Taino Museum Tour at Cane Bay

Due to the popular vote, we will be participating in the Mueum Tour ONLY.

Date: Monday September 17, 2012

Time: 9:00 AM

Where: Virgin Kayak above EAT at Cane Bay.

Cost: FREE

Plan to come for an hour or two to learn about Taino artifacts from St. Croix, their history, and view original and reproduction works of art.

Bring a lunch and stay for a beach day if you wish afterwards at Cane Bay.

Please leave a comment below to confirm the amount of children and adults in your group.

Buck Island Field Trip Update

The field trip to Buck Island to study/learn about the PreHispanic peoples is on!  So far we have 35 people(students and chaperones) going. The cost of the trip is going to be $20 for kids under 12 and $25 for kids over 12.  We will be going on MileMark Watersports glass bottom boat.  We need a minimum of 30 to go. If the pricing effects your plans, please let me know ASAP.  

I would like to turn the money into MileMark by August 20, 2012. If you are going, please contact me to make arrangements to either mail me the money or meet me somewhere so I can gather it all up and pay for the trip in advance.  

Remember, we will be gone from 8am until at least1:30/2:00 - you will need to pack lunch, snacks, drinks, good shoes for hiking/trail walking(although I will wear flip flops, so plan however you want), gardening gloves, and safety glasses. 

Please pass the word along!

Sailing Opportunities for Homeschoolers

If you  have a child in 7th grade or above and they love to sail, they can join the local sailing team at the St. Croix Yacht Club.  The team is open to students in grade 7 and above from all schools, and home schools on the island.  Please contact the St. Croix Yacht Club for specific details at 340-773-9531 or visit their website for more info at www.stcroixyc.com.

If your child in NOT in 7th grade or above,  but are in lower grades - NEVER FEAR!!! They too can sail and take part in Opti Fridays starting in September. This weekly event is open to members and nonmembers of the Yacht Club. There is a fee of $10 for member and $20 for nonmembers, but the class is 2 hours and if your child is 12 or above they can become a member of the yacht club and get the $10 fee. A junior membership cost $150 and then your child can utilize the club for fun sailing events, and other activities. Again, if interested, please contact the club at 340-773-9531.

KG Art classes

Any interest in KG art classes? I have group of 4/5 Kgers that want an art class. Any others out there?

I was thinking of using Cindy Male as she is already set up to teach our older children.

Details:

Classes would be 30 mins once a week and would cost $60 per class for no more than 6 children.  A semester sign up would be required.  

Let me know by replying to this post if you want your child to sign up for the 1st- PreK art classes.

Explore the Pre Hispanic Culture at Buck Island

Did you know people used to LIVE at Buck Island? Did you know there are archeological sites on BuckIsland that date back to Pre Hispanic Native People's? Would you like to see where those sites are, learn how to make some tools that they might have used, and explore some of the lesser known areas of Buck?

YES??

Details:
Monday August 27, 2012 at 8:00 at Green Cay we will go from there to Buck Island for at least 3 - 4 hours.  You need to bring food, water, hiking shoes, safety glasses, and gardening gloves.

What I need from you:
Amount of people in your group - divided by Kids(their ages), and adults.

What we REALLY need:

BOATS. If we can't get enough boats to take us out there from our group, we will not be able to do this. There is a possibility of renting a boat to go out(from MileMark), but then we may pay a fee per head. I will get a cost back to the group, but I think it wouldn't be much.

Also I will send out some reading if you want to go to this that might help you ask great questions to the NPS people.

Coop? Non Profit group? Thoughts....

I have been hearing suggestions from various people that we as home schoolers should either form a coop of sorts or file from non -profit status. What are your thoughts?

The pros that have been presented are this:

1. As a co-op/non profit we can apply for grants for materials and create a sort of lending library where have supplies that the children can use
2. We have access to discounted curriculum rates at many companies
3. buying power
4. our children can take part in mini classes where we as a non profit can pay for experts in the field to teach those classes(ie. Advanced Calculus, AP Literature, Marine Biology, etc)
5. An opportunity to grow the homeschooling community in the islands
6. Some classes like Drama, PE, public speaking are best taught in a larger group setting and we could then be able to do this
7. Age groups where say your kindergarten aged child can learn with other kids in the KG group, 8th graders with 8th grades, cooperative learning.

I know we could figure out how to grow this group if we wanted to, but I am not single handedly going to pursue this if there is no other interest. We would need at least 3 other families that want to do this to make it viable. 

What do you think? Are you interested or not? Why or why not? Let's dialog!

Hatchling Watch at Sandy Point - sign up

Back in April, we went to see a leatherback mama come ashore and lay her eggs at Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge.  Now it's time for us to trek back out to Sandy Point and see some hatchlings come into the world. When you ask?


Saturday July 7, 2012 at 5:15 pm to 8:00 pm


Here is the info from Jennifer Travis - our coordinator.


"Arrive on your reserved date at 5:15pm at the parking lot at the Refuge with your group of 15 to 30 participants....  We cannot enter the Refuge with fewer than 15 participants. 

We will enter the Refuge as a group at 5:30pm.  The gate is locked behind us; no one may enter late nor leave early.   The program is usually over by 8pm."

If you are interested in taking part in this activity PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE reply here on the blog.  

Reptile Ramble

FREE EVENT IF YOU BRING A CHILD:


It's time for SEA's popular Reptile Ramble at Southgate Coastal Reserve! Join Jennifer Valiulis, herpetologist from GeoGraphic Consulting LLC, and SEA staff member Carol Cramer-Burke this Saturday, June 23 at 10 a.m. to 12:00 noon. This is a fun reptile search with lots of cold-blooded facts about our island reptiles! Children 5 years and older will especially enjoy this activity. Free for SEA members and children, $10 for non-member adults. Please bring water to drink, wear shoes that you don't mind getting muddy and sun protection.
Registration is not required, but appreciated ... 340-773-1989.

Junior Achievement

Junior Achievement of the VI will be conducting an after school program beginning in the fall. The program is for high school Sophomores and Juniors from public, private, faith-based schools, and homeschoolers. If you have - or know of - a motivated teen who might like to participate, please send me a message! To learn more about the JA Company Program, please visit www.ja.org and click Programs, then High School Programs. 

Here is an excerpt from the Junior Achievement website that tells you more about who they are:

Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs.

Junior Achievement programs help prepare young people for the real world by showing them how to generate wealth and effectively manage it, how to create jobs which make their communities more robust, and how to apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workplace. Students put these lessons into action and learn the value of contributing to their communities.

JA’s unique approach allows volunteers from the community to deliver our curriculum while sharing their experiences with students. Embodying the heart of JA, our 382,637 classroom volunteers transform the key concepts of our lessons into a message that inspires and empowers students to believe in themselves, showing them they can make a difference in the world.

This particular program is a 12 week 2 hour per session evening program lead by volunteer community members. During the 12 weeks, the students (up to 30 students) will be responsible to put together a real business with a board, doing market research, product creation, share sales, raising seed money to purchase products, selling of that product to the community, at the end of the program they do a profit/loss statement, return on investments for shareholders.  

In St.Thomas they ran this program during the spring with 30 students and at the end the students were able to distribute $34 to each shareholder and person in the program.  While this amount doesn't seem like a lot, there were tons of shareholders and the experience that your child gains through this program is invaluable.  

To get more information please contact Judi Buckley at 340-513-7077 or via email at javirginislands@gmail.com 

If you as a parent, would like to volunteer your services to help in this program, please contact Judi.

Cool Summer Camp Offering for High Schoolers and Middle Schoolers

Country Day School is offering two COOL summer camp for Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers.

One is a spin off from their yearly Mini Gusto Program where students go out into the community and get to learn a trade or get exposed to a different set of skills.  As someone who went through that program, I HIGHLY recommend Mini Gusto and the experiences that your child can gain from being exposed to different businesses and mind sets.  Students are encouraged to pick two activities a day, but can opt to choose just one. The cost is $165 per week for two activities and $80 for one activity per week.  If you enroll two children from the same family, there is a discount in the weekly fee.  The camp runs from July 18 - July 20. Some of the offerings are Jewelry Making, The art of Bonsai, Japanese Language, Cooking, Redecorating Wood Chairs, Capoeria, Drumming, Rock Band, Modeling and Etiquette, Improv, Graphic Design, Steel Pans, Japanese Taiko Drumming, etc. For a full list of activities, go to the CDS web site here.

There is also an SAT/College Prep Camp that is being offered concurrently with the Mini Gusto Camp. This Camp or mini series focuses on Prepping for the SAT/ACT, Finding the Best Fit University for your child, filing out applications, creating a college resume, essay writing skills interview skills, and finding scholarship monies among other topics.  This camp costs $500 for all 5 weeks and is geared to students entering 11 and 12 grade.

If you need more info, please do contact Country Day at 778-1974 or see their website on the summer camp offerings.


Is there any interest from homeschoolers to get some of these classes offered to a younger set during the fall/winter/spring school year next year? If so, let me know via the comments section here on the blog and I will work on it.

Weekend Activities

This weekend is going to be a busy one!


FREE Snorkel clinic this Saturday!
Looking for a fun beach experience this weekend? Join SEA on Saturday, May 19, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at Southgate Coastal Reserve for a free snorkel clinic. Southgate Coastal Reserve is located between Cheeseburgers in Paradise and Chenay Bay Beach Resort - just follow the gravel road to the beach. Learn how to snorkel or advance your skills - gear provided. This is a great family activity - school age children to adults welcome! FREE to all; registration is not required, but is appreciated (773-1989). This activity is sponsored by Reef Jam.

The National Safe Boating Council invite boating safety professionals, the boating community and the media to participate in “Ready, Set, Wear It!” on Saturday, May 19. Participants in cities around the globe will gather to set a world record for the most life jackets worn and inflatable life jackets inflated. The goal is not only to promote the comfortable and versatile options when it comes to life jackets, but also to educate the public about life jackets and safe boating in general.

"We want to show the world that our boater community takes boating safety seriously," said John Harrison, Flotilla Commander of the St. Croix Coast Guard Auxiliary. "When on the water, wearing a life jacket is part of your clothing. Our island has an exceptional record for safe boating and I relate that to our resident's awareness that life jackets saves life's."

Mr. Harrison is expecting more than 300 St. Croix boaters to arrive at the pier in downtown Frederiksted, with their life jackets, this Saturday May 19th at 10:00 am to set a world record of local boaters with life jackets.

“Ready, Set, Wear It!,” will usher in National Safe Boating Week, this
year May 19-25, 2012. Boating safety partners across the U.S. and the world are teaming up to promote safe and responsible boating, including voluntary wear of life jackets, for National Safe Boating Week and throughout the boating season.

“What better way to share the life-saving importance of life jacket wear,
while having some fun and helping set a world record,” said Virgil
Chambers, executive director of the National Safe Boating Council. “Each year, as many as 500 lives could have been saved if boaters had worn their life jackets. New life jackets on the market today make it easier than ever for a boater to have fun and stay safe on the water.”

Last year, 1,685 people gathered at more than 99 events held around the world to set a new record for the number of participants who inflated their inflatable life jacket or wore an inherently buoyant life jacket. This event is educational and fun for boating enthusiasts, families, and the general public to enjoy!

The Christiansted Coast Guard Auxiliary along with the US Coast Guard RIO St. Croix will be providing boating educational handouts and instructions on how to properly size your life jacket. For more information about the Coast Guard Auxiliary visit www.cgaux.org.

Drowning remains the primary cause of death in recreational boating accidents. Statistics released by the U.S. Coast Guard indicate that 84 percent of boaters who drowned in 2010 were NOT wearing their life jackets.
For more information, visit www.SafeBoatingCampaign.com or www.ReadySetWearIt.com.

Forms and info for homeschooling in the Virgin Islands

Borrowed from crewmartin.blogspot.com

Homeschooling in the Virgin Islands is fairly simple and easy. There isn't a lot of oversight from the VI Department of Education, after talking to multiple people in the VI, most agree that you file your paperwork and forget about it. Your child does not have to do standardized testing and you are not required to turn in a portfolio of your child's work.  That being said, you do need to file a 2 page document with the Department of Education at the start of your school year that states your name, your child's name, age, grade level, and what subjects they are learning. You also have to pick a date for a portfolio review(which again, most people say has never happened).  After you sign the paperwork and email to Ms. Sarah Mahurt for St. Croix her phone number is 340-773-1095 ext 7029,  email to it  Dianne George Rodgers her phone number is 340-772-775-2250 extension 8110 on St. Thomas/St. John or snail mail it back to the Department of Ed.  Make sure however that you remember to SIGN your forms before you send them in.  If by any chance, the Department of Ed sends you another form requesting you to fill out specs about your kitchen, facilities, etc, DO NOT fill that out. It is illegal - according to our local laws to fill out that form.  ALL you NEED to do is fill out the Letter of Intent Form and send it back.  That's it folks! If this process is any different from what I have been doing, please let me know as I would like to not only update this info but do it correctly myself!

Art Classes for Fall

Cindy Male has offered to teach our children art! For those of you who don't know Cindy, she has many, many, many years of experience teaching art here on St. Croix, she is an amazing artist who works with both fabric, paper, and other media.  Visit her site to learn more about her.  She is more than willing to work with our homeschoolers on a weekly basis. Her cost is $10 per child per class with a max of 6 children in a class. The classes will be broken up into upper and lower school.  This will only happen if we get a 6 children in each class.  Times and locations to be decided upon later.   In order to make this a more structured event, she is asking that you pay on a monthly basis so that she will know how many children to expect each week and so that all the participants are committed and it is fair to everyone who signs up for this great opportunity.    If you are interested in doing this, please email me and I will keep a running list of who wants this for the fall.

Upcoming Events

Kiki and the Flaming Gypsies will be giving our homeschoolers a Poi and Hooping demo at a future PE Day at the YWAM base behind the old Diamond Cinema.  Look for updates and get ready to mark your calendars!  Kiki has also offered to give classes and will get back to us on pricing.  This is a very cool sport and one that I know would be great fun to learn how to do.

Also on the calendar in the near future is a field trip to view the local Taino artifacts and reproduction pieces at the Taino Museum in Cane Bay. Date, details, and time TBA.

Need a music class? Ms. Elizabeth Robb gives Piano Classes. She gives classes to ALL ages and abilities.  Contact her directly at 340-773-7684 or via email at Earz.vi@gmail.com  Her fall semester begins September 1, 2012. If you are a returning student you MUST confirm your continuation by May 1, 2012.

How about a field trip to Whim Plantation, the Lawaetz Family Museum, and the VI Sustainable Farm Institute? - it can be arranged. Email me to tell me you are interested and I will set one up :)  The kids can learn a little about our local history, learn how to farm sustainably, and see the rainforest while we are at it.

Learn to make rugs at the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts in Frederiksted. The class is FREE. Call 340-772-2622, taught by Daphne McIntosh-Rodriguez.

Eco Fair at the St. George Botanical Gardens

If you have a 3 - 6th grader, please don't forget to sign up for the Eco Fair and Litter Stomp held at the St. George Village Botanical Gardens on April 17th and 18th.  This event is sponsored by the St. Croix Environmental Association, and VIWMA(Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority).  This year's theme is sustainability.  There will be many activities for all ages. Please email Lynnea at SEA to sign up.