Updated Events and Opportunities for the
KC Homeschooling Community
Check out our constantly updated Events and Opportunities pages!
For constantly updated new projects and websites to try out, go to our "Activities" section under the Resources page.
For those who would like to buy and sell items (including curricula), please check out our "For Sale/Wanted to Buy" section under the Resources page.
MPE
has joined Box Tops for Education (www.boxtopsforeducation.com)!
Thanks to the suggestion of MPE member Chris Commerford, MPE has joined the Box Tops for Education program.
Since 1996, Box Tops for Education has helped US schools raise over $300 million to buy the things they need. Home school support organizations are now also able to take part.
Here are some ways you can help:
Clip – Clip the Box Top from hundreds of participating products and send them to the MPE Office in batches of 50 (when you have collected 50 box tops you can mail them or drop them off at the MPE Office). Each one is worth 10 cents when MPE redeems them from Box Tops for Education.
Shop Online – shop at your favorite online stores through the Box Tops Marketplace (boxtops4education.com/marketplace). Up to 15% of your purchase total is automatically donated to MPE, at no additional cost to you. Plus, you’ll get exclusive Box Top and discounts!
Read – buy books online through the Reading Room, a partnership between Box Tops and Barnes and Noble. MPE receives up to 6% of qualifying purchases.
Sign Up – It’s easy and free. Sign up to support MPE at
https://www.boxtops4education.com/common/Register.aspx?sid=14348&WT.mc_id=topnavJoin
(you will have to put the zip code of 66215 in the box).
You can also see how much MPE is earning with Box Tops, enter online promotions for chances to win Bonus Box Tops and other prizes, print money-saving coupons for your favorite Box Tops brands and sign up for email newsletters with members-only deals and discounts.
New Study Shows Homeschoolers Succeeding in College
Fox 4 News Report Honoring "Being An American" Essay Contest Winner T.J. Cahill, Jr. (MPE member)
Lost at the MPE Conference...
The Metro Homeschool Robotics Team left their dolly somewhere at the KCI Expo Center after the conference in April. It is blue and is the kind that can convert to a horizontal cart. It also has a 1"X4" piece of wood attached to the back. If you have any information about this, please contact Lisa Stacy at 816-820-8089. THANK YOU!
Free to a Good Home School!
Eagle Scout's Hard Work Brings Piece of U.S. History to Atchison, KS
MPE
can now receive your Membership Applications and Renewals Online!
Click here for more details!
Johnson County Park and Recreation District's Survey for Homeschoolers!
"I am the Fine Arts coordinator for the Johnson County Park and Recreation District and we offer some art classes for home school children. I have a survey that I am trying to get out to home school parents to see what types of classes they would like to see us offer for their home school children.
I would really appreciate any and all feedback. We are looking to expand some of our offerings in the fall and are planning classes now, so any input we can get from the parents is helpful.
I am also attaching a flyer of summer activities and camps (this is posted on our "Opportunities - Summer" page)
Thank you for your help. I am always open to new ideas, so please feel free to contact me using the information below."
Marilyn Lyons
Recreation Coordinator, Johnson County Park and Recreation District Fine Arts and 50 Plus Program
4850 Rosewood, Roeland Park, KS 66205
Phone: 913-826-3163 Fax: 913-826-3136
Mail to: marilyn.lyons@jocogov.org
Visit our website at www.jcprd.com
To help Marilyn expand the classes for home school children, please fill out this survey form and return it to her.
Lifetouch Photos are ready for pick-up!
If your family had your photos taken by Lifetouch Studio on Monday, October 12, your pictures are ready to be picked up.
2009 MPE Graduation DVDs - Please pick up your copy ASAP!
If you were a 2009 MPE graduate, please stop by the MPE Office to pick up your DVD as soon as possible. There are also still copies of the 2008 MPE Graduation available for all 2008 graduates. Please call to check office hours (913-599-3011).
The Supreme Court has historically upheld fundamental parental rights. However, this Supreme Court support has been eroding in recent years. UN treaties also threaten parental rights; America is poised to adopt the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. If this treaty is ratified, the effect on Americans would include the following:
 | The laws of all 50 states on children and parents would be superseded by this international law by virtue of a specific provision of the US Constitution which expressly declares treaties to be supreme over state law. Virtually all law on children and parents is state law. |
| Good parents would no longer be entitled to the legal presumption that they act in the best interests of their children. Instead, the government would have the authority to overrule all parents on any decision concerning the child if the government believed it could make a better decision. Only a federal constitutional amendment can protect against both threats (the Federal Courts and International Treaties). |
We need to place the time-honored test of parental rights, as recognized by the Supreme Court for over seventy years, into the explicit text of the Constitution.
We cannot wait until our rights are formally demolished. We must act now to stop international law and protect these two key principles:
- Fit parents should be allowed to direct the upbringing of their children. This includes educational choice, i.e. homeschooling.
- American legislators, not international tribunals, should make the public policy for America on families and children.
If you believe these two principles, become a supporter of parental rights by signing the online petition.
Find out all that you can do to support parental rights and your homeschooling rights by visiting parentalrights.org.
Read this outstanding article by Corrie Kangas, homeschool graduate and alumni
Kansas - Homeschoolers Win By-Right Admission to State Colleges
Though homeschoolers score four grade levels above others on standardized tests, Kansas homeschoolers have always been second-class citizens when it comes to admission to their own state colleges—until now.
House Bill 2197, signed by the governor on March 27, gives homeschoolers by-right admission to Kansas state colleges if they score 21 or higher on the ACT college admissions test. Students from accredited public and private schools have long enjoyed by-right acceptance with a score of 21. Now homeschool graduates will stand on equal footing. (The average ACT score in 2008 was 21.1.)
For many years HSLDA has worked with families, state homeschool leaders, and members of the board of regents when awkward college admissions situations arose. The state colleges are allowed to give 10% of the openings in an entering class to students who do not fall within minimum statutory requirements. When troublesome situations have arisen in the past, homeschoolers have almost always gained acceptance via this 10% exception.
However, when academically strong homeschoolers “use up” part of the 10% openings, fewer slots are available for the applicants for whom the exception was truly designed: students with less impressive academic credentials, but with other factors that make them promising candidates. With the new law in place, the 10% exception can be used as it was intended. The law has caught up with reality that homeschool graduates are some of the most sought-after applicants, and some of the most successful college students. The indignity of homeschool graduates having no path to college acceptance but by an exception has been removed.
HSLDA has always recommended that homeschool families register their homeschool program as non-accredited private school with the state Board of Education. This is even more important now. House Bill 2197 gives the new by-right status to a Kansas resident who “has graduated from a non-accredited private secondary school.” Although written testimony from the Regent Gary Sherrer explicitly identifies homeschoolers as non-accredited private school students, families need to be conscientious about registering their school to avoid difficulties.
~ From HSLDA: http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/ks/200904010.asp
Johnson County Community College Clarifies Requirements for Homeschooled Graduates Applying for Financial Aid
The MPE Office received many calls about this issue. After discussions and exchange of relevant materials with Julie Cooper, the Director of Financial Aid at JCCC, we received a copy of the letter that Julie recently sent clarifying requirements for homeschooled graduates applying for Financial Aid at JCCC. Here is an excerpt:
“There has been much confusion and some overreaction the past few weeks over what requirements must be made for private and homeschooled students wanting to attend a Kansas post-secondary institution and receive federal financial aid. I say overreaction because the conditions for receiving federal student aid and even admission to our institution has been the same for many years but suddenly we’re receiving information from our state Admissions officers and the Board of Regents that things must change. Once the dust had settled and some additional research had been done we’ve discovered we really have been doing things appropriately and it requires just some gentle tweaking.
We sent a letter a few weeks ago letting families and students know that there were requirements they must meet to attend JCCC and receive federal financial aid. It alarmed some, frightened others and angered many, it was not intended to do any of that. We had hoped to be proactive and let families and students know what we were told and our anticipated actions.
According to the materials I’ve found and through the gracious help … from the Midwest Parent Educators we now have a much better picture of what the state and the feds are outlining and expecting from all of us. I admit it gets a little confusing weeding through the legalese but basically this is what it all says.
Johnson County Community College is an open-admission institution and therefore not bound by the rulings of our four-year Regent’s state universities with qualified admissions. We don’t have the 10% exception window, but we don’t need it either. Anyone can attend JCCC. To be a “regular” student you may be requested to provide your high school diploma or its equivalent, but you are asked on the application to “self-certify” that you actually have one. If you are “degree seeking” you are asked to take the COMPASS test to assist in placing you in the appropriate level for the classes you wish to take or you may provide evidence of your ACT scores. If you receive a 19+ in English and a 26+ in Math or about 600 SAT scores and you provide documentation you won’t need to take the COMPASS test. Our earlier letter stated that all students take the COMPASS and that we didn’t think we could accept the ACT scores but we have determined that now we can accept either one, COMPASS scores or the ACT scores that JCCC Admission’s office accepts for admissions. If your student has already successfully completed 24 college credit courses with a C or better, then neither the COMPASS nor ACT is needed for financial aid.
Please keep in mind that a student must still meet the basic federal requirements for financial aid but we have determined that it is not necessary to go beyond what the Admissions Office requires for admission.
In summary, we expect that a student will “self-certify” on their Admissions application that they have a high school diploma and if requested be able to provide a document certifying their graduation from high school and transcripts. That a student will either take the COMPASS test as a degree- seeking student or submit proof of the appropriate ACT or SAT scores. Once all of this is accomplished all that is left are the usual “hoops” to jump through for financial aid.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call our office, 913.469.3840.”
KS
Board of Regents Clarifies Admission Regulations for Homeschooled Graduates
to the Regent Universities
Here are excerpts from CHECK's October and November newsletters, along with letters from the six Regent Universities in KS.
CHECK News University Dept of Admission letters
Receive "The Parent Educator" Newsletter by Email!
From Todd Kangas, MPE President:
"The MPE Board would like to ask you to receive the MPE newsletter via email. This has two benefits, one for you and another for MPE. The benefit to you our member is receipt of the newsletter sooner. The benefit to MPE is a significant cost savings.
One of the reasons we are considering this is due to a possible office relocation. We are considering a couple of properties very near I-35 and close to exits off of either 75th Street or 95th Street. We believe a larger location with better accessibility will make the library far more valuable, plus we are looking to hold small support group meetings at our new facility. We are exploring cost savings measures to afford a higher rent. I promised my wife I would print her newsletter off at home and put it in the mailbox if that would help her better accept this idea.
If you are willing to help MPE in this way, please email your permission to the office along with your name and the email address that you want the newsletters sent to. Printing and mailing are one of our highest expenses. Please consider helping in this way."
Affordable Accredited Colleges: An Unconventional Guide
Blessing and Performance Opportunity at Sunrise Assisted Living Center, Lenexa, KS - monthly
"Homeschooler Warns: Don't be Fooled by Charter Schools!"
Walden Media Announces Homeschool Outreach Initiative
Lost Items from past MPE Conferences
Several items remain in the "Lost and Found" box at the MPE conference. Please call the office at 913-599-0311 for details.
MPE Draws Attention of US Senator
Go to our About Us page to read it for yourself!
Local E-Schools
The MPE Office has received several phone calls regarding local e-schools. The HSLDA position on charter schools also applies to these e-schools. Please see the Charter Schools page for more information.
