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As home educators look forward to Christmas and beyond to a new year, some of the challenges we have experienced in 2016 encourage us to lean even more on Christ Jesus, the reason for our hope.

When reflecting on the past year, there have been events that have caused fear and hardship.

AHEA continues to work to stem the tide of such recent events.

Yet, while we focus on these concerns, it is good to remember the divine at this time when Christians the world over celebrate the birth of the Saviour.

As we consider that God came to earth as an infant, we should contemplate what is truly important in our lives: our own infants, our children of all ages, our families, our faith.

As we think of how the holy infant grew to become a man who would die on a cross, parents today realize that we are not raising children so much as raising the adults they will become.

We chose home education because we wanted to give our children the best and the fullest education: the finest academics, crucial life skills, a strong foundation in good character and faith, and a strong family.

Regardless of what the new year brings, home educators will continue to provide that to their children.

At the same time, we should remember not to hold home educating closer than God.

What we hope for from God is much smaller than what He has planned to give us. We ask for grains of sand, and He desires to bless with beaches.

Over the holidays, please send good tidings to our elected officials: MLAs, the Education Minister, the Premier.

Christmas cards of goodwill, prayers, and seasonal messages of love, hope, peace and joy are encouraged.

Those messages of peace and joy also go out to all of you from all of the volunteers of the Alberta Home Education Association: have a happy and holy Christmas.

The AHEA board wants you to know about two exciting events the weekend of Saturday, October 29, 2016. Both events are sponsored by good friends of AHEA. As you'll see from below, Edmonton is double booked for these events. That said, we recommend attending each event if you're able. You won't be disappointed.

1) Dr. Joe Boot is speaking on "Gospel Culture - a Faith for all of Life."

Come hear Dr. Boot, Senior Pastor Westminster Chapel Toronto and Founder Ezra Institute for Contemporary Christianity. His topic is "Culture-building implications for every sphere of our lives."
An internationally-renowned Christian speaker, Joe debates leading intellectuals at universities and on radio and television programs and regularly trains Christian leaders to think biblically about all spheres of life.

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Venue: Prairie Room at Lister Hall, University of Alberta
11613 87 Ave NW, Edmonton

Time: 7:00 - 9:00 PM

Free admission Fundraiser - Join us for Dessert and Discussion

RVSP by October 22nd to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Read more here:
www.ezrainstitute.ca/events/gospel-culture

 

2) The Creation Science Association of Alberta is hosting Creation Weekend where world class scientist Dr. John Baumgardner will be speaking.

Creation Weekend 2016
Friday, October 28 & Saturday, October 29, 2016

Venue: Mill Woods Assembly
2225 – 66 Street
Edmonton, Alberta

All sessions are free of charge. You do not need to register to attend.

Friday, October 28

7:30 PM – Dr. Baumgardner's talk on “How language powerfully affirms God's reality”

Saturday, October 24

10:00 AM – Dr. Baumgardner's talk on "Mendel's Accountant: Why Darwinism Fails"
12:00 PM – Carson Lueck's talk on "Leaders' seminar on equipping our youth for the evolution/creation debate"
2:00 PM – Dr. Baumgardner's talk on "Human DNA comparisons strongly affirm Genesis History"
7:30 PM – Dr. Baumgardner's talk on "How God used a Farm Boy from Texas to Develop World Class Science"

Read more here:
www.create.ab.ca/creation-weekend-2016-event

Sponsored by:

Creation Science Association of Alberta (www.create.ab.ca)
www.UntoldSecretsOfPlanetEarth.com

February 28, 2016

In Alberta, there are a couple different ways to legally educate your children at home. The first way is to Home Educate under the Home Education Regulation 145/2006 http://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/Regs/2006_145.pdf. This regulation outlines the responsibilities and recognizes the parent's primary role in developing, monitoring and evaluating the program plan for their child(ren). A parent must notify of their intent to home educate using the form set out by the Minister http://www.thewise.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Home-Education-Registration-Form.pdf and a teacher from their board must conduct at least 2 evaluations of the progress of the student (according to the outcomes described in the parent's program plan) per year. The parent may develop their own plan using the Learning Outcomes for Students as the basis of the plan, or may follow the Alberta Program of Studies. A parent may receive reimbursement to defray the costs incurred by the parent, up to a maximum amount set out in Alberta Education's funding manual.

The second manner of educating at home consists of providing a school authorized program at home (sometimes inaccurately referred to as 'aligned'). With this method, a school allows the parent to educate at home, but the school maintains the authority for all components of the child's education. The expectations on the parent will vary from school to school, as the parent is officially providing a school program at home. The range of programming is as vast as under the Home Education Regulation, but who is responsible for the programming is where the difference lies. In a school at home program, the school authority maintains ultimate authority for the program, monitoring and evaluation, and as the authority responsible for the education of the child, they place requirements upon a parent and student as they deem fit. The school is not required to provide any financial reimbursement to parents, but they often do, and often at a higher monetary value than possible when educating under the Home Education Regulation 145/2006.

A blending of these two types of educating at home may also be done.

While the 'look' of each program may appear to be similar, who maintains the authority for each program is clearly different. The parent is the responsible party when the child is educated under the Home Education Regulation 145/2006. The school is the responsible party in any other form of educating at home.

It is important for parents to understand the difference in parental and school authority between the two methods.

Merry Christmas from AHEA

To all AHEA members, to all home educators, to all Alberta parents:

2015 has been an event-filled year for home educators in many ways.

As always, the Alberta Home Education Association has been active advocating for the continued importance of parental authority in education.

Parents are the primary guides of their children and the primary decision-makers over the education of their children.

Children's interests are best served in the context of a family.

As we come once again to Christmas, we look to the example of another family and are reminded of the sacred responsibility we bear as parents.

Parenting is a lifetime commitment filled with new beginnings - like the birth of a baby at Christmas - and we remember again the hope and joy and the knowledge that we are on the right path.

Merry Christmas to you and your family from the AHEA family - the board, the convention team, and all our volunteers.