PACES & PAideia

Here is another excerpt from the outstanding new Parent Handbook to be published and hand out at the Family Directed Education Conference in just two weeks! Register today:

The concept of citizenship is an important component of the PAideia philosophy. Students have an opportunity each class day to contribute to the common good of the school community. This is accomplished by carrying out assigned tasks throughout the day.
A “citizen” takes pride in their environment while a “tourist” is just visiting. Each PAideia student is a citizen of their school and as a student, each is assigned specific jobs that will help campus life. Citizen- ship jobs also nurture an attitude of “giving” back and not always “receiving” which is another PAideia core value.
All students (citizens) con- tribute to the common good of the campus. These jobs may include setting up and taking down chairs and tables, computers and projectors, taking out trash, vacuuming floors, helping with younger students and assist- ing with various tasks throughout the day. The
Building Liaison assigns spe- cial tasks to students at the first of the school year, and checks each day to make sure they are completed. If necessary, fines may be accessed to citizens who fail to uphold their citizenship responsibilities.
-Ted Seago

Be sure that you check your email box for an email from the campus communicator concerning  the Conversion Art Project to be shown at the Family Directed Education Conference (August 12-14). This life changing project is actually due and graded in the fourth quarter of the year. However, many of the previous students have talked about this project for almost a year.

You can receive the grading matrix from the campus communicator.

The idea of the project is to give the students an opportunity to artistically display their personal conversion to Christianity. If your child has not had a personal conversion,  he can depict one of the many conversions we will study this year: Paul, Augustine, Martin Luther, or others.

This is a wonderful opportunity for the entire family to engage in great discussions and a collaborative family art projects. Many students have talents we never see at PAideia, such as singing, song writing, dancing, the playing of a particular instrument.  This is the perfect time for your student to use his/her unique gifts to demonstrate faith.

We hope to have several to display (or view) at the Family Directed Education Conference in two weeks. Even if your child does a ‘re-do’ in the fourth quarter of the year on this project: this would be a great opportunity for him/her to present the project and explain this life changing experience. See email for detials.

I recommend buying the basic school supplies from the supply list and labeling EVERYTHING in the next two weeks. If you have never invested in a label maker make that a Mommy supply!

Every year we end up with lots of lunch kits, pencil boxes, PAideia shirts (what are they wearing home?), shoes, and nap blankets with no labels in the lost and found.

With three and a half weeks left you still have time to:

• teach your kiddos to type
• organize those closets
• organize your shelves
• label bins for school supplies
• order extra uniform items (check with campus communicator for gently worn items)
• read the Leadership Book of the Month (The Four Hour Work Week!)
• take an IEW class (email Ms. JoBeth)

RELAX and enjoy some time together and set some learning goals.

What will you do in the next three weeks?

See you at the conference!

I have received several emails about the volume of books we require this year and the large amount of cash involved in the purchasing!
Several ways to cut the sticker shock on buying books for this year:

• Buy the books needed for the first quarter ONLY; buy second quarter in September
• Find a family that will study group with you and divide up the reference books
• Take advantage of payment plan from Homeschool Heaven
• Buy used and consignment editions
• Check the online versions of the classic books…several are online and FREE
• Buy a Kindle or Nook and download the novels to this device: the device is an expense (but a nice one!) but the books will be much less

Remember: these books are chosen from HUNDREDS of possibilities. You will love every one and see it as a GREAT investment.

More ideas on saving money on books? Please share!