http://www.stepupforstudents.org/special-needs-scholarship/plsa Step Up For Students says on their Facebook page: That means there are still scholarships available since the PLSA is funded for approximately 1800 students. We know NOTHING really yet about funding and how it will be handled - they are writing the handbook now. We do know that private tutoring outside of the scope of using it for homeschooling will be excluded at the moment. The curriculum section was sitting at 7 pages for someone that got an answer on that end. If you have been awarded and are interested in a FB group to talk about the good AND bad, send me a PM and I can point you in the right direction. Scholarships are limited to very specific kids at the moment, and I would suggest applying with a diagnosis over and IEP at the moment.

Thank you for the extra feedback, I was able to talk to Martha today and she is sending me extra samples at some point, and concurred that she was probably good to go with yellow. I guess I can do the opposite - if Yellow ends up being too much, order Orange. I wish I had watched her write it - she does better when left alone at this current time, I can tell she changed stuff - but don't know if she did it as a revision, or during writing. They did feel that MiF for 2nd was her best placement there, and Calvert 3rd. I'll finalize my thoughts after I get the samples and then await being able to order!!! :D

I can totally go with the Mommy-gut! Yes, Math in Focus - i'm not sure what you get, I think it is a Calvert written teachers manual? Plus the rest. I do most of the teaching I believe, and there are online stuff to add. I think.... it is somewhat the most confusing thing I have tried to sort out in all my 10 years homeschooling! :p You don't have to send anything unless you opt for the extra ATS service. I'm not sure if I do it all, if I can only do ATS for parts (like writing), or if it has to be for everything. I think i'd like to do it for writing.... maybe. Mainly, it is daily OG based phonics/spelling and then the writing. Those are the two main things we need to kick things up a notch. The open and go aspect is just appealing right now for a variety of reasons. I'm just totally torn.

ACK. I cannot figure this out - the samples stink. They emailed me her placement test results and she agreed with the SLP that Yellow phonics was where she needed to be, she disagreed with my assessment of writing (after reading all I could here) that she needed to start in Orange. Here is what she said - note I had DD do the 3-4th test based on math, and then do the 6th grade reading comp. She has been given a "Cognitive Disorder"/Intelectual Disability. She has CAPD, huge EF issues, mega slow processing and more stuff than I can recall at the moment. I haven't needed labels the last year - we have been plugging away at home. She receives 1 hour a week right now of private language therapy for her language processing issues. DOn't make me find her last test results... they are buried. She has tracking issues that have gotten better with age/glasses (no VT due to $$ issues), we've done OT for her SPD and overall in a lot of ways, she is in a great spot. Just not in the academic/cognitive area. She is 15, classified as 8th grade and working at a 3rd-ish grade level in math (massive issues, some stemming from her genetic syndrome), can read and seem to understand 5-7th grade - but inferencing and nuances go over her head totally. If I did the whole package I would put her in 2nd MIF and probably 5th for core. She is very much like my 4th grade 10yo, and a sensitive child. We have time - she won't graduate in 5 years. Note she emailed me the results because she called as I was walking into the dev optometrist with child 3, who I think is a stealth dyslexic kid. Here is what she wrote: She left the period off the end, self corrected her L in love to l. It looks like she fixed outside and a few other things. This is sorta how she writes... she was taking extra time and has gotten good at catching things on proofreading her stuff. We have worked heavy with that in therapy. Money should not be a huge concern for a change, she has a scholarship - so my plan was to start at Orange and speed thru it if we needed too. Is that doable? I recall a post by Fairprospects that said Orange is easier to beef up, but yellow is hard to make easier. And that yellow got real hard quick. She is a reluctant writer most of the time - I do think she is coming into it, she typed a story the other day with her younger sister. I wish I could get a better grasp on what they do in yellow.... SOOO, does anyone have any input?

Totally unrelated, but Beacon is here in my area! I've always liked the fact that there was something for my DD close to home that might work (although, it isn't looking like she will be at college level... ever?). I know nothing about the school, other than they have a good chunk of the buildings downtown on the end by where we do gymnastics. We definitely are not your typical college town! :p

Help! I bought it, and the workbooks for level 2 and 3. I get the lessons, I do not get the first pages with the sound sheets. Do I just start with those, and wait until she has them memorized, then do the pages?? Or start the sound pages, and dive into lessons?? I've been reading it for a few weeks, and it hasn't become clear to me yet.... My worry is also she won't be able to memorize them fast (working memory/processing issues, but she has had OG in language therapy so maybe it will click....), which men's I might spend a year on sound sheet one. Thanks bunches!!

That was fast!!! I haven't been able to try it - my Mavericks upgrade is slated for next week..... ACK! But at least now I'm beyond determined to get the update done :D So someone try it and let me know how it is!! http://www.macrumors.com/2014/03/17/microsoft-onenote-mac/

My oldest just asked me if we had any biographies on "biology" scientists. Um, no, that would apparently be a lacking area in the ole home library! She has to read and then write a couple of essays on 1-2 of them (i gather - it is like pulling teeth to get the assignment out of her, it is her FLVS Biology class). I tried doing a search on "science biographies" and struck out overall. This is the list she sent me of her choices: Carolus Linnaeus Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon Georges Cuvier James Hutton Erasmus Darwin Charles Lyell Jean Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, Chevalier de Lamarck Charles Darwin Alfred Russel Wallace Gregor Mendel Alfred Wegener Watson and Crick Stephen Jay Gould She said she found a big list on Amazon, and then our library has some... she just doesn't know if they are credible ones to use to cite. Can anyone give me a direction to point her? I'm trying to look at my 1st Edition WTM, and just gave her our DK Great Scientists book to peruse.... but biology isn't my thing. Thanks!!

http://www.macrumors.com/2014/03/12/one-note-mac-os-x-free/ After the way the day went, this is the high point of it!!!!!!! Yahoooo!!!!!! Now I don't have to buy me a Windows Tablet!!! (now, here is hoping it is on par with the desktop version and not the Metro UI version - although I'm getting the hang of that for my daughter on her tablet)

ok, I own SWI-B and TWSS, Myths... , US History Theme. My oldest child never made it past lesson 2 in SWI-B - I now know why, but hey, that was then, this is now! LOL!!! My middle child has language therapy once a week for various issues, and her therapist is going on maternity leave in a couple of weeks. I think I'd like to try her on IEW (she needs A LOT of hand holding and it still might not go over well - we might spend eons just practicing KWOs), but I can't decide what to do. Ideally i'd put her in SWI-A, because I also need something she can do while I work - or at least be able to watch the lesson again and again... and my youngest is struggling with writing and so I'd also like to try to ease her into it because she is technically headed back to B&M next year (writing with Connections Academy has been a struggle for 3rd grade this year - but that isn't a surprise either). Can I use the videos I have with a theme book to help them visualize the lesson? Or should I buy SWI-A? I hate to take advantage of the lifetime return, but I was wondering if they would simply exchange the level for me. I think I have the student binder all intact.... i'm not sure. I'll hunt around later. Or, can I have them watch B but just expect less? (My middle might be able to rise to the expectations in B, but probably not). FYI, my middle child will probably not ever reach the C level, so for her I look at 6-8 materials as her high school in a couple of years. Thanks for any input/advice!

Having done the school thing myself, if you don't mind the CHristian aspects then I'd strongly consider using some BJU Online/DVD courses. That way the teaching is consistent and they can do theirs online while you do yours. I haven't used the newer versions of the courses so I can't comment on them, but it is something to look at. Good luck!!! It will be crazy, but you can do it!!!

I'm using Win 8.1 on a tablet (Dell Venue 8 Pro - 7" full windows machine). It has its issues, but overall - it isn't bad. WHich is saying a lot - i'm a Mac and this is the first windows machine i've bought in 13 years! I have the SnapScan 1300 (the smaller one), and love it... it isn't fast enough to scan books though. It took me all day to do two workbooks. But I love it and would buy it again. I'd buy the bigger one too - but then I'd have to clean my desk off :p Good luck Hunter! ::hugs::

I've had one of the low cost per page HP printers. Mine is an Office Jet 7500 series. I have a duplexer on it now - my mom had one on hers and gave it to me. I was exceeding the HP page rating for the XL cartridges by at least double (i find draft on my Mac more than enough for 99% of things I print!), the ink finally took a jump in price last fall (I guess it was finally EOL'd by HP) and so I bought some 3rd party ink from Amazon. Now the cost is wayyyy cheap. I no longer require my kids to ask me before they print anything!! :D But, the investment of the printer over 5 years ago has been worth it! I normally print at least a ream a month, and was going almost a year on my cartridges. Basically - be sure to check the price per page, AND any maintenance that needs to be done every so many copies. That can be a surprise to the budget when it hits. Consumer Reports was pretty fair in their testing on the page costs - it would be worth it to buy a months access to read their roundup.

The State of Florida, and then each county provides other virtual options. They are not charters, they are state schools. Our requirements come from FLVS (in our case), the course work and structure is provided by Connections Academy, but our teachers work for FLVS, which is a FL public school that isn't a charter. Our county discontinued use of K12 last July. I was bummed. Connections hasn't been as bad as I expected - in some ways better for us than K12 might have ended up. I'd much rather be HSing her traditionally.... but this is what I can do, so we do it.

For any newbies, here is a getting started thread from the summer. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/475290-how-did-i-just-find-out-about-this-great-planning-software-one-note/?hl=%20onenote My finances were in the dumps until recently, and I just now TODAY ordered DDs portable solution for school. Things have been barely working... but I'm going to try a Dell Venue 8 Pro tablet for her, probably with a docking station to use at her desk. At some point the pen will be available again and that will help in my plans. If this doesn't work for her - then I will just use it for my planning. At $249 (it is $229 at the Microsoft Store - but there is tax) on Amazon, it is cheaper than buying Office 2013 (Home & Student) and upgrading my XP on my virtual machine! Meanwhile, I never got anything sorted out electronically for DD. Nothing. Everything is a mish-mash of hardware versions here and it hasn't worked. UGH. I was right in we really needed something, and for it to be portable... So, now I start sorting it out. BUT, I thought i'd ask how anyone is doing with what they planned over the summer? How is it working for your student if they have a copy and use it on their own machine? Anything you would do different? Anything you tossed? Wish me luck as I dive in. I just now tried starting it on my virtual Machine in Office 2010 - but I can't get PDFs to insert and at this point... I'll just wait. Hmmm, I should find my SD card and copy files onto to it to play with at gymnastics tomorrow night. Oh, and if anyone ended up with AMAZING notebooks - please feel free to share screen shots of them!!! And, this type of work is what I'm hoping we end up with: http://desertramblings.wordpress.com/2010/09/21/how-technology-helps-me-homeschool-while-working-full-time/ I think the options for output in one spot will work awesome for this child!

You will quickly learn that you are doing just fine teaching writing.... and wonder what is going on in "schools" today regarding writing. Doing Peer Reviews of papers might be the hardest thing you do..... you might even read 10 to find one that you can, um, write feedback on in a nice way. Your mileage might vary in this regard.... but it was the worst part! :p

Yikes. That is twice what I expected it to be.... When I was doing the beta testing it was not something I personally could use stand alone, too much in too small of a space. I'm actually not using OLLY on my Mac right now either - so I guess I can skip it for now. But, I will be curious to see how it works. I will/would reconsider if the iPhone/Touch app for the kids was out. That would be easier for me to have them use as their checklists.

I just signed up again as a homeschooler. The other thing, if you order online you can choose from other flyers - so that might help. The teacher would have to give you the code though.

I don't know, but gee, that is a pretty gravy deal for the teacher! Scholastic used to make it very easy to set yourself up as a teacher and get the flyers. Then your group would benefit by the "free"perks she is getting rather than her classroom.... Did you check online to see if there is another flyer that might be better suited for you? I haven't looked at them in awhile, but there was always overlaps on some of them. Otherwise, i'd love to hear if there is something else too!

Overall my workload wasn't that heavy (AS Pharmacy TEch), BUT, it was totally mentally draining. i was in the program for 18 months, and this summer was about recovery. I'm not an overly organized person, and decided to do the back to school thing like a week before classes started. I also just had my oldest at the start, and my middle came home in the middle. It was the being pulled in all directions part that did me in. And, I probably should have worked more at some of my classes, but I caved to the "good enough" for the grade and was done thing. Oh, and I'm a single mom with a mostly absent co-parent. I can write more later - eye doctor here we come!

The Cat Warrior series really got my middle, special needs DD reading. She even transitioned from her kindle with large print, to the regular books because she was tired of waiting for me to be able to buy them!! Then, she even compared Native American life to the Cats. OK, it is a connection - i'll take it!! :p I'll have to check out the rest of these, thanks!

WE love ours!! Looking forward to it getting more use in this year. It was a big splurge a number of years ago at FPEA, but i'm happy to have done it!

I haven't read the article... But feel like typing at 7:30am on a Saturday. I'd rather be sleeping. Humph. I was on the job trained in IT, mainly in system and network management. I was decently well rounded, we ran minicomputer clusters on a decent budget with 2 of us to do everything. Well rounded was the key.... I could crawl around on the raised floor and rewire, I could make my daily call to "my" Senior engineer on the Exchange team (because apparently we were the only ones in the country running the hardware mix we were and it had a software issue....), I could be help decking the next hour and replacing parts in printers the one after that. Then I'd have to work on my zak script. After that I would be left to draw maps in Illustrator and prep publications for printing. I recently went back to school for Pharmacy Tech, and had to do a "mock interview" for a career class. They set me up with the guy from a town north of me, who was an IT guy doing HR. He picked an "IT help desk" job to interview me for, and had no clue I had experience. It went well.... He hired me for the fake job - and seriously told me to call him back if I wanted to go back into IT (I don't, I hated it!). My point is.... I haven't worked in the field in 10+ years. Yet, I have the "well-rounded" skills that I could probably jump into any area and figure it out. I'm concerned with the specialized focus I run into today. "I'm looking for a widget job. I studied 5 years to program widgets.†Some don't seem willing to "let go" of that dream (I guess that is what it is?) of working at XYZ doing widgets, when there is a multitude of places that need help and are willing to hire you... If you present yourself with the correct skill set. So as we encourage our kids towards STEM, we cannot forget to encourage stuff outside of that....I still swear the job I learned the most at, and still use daily was my stint at Kinkos. I even learned copyright there because we did "professor publishing". Take a design class, or photography... Or something. Be willinging to dig into the trenches, the experience might be more rewarding (i'da gone insane doing network admin all day....being able to mix it up made it so I old get up each morning). Not everyone can work for a fortune 500 company...but the skills are still needed in "middle America". Now, that might not make any sense... Because, you know, I should be sleeping. Now I shall dream of a Micro-Vax Cluster running on Alpha Servers.... Digital... another company HP killed when they bought it....

:grouphug: My paperwork with K12 seemed to appear and disappear depending on where it was i the system.... do try to call and get someone else.

UGH. I bought this last week... and really couldn't afford to do so! But, my 9yo DD with some fine motor issues seems to like it! I put her spelling words in there :D