BOP Home Educators Conference

8:30 Registrations Open
9:20 Welcome
9:30 Keynote Speaker: Barbara Smith – State of the Nation
10:15 Morning Tea
10:40 Session One – Select from two options
12:00 Lunch
13:00 Session Two – Select from two options
14:20 Q & A
15:30 Afternoon Tea
17:00 Finish

COSTS

THEN Members Early Bird 27th March – 10th April 2015: $10
General registrations 11th April – 30th April 2015: $20
Door sales: $25

Non THEN Members General registrations: $40
Door sales: $45

All registered participants can bring their partner for an additional fee: $10

PAYMENT INFORMATION

THEN
03 1318 0046337 00
Please use Conference, your first name(s) and surname as references.

SESSION OPTIONS

Keynote Address – State of the Nation

Session 1 choose one of the following options

Training Our Children’s minds”, “The Tools of Learning” and “Motivation” – Barbara Smith
Barbara takes the Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric stages of a classical education and applies it to a Hebrew/Interpersonal approach. This is a good workshop no matter what curriculum you are using or not using.

Leaving the comfort zone of the curriculum. – Margaret Evans and Cally Brown
Facilitating children’s learning through experiences and a wide range of resources relevant to their interests and needs. This workshop involves presentation and discussion.

Session 2 choose one of the following options

Avoiding Burnout – Keeping Going When the Going Gets Tough – Barbara Smith
Symptoms of burnout
Causes of home school burnout
Strategies for avoiding burnout

Pathways to higher education – Nathalie Thomas
Nathalie will give an overview of the different pathways to tertiary education with a more in-depth look at how NCEA works.

Open Q & A – Cally Brown, Barbara Smith, Julia Dirks, Nathalie Thomas, Veronica Garcia Gil, and a homeschooling graduate
Come ask anything of our panel – made up of a diverse group of home educating parents and graduates.
Do you have a burning question or issue and want to ensure you get a chance to ask? Please enter when you register, or send your questions to Julie at juliecooley@gmail.com

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Key Note Speaker : Barbara Smith
Barbara, widow of Craig Smith, has been home educating her eight children 35 years (29 years with an exemption). Had pre-schoolers for 30 years, breast fed for 22 years. So I know what it is like to be trying to teach the children with a preschooler or two and having a baby crying out for another feed and two loads of washing needing to be hung out. I still have at least seven years ahead of me so I have to be able to last the long haul.

Cally Brown homeschooled her four sons for 23 years starting as an eclectic homeschooler and transitioning over the years to unschooling.

Margaret Evans home educated her six children for 23 years evaluating and reassessing her approach as the needs of her children and her family circumstances demanded.

Nathalie Thomas has been homeschooling for 8 years. She has two sons, the oldest one is 17 and he is currently working towards his university entrance qualification. Nathalie used to be a high-school science teacher so she understands how the NCEA system works.

Julia Dirks Homeschooled her 3 children for 21 years from birth to tertiary education.

Veronica Garcia Gil Proud homeschooling mum of three children who never believed she would be homeschooling.

MORNING AND AFTERNOON TEA

Will be provided, including hot and cold drinks.

LUNCH

Please bring your own lunch, other wise there are limited options available to purchase food at the near by shops. Hamilton CBD is only 5 mins by car.

CHILDREN

We unfortunately cannot offer any children’s program, or child minding services, so please take care to make other arrangements for your children for this time.

All babies are welcome.

If you would like to sell or advertise home education resources/materials or services please contact Julie juliecooley@gmail.com

For any queries please email thenmail@gmail.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please share/forward this link with other home educators.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Smiths: https://hef.org.nz/2011/craig-smith-26-january-1951-to-30-september-2011/

Updated 1 October 2014: Three years on (Craig Smith’s Health) page 7 click here

*****

Needing help for your home schooling journey:

https://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:

Information on getting started: https://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/

and

Information on getting an exemption: https://hef.org.nz/exemptions/

This link is motivational: http://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/

Exemption Form online: https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-exemption-form-now-online/

Coming Events: https://hef.org.nz/2013/some-coming-events-for-home-education-during-2013-2/

Beneficiaries: http://hef.org.nz/2013/where-to-for-beneficiary-families-now-that-the-social-security-benefit-categories-and-work-focus-amendment-bill-has-passed-its-third-reading

Red Tape Cluster Buster Meetings and the Scoping Survey: https://hef.org.nz/2014/next-steps-deadline-8-december-2014/

Ministry of Education – Review report and Ministry work programme

Posted on 2015-03-27 by Barbara

Email from the MoE – We are having a Teleconference with the MoE next Tuesday and would love your feedback:

Dear Home Educating Parent

The Ministry of Education has recently completed its review of home education in New Zealand which we consulted with you on in September 2014. We have now developed a work programme for change which includes a number of operational improvements.

As well as consulting with you, we also sought feedback from Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (the Correspondence School) and the Education Review Office (ERO) as well as Ministry of Education staff. We used the feedback from throughout the sector to inform our decisions and actions to improve home education in New Zealand.

You can find a copy of the review report at:

http://www.minedu.govt.nz/Parents/AllAges/EducationInNZ/Homeschooling.aspx

The report contains the Ministry’s future work programme for home education as an appendix and includes dates about when particular changes are scheduled to take place.

These changes are mainly focused on operational improvements including:

·         Reviewing the application form and appeal and complaints process

·         Developing new practice guidelines

·         Training ministry advisors in home education philosophies

·         Implementing a more robust application assessment process (in particular regarding declining applications)

We have also made some immediate improvements based on your feedback. For example the Statutory Declarations will no longer need to be signed by a Justice of the Peace which will take effect 1 April 2015.

If you have any questions or feedback, please email home.schooling@minedu.govt.nz.

Kind Regards,

Jim Greening

Group Manager – Sector Enablement & Support

Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education | Te T?huhu o te M?tauranga
www.minedu.govt.nz

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Links:

–Education Law in New Zealand – updated with extra links

–A Brief History of Home Education in New Zealand by Craig Smith.

–Home Education Foundation letter which covers exemption form, beneficiaries, International home educators and Keystone.

–Three letters to the National Office and Jim Greening’s replies

– MoE/ERO issues

– Changes in the MoE

– MoE discussions introduction to the Red Tape Cluster Buster meetings

– Preparation for the MoE discussions with Red Tape Cluster Buster meetings andrelevant for the Problem Scoping Survey
– Discussions home educators had online at Clutter buster group or (for ease of reading as not everyone can get onto the Google docs) here…https://hef.org.nz/coming-events-archives-2012/red-tape-cluster-buster/ (Also a lot of very good information to aid you in filling out the Problem Scoping Survey)

– Record of Progress and Achievement (an example of the new National MoE office staff understanding home educators)

– Truancy and the Home Schooler/Home Educator (another success with the National Office in that Megan showed us alternatives)

– Scoping Meeting 15 July 2014 – Getting to know you

– 2nd Meeting 28 July 2014 – Red Tape Cluster Buster Meeting

– MoE scoping Home Educators – email

– Feedback Form (Problem Scoping Survey) on MoE website

– Email to the MoE about the Scoping Survey from a Home Educator

– Problem Scoping Survey: ideas and deadline

– MoE’s reply to Yumiko’s email about the Scoping Survey

– MoE Problem Scoping Survey: please make it known and fill it out

– The last of Craig Smith’s writings before he died 3 years ago

– MoE Problem Scoping Survey

– Home Education Foundation’s Problem Scoping Survey

– Scoping Survey: Barbara Smith

– Problem Scoping Survey – Update

– Letter to MoE re Scoping Survey 7 October 2014

– Scoping Survey: Long term plans for our personal “survey/email”

– “Next Steps” from the MoE

– Feedback for the Scoping Survey due back 8 December 2014

– Next Steps deadline 8 December 2014

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please share/forward this link with other home educators.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Smiths: https://hef.org.nz/2011/craig-smith-26-january-1951-to-30-september-2011/

Updated 1 October 2014: Three years on (Craig Smith’s Health) page 7 click here

*****

Needing help for your home schooling journey:

https://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:

Information on getting started: https://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/

and

Information on getting an exemption: https://hef.org.nz/exemptions/

This link is motivational: http://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/

Exemption Form online: https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-exemption-form-now-online/

Coming Events: https://hef.org.nz/2013/some-coming-events-for-home-education-during-2013-2/

Beneficiaries: http://hef.org.nz/2013/where-to-for-beneficiary-families-now-that-the-social-security-benefit-categories-and-work-focus-amendment-bill-has-passed-its-third-reading

Red Tape Cluster Buster Meetings and the Scoping Survey: https://hef.org.nz/2014/next-steps-deadline-8-december-2014/

Possible conferences in April and May

Posted on 2015-03-27 by Barbara

Below is an email that I have just sent out to a few people. My home has sold, I move out 21 April and leave New Zealand 5 June. So I will be available to speak at a few places around New Zealand. Please take a look at the dates below and if they suit you would you be available to organise a conference in your area? The dates that are confirmed are set, but the other dates may be able to be moved around a little. Please contact me if you are interested in organising a conference in your area barbara@hef.org.nz, 06 357 4399 or 021 0278 2221

While I still have a van in New Zealand and while I wait for my container to arrive in Tasmania I thought I would travel around New Zealand doing conferences and visiting family and friends before leaving. I will be back regularly (with my adopted and guardianship children to see birth parents) but I wont have my own vehicle.

So before I go would you like me to talk in your area? If so, then are these dates below suitable? It is not a big task: 1. Book a reasonably cheap hall (usually a Church hall); 2. advertise in your area; 3. take registrations – either pre conference or just on the day; 4. have tables so that I can set out a bunch of books for sale; 5. serve up morning, afternoon tea or supper; 6. clean up.

If you would like me to talk, and have others talk too, I would like to have a slot for a “State of the Nation” talk – about 45min to an hour. (45min then 15 min for Q & A.)(Included in the talk will be the MoE “work programme” next steps, National Library and Asylum.)

Travelling with me will be Suzannah Rowntree (Australian). Bio and talk info below.

Travelling Barbara, Grace 9 and Suzannah

27 April 2015 Wanganui Home Educators Conference: contact Lisa (06) 345 8645, neil.lisa@xtra.co.nz

Travel to Auckland 29 or 30 May

1 April get Harp fixed and visit an Aunt

2 May 2015 Conference in Hamilton (THEN) Home Educators Conference: contact Margaret (07) 843 5656 email: mmaryt@hotmail.com (numbers limited)

5 May 2015 BOP Home Educators Conference: contact Gin 022 127 6461
bugbear49@gmail.com

6 May 2015 Taupo Home Educators afternoon: contact Sharon 027 288 8879 drinnanclan@farmside.co.nz

9 May 2015 Nelson Home Educators Conference: contact Rachel rachelevander@gmail.com 027 254 6699

11 May 2015 Takaka Home Educators conference: contact Dot 03 525 8182 m.marshallsparadise@gmail.com

12 May 2015 Morning tea in Takaka contact Dot 03 525 8182

14 May 2015 Half day conference Hokitika – confirmed

16 May possibly available to speak for half a day in Wanaka 16, 18, 19, or 20 (Will let you know as one of those days we will be taking a trip up to the Hakataramea Valley via the Lindis)

22 May 2015 Conference Te Anau – confirmed (Possible Suzannah bus trip to Mitre Peak?)

23 May 2015 Invercargill Home Education conference: contact Diane newstart@xtra.co.nz

25 May 2015 Dunedin Home Educators Conference – contact Claire 021 295 8953 teamlatta@gmail.com

26 May 2015 half day conf Oamaru – confirmed

27 May 2015 half day conf in Christchurch –

28 May 2015 Half day conf in Blenheim – confirmed

29 May 2015 Travel to Wellington half day conf in Wellington – Contact Sara

30 May to 3 June Palmerston North/Masterton/Levin ?

.

2011 South Island tour Craig and Barbara

2013 South Island tour Barbara

2015 South Island tour Barbara and Suzannah.

Workshop Electives offered by Barbara Smith
https://hef.org.nz/2007/workshop-electives-offered-by-barbara-smith/

.

Barbara’s Bio

Barbara, widow of Craig Smith, has been home educating her eight children 35 years (29 years with an exemption). Had pre-schoolers for 30 years, breast fed for 22 years. So I know what it is like to be trying to teach the children with a preschooler or two and having a baby crying out for another feed and two loads of washing needing to be hung out. I still have at least seven years ahead of me so I have to be able to last the long haul. Barbara is the author of Training our Children.

.

Suzannah is available to speak at the conferences 22 April – 30 May.

.

Suzannah’s bio:

When Suzannah Rowntree isn’t travelling the world to help out friends in need, she lives in a big house in rural Australia with her family, writing fiction and non-fiction and trying to beat her previous number-of-books-read-in-a-year record. She blogs the results at www.vintagenovels.com and is the author of several books including War Games, a Christian guide to classic literature, and Pendragon’s Heir, a novel for young people. As a home-ed graduate, Suzannah has also been active in advocating home education both in Australia and New Zealand.

.

Suzannah’s topic

“Finishing the Race: How Home Education Prepared Me for Life”?

Where are young home-ed graduates now? In this talk I’ll give case study of 4 home-ed grads, one of whom was home-educated through high school by a mother with chronic illness. I’ll also discuss some of the most important life lessons I learned from my parents, demonstrate how home-ed graduates are thinking outside the box when it comes to higher education and employment, and provide examples of how my own and other parents prepared their children for life.

.

Suggestions for programme and costs

Full day conference could look something like this

Suggested fee $15.00:

Registration 9am

First session 9:30 – 10:30am

Second session 11:00 – 12:30pm

Bring own lunch

Third session 1:30 – 2:30pm

Fourth session 3-4pm

.

Half day conference could look something like this –

Suggested fee $10.00 :

Registration 2:30pm

First session 3-4pm

Second session 4:30 – 6pm

Bring and share Dinner

Third session 7- 8:30pm

.

The entry fee pays for the venue, morning, afternoon tea and supper and to help with my travel costs.

.

I am looking forward to seeing many of you again or for the first time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Smiths: https://hef.org.nz/2011/craig-smith-26-january-1951-to-30-september-2011/

Updated 1 October 2014: Three years on (Craig Smith’s Health) page 7 click here

*****

Needing help for your home schooling journey:

https://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:

Information on getting started: https://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/

and

Information on getting an exemption: https://hef.org.nz/exemptions/

This link is motivational: http://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/

Exemption Form online: https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-exemption-form-now-online/

Coming Events: https://hef.org.nz/2013/some-coming-events-for-home-education-during-2013-2/

Beneficiaries: http://hef.org.nz/2013/where-to-for-beneficiary-families-now-that-the-social-security-benefit-categories-and-work-focus-amendment-bill-has-passed-its-third-reading

Red Tape Cluster Buster Meetings and the Scoping Survey: https://hef.org.nz/2014/next-steps-deadline-8-december-2014/

drinnanclan@farmside.co.nz

Our move to Tasmania

Posted on 2015-03-26 by Barbara

Our plans are progressing nicely – both properties are now unconditional. So we have to get serious about the move now.

Red lines my new property

Dark blue lines Josh & Charmagne’s old and new property

Light blue lines Josh’s parents and his brother’s property

So this is my timeline at this stage:

I am working hard at selling hundreds of books: https://hef.org.nz/resources/books-secondhand/. I hope to add to these lists each day and try to keep them updated regularly.

I am also selling heaps of stuff on Trademe, on Facebook selling pages as well as having a continuous garage sale until 18 April – feel free to come and see what is for sale – you might pick up a nice bookcase or two.

We should be getting a Report back from the MoE any day now – (not sure what will be involved in these next steps yet – will publish them asap)

Today or tomorrow I will be deciding which Moving Company to go with. Once that decision is made we will be getting heaps of boxes – packing, sorting, selling and ditching will begin in earnest.

1 April our good friend Suzannah is coming over from Victoria to help me pack etc.

18 April final Garage Sale at 4 Tawa Street

20 April Kaity leaves to go to Tasmania

20/21 April Container comes and will be packed

20/21 April Final cleaning of 4 Tawa Street

21 April 4pm vacate 4 Tawa Street

22 April – 30 April (staying with friends) End of year accounts (GST report, letter and receipt to givers and Charities Commission)

25 April – Possible Garage Sale at 541 Ruahine Street for things that couldn’t fit into the container

1 May Settlement on 23 Cordwell Road, Franklin, Tasmania https://www.allhomes.com.au/ah/tas/property-research/23-cordwell-road-franklin-tas-7113/201611807411

1 – 23 May Available for workshops/conferences in North and South Islands. Let me know if your area would like me to visit Suzannah is also available to speak. Would be travelling with Grace (9) and Suzannah. Check out our itinerary here: https://hef.org.nz/2013/some-coming-events-for-home-education-during-2013-2/

23 May last performance for Jedediah’s play at the Globe Theatre

30 May Suzannah leaves to go back to Victoria

5 June Jedediah, Grace and I fly to Melbourne.

Contact details: 021 0278 2221, barbara@hef.org.nz

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Smiths: https://hef.org.nz/2011/craig-smith-26-january-1951-to-30-september-2011/

Updated 1 October 2014: Three years on (Craig Smith’s Health) page 7 click here

*****

Needing help for your home schooling journey:

https://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling: