Christian Home-Educators of the Bluegrass
"Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge." -Proverbs 23:12

Communications Committee

The Communication committee is responsible for the CHB web site, e-mail communication, and the distribution of other CHB materials that may become necessary from time-to-time. The chair will report in writing or orally at each monthly board meeting.

Coordinators include:

• E-mail Coordinator [using board policy as a guideline sends appropriate and timely e-mail to all members],
• Web site Coordinator [responsible for the general oversight of ch-eb.org, renews the domain and web space],
• Survey Coordinator [using input from various other committees, drafts and executes CHB surveys] and
• Events Communication Coordinator [maintains the CHB events list on the web, drafts messages for e-mail coordinator to send].

Community Service Committee

The community service committee plans events that provide our children with community service experiences. Attempts will be made to have projects that are appropriate for various age groups.

The committee chair will coordinate with the field trip chair to insure that dates for community service opportunities do not overlap other events.

A major service annually offered by CHB is the Used Curriculum Sale. This project is managed and executed by the Community Service Committee.

Academic Evaluations Committee:

Each summer the Committee leadership in consultation with the CHB board will determine the number, subjects and dates of the bees, the brand and dates for testing and other key committee activities. The activities will be advertised at the Back-to-school Bash to allow families to sign-up as early in the ear as possible.

Bees Sub-Committee:

Top 10 Responsibilities:

1. Coordinator must train new committee members each year. The goal is make sure that there are people in leadership than can run this program well each year.
2. Set appropriate dates and publicize the dates. The Bash is a must!
3. Research the topic that is to be studied.
4. Compile the appropriate amount of material for grade levels involved.
5. Type and print copies for all participants.
6. Handle registration fees and expense records.
7. Keep committee and competitors informed of any and all important information. Answer random questions as they come up.
8. Secure testing facility and equipment. Make sure there are directions available.
9. Order rewards and make sure they are available on the night of the competition. Medals and certificates go to all participants. Purchase as many trophies as there is money available. It is better to have more than you need than less!!
10. DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COMPETITION IS AS POSITIVE AN EXPERIENCE AS POSSIBLE FOR EACH COMPETITOR. Keep in mind that home school kids may not be familiar with competitive bees and some are not comfortable in front of crowds.

*****Useful Tips!!

Taking pictures of participants is a nice touch! Thank you notes are always in order (especially for the use of the facility--perhaps even a small love offering). Sound system should be used by leaders only. Students should face the leaders--not the audience during competition. If in doubt....the benefit always goes to the student!

Testing Sub-Committee:

Each school year CHB wants to provide the opportunity for members to test their children with a nationally recognized and respected standardized test. Coordinators and Committee members will work hard to make sure that all registered students are provided with the best testing environment possible, with well trained administrators and an appropriate test at the most affordable price.

Responsibilities of Coordinators and Committee Leaders:

1. Coordinators must train new committee members each year. The goal is to make sure there are people in leadership that can run this program well each year.
2. Contacts need to be made early on in the year with our area test coordinator and our umbrella school to verify involvement.
3. Secure a testing facility that can accommodate our group.
4. Register students. Recruit educated proctors and support personnel.
5. Order testing materials.
6. Publicize all important dates including testing, training, set-up and take-down as soon as possible.
7. Organize and set-up testing facility.
8. Organize daily check-in and child care.
9. Handle registration fees and expense records.
10. Arrange for inexpensive gifts to be given to those that helped.
11. Be available to answer questions from parents by phone and e-mail.
12. Provide a student and parent info session before testing.
13. Send thank you note and love offering to testing facility. Leave facility in great condition.
14. Provide addressed envelopes and postage for test results.
15. Make sure that families receive their testing results and help in reading those results when needed.

Important Info!

The utmost care must be taken to insure that this test is handled ethically and carefully. Parents must not be in the room with their own children while testing. Proctors should have a college degree. The testing environment must be secure and pleasing. Steps should be taken to accommodate children with special needs when possible. Parents must not view their child's test under any circumstances after testing begins. Effort must be made to handle students that need more time than others to complete tests. All parents must participate in some way during testing week. A variety of jobs will be available.

Extra-Curricular Classes Committee

Extra-curricular classes committee is responsible for contacting various professionals in the greater Lexington area to accept requests for special classes for CHB members or for homeschooled children in general. Some examples might include: gymnastics, swimming lessons, group music lessons, Karate, home-school sports leagues, etc.

All ideas for classes should be approved by the chair before being pursued by committee members. Each committee member is expected to arrange for at least one class each semester.

One member of the committee (need not be the chair) should be the contact point between this committee and the communications committee that is responsible for the web pages related to Extra-curricular classes.

One related task that is delegated to a member of the Extra-Curricular Classes Committee is a CHB Homeschool discount coordinator. This person is responsible for collecting information on services that are generally available to home school families at a discount; soliciting, as appropriate, business that may desire to offer a discount to CHB members and communicating this information to the person(s) responsible for the web site.

Field Trip Committee

The field trip committee serves the CHB membership by organizing and coordinating field trip offerings based on ideas given by the CHB membership throughout the year.

We ask that all CHB member families review the Field Trip Etiquette and the Field Trip Policy Frequently Asked Questions documents before registering for or attending any field trip. This document has been designed to educate and inform our membership how to represent both Christ, as well as the home schooling movement, respectively.

Field trip committee assignments include: Thoroughbred Center Theater coordinator, Lexington Children's Theater coordinator, various field trip coordinators, and two or three taskmasters.

Dates for field trips are assigned through the Field Trip chairperson, who works closely with the Field Trip board representative, and is the keeper of the CHB Master Planning Calendar. The chairperson should choose dates that, whenever possible, will not interfere with other CHB activities. A complete list of all approved CHB events are found on the Events Calendar on the website.

If you serve on this committee, please note that we begin scheduling field trips for the fall semester in early spring. Likewise, spring semester field trips are planned beginning in August. Scheduling early provides our members with the information they need to plan their school year as early as possible.

Guidelines for Coordinators are posted here.

In most cases, each member of the Field Trip committee is responsible to coordinate at least one field trip.

Hospitality/Fellowship Committee:

The Hospitality/Fellowship is responsible for coordinating and executing events which contribute to relationship-building and support among member families. These may include events geared to families or adults only. The chair will report in writing or orally at each monthly board meeting.

Learning Zone Committee

The LZ is a weekly supplemental learning experience for children who are home-educated. The center(s) is co-located with a church and meets one morning or afternoon a week.

Only full-time (every week) staff for the Learning Zone are considered to be "on the committee". A parent of each LZ participant is expected to sign-up for several dates as a Learning Zone volunteer. These commitments are not considered fulfillment of the volunteer responsibilities for membership, as they are expected from all parents who make use of this benefit of membership.

More details about the LZ can be read in the Learning Zone section of the web site.

Membership Committee

The Membership committee is responsible for the execution of board policies relating to membership application(s), membership cards, membership special benefits, member directory and the notification of the New-member Orientation and Mentoring committeeof any new members in a timely fashion. The chair will report in writing or orally at each monthly board meeting.

Coordinators include:

• Application Coordinator [using input from the board; drafts, has approved, distributes and collects new and renewing member applications, copies new member info to New-member committee for prompt action, passes all application data to database coordinator, passes all checks to treasurer after recording check number on application],
• Database Coordinator [creates and maintains the CHB membership database, prints annual member directory, prints member cards, distributes updated e-mail list to e-mail coordinator],
• Special Benefits Coordinator [develops appropriate contacts for group discounts for CHB members, maintains current list of discounts for new-member committee and web site],
• Member Packet Coordinator [serves concurrently on the New-member Orientation committee, receives and/or creates handouts appropriate for new and renewing members including: member directory, membership card, best practices document, special benefits list, web site instruction sheet, by-laws, etc.]

New-member Orientation Committee

The annual back-to-school bash serves annually as a major point of orientation for many new CHB members and new home schooling families. Families that join CHB after the bash has occurred, or who are unable to attend the Bash are at a disadvantage. The members of the new-member orientation committee will make personal contact with each family joining after the August bash, paying special attention to beginning home schoolers. They will deliver an updated member packet, answer any questions, and introduce the new-member to committee chairs and/or board members as possible.

Mentoring Committee

The mentoring program has grown out of the ideas related to the new-member orientation committee, as all new home schoolers will also be new members. The mentoring program attempts to facilitate the connection of an experienced family with a new family to answer the common questions relating to paperwork, motivation, expectations, curricula and other subjects of interest and concern to new home schooling families.

Teen Committee

Designed to help develop, plan and coordinate events and Learning Zone associated with the junior high and senior high aged children.