September 2003 Letter

About CHEACT

Beliefs and Biblical Basis
What we believe and why we believe it

Benefits
How CHEACT supports you

Volunteer
There are plenty of opportunities to jump in and make things happen for home schoolers in central Texas

Back To School!

September 2003

For most of us, school is now back in full swing. For our kids, there is a bittersweet ending to each summer that puts the bookmark on childhood memories of carefree days, and ends with an inner growth, knowing that they really are in the next grade.

It feels somewhat like that for CHEACT, too. In fact, there are four new initiatives that are underway for this year. Each of them constitutes a step further into the regional shoes we are charged to fill. To Safeguard, Promote and Encourage….

First, it is a great pleasure to announce that Don Stroud is joining us on the Board starting this month. Some of you will remember Don for the "Standing Vigil" meeting he held before the last general election. Don has been a city council member for the city of Leander, and a precinct chairman for the political party that seems to nominate more home school friendly candidates than the other major party. Don is passionate about safeguarding our freedoms to home school in a manner that glorifies God, and is charged with garnering our regional strength to do just that. He is a natural fit for this new role on our Board. Welcome!

Next, Viv Lynn is taking the lead to organize even more excellence fairs this year. Many of you know Viv from the annual Science and Art Fair that she coordinates. Plans are already underway for two new annual events: a History and Math Fair, and a Rube Goldberg Contest and Writing Fair. Check out the website for details. Hopefully your family will participate in at least one of these events this year. We are committed to promoting home schooling that glorifies God. Thank you, Viv for your vision and energy to help us strive for excellence in everything we do.

Our third initiative is one that some of you are already participating in. This is the beginning of a cross-pollination of support group leaders in our region. Cherie Werner and Nichelle Nelson are moderating a start-up on-line eGroup to facilitate an information exchange and support between our local support group leaders. It has only been up for a few short weeks, and already the exchange of information and ideas is staggering. We are committed to encouraging home schooling that glorifies God in our region. Thank you Cherie and Nichelle for taking this on.

Finally, as I mentioned last month, we are taking a hard look at our income and our expenses. We are very reluctant to move off of our donation-based membership renewal policy, as our region is still in the throws of a major economic squeeze. This is impacting (too) many families that we know. Our newsletter printing and distribution expense is the single biggest opportunity there is to cut costs. There are several ideas on the table today, with the most cost-effective one being to move to an electronic distribution - either via email or email link to view it on-line. We would appreciate your patience and understanding as we strive to be good stewards of the resources available to us.

Moving forward can be bittersweet. Fortunately, The future is bright for home schooling in central Texas. I am excited about the opportunities opening up for all of us in our region this year.

Yours,
Brett Adams

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