Stillwater--a new effort

Helen Hegener of Home Education Magazine has started a new on-line effort for homeschoolers nationally---morethanfine...join in!

STILLWATER HOMESCHOOL ALLIANCE

~Building Understanding and Perspective~

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StillwaterHomeschoolAlliance

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Vol. 1, Issue 1, Weekly Edition
Monday, January 16, 2006

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Quaere verum - Seek the truth

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-SHA Goals

Working for a greater understanding of homeschooling issues and concerns, thereby promoting a more informed, cohesive and effective homeschooling community.

The long term goals of the Alliance shall include encouraging grassroots homeschooling efforts, providing homeschool-specific information to groups and individuals, and advancing the rights and responsibilities of parents who wish to educate their children at home.

As a first step in achieving these goals this Alliance will work toward developing a coalition of individuals, support groups, businesses, organizations and other entities which support the long term interests of the homeschool movement.

This Alliance will also work toward the development of The Stillwater Institute for Homeschooling Research and Studies, which will seek to inform legislators, educators, media reporters, legal professionals, researchers and others with a bona fide interest in homeschooling via position statements, news releases, white papers, opinion pieces and more.

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The Stillwater Homeschool Alliance Discussion List

Interactive communications for the week of January 9-15 at the group discussion list:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StillwaterHomeschoolAlliance

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-Current Projects for SHA

* Create a Handout for legislatures
A few examples that were shared :
http://atypicalhomeschool.net/articles/unschooling-and-the-need-to-
know/
http://cthomeschoolnetwork.org/CHNLegislativeGuide.pdf

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Website Progress Report

SHA has secured the following website URLs:
www.stillwaterhomeschoolalliance.org
www.stillwaterhomeschoolalliance.com
www.stillwaterhomeschoolalliance.net
www.stillwaterhomeschoolalliance.info

We are actively seeking people experienced in website management and anyone interested in learning more about designing, creating, and maintaining a community-oriented site to promote the work of the Alliance.

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Weekly Quotes from the Discussion List
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StillwaterHomeschoolAlliance

"SHA's goal is to provide reliable information, resources, tools,
support and whatever else is necessary to empower individuals and
groups of individuals to roll their sleeves up and do the work that
needs to be done." -Helen Hegener

"The only way that we can protect what we have is by grass roots
organizing. When accurate information is available to people --when
they know their rights, and, as we tell folks at our hs info
meetings, they let others know that they know their rights, people
have the ability to empower themselves." -Debra in Ohio

"Stillwater does not seek to be 'another voice representing all
homeschoolers'. That's wrong, we do not all belong to or support any
org. Stillwater seeks to empower and educate homeschoolers so they
can represent themselves as individuals, or assist them in forming
their own group to represent themselves." -Mary McCarthy

"If no other organization works toward providing an alternative
voice, then HSLDA is the de facto voice of homeschooling." -Valerie
Moon

"HSLDA stands for federalization of homeschooling - the proof of
that is the legislation that they have already had passed to put the word homeschooling in about 12 places in federal statute, as well as the pieces of legislation that they are currently pushing to have passed. http://nheld.com/fedleg.htm" -Judy Aron

"I can't imagine not educating myself on what is really happening
out in the world regarding my freedoms! I don't believe we can take
it for granted that homeschooling will always just 'be.'" -Laura in
California

"And along with the mindsets of the population in general, the other major task awaiting is that of changing the mindsets of the
legislators who think that they really own our children." -Mary Hud

"As I see it, the education of our families is a fundamental right,
no matter what the latest law states. If we understand that
fundamental right and build on it, we can and will know our rights,
stand our ground and let others know we are an informed citizenry."
-Mary Nix

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Thanks for reading, and a special thank you to our volunteers who
work to provide in-depth information and ideas that help to protect
and maintain homeschooling freedoms. Join us on the Stillwater
Homeschool Alliance discussion list:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StillwaterHomeschoolAlliance

~Tracy Merritt, editor

Readers are encouraged to forward this newsletter in its entirety,
including headers and footers, to others who might also find its
contents helpful. © 2006 STILLWATER HOMESCHOOL ALLIANCE (All rights
reserved).