During chapel, Street Evangelist Tom Alexander from Walk the Cross Ministries came by and prayed and encouraged the students of Harvest Christian Academy. Thanks Pastor Tom!

Photos of the pumpkin patch field trip are availiable for viewing and printing in the school photo album.

God Bless

Related Link: See all the pics in the photo album…

You see them at the grocery, or in a discount store.

It’s a big family by today’s standards - “just like stair steps,” as the old folks say. Freshly scrubbed boys with neatly trimmed hair and girls with braids, in clean but unfashionable clothes follow mom through the store as she fills her no-frills shopping list.

There’s no begging for gimcracks, no fretting, and no threats from mom. The older watch the younger, freeing mom to go peacefully about her task.

You are looking at some of the estimated 2 million children being home schooled in the U.S., and the number is growing. Their reputation for academic achievement has caused colleges to begin aggressively recruiting them. Savings to the taxpayers in instructional costs are conservatively estimated at $4 billion, and some place the figure as high as $9 billion. When you consider that these families pay taxes to support public schools, but demand nothing from them, it seems quite a deal for the public.

Home schooling parents are usually better educated than the norm, and are more likely to attend worship services. Their motives are many and varied. Some fear contagion from the anti-clericalism, coarse speech, suggestive behavior and hedonistic values that characterize secular schools. Others are concerned for their children’s safety. Some want their children to be challenged beyond the minimal competencies of the public schools. Concern for a theistic world view largely permeates the movement.

Indications are that home schooling is working well for the kids, and the parents are pleased with their choice, but the practice is coming under increasing suspicion, and even official attack, as in California.

Why do we hate (or at least distrust) these people so much?

Methinks American middle-class people are uncomfortable around the home schooled for the same reason the alcoholic is uneasy around the teetotaler.

Their very existence represents a rejection of our values, and an indictment of our lifestyles. Those families are willing to render unto Caesar the things that Caesar’s be, but they draw the line at their children. Those of us who have put our trust in the secular state (and effectively surrendered our children to it) recognize this act of defiance as a rejection of our values, and we reject them in return.

Just as the jealous Chaldeans schemed to bring the wrath of the king upon the Hebrew eunuchs, we are happy to sic the state’s bureaucrats on these “trouble makers.” Their implicit rejection of America’s most venerated idol, Materialism, (a.k.a. “Individualism”) spurs us to heat the furnace and feed the lions.

Young families must make the decision: Will junior go to day care and day school, or will mom stay home and raise him? The rationalizations begin. “A family just can’t make it on one income.” (Our parents did.) “It just costs so much to raise a child nowadays.” (Yeah, if you buy brand-name clothing, pre-prepared food, join every club and activity, and spend half the cost of a house on the daughter’s wedding, it does.) And so, the decision is made. We give up the bulk of our waking hours with our children, as well as the formation of their minds, philosophies, and attitudes, to strangers. We compensate by getting a boat to take them to the river, a van to carry them to Little League, a 2,800-square-foot house, an ATV, a zero-turn Cub Cadet, and a fund to finance a brand-name college education. And most significantly, we claim “our right” to pursue a career for our own
“self-fulfillment.”

Deep down, however, we know that our generation has eaten its seed corn. We lack the discipline and the vision to deny ourselves in the hope of something enduring and worthy for our posterity. We are tired from working extra jobs, and the looming depression threatens our 401k’s. Credit cards are nearly maxed, and it costs a $100 to fuel the Suburban. Now the kid is raising hell again, demanding the latest Play Station as his price for doing his school work … and there goes that modest young woman in the home-made dress with her four bright-eyed, well-behaved home-schooled children in tow. Wouldn’t you just love to wipe that serene look right off her smug face?

Is it any wonder we hate her so?

Sonny Scott a community columnist, lives on Sparta Road in Chickasaw County and his e-mail address is sonnyscott@yahoo.com.

Appeared originally in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 6/8/2008, section 0 , page 0

6/8/2008 9:39:01 AM
Daily Journal

The first day of school is in the books and what a great group of kids the Lord has given us this year! We have tons of pictures for our families, you can view them in our photo album. God Bless

A judge rules that the university system was not discriminatory in its refusal to count certain classes toward admission.

All five students named in the case have since graduated from the school and two are enrolled at UC Riverside, where they were admitted based on their grades in other, UC-approved courses at Calvary Christian, Tyler said. But he said the case was important to pursue for current and future students nationwide.

The Association of Christian Schools International joined the case in arguing that UC was attempting to force Christian schools to water down their religious teachings.

“This case is about the future of private religious education and the right to be able to have your kids learn from a religious perspective,” said Tyler, who is general counsel for a religious liberty law firm in Murrieta named Advocates for Faith and Freedom.

His four children attend Calvary Christian, which enrolls about 1,300 students in kindergarten through high school.

UC officials said they felt vindicated by the court decision, which followed a related ruling in March that upheld the university’s practice of approving high school classes. Friday’s decision shows that UC “has been totally within its legal rights to apply admission standards across the board to all students and has been doing that in an appropriate way,” university counsel Christopher Patti said Tuesday.

If UC had lost the case, the 10-campus system’s ability to set and control academic standards would have been “seriously undermined” and the door opened to all sorts of admission exemptions, Patti said.

In documents presented in the case, UC representatives pointed out that the university has certified more than 50 other courses at Calvary Christian as meeting UC’s admission standards. UC said that it accepts courses from hundreds of schools affiliated with various faiths and that courses from Christian schools are approved at the same rate as those submitted by others.

The university said it had rejected, for example, an English class at Calvary Christian called “Christianity and Morality in American Literature” in part because students read excerpts from a literature anthology without having to read at least some complete books, as UC requires.

Historians testifying for the university said that a history class titled “Christianity’s Influence on America” failed to teach critical thinking and relied on a book that attributed historical events to divine providence. The book also contained inadequate material about non-Christian groups, the historians said.

The case could influence admission practices at public colleges nationwide, said David Masci, a senior research fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life in Washington, D.C. “No one is questioning the right of Calvary Chapel to teach what they want to teach. But what the case says is that when you do that, there may be consequences,” Masci said Tuesday.

At one point in the long-running case, Judge Otero upheld UC’s rejection of another school’s biology class that used a text that dismissed evolution in favor of biblical accounts of creation. That part of the decision “continued a long line of cases where challenges to the teaching of evolution have been essentially pushed back,” Masci said.

Among the most important such decisions came in 2005 when a federal judge ruled that the school board in Dover, Pa., could not force biology teachers to present so-called intelligent design — a theory that a creator is responsible for the universe — as an alternative to Charles Darwin’s findings on evolution.

larry.gordon@latimes.com

We have started a new email subscription service for HCA. We are asking families to sign-up. Hopefully this will keep you more informed about what is happening at Harvest Christian Academy. To sign-up, enter your email in the subscription box that is located on the right side of the web-site.

God Bless

Sorry for the mix-up

Switched-On Schoolhouse, a unique computer-based Christian curriculum from Alpha Omega Publications, has been selected as the core curriculum by a new online Christian academy—Liberty University Online Academy (LUOA). Beginning this fall, LUOA will offer Switched-On Schoolhouse award-winning courses in four core subjects and various electives to enrolled students.

LUOA is a branch of Liberty University which was founded by the late Dr. Jerry Falwell, a well-known evangelical Christian pastor and televangelist.

The development of LUOA with cutting-edge curriculum from Alpha Omega Publications represents the accelerated growth of online education. Beth Te Grotenhuis, president and CEO of Alpha Omega Publications, said the online learning component of her company has evolved rapidly and the number of students participating has increased tremendously. “With the growth of online education, we are excited to offer a echnologically advanced curriculum to meet the needs of today’s students,” said Te Grotenhuis. “Distance learning is the future of Christian education.”

Ron Godwin, Liberty University executive vice president, said the online academy, for grades 3-12, is a natural extension of Liberty University’s distance-learning program, which has 19,000 students enrolled. Godwin also said he is excited and optimistic about the new
pursuit. “We understand in this day and age that only a small percentage of students can come to us. A far larger percentage can be reached if we go to them. We intend to provide Christian education, to students across all 50 states and the world.”

By Christina Laun

While Wikipedia isn’t likely to lose its status as the first place people look for quick answers anytime soon, there are loads of other sites out there that can provide you with information, some of which may even be better and more accurate. Whether you’re researching for a paper or just settling a argument with a friend, here are 100 places you can find all the answers you need quickly and easily online.

PARENTS READ: Harvest Christian Academy is concerned about protecting children’s privacy. We encourage parents stay involved and in control of children’s Internet explorations. Please note that these Internet links are provided in good faith. We research these sites as thoroughly as possible but their content is ultimately beyond our control. Harvest Christian Academy does not endorse or accept any responsibility for the content of sites listed here or any consequences that may arise from following these or subsequent links.

General

Find answers to all kinds of questions through these sites.

1. InfoPlease: Visitors
   to this site will be treated to an almanac, atlas, encyclopedia,
   dictionary and much more, which should be more than enough to find
   information on just about anything you’d need.
2. Fact Monster: Run
   by Infoplease, this site is geared towards the younger crowd, but that
   doesn’t mean you can’t find some great information here. Find answers
   to basic math, science, history and sports questions.
3. About.com: This
   site provides articles on a huge variety of subjects, many of which
   provide useful information or can link you to sites that have what
   you’re looking for.
4. Refdesk.com: Billed
   as a “fact check for the Internet,” this site provides a range of
   resources that make it easy to search the web, check an encyclopedia or
   dictionary, read the news and much more.
5. Reference.com: Part
   of the Dictionary.com site, this online resource provides access to
   many encyclopedia articles, as well as the accompanying dictionary and
   thesaurus.
6. Answers.com: Answers.com provides visitors with access to articles from sites and journals all over the Web.
7. Factbites: Called
   a cross between a search engine and an encyclopedia, this site is
   designed to make searching for information easier by filtering out
   information and only giving you the most relevant results.

Library and Reference

Search through library archives and do research through these sites.

1. Oxford Journals: Look through all the journals published by Oxford and find many articles that are free to read and download.
2. eBrary: Many
   libraries give full access to eBrary’s collections, but if you don’t
   have one near to you that does, you can use this page and still enjoy
   looking through loads of books and journals.
3. ibiblio: This
   site is full of public domain information including maps, books,
   pictures and much more that you can use in your next research project.
4. LibrarySpot: Find a myriad of library resources on this site as well as links to other authoritative sites and encyclopedias online.
5. WorldCat: Save
   yourself a trip to the library and find out if a library has the
   information you need before you go. This site allows users to find
   libraries in their area that have the books and materials they need.
6. Internet Public Library: This
   site puts together a great repository of links to authoritative sites
   all over the Web on topics like history, law, computers and more.

User Contributed

Like Wikipedia, these sites draw their information from user contributions.

1. Scholarpedia: This
   site looks and functions very similarly to Wikipedia with some major
   differences. Each article is written and edited by an expert in the
   field, and all articles must be approved before they become part of the
   site, helping to ensure the information you get is accurate.
2. WorldBrainBook: WorldBrainBook
   provides a means by which everyday people can share what they know on a
   wide range of topics, from arts and crafts to extreme sports.
3. Open-Site: Open-Site
   is a free online encyclopedia that is user contributed and monitored by
   editors, and can be a good alternative source of information to
   Wikipedia.
4. Duno: This
   site allows authors, amateur and professional, to write and publish
   articles and get paid for them through an advertising program. Visitors
   to the site can browse through the articles to find helpful information.
5. Internet Encyclopedia: Also
   called Wikinfo, this site provides a similar format to Wikipedia but
   with some different ideas when it comes to editing, often encouraging
   independent research and the mandate that articles represent the topic
   in a positive or objective manner.
6. Conservapedia: Feeling that Wikipedia had a liberal bias, this site was created, giving the conservative perspective on a wide range of topics.
7. Citizendium: Citizendium
   aims to create a user contributed encyclopedia that focuses on quality
   and readability rather than quantity, and it encourages visitors not
   only to read articles but to collaborate as well.
8. WikiHow: The
   Wikipedia of how-to manuals, this site provides step by step
   instructions from other users on how to do just about anything you
   could imagine.
9. Instructables: Taking
   the idea of a user-contributed how-to site one step further,
   Instructables provides visitors with a huge number of user-created
   instructional videos.
10. Veropedia: Want
    to only read the best of what Wikipedia has to offer? This site can
    help, filtering out the best articles from Wikipedia and placing them
    on this site.

Encyclopedias

Look up just about anything in these online encyclopedias.

1. Encyclopedia Britannica Online: Search through millions of entries in this large online encyclopedia or check out timelines, an atlas and more.
2. MSN Encarta: MSN provides this online reference site with loads of articles, an atlas, dictionary and most importantly, an encyclopedia.
3. Medical Encyclopedia: Find answers to all your medical questions through this large medical encyclopedia from MedlinePlus.
4. Encyclopedia Smithsonian: Browse through information related to all the of vast collections held by the Smithsonian on this informative and useful site.
5. Encyclopedia.com: This
   HighBeam site combines information from sources like the Oxford
   University Press, Britannica, and the Columbia Encyclopedia.
6. Classic Encyclopedia: Look through the articles from this 1911 version of an encyclopedia and get a historical perspective on your information.
7. Probert Encyclopedia: This
   free online encyclopedia contains over 235,000 cross-referenced and
   interlinked sites and 15000 illustrations, and it focuses on a few key
   topics.
8. OpenTopia: Browse through encyclopedia articles here or enjoy access to a variety of webcams, online tools and more.
9. Questia: While not entirely free, this site can prove to be a great research tool, with articles on hundreds of topics.

Science and Math

Find answers to all your math and science inquiries here.

1. HowStuffWorks:
   Whether you want to know how your toaster works or learn about nuclear
   power, you’ll find all the details on this highly informative site.
2. PhysLink.com: Answer all your questions about physics with a little help from this site.
3. NatureServe Explorer: Here you can look up information on all kinds of species of birds, butterflies, mammals and more.
4. Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences: Make sense of your math with this easy to search site.
5. Encyclopedia of Life: This
   site contains a huge archive of information on numerous plants,
   animals, fungi, bacteria and all other kinds of living things.
6. PlantCare.com: Find out why your houseplants are shriveling up and learn to take care of them with help and information from this site.
7. Encyclopedia of Earth: Find
   articles that relate to all the life, geological processes and much
   more that make up the environment of our planet in this great online
   resource.
8. Physics Encyclopedia: Look up physics terms and information through this helpful site.
9. The Internet Encyclopedia of Science: Astronomer David Darling maintains this site which is an A-Z reference for a wide range of science related topics.
10. Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Astrophysics: Look up astronomy terms and people of interest with this informative online encyclopedia.
11. Wolfram MathWorld: Find help with everything from number theory to basic geometry on this site.
12. PRIME Mathematics Encyclopedia: This site is a great reference for almost any question related to doing or teaching mathematics.
13. Scirus: This
    search engine will give you results related only to science, making it
    easier and faster to find the information you need from journals and
    science websites.
14. Botany.com: Not
    sure if that’s poison ivy growing in your backyard? This site provides
    loads of photos and information on plants from all over the world.

Social Studies

These reference sites deal with social studies and historical issues.

1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Find the names of many philosophers and their ideas in this helpful encyclopedia from Stanford University.
2. glbtq: Look up information about the gay, lesbian, transgender and queer culture in this encyclopedia.
3. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Here you can find everything you ever wanted to know about philosophy in one easy to search place.
4. Encyclopedia of Psychology: Learn all about mental illnesses, famous psychologists and theories through this online resource.
5. HyperHistory: This site attempts to cover 3,000 years of world history. Browse by people, places or events to find what you need.
6. LookLex: Formerly
   known as the Encyclopedia of the Orient, this resource specializes in
   information from North Africa and the Middle East.
7. Perseus: Find all you ever wanted to know about Greek history and Mythology on this site, loaded with articles and pictures.

Fine Art

Find information on all kinds of art through these sites.

1. The Artchive: This site provides an easy way to find out about numerous artists, their work and their time period as well as to browse images.
2. Oxford Music Online: This site provides a gateway into music research and a place to get new and forthcoming Oxford music reference articles.
3. Artcyclopedia: Search for a particular artist, painting, period and much more on this helpful and informative site.
4. Instrument Encyclopedia: Find out more about any kind of instrument on this University of Michigan site.
5. Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: Learn about music from all over the world through the information provided by this reference site.
6. ArtLex: Find out the meaning behind any art related word in this art dictionary.
7. DancePedia: Here you’ll be able to access all kinds of information on different styles of dance and famous dancers.
8. Musicals101: Lovers of musicals will appreciate this reference site, with hundreds of entries on stage and movie musicals.
9. Improv Encyclopedia: If
   you’re into improv yourself or just want to find out more about it,
   you’ll find games, a reference resource and an online glossary here.
10. Internet Movie Database: This
    site is the ultimate resource for those looking for information on
    anyone in the film business from directors to stunt doubles.
11. All Music Guide: Learn about new and old bands as well as information on all kinds of music-related issues on this site.

Language and Literature

Whether you need to know what a word means or want to look up a work of literature, you’ll find help with these links.

1. WordReference: Look up words in English, Spanish, Italian and French using this great online site.
2. Bartleby: This
   site provides loads of books to students and researchers with
   information on poetry, fiction and nonfiction at your fingertips.
3. AskOxford: Based
   off the Oxford English Dictionary, this site provides reference
   material as well as tips to improve writing and a chance to ask
   questions of experts.
4. BrainyQuote: Find out where those famous quotes came from with this great online quotation resource.
5. Merriam Webster: Look up just about any word in this free online dictionary.
6. Dictionary.com: This
   easy-to-use dictionary can help you find the meaning or spelling of any
   word. As a bonus you’ll get access to a crossword dictionary and fun
   games as well.
7. Urban Dictionary: Keep up with the slang the kids are using these days with this site which provides an easy reference point for looking up words.
8. Visual Thesaurus: Get a visual map of synonyms and antonyms using this different take on the thesaurus.
9. BookRags: Get study help and information on literature with the study guides, summaries, essays and biographies from this site.
10. Encyclopedia Mythica: If
    something has been written about mythology, religion or folklore,
    you’ll be able to find it here with this helpful online search engine
    and resource collection.

Technology

Tech jargon can be confusing, but you can find help through these sites.

1. WhatIs.com: Find definitions of thousands of technology and computer terms here, as well as helpful glossaries and cheat sheets.
2. TechEncylopedia: Find definitions and help on over 20,000 IT related terms on this TechWeb site.
3. Webopedia: Use this site the next time you’re feeling clueless as to what all those techie abbreviations mean.
4. Internet Archive: Learn about the history of the Internet and much more on this informative site.
5. WebReference: Web dwellers will enjoy the reference material from this site, which provides archives of news, advice and how-to articles.

Question and Answer

If you have a question that needs answering, you can ask it and get help on these sites.

1. Yahoo! Answers: Ask any question that comes to mind and get answers from others online using this Yahoo! sponsored site.
2. AllExperts: Ask your questions that need the help of an expert on this site.
3. The Straight Dope: Cecil
   Adams answers a weekly question on this site with topics that range
   from the reasons for hiccups to reality TV show inquiries.
4. wiseGEEK: This site provides a place to ask your tech related questions and find answers from over 24,000 articles.
5. Answerbag: Find answers to questions on social, medical, local and shopping questions on this user contributed site.
6. Microsoft Live QnA: Here you can ask any question, serious or silly, and get answers from other users.
7. Yedda: Yedda allows users to ask a question on any topic and “get personalized answers from relevant people.”
8. Wondir: Ask questions and get the answers you need from other users on this site.
9. Askville: Sponsored by Amazon, this site allows users to ask a question on any topic and get and give answers to others.
10. Cornbrain: If you have a few bucks to spare, you can get researched and professional answers from this site.
11. Ask a Librarian: Have
    a question on research, literature or anything else a librarian could
    help you with? Find the answers you need using this site.

Miscellaneous

These sites are full of all kinds of information to help you.

1. Acronym Finder: Not sure what all those letters stand for? Figure it out using the information on this site.
2. eHow: Learn how to do just about anything on this instructive site from sewing in a zipper to putting up wallpaper.
3. FreeAdvice: If you’ve got a legal problem you need help with and want a little information first, you can find loads of it at this site.
4. Snopes: Find
   out whether or not that email your aunt sent you was for real or
   unravel a host of other urban legends through the information you’ll
   find here.
5. timeanddate: Want to know what happened today in history? Check out this site for information.
6. Symbols.com: Find information about thousands of symbols from their history to uses today through this informative site.
7. Catholic Encyclopedia: This site provides visitors with a wealth of information on the Catholic religion.
8. The Educator’s Reference Desk: Teachers can find thousands of reference materials here to help them plan lessons, manage classes and much more.
9. Physician’s Desktop Reference: This reference site will help you to find information on a wide range of medial conditions, medications and illnesses.
10. Baseball Reference: Find all kinds of baseball stats and historical information for players, teams and the sport as a whole using this reference.

http://www.distancedegrees.com/2008/lose-your-wikipedia-crutch-100-places-to-go-for-good-answers-online/

August 13 Staff on Duty
August 13 -15 New Student Testing
August 18 First Day of School (Half Day)
September 1 Labor Day (No School)
November 11 Veteran’s Day (No School)
November 27 - 28 Thanksgiving Holiday (No School)
December 18 Last Day of First Semester (Half Day)
December 22 - January 2 Christmas Holiday (No School)
January 5 First Day of Second Semester
January 19 Martin Luther King Day (No School)
February 9 Lincolns Birthday (No School)
February 16 Washington’s Birthday (No School)
April 6 - 13 Easter Break (No School)
April 14 School Resumes
May 25 Memorial Day (No School)
May 28 Last Day of School (Half Day)
May 29 - June 1 Student Attendance Days*

*Total school days 180
*June 2nd and June 3rd (STUDENT ATTENDANCE DAYS) will be utilized ONLY in the event
that it is necessary to maintain 180 instructional days for the school year.
*This schedule is tentative and may change.

You can also download the calendar in PDF format here.