MESSAGE FROM OUR MANAGER

Who Owns Your Children

Dear friends,

The question of who owns your child may seem to be a strange one to ask, but for a parent with an open mind, it is worth exploring.

The Bible states in Psalm 24:1

“The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.”

Thus, from God’s point of view, parents do not own their children, God does. Further, it follows that governments of any kind, democratic or tyrannical, do not own the children. Psalm 24:1 clearly states that God owns the children, their parents and indeed the whole earth!

This may seem to be a strange concept and it is a rarely discussed phenomenon. However, it also begs the question, why should we have children at all?

Why Have Children?

If God “owns” our children (just as he “owns” us, their parents), he must have a purpose for us giving birth to, living with and raising His children.

Whilst parents do not “own” their children, the Bible is very clear, that parents are responsible for the care, raising and nurturing of their children. Thus, we parents do this for God and on His behalf. Many Scriptures (Deut. 6:5-7, Ps. 78:4-7, Prov. 22:6, Eph. 6:4) indicate that parents are responsible to God, to raise, instruct and train children in the ways of God.

These Scriptures instruct us about what to do in the raising and educating of our children for God, however, the question still remains, why have children in the first place? Why does God want us to bring children into the world?

Giving birth to a child is a unique and blessed experience for every parent on earth. Bearing children, creates the next generation of human population. God is fully in favour of human reproduction. In fact, the first commandment in the Bible is that we should have babies.

“Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth” Gen. 1:28

Nonetheless, God wants more from us than to just bring a baby into the world. God wants us to raise our children in His ways. He wants us to make disciples of our children. Jesus said,

“Let the little children come to me.” Matt 19:14

If we look at episodes where God specifically addressed parents about the raising of their children, we find that God has specific purposes for these children, and he makes it clear to their parents. Below are a few well known examples:

• Noah: Children to repopulate the earth – Gen. 9:1
• Abraham & Sarah: To make a great nation through Isaac and then Jacob (Israel) – Gen 18:18
• Moses’ parents: To lead God’s people out of Egypt and give the 10 Commandments – Exodus 2
• Manoah and his wife: To raise Samson as a Nazarite. He would lead and judge Israel – Jud. 13:5
• Elkanah & Hannah: To prepare Samuel to be God’s prophet
• Zachariah & Elizabeth: To raise John the Baptist, who would turn many of the Children of Israel to God – Lk. 1:15-18
• Joseph & Mary: To raise Jesus, who would be the Saviour – Matt. 1:20-21

Thus, we see that God has expectations of parents, because He has intentions and purposes for children of the generation that follow/replace their parents.

Just like those parents mentioned above, in the Bible, God has a role in life for your child to fulfil. I wonder what that will be?

Parenting is a divine calling from God who deals in sequences of human generations over millennia, fulfilling his plans.

Any healthy post-pubescent person can bring a child into the world. God has equipped human beings to be able to do so, but not everybody can raise a follower of Jesus. The issue at stake is not just to have babies, but for the parents take on the responsibility to raise their children for God, in the ways of God.

Whilst it is important that we do not neglect the responsibility of providing the basic care and protection of our children, it is equally important that we do not neglect the nurturing of our children in learning to love and live for God.

As home educators, we are committed to CHRISTIAN education. We know that literacy, numeracy and science etc. are important. However, it is vital that we also train our children to:

• know God and His ways,
• realise their need of Jesus as their Saviour,
• learn the Bible,
• learn to pray and
• learn to trust God in their lives.

This is the greatest calling and responsibility of parents. It is a divinely-appointed stewardship. It is a task that does not last long. My wife and I found that we only had around 20 or so years to train and nurture our five children and then our calling changed. We now have the joy of seeing our grandchildren developing.

Ultimately, the measure of your parenting is not just how your children turn out, but how your children raise their children. It is about passing the things of God onto the generations that follow you. Consider this: what you are doing today, directly impacts your children, your grandchildren and the following generations of your family heritage.

We at ACHS encourage you to commit, to develop strategies and to pray for God’s empowering for your critical role as parents. You are the nurturers of God’s children. 

 Yours for Christ and Christian home education,

Terry Harding

Manager

Australian Christian Home Schooling

IMPORTANT NOTICES

Year 10/12 Graduation Certificates

If you are looking to receive your student’s Year 10 or 12 Graduation Certificates before the end of the year, please ensure that all the academic requirements have been completed and submit an application for certificate form by the 31st of October 2018. Having your student’s certificate applications to our office by 31st of October allows for sufficient time to check, process and prepare the certificate by the end of the year. If you have questions about what you still have to complete, be sure to give our office a call.

PACE Test Returns

At the end of Semester 1, ACHS staff still experienced a number of families who returned a whole semester of PACE tests.  This led to delays in printing and sending out report cards.  Please remember that you should send in completed PACE Tests at the end of each month, as per the agreement signed on the membership application forms.  If you are living overseas, please contact our office to check what arrangements are available to you.

The Importance of Mothers in Home Education

In home education, the main academic educator is usually the mother, as it is the mother who spends most time with the children. She has a role in the nurture of a child in a way that is unique and extensive. The mother’s role in both parenting and in home schooling is different from the role of the father, who often has to be away from the family during the working day.

The working day for the mother in home education requires her to be with the children on a day-to-day basis. The mother has the lion’s share of the time spent with the children. It is a full-time job!

This time spent with the children and their learning is strategic, so it must be handled and developed carefully.

This is why ACHS provides home educators with strong systems and clear guidance in the educational aspect of home education. The home educator does not have to develop these systems herself. The ACHS provision of curriculum and services enables the mother to:

• implement and supervise an excellent, prepared academic program
• not be required to develop her own academic programs
• be free to put most of her energies into nurturing the child in God’s ways, in academics and in creating a deepened relationship with the child. She spends timeinvesting in the relationship with her child, rather than developing curriculum, programs and other educational “things”.

We do not wish to downplay the role of the father. That role is different for fathers who are working outside the home. The father’s role requires Dads to encourage and reinforce the child’s learning, because it is important that the child sees that learning and Christian growth is for men as well as for women.

However, the role of the mother as the primary educator is to be recognised and developed in order to maximise the benefits to both the mother and the child who is home educated. 

ANZAC - Battle of Beersheba

Our History and the Christian Connection

Lieutenant General Sir Harry Chauvel

The horses were restless, pawing the ground in the relentless heat. A shimmering haze hung over the desert, taunting the waiting riders and their thirsty steeds with the promise of water. In the distance, a pall of dust obscured the fighting. But the dust cloud was crawling aimlessly, not flying forward. It was obvious that the attack had failed—just as two previous attempts on nearby Gaza had been repulsed.

Fights over this oasis on the edge of the desert had been ongoing for nearly 4000 years. Abraham’s argument with Abimelech over water rights had been settled with an oath and seven ewes at this spot: the wells of Beersheba.

Now, on 31 October 1917, another history-making moment had arrived. Men from the youngest nation on earth at the time had drawn their horses up outside the Turkish-held stronghold of Beersheba. Smarting from the defeat of Gallipoli, they were keen to engage the Turks on a new battleground.

In charge of the Australian troops was Harry Chauvel. Under his command were 34,000 horsemen and cameleers from various parts of the British Empire as well as France and Italy. This is considered by many to be the largest body of mounted troops since Alexander the Great over 2000 years before.

An early morning bombardment and an attack by the British forces on Tel Sheva, achieved their objectives. In the afternoon, the baton was handed over to the New Zealand troops who fought tenaciously to remove the Turks from their heavily fortified stronghold, thus neutralising the machine guns and snipers. These victories made the charge on Beersheba viable.

Chauvel, the first Australian to rise to Lieutenant-General within the British forces, thought there was still a chance to take Beersheba, this Turkish-held outpost. With only one hour of daylight left he ordered the Light Horse regiments to charge.

In they went. Just 800 of them. They tore across the dusty plains so swiftly that the town’s gunners kept overshooting the oncoming charge. The attacking force overwhelmed the surprised defenders.

Thirty one Australian horsemen were killed with 36 wounded in this remarkable victory. The Turkish army suffered heavy casualties with many hundreds dead and wounded as well as 700–1000 who surrendered and were taken as prisoners of war.

The biblical significance of this battle, in the place still called by the name Abraham gave it, was not lost on the troops. Shortly afterwards, the ANZACs were instrumental in re-taking the city of Jerusalem. In his scrapbook, Chauvel wrote the word ‘Prophetic’ under a photo of Jerusalem.

The city had been under Muslim rule since the seventh century.  The Emperor Hadrian, in the first century, ordered Jerusalem razed to the ground.  Christians and Jews were forbidden to enter on pain of death. Yet God had promised in the Bible to return his chosen people to their own land.

According to an article in the Jerusalem Post on 29 October 2007, ‘…the Australian victory in 1917 set in train some remarkable events—the liberation of Jerusalem, the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the British Mandate in Palestine and ultimately the establishment of the State of Israel.’ The same article highlights a little known fact: the timing of the Light Horse charge at 4:30 pm appears to have coincided with a historic decision made in London in support of the establishment of the State of Israel. Although not officially made public until 3 days later, nevertheless it seems that, allowing for the time zone difference, this decision was made at the same hour as the attack on Beersheba on October 31.

Harry Chauvel’s strong personal faith can be traced back to France in 1685. His Huguenot ancestors were forced to flee across the English Channel under threat of death because of their faith in Jesus Christ and their unwavering belief in the Bible.

His Christian faith was vibrant. On all his campaigns, he carried a copy of the Bible, which he read regularly. This wood-bound, engraved copy of the Scriptures which he sought inspiration in difficult times is kept and treasured by his family.

Written by: Graham McDonald

Remember These Procedures

In this section, we will be taking a look at a range of different procedures and processes that will help you as home educators to efficiently and effectively use our service, and the curriculum that we support.

Scoring a PACE Test

Recently, staff at ACHS have seen a number of PACE Tests that have been scored incorrectly.  In this newsletter, we are going to take a look at how to score a PACE Test.  The procedure for this can also be found on page 22 of the Home Schooling Manual that we sent to you at the time of enrolment.  See the excerpt below:

When you know the student is ready for the PACE Test, have the student take the test at the designated Testing area.  Make sure you can observe the student while testing.  When the student has finished the test, take the test and score it with the Test Key.  It is best to score the test when the student is on break or after academic activities.  This discourages arguments with the student and distractions when checking answers.  The test will state the point value for each question or answer.  If all the questions are correct, the student has scored 100% on the PACE Test.  Even though a few tests do not total 100% the tests are still worth 100 points each.  To find the test score, subtract theamountof points missed, from 100.  The student must score a minimum of 80% on the PACE Test.

I have below and example based on the Parent Training PACE Test.

1. You will notice that there is 21 questions with a score of 4.5, and 1 question (memory verse) with a score of 6.5.  This adds up to a total of 101 Points for this test.
2. In this test, there are 3 wrong answers, each with a score of 4.5 points.
3. The correct way to score this test, will be to add up 3 incorrect answers at 4.5 points each, for a total of 13.5 points, and take that away from 100, to give you the final test score of 86.5%.
4. The incorrect way to score this test would be to add up 18 correct answers at 4.5 points each, and 1 correct answer at 6.5 points for a total of 87.5%.  While the difference does not seem great in this example, in other tests, it could mean the difference between a pass and a failed test.
5. 100% Test Scores - Please note that it is difficult to get 100% in a PACE Test, especially in the older levels. Some tests arrive at our office marked 100% which have not been marked carefully and need to be rescored. Please make sure that all tests are carefully marked.

Scripture Memory

At the start of lessons every morning, have your children read aloud, with you, the Monthly Scripture Memory Passage.  Have them read either from their Bibles or from a printed sheet.  Adjust the size of the passage to fit your child’s age and skill level.  This exercise should only take a minute or so.

After a single, aloud reading every day for a month, you child may have memorised the passage.  If not, they may need some dedicated time to practice e.g. at night after dinner etc.

When your child can say the Scripture passage to you by heart, record this on your Supervisor’s progress card and the Monthly Attendance Sheet.  Put a Bible sticker on their Star Chart and don’t forget to give them a reward for this important achievement.

You are free to use any version of the Bible for this activity.  You may wish to download an electronic version of the Bible, for printing the Scripture passages for your child to learn, or you may click on the passages below for a printable version.

Trading Post

Trading post will continue to be a place where you can connect with other families, who might be looking for 2nd hand score keys or resource materials.  You may email us here at ACHS with your advertisements, and we will endeavour to list as many as we are able.  When sending us items to be listed for sale, please follow these important guides:

1. Used PACEs and PACE tests are NOT ALLOWED to be resold.  Only used score keys and resource materials such as literature books may be advertised through the trading post.
2. Ensure that you provide accurate contact details.  The ACHS office does not manage the transactions listed in the trading post.  If you would like people to buy your items, provide them with the best way to get in contact with you.
3. When listing your items, list them clearly and accurately.
   1. Maths SK 1037-39, 1040-42, and so on.
   2. English SK 1037-39, 1040-42, and so on.

4. It would also be advisable if you are able to identify if the Score Keys are edition 3 or 4.  As there may be differences in content between editions 3 and 4, it will assist you in finding a buyer.

Attendance Sheets

Keeping a record of your children’s attendance to their learning is an integral part of the procedure here at ACHS.  Not only does it form part of your record keeping requirements for your homeschool registration, but it helps us see an overall picture of how the students are working.  You may download the attendance sheets for March and April here:

October Attendance Sheet

November Attendance Sheet

December Attendance Sheet

Check for Understanding - CFU

Over the years, I have had the privilege of assisting teachers and students in schools with literacy and numeracy development. We have seen impressive improvements in the levels of literacy and numeracy in students, whose teachers have been trained in the methods of Explicit Direct Instruction.

One of the key elements of this successful teaching and learning method is the strategy of Checking for Understanding (CFU). Once a teacher consistently uses the CFU strategy over a term or two, students achieve significantly higher test scores in their basic academic skills and knowledge e.g. NAPLAN.

Home schooling parents are in a prime position to check their students for the UNDERSTANDING of a concept. Thus CFU can be a powerful strategy for you to use with your students.

CFU means that the parent/teacher checks the student to see if they understand what has been taught in the previous teaching session. The parent/teacher briefly questions the student about what the student has just been taught.

In your student’s PACEs, there are several ways to employ CFU.

1. Scoring: When your student comes to a scoring strip, which occurs every few pages, they must ask for your permission to go to the Score Keys at your scoring station, in order to score their answers. When they come to you for that permission, you can spend 30-60 seconds checking that they understand their work. Then give them permission to score their work.

2. Checkups: There are 3 Checkup tests in every PACE. Your student should ask for your permission to do the Checkup BEFORE they do the Checkup. At this point you can quiz them about the content in the preceding section. Ask about (i) the ideas in that section, (ii) the vocabulary, (iii) the pictures, (iv) graphs and (v) maps etc. If they show that they understand the concepts, INITIAL the top of the Checkup with GREEN BIRO and allow them to proceed with the Checkup. If not, have them go over key concepts. They may need you to assist with some concepts. DO NOT TAKE A LOT OF TIME TO QUIZ YOUR STUDENT as this may cause frustration. Always do this with grace and patience – remember they are not “junior Einsteins”, they are CHILDREN who are still learning. Also, don’t forget to check to see if they know the memory verse for that PACE.

3. Self Tests: These are at the end of each PACE. You can check for the student’s understanding of anything in the PACE. Use the same approach as you have done for the Checkups. Initial the top of the Self Test to show that you believe the student is ready to do the test.

So, you are in “the box seat” to assist and to significantly improve your child’s learning and their intellectual capacity. Some of the world’s leading educators (Hollingworth & Ybarra. 2009; Archer & Hughes, 2011) are advocating CFU and other powerful, but simple Explicit Direct Instruction strategies, to assist in the cognitive and academic development of students.

At ACHS we recommend that you use the CFU strategy in order to develop your student and to gain the best value from their PACEs. These PACEs are not just simplistic workbooks with content and exercises. They contain powerful tools such as (i) the new vocabulary pages, (ii) the scoring strips, (iii) the Checkups, (iv) Self Tests and (v) character development cartoons and stories, which are designed to help your child develop their intellect, their social habits, their character development and their spiritual growth.

Terry Harding

References

Archer, A. L., & Hughes, C. A. (2011). Explicit instruction. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

Hollingworth, J., & Ybarra, S. (2009). Explicit Direct instruction: The power of a well-crafted, well-taught lesson. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. 

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