Category: Blog

MACHS has been blessed by a generous gift that we would like to pass on to a Manitoba Home School youth aged 13 and up. The World View Academy has donated a scholarship to one of its 24 Worldview Camps in 2019 (locations include Minnesota and other states). The scholarship covers all camp costs with the exception of transportation and has a value of $745 US. A list of camps / date and further information including an information brochure can be accessed at http://www.worldview.org/

Many of you will remember Bill Jack who has spoken at our MACHS conference. Bill is a faculty member with the World View Academy. Also a number of homeschooled Manitoba teens have participated in these camps in the past with very positive experiences.

At Worldview Academy Leadership Camps, junior high and high school students, ages 13 and up, are challenged to think hard about their faith. They are treated like real people who wrestle with real issues—and who need answers that match the real world. Each camp features 20+ hours of lively classroom sessions and discussions, which guide students to better understand servant leadership, apologetics/evangelism, and comparative worldviews.
The Worldview Academy experience is unlike any other. Students are taught by inspired teachers, challenged by creative activities, moved by meaningful worship, and welcomed into a community of life-long friends. Students join groups of the same age and gender for the discussion of the big ideas. They are led by college-aged small group leaders from across North America who have dynamic personal relationships with Jesus Christ and the life skills and spiritual maturity to lead students in discussions throughout the week. The six days are filled with laughter, tough questions, biblical answers, and a deepening hunger for Christ.
If you would be interested in attending a World View Academy Camp and applying for this scholarship opportunity, the MACHS board would ask for the teen to write a letter of application (1000 words maximum length). Identifying who you are, some information about you (age, interests, and family), tell us about your homeschool journey so far, and explaining why you would like to attend camp. We would ask that these be sent to [email protected] by April 22, 2019.

Message from MACHS regarding Manitoba Education and Training K-12 review

Many of you received an email  from Manitoba Education and Training regarding the provincial K-12 Education review that will begin soon. MACHS will be working with other organizations in encouraging a consistent response from the home school community. A clear and united voice of homeschool families will help in positively influencing the review recommendations.

MACHS is preparing a strategy to ensure that the voice of Manitoba home educating families is strong and clear. The message from MB Ed indicated
“The Manitoba Commission on Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education is asking for your thoughts on the future of our education system. Your views and opinions will be an important part of the commission’s comprehensive, independent review of our province’s elementary and secondary education system. This is the first review of its kind in decades.”

We are awaiting details on how the process of providing input will work, such as where in person meetings will be held to hear submissions.
MACHS will be sending you, in the coming days, a briefing document. This will provide your family with sample emails and notes to help you in sending written input along with preparing to speak at in person meetings.

We would ask you to be in prayer as we prepare to make our voice heard as Christian home educating families across Manitoba.

MACHS Board

Continue reading “Invitation for Prayer | Video”

Chuck and I have been privileged to be involved in planning the MACHS Conference since 2013.  There have been a lot of challenges and changes in that time, but the whole experience has been encouraging and has taught us a lot.  2018 was the last conference we are going to plan and we are pleased to be able to introduce to you the new conference chairs for 2019.

Kelly and Cheryl Ronald are homeschool parents who graduated their youngest several years ago.  They are grain farmers near Portage la Prairie and have also been MACHS board members since the spring of 2018.  They have a passion for serving Christ and for encouraging the homeschool community. We will spend this planning year working together with them as they learn the ropes.

Other new team members on the conference committee are:  Dana and Heather Teichrib planning the workshops, Ashley Teichrib heading up teen track, Jarrod and Jaime Giesbrecht caring for exhibitors, and Elizabeth McKee designing graphics and publications.  

As usual, Anita McKee will be wrangling volunteers, Maureen Toews is organizing registration, Mercer Lawrenson is in charge of communications, Celeste Lawrenson will be planning special events, Kyla McKee is arranging grad recognition, and Isaac and Caleb Mogilevsky are managing sound and tech.

Tyson and Diane Kroeker have worked alongside us since 2013, and they are moving on as well this year.  Many thanks to them for the piles of hard work they have put in with the website, graphic design and recordings.

With a great mix of new team members and experienced personnel, we are thrilled to be handing off a conference that has a great future of blessing and challenging Manitoba homeschool families.

Are you or your kid graduating in 2019? Along with the special ceremony at Victoria Inn where graduates and their parents will be recognized in front of all the Conference attendees, graduates have a chance to hang out with their fellow grads, and MACHS will be taking professional photos of graduates and their families!  Register now to get early-bird pricing!

Fill in the form below and we will be in touch with more details soon!

We had another great Field Day weekend this year. Because we are all running around there are not that many pictures. But you can get a sense of the day from the shots and video below.

Gaga Ball!

Hot Dogs for all!

Start with races…

                            And play volleyball late into the night.

Dear Friends in Manitoba,

As you may remember, we had a difficult time shipping my books to the conference. I had ordered three boxes of books and only one box made it in time for the convention.

Then a few weeks later, I received an email that the missing books finally made it to Canada. Yay!

My printer has already resent the missing books to me in Pennsylvania so these books are available to you in Winnipeg.

After some deliberation with the MACHS board we have decided to offer them to anyone who is interested, with the proceeds being given to GHEC through CCHE. (CCHE is the charitable division of HSLDA Canada and GHEC is the Global Home Education Conference in which Gerald Huebner is involved.)

Here are the books which are available:

20 Speaking the Truth in Love

30 Crisis to Christ

30 Family Worship

10 Hymns for Family Worship

10 His Story My Story

Cost:  $10 each, $15 for 2 books, $20 for 3 books

Payment:  cash or cheque

If you would like to purchase one or more, please email info@MACHS.ca to make arrangements.

Steve

Global Home Education – How can you help?

Greetings to Manitoba Home Educating Families!

It was great to see many of you at the MACHS conference. We would like to share more with you about upcoming international home education events:
The Global Home Education Conference (GHEC) is being held in St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia, May 14-19. A number of homeschool leaders from across Canada will be attending. Gerald & Bev Huebner from Manitoba, Ray & Lois Strom from Alberta, Russ & Andrea Hiebert from BC, Peter and Tarah Stock from Ontario, and Stephanie Jackson from Nova Scotia.

Gerald & Bev Huebner and Stephanie Jackson will also be speaking at home education and Christian camping conferences in Ukraine (9 days in 5 different cities) and Belarus before going to Russia.

This is the third Global Home Education Conference. The first was in Berlin, Germany, in 2012. The second was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2016.
The purpose of the GHEC is to advance the freedom of parents globally to choose and direct the education of their children. GHEC is not specific to either motivation or methodology and is open to all. Its purpose is to bring together everyone with an interest in home education – whether parents, policy-makers, home education leaders, researchers, or anyone interested. We aim to influence public policy by promoting an understanding of the great value of home education and the necessity for it to be acknowledged as a human right. We also want to provide an opportunity for global leaders to connect and mutually support and encourage one another as we as seek to protect and advance home education freedom.

When passionate and committed people come together with a common goal, great things can happen. That is exactly what happened in Berlin and Rio, and we expect it to happen again in Russia this year.

What can you do to support these important Global efforts?

PRAY: Most important is the foundation and covering of prayer, which is needed crucially in the lead up and as we speak at these many conferences in the former Soviet Union. While the GHEC is purposefully not a specifically Christian conference, it is a special opportunity for Christian home educators to encourage others and to be salt and light. If you would like to support GHEC in prayer and get updates, you can email [email protected] and you will receive regular prayer updates.

ATTEND, although it may not be possible to attend in person the conference will be recorded and available online at www.ghec2018.org.

Picture above – Global Home Education Exchange Council in Rio 2016

SUPPORT, GHEC financially to enable a home educating family or leader from another part of the world to attend GHEC and thereby encourage and equip development of home education organizations around the world. Your support will be used to enable leaders from Africa, Eastern Europe (Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, etc.), South and Central America, and others. Average costs for a couple to attend will be approximately $3000, so anything you can do to help will be appreciated. Tax deductible donations in Canada can be made online through the Canadian Centre for Home Education (CCHE) at https://cche.ca/donate/ to designate the funds to this purpose also send an e-mail to [email protected] indicating you want the donation designated for this particular purpose.

Sincerely,
Gerald Huebner
Board Member, MACHS
Board Chair, Global Home Education Exchange Council (GHEC)
Board Chair, HSLDA Canada
Board Chair, Canadian Centre for Home Education

MACHS is currently studying issues involved in homeschooling, such as perceived access to and preparation for post-secondary education institutions for graduated homeschooled students, in addition to, the factors that discourage parents from homeschooling their children into high school.

We are most interested in your family’s experiences, especially those that are considering stopping homeschooling before High School, those that intend to Homeschool through High School, and those who are considering post-secondary education for their homeschooling high homeschoolers.

This survey is expected to take only 10 minutes are would greatly benefit us in our planning and development of ministry initiatives.

Thank you for your participation in this survey!

Sincerely,
The MACHS board and the MACHS Post-secondary Institution Sub-committee