Village of Stone Mountain

I thought I'd share some of my history. I wasn't born in Stone Mountain, though I did grow up there. I went to Stone Mountain Elementary and Stone Mountain High. There was no middle school until around my junior year of high school. Elementary ran K-7, High was 8-12. These days it seems such an oddity to NOT have had middle school, there are just so many kids that the two can't handle it all by themselves. High School itself is huge now too. At any rate, the Train Depot down town is now City Hall and the Police Department. It has a history all of it's own.

The village has changed quite a bit over the years. I remember going "downtown" to the local pharmacy to get a milkshake or an "original" cherry coke. (Back in the days where they added cherry syrup to regular coke to get cherry coke.) I remember the old hardware store (Haney's). It's a ninjitsu studio now, but back when I was growing up, that's where you went to get your "uniform" for PE. It's also where you would get your "official" Stone Mountain High jacket.

Mama Mia's (an Italian Restaurant run by Larry) is now the "Crab Pot". The Stone Mountain Handbag store (where my mom worked once) is empty. So many of the store fronts are empty now. The town is working on revitalizing itself. There is a bike repair shop now, which is great for the bikers headed out to the park. The gas station is still there, though it's not Payne's Texaco any longer. It's also not open as often as it used to be.

I can only hope that the revitalization that the City Council has planned works out. It was a shame watching the town empty and change.

Happy Memorial Day!

Please take a moment to remember those soldiers who have served and are serving our country.

School's Out!

Technically, my kids finished all their school work last week. This week has been a "coast" week and catch anything we missed by accident (not much). But, officially school is out for the summer.. Yipee!

Lilburn's Greenway

After my kids and I weren't able to go to the CDC museum yesterday, we headed out to a local park instead. We went to the Greenway trail in Lilburn. They were on their scooters and I followed along at my own pace. It was a gorgeous (if warm) day and made for a great way to build up an apetite for lunch. I stopped along the way and snapped these pictures.

Village of Stone Mountain

Because this is my home town, I thought I'd mention that they have events going on this weekend as well. There's a city wide yard sale on Saturday, as well as a "Movie on Main" Saturday evening at sundown. I believe they are showing "Shrek Forever After". You can get more information on their facebook page.

Memorial Day Weekend events

I had planned on sharing pictures from our trip to the CDC Odyssey Museum today. Unfortunately, the guard at the gate informed us that it's closed for the next 2-3 weeks. Instead, I'll provide something useful. This information provided by the Atlantamoms.com/blog.

What is Memorial Day? – An explanation for kids

The holiday got started on May 30, 1868, when Union General John A. Logan declared the day an occasion to decorate the graves of Civil War soldiers. Twenty years later, the name was changed to Memorial Day. On May 11, 1950, Congress passed a resolution requesting that the President issue a proclamation calling on Americans to observe each Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace and designating a period on that day when the people of the United States might unite in prayer. President Richard M. Nixon declared Memorial Day a federal holiday in 1971. Memorial Day is now observed on the last Monday of May. It is an occasion to honor the men and women who died in all wars. [Source: Time for Kids]

Atlanta Memorial Weekend Events

Memorial Day Weekend Festival at Callaway Gardens Summer is just around the corner and Callaway Gardens will be heating up with a fun-filled Memorial Day Weekend Festival to get you into that warm-weather state of mind. We have an array of beach activities and events planned, so join us for some fun in the sun on this All-American holiday weekend!
WHEN: May 27th – 29th
WHERE: Callaway Gardens
Twitter: @callawaygardens
Facebook: Callaway Gardens

End of School Play Day
Summer is finally here and it is time to play. Celebrate the end of the school year with our play day celebration. We will be rolling out the hula hoops, throwing out the Frisbees, parading our parachutes and dusting off our art chalk. We will supply the toys and invite you to play some of your favorite outdoor games or invent a new one. Bo’s Bubbles will happen from 2:00 -3:30 during play day! Explore the magical world of bubbles using all kinds of wands, recycled household items & the best bubble makers ever – your hands! Learn how to let the wind carry your bubbles away & enjoy catching the bubbles as fast as you make them! Science in action, & good clean fun for all ages! All Ages
WHEN: 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
WHERE: Chattahoochee Nature Center
Twitter: @ChattNature
Facebook: Chattahoochee Nature Center

The 2011 Atlanta Jazz Festival
WHEN: Saturday, May 28 – Monday May 30th
WHERE: Piedmont Park
Twitter: @AtlantaJazzFest

Memorial Day Weekend Salute to the Troops
Stone Mountain park honors our troops and their families, in a three-day celebration of American spirit at Atlanta’s largest Memorial Day Weekend celebration. WHEN: May 28th -30th WHERE: Stone Mountain Park
Facebook: Stone Mountain Park

Veterans Remembrance Day
Throughout the day, visitors interact with both veterans and living history interpreters who represent the various branches of the United States Armed Forces. Both share stories about battles and military strategies of the various wars through displays of authentic dress, equipment, and vehicles.
WHEN: Sunday, May 29, 2011 Noon – 5:00 PM
WHERE: Atlanta History Center

Brew at the Zoo (21 & older only!)
If you like sampling beer and wine at one of Atlanta’s wildest (literally) outdoor destinations, then Brew at the Zoo is the event for you!
WHEN: May 28th 5:30-8:30pm
WHERE: Zoo Atlanta
Twitter: @ZooATL
Facebook: Zoo Atlanta

Memorial Weekend at Chateau Elan
A Memorial Day weekend getaway is a great way to welcome summer and enjoy some quality time with the ones you love. Start your summer surrounded by rolling vineyards and warm Southern hospitality at Château Élan.
WHEN: Friday May 27th – Monday May 30th
WHERE: Chateau Elan
Twitter: @ChateauElan
Facebook: Chateau Elan

Decatur Arts Festival
Join us for the largest art event in Decatur, Georgia! The Artists Market is Memorial Day weekend, May 28-29, and other events run throughout the month of May. This month-long celebration of the arts kicks off with the Poster Unveiling on Thursday, May 5, and culminates with the closing of the Fine Arts Exhibition Sunday, June 5. Every event is free and open to the public!
WHEN: May 28 : 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and May 29 : 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
WHERE: Downtown Decatur Square
Twitter: @DecArtsFest

Holly Springs 5K & Fun Run
WHEN: May 28, 2011 – 8:00 am
WHERE: Holly Springs Elementary

Flag Retirement Ceremony

Once a year, generally at the end of the Cub Scout year so that the Cubs can participate, my son's troop holds a flag retirement ceremony. These are pictures from last night's ceremony. There are around 80 boys in the troop, I don't know how many Cubs.

Wrapping it all up

Technically my kids are done with school. They've attended the required 180 days and put in the required base hours. We are, however, missing health hours. I'll fix that Wednesday when we go to the CDC museum. In the meantime, it's end of year parties and a chance to socialize with other students. Not a bad way to finish up the school year.

ALIVE! Expo

Since I don't normally post on the weekends, I thought I'd mention this today. I'll be out at the World Congress Center Sunday afternoon for the Aquarium at the Alive! Expo. The Expo itself runs Saturday and Sunday. You can get more information about it here: http://www.aliveexpo.com

My first lilies

The first bloom of the year.

Several are not far behind.

GCA Discovery Days

Despite the number of tests my son has to take this week (or maybe because of it), we took Monday morning and went out to Piedmont Park to participate in GCA's Discovery Days event. Crafts, speakers, etc. and a chance for the kids to socialize. We didn't stay long (the weather was a bit too chilly with the rain), but I was impressed with how many people actually did make it out. There are more days coming up for those that are interested in GCA and finding out more. You just have to check the GCA web site and look under the events calendar. They're free, you just have to register to go.

Public Service Announcement

Urgent: Rally This Tuesday at 10:30 am – State Capitol Steps
May 16, 2011
Fellow parents, teachers and charter and online charter school supporters,

Early this morning in a 4-3 vote, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that state authorized charter schools are not special schools and the legislature did not have the authority to create them in the first place. This is a devastating blow to choice in education. It likely means that state authorized brick and mortar charter schools will be forced to close.

Georgia's state authorized online public schools, like Georgia Cyber Academy and Georgia Connections Academy were not a part of this case and our team is reading and analyzing the decision to understand if this judgment applies to our online public charter schools. Our attorneys will be working closely with the Attorney General and his staff and other interested parties to ensure that our children's high quality, online public school education is uninterrupted.

But, much is still uncertain and this ruling may very well affect your child's virtual school.

We need YOU to join others in support of all the state authorized charter schools.

Please join us tomorrow, on Tuesday May 17th at 10:30 am on the steps of the Georgia State Capitol for the Georgia Charter Schools Association's rally. We need you there - your attendance is vital to showing policymakers, legislators, the courts, and the media the faces of those students and families who are or could be affected by this decision.

We believe all children in every corner of this state deserve the right to attend the school that best suits their needs. As this process continues to move forward, everyone must keep in mind that these are our children's futures at stake.

When school districts say it is about the kids, they really mean it is about money and control. These school districts spent hundreds of thousands of tax dollars suing charter schools only after the state insisted that school funds follow the student from the public school they used to attend to the public school they are attending now. The districts were very happy to collect funds for students who never stepped foot inside their school.

The school districts would have been better off using that money trying to understand why students chose other public schools, and offering competitive programs and services that students and parents want and need.

The result is a loss for parent choice and innovation, and a win for education bureaucrats. Tens of thousands of charter school children may lose their schools-schools that help them succeed- because Georgia's school districts care more about money than they do about boys and girls.

We cannot and will not allow parent choice to be taken away from Georgia families.

Again, please attend the rally Tuesday at 10:30 am on the steps of the Georgia Capitol.

Stay strong, Renee Lord President, Georgia Families for Public Virtual Education

Choi Kwang Do Demonstration

My kids participated in a demo team demonstration with one of their instructors. Discovery Point day care was having a yard sale/fund raiser and the kids did the demonstration there. These are a few of the photos I took.

This is the group of kids.. My son breaking a board with one of his downward kicks.. The girls doing their portion.. My son and his friend doing another portion..

They did a very nice job considering they only took 3 weeks to prepare.

Happy Anniversary to me!

Hard to believe it's been 18 years.

Tea Rose

The small tea rose that I planted by my driveway years ago rarely blooms. This year is luckily one of those times it decides to put on a show. I *love* this flower.

Seen on the road

If you can focus, the boat reads "My Valium" on the rear. I found that very amusing.

Art and the daughter

My daughter loves to draw. This past year we've been taking classes on Wednesday from Summit Academy. My daughter took both art and drama. At the end of each quarter, they did a family night to show off their work. This was mine and my husband's favorite piece that my daughter had on display. It's chalk on black paper. Being as unbiased (ha!) as I am, I wanted to share.

Southeastern Railroad Museum

My son went out here with a friend from scouts and participated in their Railroading Merit Badge program. While they were doing that, I took the time and toured the facility. The museum is located in Duluth on Buford Hwy just north of Pleasant Hill Rd. It's a great place to spend an afternoon (though there are is no food, so bring a lunch). You can even ride one of the smaller trains as well as see freight trains go by up close. They're working on installing a miniature train that was donated from the Birmingham Zoo. You can see it on display in the main building and you can see where they're laying tracks outside as well. We were told that they can ALWAYS use help by scouts looking for service projects (or other groups). My son has taken this information and filed it to be mentioned to his patrol later.

Never too old..

I had some funny looks from folks when I told them that my kids and one of their cousins was going to do an Easter Egg hunt. I know Easter is long past, but I wanted to (re)visit this. It's interesting to hear opinions on some stuff both from kids and from adults. Just for fun, here are some of the things my family believes you're never too old for..

Teddy Bears (my daughter's opinion, she sent some to soldiers overseas)
Santa Claus (the spirit of Christmas lives on)
Shave ice
Mickey Mouse & Friends (I'll never outgrow Disney)
Video games (my son's opinion, he's an addict)

Easter Egg Hunts

To all the other moms out there..

Mothers Day Clipart by Mothers Day Central

Snellville Days

I'm stepping away from Charter Schools week and letting you know that I'll be working at Snellville Days this weekend for the Georgia Aquarium. The festival itself is a lot of fun, so stop by and meet me and say "hi".

More differences (rules/regulations/references) GCA vs. home school

I thought I'd point out couple of the other differences between home schooling and virtual schooling. The first is "enrolling". With home schooling, you file a "letter of intent" with your district for the school year for each child you plan to home school. For Georgia Cyber Academy, you simply enroll your student in the school, they handle the legal side.

Next is hours and attendance. With home schooling, you file an attendance report each month with your district. My understanding (and this may have changed) is that with home schooling, you're required to school 4 hours a day. With the virtual schools, it depends on the grade level. For my daughter (4th grade), the requirement is 5 hours per day. My son, on the other hand, as a 6th grader is required to put in 5.5 hours per day. This is generally very doable and still reasonably flexible. To let the school know they were there, our online learning system (ols) has a slot for attendance. You enter what they did each day before the end of day.

I mentioned this briefly in another post, but curriculum should be mentioned again. Curriculum is determined by YOU (if you're home schooling) or by the SCHOOL (if you're charter schooling). GCA uses K12 for it's curriculum. As a home school parent, you have this as an option as well, though you pay for the materials and access. With our charter school, it's considered a public school and the materials are provided for you. As a home school parent, you have a multitude of options available for your choice to use. Almost too broad of a choice in my opinion, but it's not a bad thing.

The choice on how to school your child is yours, make sure you look at all options before making your decision. To help you out, here are a couple of sites for your reference:
Georgia Home Education Association - http://www.ghea.org (You'll find a lot of the requirements for home schooling in GA here, as well as some of the legal documents.)
K12.com - http://www.k12.com (Curriculum used by the Georgia Cyber Academy)
GCA - http://www.k12.com/gca (Link on the K12 site to GCA)

Definitions

I tend to have to explain my kids' education to many people. They understand a charter school. They may have heard of home schooling. So, when people ask me if I home school my kids, I have to respond "no, my kids go to school at home". Sounds like mincing words, I know, but it makes a difference depending on who you talk to.

I don't know any of them personally, though I have encountered a few, home school parents that don't appreciate those of us who attend a virtual school calling it "home schooling". In fact, "home school" to them means you create or purchase your curriculum through a vendor, tailoring it to what you feel appropriate to your family. They feel insulted if we compare ourselves to them, even if it's inadvertent.

So, as a virtual charter school, we have a homeroom teacher for each child. These teachers generally have kids from a couple of grades that they're watching over. We have subject teachers that are geared to the appropriate grade (not necessarily their homeroom teacher). The kids get their curriculum through the school itself, which is actually adapted from k12. The kids use elluminate for "in-person" classes, a virtual teleconference (skype-type).

Also, unlike "regular" home school students, our kids take the CRCT (see my post from last week). This means they have to perform to state standards. Teachers AND parents are held responsible and accountable to make sure that the kids learn what they need to do. With teachers supporting the parents (called Learning Coaches) and vice versa, the system has a great support system built in.

Speaking of support systems, just like those home school parents create their own groups, parents at GCA have started their own. Many times we're able to utilize what the home school parents have already put in place, which is a GREAT thing and we appreciate those that have put in the effort to get it done.

So, depending on your point of view are we "home school" or are we "school at home". I guess it will eventually end up being decided by Webster. In the mean time, I will content myself with the fact that my kids are in a great school and getting to spend a lot of time at home too.

Our first year at GCA

As our first year at the Georgia Cyber Academy winds down, I thought I'd summarize some of the things I/we have learned.

The Good

Mostly self-pacing - My kids work at different speeds on different subjects. It was very easy for them to work at their own pace, getting help when they needed or wanted it. We had to make sure we didn't take TOO much extra time to get things done or we'd be behind the school progress goals, but it was more than adequate for what they needed.

More field trips - My kids (and I'm sure many others) learn a lot more if they can do hands on or experience it up close field trips. We were able to take a day (or a part of a day) and get out and do things. We took advantage of the Atlanta History Museum's homeschool days, went out to various events with teachers, as well as made up our own field trips (such as Fernbank).

Great teachers - Our teachers were both new to the school as well, so there was an adjustment period for all of us. They were, though, very helpful when we got side tracked or had issues.

Great parent network - I myself found the parent networks that are out there very helpful. I got involved in two different email lists of parents as well as an online group on facebook. Through those I was kept up to date on events and found the support from families like mine. It was very reassuring to know that I wasn't alone nor that my problems were necessarily 'new'.

Lots of classes - This one gets split two ways. There are plenty of chances for the kids to log in and have classes directly with their teachers to work on their subjects. My son spent all morning on Tuesdays in classes, my daughter only had a couple that we had to get to. If you miss the class, recordings are available for the kids to listen to later.

The Bad

More monitoring - My kids needed more monitoring than I'd expected. My son is very self-driven normally, but as the school year went on, he slacked off considerably. We had to backtrack several times to get him back ON track with his classes. I'm also going to have to install special 'limiting' software on their computers to guarantee that nothing but school work is being done on their computers when I'm not there to watch.

24x7 kids - I put this under 'bad' only because until this past year I had become accustomed to having my kids leave the house for school, instead of staying home. Once you get used to the breaks in the day from kids, it's hard to adjust back to having them under foot.

Less house work - When my kids were at a brick and mortar school, I was able to get more house work done. Not that my house was ever "perfect", but it was certainly cleaner than it is now. Until my daughter gets to middle school, her class work is very parent interactive, though even then I doubt it'll cut back much.

Special area - I tried this year to keep the kids' computers in their bedrooms. I'd thought that that would be the best to give them a quiet area to work without bothering each other. I would wander back and forth between rooms to check on them, but if I wasn't on top of them they'd side track. Next year we're going to rededicate my formal dining room as a 'school room'. I'm going to remove furniture to make space for their computers and move it all into there.

Lots of classes - Here is the flip side to this one. The school really wants you to attend ALL of the online classes. Sometimes that just isn't possible and thus the recordings are available. Even so, there were times when we though that the subjects being taught were way behind where my kids were in the curriculum. So, why attend the class if you've already done the work? I know it's good review, but when half of the school year seemed to go that way, it seemed to be a bit much.

Most of the people who know me know my reasons behind choosing GCA over other alternatives. As a substitute teacher in Gwinnett County, I would hear various stories from various people about the middle school we are zoned for. It was very unreassuring to hear. We started investigating alternatives, including permissive transfers to another middle school, out right home school and charter schools. We put in our application to a brick and mortar charter school here in the county, but other than being put on a wait list never heard back from them. In the mean time, I applied to GCA and watched the permissive transfer lists. GCA was the only one that came through, so that's what we went with.

Now that wasn't the ONLY reason we chose this path, it was just the primary one. In 5th grade my son was subject to a lot of migraine headaches. The official diagnosis that came back was primarily related to stress. Working through GCA, we've had no migraines and minimal head aches in general.

My husband and I made the decision to move our daughter as well to keep the schedules in sync. For her with her math issues, this has worked out very well. She's been able to exceed herself in language arts and literature and keep herself on an even keel with math. This makes for a much happier child in learning and a much happier mom in the long run.

So, we've registered for the next school year at GCA. We'll make the changes we need to for our children to succeed in school, and we'll be done with all of our school work before the school year actually finishes. All in all, it's been a good year.

Georgia Cyber Academy & Charter funding

One thing most people don't realize about the Georgia Cyber Academy is that it doesn't actually run under the Georgia Charter Schools Association. It is actually chartered under the State Board of Education. Does this mean that the decision that's currently being worked on about charter schools in Georgia won't affect it? Absolutely not. As of the end of March, the supreme court in Georgia hadn't made a decision about whether the commission should have the power to create Charter schools. Many local districts believe it should be in their hands, not the state's, if for no other reason than funding issues.

It's a heated debate that involves whether the tax money that our local public schools receive (and spend ahead of time) should follow the child or stay in the district. The debate is whether the money that is diverted to the charter schools is actually local money or if it is state money. The state maintains that it is state money until the check is cashed at a local level.

What does that mean for GCA currently? We're going ahead full steam. Principal Matt Arkin is keeping all the parents updated on what has or hasn't been decided and how it affects us. In the mean time, it's a waiting game.

National Charter School Week kick-off