Tennessee Homeschool News

FEBRUARY 11, 2012 - Do you know of a young woman in 9th to 12h grade who might benefit from meeting professional women active in science, math, and technology careers? Adventure Science Center offers a one-day experience called TWISTER. Participants across Middle Tennessee meet female role models representing over 20 career fields, and experience a taste of what their lives are like in hands-on sessions.

The registration form is available at www.adventuresci.com under science for girls or click here.
The TWISTER mission is to inspire young women to continue their education beyond high school and consider STEM careers.

If you know of a student who would like to attend but is unable to pay the registration fee, Tennessee Science Teachers Association is offering scholarships. Just contact Sharon Mendonsa, smendonsa[at]adventuresci.com or 615-401-5078.

Ironwood Academy is looking for qualified substitute teachers for Tuesday and Thursday tutorial classes. Hours 7:45 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. Brentwood area.

Ironwood Academy is a Christ-centered, non-denominational, middle and high school tutorial for students who are home-schooled. Reply to info[at]ironwoodacademy.org

Lamplighter's Theatre Company's production of Jane Austen's Sense & Sensibility runs February 10, 11, 12, 17, 18 & 19. Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 PM; Sunday performances are at 4:30 PM. Lamplighter's Theatre is located on the campus of Springhouse Worship and Arts Center at 14119 Old Nashville Highway, Smyrna, TN. For tickets or more information visit www.ticketsnashville.com, visit our website http://lamplighterstheatre.com or call our ticket voicemail line (615) 852-8499(TIXX).

For more information or to register for any of these programs, visit the Owl's Hill website: www.owlshill.org/events/programregistration

Knee High Naturalist: Where is the Groundhog?
Monday, Feb. 6 or Tuesday, Feb. 7, 10:00 - 11:30 AM
Cost: $10/child with adult in advance; $15 at the gate
Ages 3-5

Learn all about Groundhog Day and why we celebrate it. Did the Groundhog see his shadow this year? Where is the Groundhog now? Look for burrows of real Groundhogs and listen to groundhog stories in the People Burrow. Make a take-home groundhog burrow and learn a groundhog song. Dress for the weather and bring your sharpest eyes to look for Groundhog tracks!

Celebrate Birds: Bluebird Workshop
Saturday, February 11, 9:00 AM – Noon
Cost: $7.00/person in advance; $10/person at the gate
Designed for adults

Unlike many buyers, the lovely Eastern Bluebirds prefer to house-hunt in winter. Perhaps they like to see the "bones" of the structure or perhaps they like to take their time. Whatever the reason, winter is the time to prepare nest boxes for inspection and this Workshop at Owl's Hill will help you do just that. Following a program and discussion, participants inspect different styles of boxes on our Bluebird Trails. There will be suggestions for plantings and winter feeding as well as a slide show. Reserve your place today. (Bluebird pair checking a box by K. Salleng)

Presidents' Day Big Tree Hike
Monday, February 20, 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Cost: $7.00/person in advance; $10/person at the gate
Two and under free
For All Ages

Dress in patriotic colors and participate in a winter hike to our Big Trees – trees that were growing long before George Washington was born! Find out how trees are aged, then head down hill to the creek to see stone walls built just after the Revolutionary War. Finish with a sip of hot cider in the Russell Gathering Pavilion. Prints of drawings of the Big Trees by Charles Brindley are for sale in the Gift Shop. (Giant Tulip Poplar Tree from the Old Giants of Owl's Hill Series by Charles Brindley)

The Nashville Symphony Orchestra League is accepting applications for the Thor Johnson Scholarship Fund. The scholarship fund is designed to promote, encourage, and support students from Davidson and surrounding middle TN counties in their instrumental or vocal pursuits. Please take time to let your students know that this opportunity is available.
There are two different scholarships offered: one for students in grades 5-11 and one for college bound students currently in grade 12. Only students who have a serious interest in pursuing further music education need apply. In addition, any student awarded a scholarship in 2011 may not reapply until 2013. Students may only apply for one category.

If you feel that you have a student(s) who demonstrates particular musical talent on their instrument and could benefit from this scholarship program, please submit a personal letter of recommendation for each student stating why you feel he/she would benefit from this program. In addition, each student will need to complete a copy of the enclosed application form and provide a brief audition on audio CD. The audition CD is non-returnable and should reflect the student's current performance skills.

Winners may be asked to perform at the Orchestra League's annual meeting in July 2012. Should you have any questions or need additional information, please contact the Nashville Symphony Orchestra League office at 687.6541.

For more information, please visit the Nashville Symphony website.

Coach Todd O'Neal is the coach and founder of One Way Basketball. He is known in the Middle Tennessee area as one of the best basketball trainers in the South. He has been mentored by Coach Don Meyer, the all time winningest coach in college basketball. Coach O'Neal founded One Way Basketball in 2002 and his camps and clinics have grown each year. He is a sought after private trainer in the area. The One Way Camps give each camper a notebook, homework basketball, motivational material, inspirational material, goal setting materials, devotional times and much, much more. Coach O'Neal is now the coach of Gabriel Christian Academy where he has won an average of over 30 games a year for the past 3 years.

2012 camps and clinics start in June and run through August.  For more information, please visit www.onewaysports.net.

Career Exploration Program (CEP) at the Nashville 2012 Home Education Expo

We will again be making arrangements for our 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th Grade students (or ages 16-24) to participate in the best career exploration program in the United States – the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Career Exploration Program (ASVAB CEP). Historically, the ASVAB has been known as the “Military’s Test”. While the military does rely on the ASVAB for evaluation of persons for entrance into the service, the ASVAB is no longer just for the military. Many independent civilian studies have found that the ASVAB is also a very accurate tool for determining vocational aptitudes in the civilian workplace. When combined with the CEP, this program can greatly assist you in guiding your testers toward a career path.

We will offer the test at the Nashville 2012 Home Education Expo on Friday, May 18 at 8:30 am in Wilson Hall at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds to ALL area homeschoolers. The testing takes about three hours (with a break), and the results are available within a couple of hours after completion. I encourage you to respond and sign up for this outstanding opportunity.

Here are some of the advantages of using the ASVAB and the CEP as a diagnostic tool:

• ACCURACY: The ASVAB has been shown to have up to a 96% reliability in determining aptitudes ranging from composite academic ability, to language comprehension, to mechanics.

• COST: The ASVAB, CEP, and any required support from Nashville MEPS Education Support is free. All required testing materials and persons required for test administration are provided.

• EXAM FOLLOW-UP: Results of the exam are normally ready for release a week after the exam is taken. However, we will be able to provide post-exam interpretations within hours of the test during the fair.

• TEST RESULTS AND INFORMATION SECURITY: Test results are made available to military recruiters only when authorized by you. We will assign a Zero Release Option to the tests given to your homeschoolers and, therefore, only the testers and your organization will see the results.

Though many testers may already have an idea of what direction they want to go in life, the ASVAB CEP can assist them in narrowing career fields down to a manageable number. In addition, the ASVAB CEP may show them that they have abilities in fields that they have never considered.

Only a fraction of testers taking the ASVAB have immediate intentions of joining the military, the remainder receive invaluable assistance in choosing career fields or college majors that suit them. We offer the ASVAB CEP to you not to try to recruit but to help your student with their future.

Please reserve your testing spot by calling Diana Staricco at 615-833-1347, ext. 128 or e-mail at diana.staricco[at]mepcom.army.mil