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Kim-Still in VA

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  1. We are unexpectedly bringing our soon-to-be 10th grader home from public school and will be homeschooling. I can't afford the online/virtual programs that are "in the thousands", and she prefers something that is done via DVD/textbook/paper (rather than fully online). She doesn't do as well working on a computer all day. We need something that is a full package curriculum and that she can do independently. The only one I know of is A Beka, but are there others? It does not need to be Christian based per se. Thanks!
  2. We live a mile from JMU and our daughter got her undergrad there a year ago and is now in a Masters program there...I know nothing about the swimming there, but can address some basic "quality of life" issues. JMU & Harrisonburg have a love-hate relationship as many smaller college towns do. The locals feel JMU is overtaking the town, but yet JMU provides a strong and stable economic base for the town. JMU buys property and expands every chance they get. A large college population comes from the northeast (PA, MD, DE, NJ, NY) and culturally they bring a different flair that doesn't jive so well with some locals. I believe most kids have to life off-campus other than freshmen, due to limited dorm space. That has driven rental prices up and large mega-complexes are built to cater to the students. Many are 4-bedroom but it takes 4 students to afford the rent. JMU greatly subsidizes public transportation so there is an abundance of routes/buses available, but unfortunately many kids still want to drive. On and near-campus parking is limited and a campus parking pass is several hundred per year. But that does not assure you of a space, or one very close. My daughter used to circle for 30 minutes to wait for a space. JMU subsidizes our public bus system so the bus transportation is plentiful, but because so many kids drive it clogs up the roads, and even the buses have a hard time staying on schedule. There are a lot of good food choices on campus and my daughter goes there just to eat sometimes. There are many food options around the outer rim of the campus and also in the downtown area which is popular with students. Our main shopping area is a mile from campus and the buses shuttle the students there. Our son got his PhD from UVA and he didn't like the college overall (other than his Chemistry dept)., because it's a "stuffy and stuck-up" student body according to him. Good luck!
  3. When I try to access and download the PDF teacher key and workbook for Lively Art of Writing that was previously posted on this forum (formatted by Still Waters & MJbucks1), it says that too many people have viewed it and it won't give access. It said to wait 24hrs and try again, but still doesn't work. Does anyone know what this is about or how I can access the free PDF for teacher and student? Thanks!
  4. Wow! Thank you to those who responded and each response contains helpful information and encouragement. DH and I will look all of the resources over. Our daughter has told us that things are moving too quickly and she needs time to adjust to this change and decompress. As parents, we waffle between hearing that, and feeling the pressure of her having to take a year-end test to satisfy state requirements. We are concerned with how much work she has missed and what she really has retained through her emotional fog. I appreciate all of the information!
  5. My dh and I homeschooled our oldest two children, ending about ten years ago when they entered high school. We used The Well Trained Mind and related classical materials and it was a very successful and fulfilling journey....loved homeschooling and used these boards frequently. We now have a 13yod (7th grade) and her journey has been different. We enrolled her in public school in K-5 as dh entered seminary and I started working full-time. She is an Aspergers Syndrome child (high-functioning) with Sensory Disorder issues. She always had been able to manage those things at school and we just discussed with her teachers each year what minor accomodations might be necessary. Last Spring she experienced several traumas and losses on top of normal adolescent physical changes that sent her into a depressed spiral. This school year, she has only been able to attend school a third of the days and we finally had to withdraw her this week and gave our notice of intent to homeschool. Her sensory and Aspie issues are so elevated right now due to the other issues, that she cannot function in the chaos and pressure at school. Our immediate need is to just get through the rest of the 7th grade, while allowing her time to complete her emotional healing and continue working on mental health issues. We are not only out of touch with current homeschool resources, but do not have the financial resources to invest in a lot of purchases. Nor would we want to since we're only concerned about the last few months of this year. We don't have time to do a lengthy research on the options. Homeschooling is "foreign" to her and she is grieving the loss of her school (even though she is in agreement with this decision). We don't necessarily want to mimic the school structure she knows, but do want to provide enough structure and materials so that she knows what she is doing each day and doesn't feel like it's "piece meal" that we are making up as we go along. We are focusing on just the core subjects for now (English, History, Math & Science). Anything else will be as she is able and ready. Are there are any truly "free" online courses or schools? (we are in Virginia) Some say they are and then there is some caveat and they're not. She is a computer whiz and is very mature and independent. If she had stayed in public school, she said she could have done it if she could have sat in a quiet room alone and did her work. She certainly can do that at home! I know this is long and probably rambling, but would appreciate any info or tips for us at this time. Thank you!
  6. Hi Alicia, I asked about the location in Glen Allen because Glen Allen has a lot of different meanings depending on who you ask. It started out as an area few people lived in but has quickly grown to include more space in people's descriptions. It is really funny but I actually lived almost right across the street from your husband's work location! There is a neighborhood on the other side of Parham Rd. from him that is called Chamberlayne Farms, and that is the last location we lived in. Based on his exact work location, I definitely would not live in Midlothian or anywhere south of the James if I had a choice. I would more look in the Hanover County/Mechanicsville/northern Henrico area, or southern Hanover County/Atlee along the I-95/Rt. 1 corridor (even though traffic on 95 can be a pain). We loved our home and neighborhood in Chamberlayne Farms but only as homeschoolers. I would not have sent my kids to the public school in that district. Hanover County used to have lower taxes than Henrico County but not sure if that is still true. Let me know if you have any more questions and good luck!
  7. The others have given you great information on HS'ing in VA (which is a very friendly place to HS'ers). I will address one of your other questions, and that is I definitely would recondiser living in Midlothian and commuting to a job in Glen Allen. (I don't currently live in the Richmond area but did live in Glen Allen for 15 years). There is a new road that can be used to go from Midlothian to Glen Allen (Rt. 288 is now a western route around Richmond), but it is still a longer commute crossing the James River. You can live in any part of Richmond (the city itself, Henrico, Hanover or Chesterfield County) and find homeschoolers and active groups. Do you know what area of Glen Allen he will be working in?
  8. Do you mind sharing who the email is from that shows these dates and are you sure it's legit? Just wondering because the IRS website says the payments will start in early May, while this schedule shows a starting date of July 23. I can't find a schedule yet on their website showing specific weeks or what order they will use. This isn't the schedule they used a few years ago during the first rebate check payment is it?
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