On May 30 – June 2, 2007 at Lifeway Ridgecrest Conference Center, Ashville, NC, there will be the second Worldview Super Conference, Preparing This Generation to Capture the Future. The conference offers programs for both adults and children so plan to take the whole family. If you register before March 30, 2007, there is a $25 discount. There are also additional discounts for pastors, active military families and full-time college/seminary students.

Is your student interested in creative writing, looking for help writing college application essays, or perhaps needs one-on-one assistance to improve his writing skills?  Some of Patrick Henry College’s brightest undergraduates and graduates will tutor your student in fiction or non-fiction writing through the PHC’s Writing Mentor Program.  PHC mentors work with you and your student at your own pace to help develop better writing skills with school assignments, give students writing exercises and tips, or edit parent assigned papers.

PHC graduate Whitney Archer commented about the program:  “Writing is a life skill: parents, lawyers, and construction workers all need it. My student, though her main interest is in photography, realized the importance of being able to express herself in proper written word. Her parents told me that they thank God for the opportunity for her to sharpen her skills as a writer.”

Since our mentors work with your student via email, phone, or mail, you can take advantage of this program from wherever you live.  PHC mentors charge $10 per hour for their services, but are sometimes willing to work pro bono in cases of financial hardship.  To learn more about the program or to receive an application, visit http://phc.edu/writingmentors or email Rebekah Ries.

Just a reminder that many schools are ordering their Advanced Placement tests the beginning of March. If your child is planning to take one of these tests, you should contact your public/private school as soon as possible to register.

For homeschoolers in Virginia, you should be receiving a letter from your school district advising you of the opportunity to take these tests at your public high school. If you do not receive such a letter, please let HSLDA’s high school coordinators know as soon as possible so we can follow-up with the school district regarding their failure to comply with state law.

Sometimes we are asked about the importance of the Bible as part of the high school curriculum.  First, we feel that the Bible is crucial simply for living!  It conveys words of life and truth that are essential to knowing God and to growing spiritually.  In addition, Bible knowledge is indispensable for an educated person.  This Bible Literacy Report provides a fascinating picture of how college professors view the significance of being familiar with the Bible in order to have a frame of reference for works of literature.  It will give you new motivation for taking time during your school day to read and discuss the Bible.

NMA (National Management Association) sponsors the American Enterprise Speech contest and it encourages participation by homeschoolers.  The contest is open to 9^th-12^th graders with first place winning a $10,000 US savings bond.  Contestants must contact the national headquarters at the website indicated above during January – March in order to locate a local NMA chapter and be given further details on contest participation.  Three of the national finalists last year were home schooled students.

Teen drivers with good grades can receive discounts on their auto insurance. Check with your insurance carrier as to its policy and requirements for this discount. The insurance carrier will often require a report card of your child’s grades for the semester or year to verify that your child meets this requirement. A transcript may also suffice since it also lists grades.

The Common Application is accepted by 300 universities and colleges and saves students from having to fill out different applications for different schools.  If all or some of the schools a student is interested in applying to are members of the Common Application, then time and effort is saved by filling out fewer individual applications and just using the Common Application.  The website noted provides more details on the Common Application as well as a list of colleges accepting the Common Application.

MIT offers a wide variety of free online courses including aeronautics, economics, political science, urban studies, and many, many more.  Most course offerings include full lecture notes, reading lists and syllabi, specific assignments and tests (including answers to daily work and exams.)  If you are looking for a starting point to develop your own unit study, or if your high schooler is interested in a particular subject area to do some independent study, then these courses may provide just what you need. (Since courses are taught from a secular viewpoint, parental supervision and discretion is encouraged.)