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Keeping the FAITH
CHRIST IS BORN!!
For some, we have heard this phrase so often that we scarcely give it a second thought. Here we are at this glorious time of the year, Christ-mas, when we celebrate the birth of our Savior. He is the great and mighty God of the uni-verse, who came down in the flesh as a babe, grew into a child, and then a man, yet dwelt among us sinless.(John 1:14) Jesus is the very first Christmas gift! Emmanuel – God is with us! God giving Him-self! “He came to pay a debt He didn’t owe; be-
cause we had a debt we could not pay.” (Jim Elli-ott)
As we get into the hustle and bustle, sights, and sounds of the season, let us keep our eyes fixed on the One that is the reason for it. Enjoy family and friends, and spend time in praise and worship of Him. Ours is a unique belief, Christianity, a be-lief in Christ, the Son of God, who is God. Ours is the only belief on the face of the earth where our God was born of a virgin birth, lived a sinless life, died for our sins, and rose again on the 3rd day. He lives! The best gift ever
given, eternal life with Christ!
May you all have a blessed and joyous Christmas!
Merry Christmas
FAITH is starting a pho-tography club! It's open to both children and parents of FAITH. We'll be hav-ing our first meeting on January 5th, from 1-3 PM at the Windsor Branch library located at 4701 Windsor Dr, Fort Smith.
This is a preliminary meeting so you won't need to bring anything except your ideas. We'll be discussing how we want to organize our club, talk about activities, and other stuff so if you have a pas-sion for photography
come and join the fun! For more information contact Mavis Domer by email at [email protected]
Photography Club
Letter from our President
DECEMBER 2008 JANUARY 2009
FAITH Board
President Monica Marquez
(479) 648-0325
President-Elect Kara Smith
(479) 648-3863
Treasurer Penny Rowton
(479) 461-7000
Secretary Mavis Domer
(479) 997-8140
VP Of Activities Jodi Hein
(479) 997-2293
Directors at Large
Shelly Bynum
(479) 471-8034
Theresa McClure
(479) 478-7227
Michelle Owen
(918) 649-1367
Page 2
YCME
December MNO
Mom’s Night Out Christmas Party
We are planning a terrific night of fellowship, fun, games &, of course, food. Joy White will be hosting our Christmas party this year & will be providing the drinks & paper products. Please plan on bringing your favorite finger food or Christmas goodie. Also bring a gift of $5 or less to exchange. Everything will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, December 15th. Directions to Joy’s House: From I-540 take exit 10
Turn north on Old Greenwood Rd from exit 10
Go to the stoplight that is Cliff Dr and turn left (into Sebastian hills)
Go on Cliff Dr. until you get to the first right (33rd St) and turn right.
From 33rd St take the first right soon after (this is Crowe Hill Cr)
It is the first house on the left on Crowe Hill Cr. (3315 Crowe Hill Cr)
*The house is on a hill and is white--She will also have white Christmas lights. She lives on a dead end so people can park on the street and in the circle or in her driveway.
Her home number is 479-434-6524 in case anyone needs more directions.
Come join us for our YCME Fall/Christmas concert! Band, orchestra, choirs, and bell ringers will all be per-forming. We'll keep it short and interesting, though, so all ages will be comfortable! Our concert will be held in the auditorium of Oak Cliff Baptist Church in Fort Smith on December 18 at 7pm. A reception will be held afterwards so you can enjoy the fellowship with us and ask questions if desired. This will also be a great time to think about joining YCME for the new year. Classes for the new year will start January 6th at Oak Cliff Baptist Church. We have 3 levels of band classes, marching band, 3 levels of string classes, 3 levels of choir starting with kindergarteners, elementary music exploration classes. and a bell ringers class for 3rd grade through adult. Our teachers are Rebekah Smith for marching band, Ronnie Garner Jr. for elementary classes and Karen Brannon for band and orchestra. Mr. Garner also helps with brass sectionals. For more information, go to www.ycme.org or contact Karen Brannon at 479-674-5836 or [email protected]
Page 3 Keeping the FAITH
January MNO
The Class of 2009 invites all interested seniors and their parents to a planning meeting on Monday, January 19 at 7:00 p.m. at the Smith home. The discussion will center on the ordering of announcements, cap & gown sets, and details of the ceremony. Please bring your first pay-ment and senior’s height in shoes to this meeting. Anyone who may have a graduating senior should attend this meeting. For more information, call Kara at (479) 648-3863 or join our dis-cussion group at [email protected]
Directions to the Smith home: From I-540, take Exit 14/Hwy. 271 north into Fort Smith. Go approximately one mile to the Dollar General store on the right. Turn right onto Harvard Ave. and go two blocks to the stop sign. Turn right onto Meadow Drive. The Smiths live in the third home on the left at number 8513. It is rock and diagonally hung tan siding with a fire hydrant in the yard.
Don’t forget…
Each senior will need about twenty-five photos and a song for their PowerPoint presentation. These should be turned in to Brittany John-son no later than December 15 to
[email protected] Senior photos can be added later.
Friendship is born at that moment when one person
says to another: What! You too? I thought I was
the only one.
~C.S. Lewis
Senior Class Meeting
When: Monday, January 12th, 2009 Where: La Huerta @ Hwy 64/71 in Van Buren Time: 7 pm I’m sure it will be chilly outside, but inside we will have a wonderful time of support, encouragement & good, old-fashioned, adult conversa-tion.
Our topic this month will be LANGUAGE ARTS. Please bring exam-ples of what you use for grammar, reading, writing, etc. Anything goes! Please let Kymberly know what you will be bringing so she can make
sure we have a good variety of items to share. Mark your calendars & be prepared for a terrific evening.
For more information, contact Kymberly Jones @ [email protected]
Activities History Fair
Delve back in time and find something that really interests you because the history fair will be here before you know it! Are you into the Crusades, Ancient Babylon, the Civil War, the latest presidential election? Do an in-dividual project, a group project, or a family project, an oral report, a display board, a skit. Anything goes this year; just have a super cool project waiting for all of FAITH to see. We will all assemble March 9th at 2 PM at a place to be announced in the Febru-ary newsletter. Get your mind into that history book and start planning now!
Call or email Jodi Hein with any questions.
479-997-8673 or 217-0586.
If you want to
understand today,
you have to
search yesterday.
~Pearl S. Buck
Winter Picnic
Let's beat the winter blah's and have a picnic! Too cold?? We'll just move it indoors and stay warm but have just as much fun. Monday, January 19 we will meet at noon. Watch the loop for the location. Bring a picnic lunch, a blanket to sit on, and fun indoor toys. We'll plan a Nerf baseball game and some team races. We'll have pop-sicles and a craft for the quieter ones. Come planning to think "warm" and have a good time. Again, watch the loop for final details.
Fort Chaffee Museums Field Trip
This past summer some new museums opened at Fort Chaffee to share the rich history this area has to offer.. We have a field trip planned for January 30 to check them out. All are to meet at the Fort Chaffee Barbershop Museum at 1:30 PM. This museum reflects the history of Fort Chaffee through exhibits from the 1940s and ’50s, as well as items specific to the time Elvis Presley was there. We will then journey to the Vietnam Veteran's Museum which contains Vietnam War memorabilia such as helmets, uniforms, guns, documents, love letters and other Vietnam-related items collected over many years. We have arranged for someone from Fort Chaffee to give the group an overall history of Fort Chaffee following the museum tours. This is all located at Chaffee Crossing. There is no charge for admission. Also on the grounds is a 1,500-square-foot museum of about 5,000 dolls. The Enchanted Doll Museum contains a life-size Ken and Barbie as well as antique dolls, including Madam Alexander, Effanbee, Kewpie, Betsy Wetsy, Cabbage Patch Kids, Annie and Gerber brands. This will be open for families to see on their own following the tour of the other museums as some families with many boys may not be interested!
The Arkansas Home School Testing Office has announced major changes to their procedures for registering for standardized testing. It has been confirmed by Director Bill Ballard that the state will begin mailing information packets to families immediately in late January. The packet will contain details of the new procedure for choosing a testing site for our children. If you have not gotten a white window envelope with "Urgent Home School Testing Info" printed on the front by mid-February, contact the office at (501) 354-3136.
Registration will be done online only this year. For families that do not have internet access at home, FAITH is making arrangements for assistance for member families in registering for are familiar moms, and the students are friends they recog-nize from other FAITH activities. We have found over the years that this informal atmosphere lessons the tension that can accompany testing for both students and parents. At press time, it was unknown what information that members will need to register their students to test with FAITH, but that will be availble soon.
Only those students who register with the state as taking the test with FAITH will have test booklets available at our site. Names of those students that the state
has reserved spots for with FAITH will be listed in the next several issues of Keeping the FAITH. This will allow you to insure that your child will have a test available.
Students in third through ninth grades will be administered two subtests from the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS.) The reading comprehension and math problem solving subtests will only require one morning to complete.
As new information is released, it will be published in the FAITH newsletter and on our online discussion group. You can also check the new AHSTO website for detailed test site information at www.arhomeschooltesting.org
Arkansas Testing Changes Announced
AHSTO Contacts
www.arhomeschooltesting.org
(501) 354-3136
FAITH Discussion Loop
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/faithhomeschool/
Important Testing Dates
Dec. 26 – Deadline for the Jan.
24 SAT
Jan. 6 – Deadline for the Feb. 6
ACT
Jan. 9 – Deadline for the Jan. 24
SAT (late fee required)
Jan. 16 – Deadline for the Feb. 6
ACT (late fee required)
Feb. 10 – Deadline for the Mar.
14 SAT
Feb. 24 – Deadline for the Mar.
14 SAT (late fee required)
Feb. 27 – Deadline for the April
4 ACT
Mar. 13 – Deadline for the April
4 ACT (late fee required)
Mar. 31 – Deadline for May 2
SAT
April 9 – Deadline for May 2
SAT (late fee required)
May 5 – Deadline for June 6
SAT
May 8 – Deadline for the June
13 ACT
May 15 – Deadline for June 6
SAT (late fee required)
May 22 – Deadline for the June
13 ACT (late fee required)
Page 6 Volume 1, Issue 1
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FAITH Student Council is open to all FAITH members in seventh grade through twelfth grades. Student government is by definition run by the youth, and gives students the opportunity to plan and conduct community service projects and activi-ties. Because we are a homeschool association, all activities and meetings are open to younger and older siblings. We even allow parents.
We also have a discussion loop. If you are interested in receiving e-mail updates for Student Council, sign up by sending an empty e-mail to [email protected] Any questions, comments, or suggestions can be directed to our President at (479) 648-3863.
nominate you for secretary. If you have a great idea for our quarterly
community service, bring it with you.
heading to Bowling world on Tuesday the 19th at 2:00 p.m. Since the price is lower when we hang in posses, bring your little brothers
lanes – on the other side of the building, of course. Elections will be held on that day, also.
Yo, homies!
and bad news. The good news is Stu-dent Council back in action. The bad news is I got stuck writing the news-letter article. Enough about me already,
Student Council.
Assuming you are in the Christmas
it all off with the annual party. Meet us on Monday, De-cember 8 at 2:00 p.m.
(2817 South 65th) Bring a snack and a
wimpy food, so sign-bring on the Student Council loop.
ten dollar gift for the dirty Santa game. Make it a good gift, because, trust
Santa. The younger siblings will also have a gift exchange for gifts, but keep it under five dollars.
Student Council News
Upcoming Events
December 8 - Christmas Party
January 19 - Bowling
“A sense of humor is a part
of the art of leadership, of
getting along with people,
and getting things done.
~Dwight D. Eisenhower
A Note from the Editor
Merry Christmas! Seasons Greetings! Joyeux Noël! Feliz Navidad! Buon Natale! Felix Dies Nativitatis!
Nollaig Shona! Fröhliche Weihnachten! Happy New Year! Well, I think that about covers it. I have just about ex-hausted my knowledge of different ways to say Merry Christmas or Happy New Year. But, whatever way it is said, just take the time to enjoy it. I know, especially as mothers, we often get caught up in the busyness of this time of year, and it just happens to us. So, take time to enjoy it and stop and smell the Christmas cookies.
I would like to thank everyone for all their hard work on the articles for the newsletter. The reporters have been noth-ing short of awesome. So, thank you all! I am going to follow this article with a list of happenings in the Fort Smith/River Valley area. We came up with an odd number of pages this time, and it would cause the newsletter to either work out wrong, or have one blank page. So, I tried to think of a way to make it of some use to you. (Hint: a page full of yammering by yours truly wasn’t what I had in mind) I wish you all the greatest of Christmas’ and here’s to a joy filled, prosperous new year!
Amy Treadway
December & January Activities (a sampling of non~FAITH sponsored happenings)
December 8-31st ~ Christmas Express @ Creekmore Park. FREE, but donations accepted. Ride the holiday express, a decorated train around the park and through the lights. Santa will be pre sent. 5:30-8:30 nightly December 12-14 ~ “Noel: Night of Everlasting Love” @ Fort Smith First Baptist Church. December 12th @ 7:00pm, and 13th & 14th @ 6:00 pm ~ Live Nativity and Music by the FBC Choir. Tickets are FREE, and printable online @ www.fbc-fortsmith.org December 13th ~ Christmas Open House @ JHRNC. FREE 1-3 pm December 13th ~ “Holiday Dazzle” @ Alma PAC 8:00pm. Tickets are $20-$30. December 13th ~ “Nutcracker Ballet” @ Fort Smith Convention Center 10:30 am & 7:30pm. Tickets are $15 and $20. December 14th ~ “Jingle Jam” A Children’s Christmas Musical. Grace Community Church in Fort Smith. FREE @ 6:00pm. December 14th ~ Fort Smith Public Library Holiday Open House. Music, games, crafts, stories, dis plays, and light refreshments. Bring an item for the food drive. FREE 1-5 pm December 15th ~ Academy of the Arts Choir Christmas Concert. FREE @ 7:00pm Breedlove Audi torium at UAFS December 21st~ Winter Solstice Walks @ the Spiro Mounds. Tours given @ 11 am, 2 pm, and 7 pm. Lasts approx. 2 hrs., and given by archaeologist Dennis Peterson, as he explains why they were created and how they line up with the solstice and equinox sunsets. $3 adults, and $2 children. January 8th ~ Scrapbooking Party. Alma Public Library. Free @ 11am-1pm and 4pm-5:30pm. Re freshments will be available. January 12th ~ Basic Embroidery Instruction. Free 10am-2pm @ Fort Smith Public Library January 12th ~ Fort Smith Chorale Auditions. All volunteer community chorus. Bring song of choice accompanist provided 7-9pm @ Northside High School Choir Room. 783-2275
We’re on the web!
faithhomschool.org
Keeping the FAITH is a publication of the Family Association for Instruction and Teaching at Home, a Christian association serving homeschooling families in the greater Fort Smith area.
Keeping the FAITH is published Feb-ruary-December each year. We wel-come submissions of event and news items. Make submissions in writing by the 15th of the month to [email protected]
W e accep t ads re la t ing t o homeschooling and ‘happy ads’ at a price of $1 per six lines, as space allows. Send ad with payment to: PO Box 1041, Fort Smith, AR 72912. The deadline is the first of the month to be published on the first day of the next month.
©2008 by FAITH Homeschool
Excellent curriculum for Co-Op Classes Dianne Heinrichs
Complete Lesson Plans AR/OK Representative
Enrichment Activities (479) 648-3869 or (479) 462-8400
Grades 3 – 12 [email protected]
www.totallanguageplus.com
FAITH Homeschool:
PO Box 1041
Fort Smith, AR 72912
