Caitlin's Junior Year of High School in Review

This post is for her Junior year Homeschool evaluation, but I will add a couple of other topics as well towards the end.  As always I will post what classes she will be taking for her Senior year in a future post.  

Caitlin had a very good year, despite Covid and all that went with that.  She got her vaccination as soon as her age group could and I give her credit for her maturity.  She was able to continue to volunteer and socialize as long as there was no known infection and she followed smart practices.  She did lose her beloved cat in April of 2021 due to what the vet thinks was a rattlesnake bite.  He died peacefully, and without pain in her arms.  Again, she was so mature and held him the whole time.  She planted a Hibiscus tree in his honor.  

These are the courses she completed and the grade she received.

1.  English segments, 1 and 2 on FLVS.  Grade A and C respectively.

2.  Criminal Justice segments, 1 and 2 on FLVS.  The grade received an A for both segments.

3.  Math.  We used Aleks as always and she finished Algebra 1.  Aleks does not give a grade you do the work until you can complete the assignments with an acceptable grade.  She then moved on to Geometry and will complete that in her Senior year.  More about that in the future post.

4.  African American History.  Please see the post I did on this topic if you wonder how we did it.  A lot of it was videos, reading, and then conversation.  This topic is hard because a lot of it is hard to watch and read about.  She got an A in this course.

5.  Nutrition.  This was not a traditional Nutrition course.  It was based on an ethics college book that my son used in one of his college courses.  My main goal was for Caitlin to learn about Nutrition in Western society mainly in regards to the topics of poor nutrition of fast food and processed foods, animal cruelty, sustainability, and so forth.  She did not read the book but instead watched movies and videos chosen by me based on the topics from the book, with in-depth conversations after.  We made some healthier versions of her favorite fast and processed food items.  I wouldn't say she even changed her mind after this course, but I certainly did.  I have slowly been modifying our eating lifestyle over this year.  Grade A

6.  Biology.  She finished it and the labs.  Grade B minus.  She didn't put a whole lot of effort into this course because she literally hates Science.  

7.  I gave her one credit for PE and 1 credit for Kennel Care and Management of Shelter Dogs.

8.  Drivers Ed.  She got her learner's permit in 2020 and drives regularly.  I think I would like her to take a car maintenance course, and possibly self-defense.  

Total Credits:  7.5

I still have to put everything together to see exactly how many more credits she needs before graduating in 2022.

The books she read are as follows:

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Hiroshima by John Hershey

Shade by Pete Souza

What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz

She actually enjoys reading now.  3 out of those 4 books she picked on her own to read.

Now for the extra stuff.

This will be my last year of homeschooling.  So, I have been thinking of what I want to do with myself once I have an empty nest.  I of course have several options.  I am still a nurse, working part-time right now, and I have my Health Coach business, which really has not taken off mostly because I need to advertise it better.  I also am a board member and volunteer at Williston Animal Group.  I think I might take some courses that I have been putting off.  I also enjoy crafting and used to run an Etsy shop.  I think I might get back into that some even if it is to clear out stuff I already have made.  I also need to decide what to do with this blog.  It has been here since I pretty much began way back when my son was in the second grade.  He is married and in college now.  That is a lot of blogging, lol.  I think I might start adding new posts for others who want to homeschool and maybe monetize it a bit.  I used to make money off this blog, but that has gone by the wayside through the years of High School.  

I think people think blogging is easy.  It actually takes a long time to put a good blog post together.  I think most of the pictures on this blog, of years ago, have disappeared because Google changed their picture storing option.  But, the posts are still relevant and good.  Well, some aren't so good, I wasn't the best blogger in the beginning.  I may start by revising and revamping some of those older topics.

If you found this blog because you are a homeschooler, and you are looking for volunteer opportunities for your kiddos, check out Williston Animal Group.  You do have to be 16 and with a parent.    If you can drive yourself speak to the Volunteer Coordinator to see if your parent must be present.  We always have 2 adults on duty at the kennel.  If your child does more than just play, or walk dogs, you can count kennel care as a credit on your transcript.  My daughter has been doing it for 2 school years now.  She walks, cleans, scoops poop, learns about how to care for a kennel dog, helps feed, helps put on medicine, groom, and whatever else she might be asked to do.  One of our favorite things to do is to get cute pictures for their adoption pictures on Petfinder.  If you do not live in the Williston, Florida area see if there is a dog rescue near you.  You can call 352-528-9888 to learn more or make an appointment to visit the rescue.  

Photography Challenge: Orange

We have one month until our evaluation, and I have to really get going on putting it together.  I don't usually procrastinate like this, so I am feeling lazy.  If you missed the Democratic Primary Debates last week, like we did because NBC is having a fight with DirectTV, they are on Youtube.  We will be watching them there.  It will probably take us a few weeks, because they are like 6 hours long, all together, and well it is Summer Vacation.  After we watch them, Caitlin will have to pick the candidate she likes best, and follow them.  If they get kicked out of the race she will have to pick another. 

This week or photography challenge was for the color orange.  I took the lovely sunset photo, and she took a picture of a freshly picked tomato from our garden.  Next week will be yellow, and if you have been following along, yes these are the colors of the rainbow ROYGBIV.  Come on and join in.  Share your pics in the comments. 

Bring on Summer Vacation!

Last Thursday was our final full day of the regular school year.  My son will be doing a research paper, topic of his choice, for World History, next week.  I will be giving him a 1/2 credit for the year, because he just didn't have the time to do enough hours to get a full credit.  But, I think he is going to do an online FLVS for World History next year.  He has to finish up Geometry over the Summer as well.

Caitlin will also be doing a final writing assignment next week.  I let her pick the topic, and she will be posting it to her blog when completed.  She will get the option to proofread and edit it one time, before I grade it.  She knows what the Rubric is, and if she gets a grade of 75 or above, I won't make her do any Writing over the Summer.  If she doesn't she will have to continue practicing.  She will do Math, on Easy Peasy Homeschool, and Reading Assessment, a few days a week over the Summer.

I have to start getting portfolios done.  Well, actually only one this year, because DJ is taking the SAT in August, and that will count as his evaluation this year.  It doesn't save me any money, though.

In the coming weeks you will see me start to post curriculum for next year.  DJ will be mostly doing FLVS, so his will be very easy to arrange.  Caitlin will be in 8th grade, so it will be my last year to really have some fun with her, and her lessons.  You may also see me post ideas for homeschool graduation, and college readiness.

Oh, before I forget, DJ read Dracula, and Caitlin read Ann of Green Gables, plus watched the movie, and is currently reading Gentle Ben.

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Passion Vine Update Portfolios and Blue Springs

When I was taking the Zebra Longwing photos, for the previous post, I saw this Gulf Fritallary floating around the Passion Vine too. What I didn't realize, until I saw the caterpillars was that the Gulf Fritallary also uses the Passion Vine as a host plant. How exciting, though I am still not thrilled that I was sold Passion Vine, and told it was Bleeding Hearts, but oh well.

I have started working on our portfolios. DJ will actually have two, one his yearly evaluation portfolio, and the other his high school transcript. If I keep up with it, it will be much easier. Lucky for me, I keep a good daily journal, and this blog helps a lot for record keeping.

Friday, we went to Blue Springs, in High Springs, with some home school friends. This is one of my most favorite springs. There has been chatter that the state will be buying it. I hope that is true. Right now it is too expensive to visit there more than once or twice a year. Making it a state park, would make it my new home, lol. As always we had a very good time. I only got the one pic, because well I forgot to take any others. I did not see hardly any turtles this year, which is weird, kids said they saw a few, I didn't see any. The springs were low, however.

Be sure and visit my craft blog Melissas Jewelry and Gems, and check out my Etsy shop.

Wrapping Up the Regular School Year

We are in the last weeks of our regular school year.  Most days are half, or three hour days, and some subjects have been completed.  I will start thinking about putting together our portfolios, and gathering the tests I want them to take this year.  I do not normally do end of year tests, but I really want to see where they are at this year.  With my son going into grade 10, and my daughter into grade 6,  I need to see how they will test.  This will be for my info only, and if I choose to share it with my evaluator I can, but don't have to. 

DJ has finished Japanese 1 for the year, and Nutrition which was an elective.  I will be looking, or creating final exams for those.  He will not do a foreign language next year, but would really like Rosetta Stone Japanese for 11th grade.  He will continue Algebra 1, and American History over the Summer.  He will also finish up Marine Biology, which is almost complete, might go a couple of weeks over. 

Caitlin has finished almost all her required courses, and we are concentrating on Math, Writing and Grammar.  She will continue to work on those over the Summer.

Our Summer schedule is light.  They get to sleep in, and do school for 1-2 hours a few days a week.  Nothing major, and they get plenty of time for fun, and relaxation.  I also always encourage them to find books they love to read. 

I am ready to be done, lol.

Florida Homeschool Evaluations Done

Today, was our homeschool evaluations. Our evaluations are due by the anniversary date of our Letter of Intent. We are early this year, since not due until the end of August. However, I always make them early just in case any emergencies occur and the date need to be changed. For Florida there are only three things needed to complete your evaluation. This is for a portfolio evaluation by a certified teacher. You could also choose to see a Psychologist to have your child evaluated, in Florida. You need a portfolio with a sampling of school work completed through the year, a reading list of books read through the school year, and a log of daily activities. This year I decided to make a calendar for each month, for each child, and what they did each day. This was just neater, and more organized to me. I will be doing one for DJ for each subject, and each month, since he starts high school in September. This will assure that I have proper documentation of hours spent on each subject, to earn credits needed for 9th grade. I will be going to his blog next, and writing out the schedule he and I have agreed on for 9th grade, with websites to be used where needed. You can view his blog by clicking here.

Caitlin will also have a writing blog next year, but that is still in the works. 

Evaluations and Sample Reading Lists

We have our homeschool yearly evaluations tomorrow morning.  Wish us luck!  I post the reading lists only for those who need an idea how to make a reading list for their portfolio in Florida.  Plus for my record keeping purposes.  I encourage anyone who can to get a blog so if anything ever happens to your computer your public blog will have an account of all your homeschool activities.  Caitlin read a lot of short stories this year, in her Reading Comprehension lessons.  Those are not accounted for here, and neither are DJ's from his Reading lessons.  Those all count to, but I include samples of them in the portfolio.  I use Google Docs to type the list up all nice, and then put it in the portfolio, usually at the front.  Both kids also bring a book with them to read part of it to the evaluator and she asks them pertinent questions. 


Darien’s Reading List For 2012/2013 7th Grade
Darien read a lot of books this past school year. However, they are not all listed here because
we don’t keep track of all of them. We visit the library twice monthly, during the school year, and
Darien enjoys taking out books to read. The books shown below, are books I chose for him to
read and he did book reports on.
Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Roger Lancelyn Green
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The Time Machine by HG Wells
The three book series of Percy Jackson The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan


Caitlin’s Reading List For 2012/2013 3rd Grade
Caitlin read a lot of books this past school year. However, they are not all listed here because
we don’t keep track of all of them. We visit the library twice monthly, during the school year, and
Caitlin enjoys taking out books to read. She reads a lot of animal books, and especially likes
horse, cat and dog books. She also reads a lot on We Give Books. A reading website where
every time the child reads a book, the same books is donated to schools and organizations that
give books to children. Below are some of the books she has read.
Froggy Goes to Hawaii by Johnathon London
SkippyJon Jones and the Big Bones by Judy Schachner
Madeline
Ladybug Girl at the Beach
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Mommy Loves Me
Every Biscuit book she can find.

Homeschooling Record Keeping Does Your State Have Requirements?

I am curious about homeschoolers in other states, and record keeping. Does your state have strict laws, about record keeping, or just relaxed on the issue? Here in Florida, you have to keep all school work, per homeschooled child, for 2 years. The school district can request, to come in and inspect, but they have to give at least 2 weeks written notice. At the end of each school year, a certified teacher must do an evaluation, of your portfolio and submit it to the school. You can also take the standardized test, or have your child evaluated by a psychologist. Because there are no laws, stating what a homeschooled child has to learn, only that they are showing progress in their learning activities, the portfolio can contain whatever you choose to put in it. I am getting ready to do my first evaluation, in September. I have just started putting the portfolio together. So how about in your state? Do you have to keep specific records, for the state?