with the county.

#3. Store items in bins with labels.
If you’re saving any homeschool curriculum for a future year, it is helpful to place it in a labeled box or bin. When I had two friends who needed to borrow some math books for the upcoming year, I walked right up to my attic, opened the “Saxon” bin, and retrieved the materials. Finding them quickly was important since it is about 200°F in my attic during the summer. Similarly, I keep all my boys’ work in a labeled bin after that year is complete. The bin contains their portfolios, workbooks, as well as larger history and art projects.

#2. Plan a time to organize.
That sounds nerdy, doesn’t it? You might not enjoy organizing as much as I do, but the means will justify the end. Scheduling an afternoon to clean out your homeschool area in the beginning of June will dramatically reduce your level of stress when mid-August rolls around. Also, planning a date with your child’s homeschool portfolio on an R&R Day is a much better idea than waiting until the night before your review.

#1. Organize your homeschool in a way that works best for your family.
The previous tips listed are very helpful to my family. However, they might not work for all families at CHA. It is important to tap into your family’s natural rhythm and put a process in place that works for you. “To thine own self be true,” right?

Does your family have a different way to stay organized? We want to hear it!

This is part of the Board Bits: Tips, Tricks, and Hacks series. Is there a question about CHA or homeschool that you would like answered? Submit inquiries to Tracey at tracey.willet@classicalcha.org

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Introducing Handwriting At Home

8/23/2023

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Parents of kindergarten students ought to have a handwriting curriculum for use at home. In the classroom Mrs. Garrison uses A Reason for Handwriting which focuses on proper letter formation, and she makes sure that each child practices their full name (first and last) and uses a proper grip. At home, a parent should be co-teaching proper formation of letters and proper grip as well.

How do I co-teach proper letter formation?
Some parents follow along with A Reason for Handwriting at home. Using the Kindergarten log sheet, a parent can know what their child is learning on any given week in order to reinforce the same skill at home. Other parents purchase their own Handwriting curriculum for home use. Handwriting Without Tears is a popular choice, and can also be started as early as Preschool or used over the summer for additional practice. For other families, picking up dollar store “Printing Practice” workbooks is a good option as well, or the Booklist-recommended My First Learn-to-Write Workbook by Rockridge Press.

How can I help my child with challenges?
For students who find handwriting difficult, additional practice will be necessary, and this is where mazes, dot-to-dots, coloring, and other drawing and tracing activities make for great handwriting help to build motor control. And keep practicing their name- these are the letters that will be most important to them personally when first starting out. Using a yellow highlighter to give children a visual model as they fill in letters on a practice page, or using a dry erase marker on a whiteboard or page protector, are all strategies for writing practice. And know that you are not alone. Many parents at CHA have stories about the extra effort it took to get their child writing!

How do we practice a proper pencil grip?
Generally, the tripod grasp is how you want your child holding their pencil. (Consult Google, YouTube, or one of our lovely primary grade tutors if you don’t know what this is.) Some suggestions from CHA parents on how to practice this are as follows:

Use small broken crayons or pencils (about an inch in length) ($)
Try the Tri-Write Triangular pencil by Ticonderoga ($$)
Egg grips or other specially designed pencil grips ($$$)

Handwriting Beyond Kindergarten
A Reason for Handwriting is also used in 1st Grade by Mrs. Craig. At this grade level parents will get handwriting sheets sent home for work on Tuesdays and Thursdays. A parent is still co-teaching proper letter formation and proper grip at this grade level. Also, since they will be writing sentences in 1st grade, spacing practice becomes an important skill that will require a parent’s watchful eye. (Note: Meltdowns at the table because you have told your child to re-write something neater is normal. Do not be alarmed!) Depending on your child’s skill you may need to supplement with additional writing practice. (See suggestions above.)

This is part of the Board Bits: Tips, Tricks, and Hacks series. Is there a question about CHA or homeschool that you would like answered? Submit inquiries to Tracey at tracey.willet@classicalcha.org

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How do I "RaiseRight"?

What is an R & R Day?

Taming the Toddlers

Top 10 Ways To Keep Your Homeschool Organized by Heather Diehl

Introducing Handwriting At Home

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