Please forward a reminder to all of your loops because we want everyone to get the best deal possible on the Expo. To get the best price for the 2009 CHN Family Expo, register before Wednesday, December 31st.
Registration prices for members are $40 per adults, $50 for a couple, and $30 per child, but members who register before 2008 ends will get $10 off each person’s or couple’s registration! Two and under and accompanying grandparents are free.
Not a member? No problem. You can become a member when you register and get this great price!
The Expo will be held on the weekend of July 31st through August 2nd at the Marriott near the Ontario Airport.
You can register at the CHN online store, or print out the registration form and mail or fax it in, or call Ruth at the 800 number and she’ll help you get registered.
December 29th, 2008
I just made my hotel reservation for Expo 2009, and as usual, it was easy as can be! It’s an important detail to take care of if you’re coming to the Expo because the hotel fills up every year, leaving disappointed homeschoolers scrambling at the last minute. Why not do what I just did and take care of it now, and have some peace of mind?
Ok, what spurred me into action, is that I heard from two different people that rooms were filling up, and that’s the kind of thing that makes one pause and realize what an important part of the Expo that room is. Sure, you can commute or stay elsewhere, but the special deal CHN got this year is the same as last year - $88/night with free parking for guests. It’s an awesome deal, and I like the relaxation of just being there, with my room very close.
If you’re coming to the Expo, make sure to take care of that little hotel detail while you can. I know there are some people who could share their tales of panic when they realized they’d forgotten to get a room last year. It happens, so how about an early New Year’s resolution to take care of Expo details early?
Speaking of New Year’s, register by then and get $10/person off your registration. And for those of you who have a family tradition of requesting the gift you want, this would be a wonderful gift that would be enjoyed all year - first in anticipation, and then when July 31 rolls around, just being there with so many other homeschoolers. If the gift giver is a grandparent, you can even include them and invite them for free! You really need to check out the details yourself because if I tell you that the couple’s price is $50 (make that $40 for the two of you if you register by New Year’s), you’ll just think I’ve made a typo. And $30 for kids becomes $20 if you register by New Year’s. I never was great at math, but even I can see this is incredible. Just what people need when times are tough. And no, CHN is not scrimping on this Expo - it will be “Expotastic” just like last year!
Karen Taylor
December 5th, 2008
Jim Weiss will be at Expo 2009. Not only that, it is also the 20th anniversary for his company, Greathall Productions! His wife is hoping to come to this year’s Expo too. How exciting!
Is it possible to say enough about Jim Weiss? He’s a terrific storyteller, and more. For all of us who have brought our children to his booth, there’s the memory of how he interacts on such a personal level with each child. It’s been 12 years since my son first met Jim, and I’ve been appreciative of him ever since. I’m just so excited that Jim loves the Expo enough to want to return, because we all sure love seeing him and hearing his stories!
If you haven’t been to the Expo, be sure to check out the website and see what the excitement is about.
Last year’s low prices are being preserved for another year, even at the hotel, and there’s a new special discount that is good until New Year’s Eve - now that’s something to celebrate!
The Expo will be held at the Ontario Marriott Hotel again (yea - it’s a great location!) and the dates are July 31- August 2nd.
- Karen Taylor
October 6th, 2008
The California education code is just so interesting. If you have never explored it, please bookmark it!
Oh, the things you can find there. In case you wonder where CHN gets many of its answers, it’s right here at the ed code. Back when CHN was founded, volunteers went to research libraries and after much work, the applicable pages were found, copied, and carefully cared for, since the information was so precious to us all! When I became legal chair, I inherited those original files in a big box. It was impressive that so much work had gone into finding the information for all of us, and it had been done by passionate moms without a legal background. Simply amazing. By the time I inherited the archives, the information was on the internet, and today, it’s a snap for any of us to find what we need!
For example, if you are wondering who needs to file, here are two ed codes that explain it.
48200. Each person between the ages of 6 and 18 years not exempted under the provisions of this chapter or Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 48400) is subject to compulsory full-time education.
48010. A child shall be admitted to the first grade of an elementary school during the first month of a school year if the child will have his or her sixth birthday on or before December 2nd of that school year. For good cause, the governing board of a school district may permit a child of proper age to be admitted to a class after the first school month of the school term.
The first gives the ages for compulsory education - 6 to 18. And the second tells us what the minimum age limit is. They had to pick an arbitrary date, and chose December 2nd. You should file your affidavit (or otherwise enroll your child in some form of educational option) the year your child will be 6 on or before December 2nd. And now you know where to find it, and can tell someone else. Although, if you want to continue to rely on getting your information the easy way from CHN’s website, we will certainly understand!
Karen Taylor
October 1st, 2008
The line by line PSA instructions have been updated for this year. And, CHN’s free downloadable publication was also updated today, as soon as the new PSA was put online at the CDE website.
Who files? If your child will be 6 by December 2nd, this will be the year to file. You will continue to file each year that you are homeschooling independently. It’s every October 1-15. If your child is enrolled in a PSP (formerly ISP) or a school program, you will not be filing. The PSP files the PSA, and the school programs don’t have to because they are public programs (that would be school ISPs and charters).
October 1st, 2008
The California Homeschool Network will be hosting a one hour online filing party for all CHN members, starting at 7:30 PM on Wednesday, October 1st.
Dessert and beverage of your choice will be served (the fine print being that because our members will be signing in from their computers for this private online chat, they’ll need to provide their own refreshments).
Melissa Zawrotny and Karen Taylor will be going over the Private School Affidavit line by line
and answering personal questions. If we end up with more time than questions, we’ll just chat and field any other homeschooling questions that any member has! The password will be sent to all CHN Grapevine members Tuesday night, so they’ll be ready on Wednesday!
If you aren’t already a part of the CHN Grapevine, join now! It’s a free perk of being a member of CHN.
September 29th, 2008
Karen Taylor has stepped down as conference coordinator. But she is still involved with helping Loren Mavromati with the 2009 conference.
This is Karen’s announcement about next year’s conference.
Work is already underway for CHN’s Expo 2009. I’m so pleased to be able to share with everyone that Loren Mavromati has agreed to head up the Expo team for next year, and after 6 years of doing it, I’m just loving the idea of helping her as needed instead of worrying about the entire thing. Loren and I have been working together on the Expo for several years, so it will be a smooth transition, and we’re looking forward to a bigger and better Expo 2009 if that’s possible! And, I get the wonderful job of helping Loren out with some of the Expo jobs that I love to do - I guess it’s like becoming a grandma - all the fun without the worry!
One reason it’s going to be fun is that when I announced my retirement, some people stepped up and said they would do more to help with Expo 2009, so Loren and I have been coming up with a list of jobs that we’ll be sharing with those who want to help. She’s truly going to need these people and more! Let her know if you can help, please!
It’s an exciting time for CHN, and it’s not too late to jump in and participate next year. Loren and I kind of feel like we officially launched Expo 2009 on August 13th, because we met with the Marriott staff over lunch, and spent a few hours talking about this year’s Expo and next year’s. I’m so proud to report that the Marriott staff from their manager on down LOVE having our group and are proving it by what they will offer us next year.
They had nothing but good to say, and I think it’s fair to report that at times, they gushed. Our sales manager wants to bring her son next year - she’s not a homeschooler, but seeing us has really interested her. I’m so proud of CHN’s members for making such a good impression with the hotel. Our group used many more hotel rooms this year, and we’re expecting even more people to stay overnight next year. The growth has been amazing!
Anyway, for those of you who attended the CHN Family Expo this year, I’m sending you a cyber pat on the back along with a big hug and thanks for making the Expo such a wonderful experience and also for making yesterday’s meeting a pleasant one - Loren and I loved basking in their praises!
For those of you who didn’t attend the Expo this year, we hope to see you at Expo 2009. While the Expo is the most affordable conference around, attending any conference does cost, so why not make an Expo jar and start filling it with loose change and get your kids involved. By the time Expo 2009 is here, you’ll have your vacation fund ready to go - and the Expo, besides being a great learning experience, is indeed a vacation too, and for many of us, it’s our main vacation of the year.
September 6th, 2008
A joint brief filed by California’s three statewide homeschool organizations has been accepted for consideration by the California Court of Appeal in the case known as In re Rachel L. The court’s original decision specified, among other things, that parents need a teaching credential to homeschool. The decision was criticized by homeschoolers, teachers and government officials. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell both issued press releases in support of homeschooling, and Assemblyman Joel Anderson introduced a resolution supporting homeschooling to the California Assembly in response to the case. The court granted rehearing and vacated its original decision in March 2008.
California’s three statewide homeschool membership organizations—California Homeschool Network, Christian Home Educators Association of California and Homeschool Association of California—have been working together for several months in a united effort to preserve independent homeschooling in California. These three organizations represent homeschoolers across the state. Their amicus brief was a cooperative undertaking of the law firms Baker & McKenzie LLP, representing CHN, Munger Tolles & Olson LLP,representing CHEA, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, representing HSC.
May 20th, 2008
The California Homeschool Network Expo is coming up August 1st, 2nd and 3rd!
Every year we have a great time and the best part is staying at the hotel together for a few days and having a non-stop homeschool party!
You can reserve a hotel room without paying anything until you get there, so if you are even thinking that you would like to join us this year for some great homeschool sessions, speakers, great activities and lots of fun and family camaraderie, go ahead and reserve a room before they are all gone! The price is a special deal of only $88 per night, and there are only a few rooms left! Don’t miss out!
May 14th, 2008
Teachers are speaking out loud and clear FOR homeschooling! Please pass the link on to others who need a bit of encouragement right now.
All the quotes here are from the teachers who have signed CHN’s new petition that says that they don’t think homeschooling parents need a teaching credential. And since they all have credentials, they are in the best position to know if a credential is needed!
Over 100 teachers have responded so far, and they’re still signing! It’s good to get this kind of support 
Please share the link to the petition, and perhaps we’ll get more teachers signing the petition!
April 10th, 2008
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