Eugene Christian Homeschool Co-op is back for another year!

LIGHT has partnered with Garden Way Church to fill the co-op needs of local homeschoolers by starting a new ministry called Eugene Christian Homeschool Co-op, formerly known as Eugene First Class.  LIGHT's vision is to provide support, encouragement, resources and new friendships. This is achieved through affordable classes taught by homeschooling parents just like you!


All classes will take place on Friday mornings at the same location, Garden Way Church, 231 North Garden Way - Eugene, OR 97401.  No multi-day day commitments and no driving all over town for various classes!  And the best part, all children from birth on up can participate.  


Eugene Christian Homeschool Co-op (ECHC) is split up into two terms, a fall term and spring term.  Each term will last approximately 8-10 weeks.  Classes take place on Friday mornings from 8:45am to 1:00pm (see time schedule below).  Each Friday will start out with chapel time, then there will be three class periods during which everyone in the family will participate.  Parents are not required to teach (although they are greatly encouraged!) but will need to sign up for 2 co-op responsibilities, be that teaching, accepting support roles for the co-op, or a combination of the two.  Parents are also required to work in some capacity during 2 of the 3 class times.  All families will stay after co-op is done  to clean up the building, except those who sign up for set-up duty.



The schedule on each Friday will be:

Setup            8:20am-8:45am

Check-In       8:45am - 8:55am

Chapel         8:55am - 9:25am

Block A         9:30am - 10:25am

Block B         10:30am - 11:25am

Lunch            11:30am-11:50am

Block C         11:55am-12:55pm  (Block C has extra minutes to allow students to put the classroom back to it's original setup before exiting the classroom.)

Clean-Up       1:00pm-1:30pm

A list of classes is coming soon.  Registration for Fall 2012 is September 24th starting at 10:00am at Garden Way Church.  Classes will start October 5th and run through December 7th with the Friday of Thanksgiving week taken off.


Fees for this coop are as follows: 
$12 per family per term.  Each class has a $2 class fee plus materials fees if any apply.  Occasionally, classes may have a required text 

Co-op Planning Meeting

'Tis the season for co-op planning meetings!  Eugene Christian Homeschool Co-op (formerly known as Eugene First Class) is hosting two planning meetings which are coming up soon.  

Our co-op gathers each Friday (beginning October 5 for a 9-week session) for the purpose of enrichment and fellowship, and always striving to be a reflection of Jesus Christ to the community. We understand that only by God's grace and provision can this be attained.  We look forward to many more years of education and fun! The main mission of our co-op is:

• Assisting parents (who are ultimately accountable for training their children - Proverbs 22:6) by providing instruction in a variety of academic, character and creative pursuits from a Biblical Christian perspective;

• Inspiring a love for learning in a safe and respectful environment; and

• Encouraging all who participate to be a reflection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In order to best communicate to and obtain commitment from our members (or potential members), we will be offering two crucial information/planning meetings.  If you would like for information about our co-op, or are already planning to attend this fall, please select from one of these dates to join us at Garden Way Church, 231 N. Garden Way, Eugene (Room 21/22):

Thursday, August 30th @ 7pm    OR

Tuesday, September 4th @ 7pm

Please attend these meetings with ideas of classes you'd like to see, as well as classes you'd be willing to teach.  If you desire to participate in co-op but these dates absolutely will not work for your schedule, please email us at lighthomeschooling@gmail.com or to get more information about the co-op.  These meetings are not only for new or prospective members to attend but there are enough changes from last year that returning members also need to attend one of these meetings. 

Sincerely,

Cynthia, Dani, Janny and Traci

Eugene Christian Homeschool Co-op

Leadership Team

First Class Planning Meeting

As we're winding up this school year and drawing our co-op to a close, we are having a planning meeting for fall term before we all go different directions for the summer.  We had a great year!  Children learned and made friends, parents were encouraged, and best of all, we had fun!  The co-op ministry worked just like it should!  We'd like to invite everyone interested in participating next year, to come to the planning meeting and contribute your ideas.  What would you like to see taught, what would you be willing to teach, if anything?   If you will be bringing your children, please bring a snack for them.

When:   May 11, 1:20pm

Where:  Garden Way Church -  231 N. Garden Way   Eugene 97401  

        Rm. 21/22  (at the top of the steps)

If you'd like to know more about the co-op and how it works, please click the co-op tab above.  If you'd like to see what the co-op did this term, everyone is invited to attend our Presentation Night on May 18, at Garden Way Church, 7pm.  We will have stage presentations, display tables, and refreshments as a fun way for the kids to end the term and show off all of their hard work.

First Class Spring Registration!

For any families interested in joining LIGHT's Homeschool co-op -  Eugene First Class, it's not too late!   Spring term classes run from February 24 through May 11.  We meeting on Friday mornings at Garden Way Church from 8:45am to 12:45pm*.  There are three blocks of class time and a quick lunch break on class days.  We offer a variety of classes, both academic and extracurricular, for all age groups, birth to grade 12!  General information including the fee structure is available on the Co-op page  (click on Co-op button at the top, inside a crayon.)  Parents are expected to sign up for various responsibilities including set-up/clean-up jobs and other service opportunities.  Not all parents must teach, but all parents must volunteer to help in a classroom for two of the three blocks of class time each Friday.  So, if you need an art class, a P.E. class, some help in the academic areas or just looking for some fun and a way to meet other homeschoolers, Eugene First Class just might be the perfect fit for your family!

The class catalog is available on our website  http://www.firstclasshomeschool.org/fchm/locations/us/or/eugene/ 

There is also a class schedule linked on the right sidebar.

If you want to join the co-op but can not make it to registration day, February 10, 2012 at Garden Way Church, 10am,  it is highly recommended to send someone in your place, to walk through the process for you.  This can be anyone, your husband, grandma, neighbor, friend, stranger you meet on the street...    But seriously, this is the best way to do it if you can't do it yourself on that day.  Registration is done on a first come, first served basis so we STRONGLY recommend arriving at the church with completed forms in hand.  There will be additional copies available onsite, but classes may fill while you are completing them.

Our main website for the Eugene First Class Christian Homeschool Co-op (EFC for short) is located at www.fchm.org     Read down the left sidebar to Co-ops, select Co-op Locations and then scroll down to find Eugene First Class under Oregon.  On our welcome page you will find links to become a member of First Class Homeschool Ministries, the national organization this co-op falls under.  It gives instructions to pay a $25 fee for your family, for the whole year.  This membership must be completed before you can register for classes and is best done at home before registration day.  When you have done this, we will email more specific instructions for registration day including all of the necessary forms.  This includes forms for local co-op membership, class registration and background check for all parents who will be onsite during co-op hours.  NOTE:  for printing out the class registration form, page four of the document is for the parent's schedule.  Don't miss that page if you don't need pages 2 and 3 for children.  Payment for our local chapter fees ($25 per family, per year) and classes can all be paid at registration.  There is a $4 fee for each class, materials fees vary, and some classes include a required text to be purchased on your own before the first day of classes.

If you have any questions, feel free to call Cynthia Johnson, Membership Coordinator at (541)688-9489 or e-mail them tolighthomeschooling@gmail.com.   We are looking forward to another great term of classes!  Hope to see you there!

First Class Planning Meeting for Spring Term

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  It's about that time of year again, when we all start to get very busy and turn our focus towards the holidays, friends and family.  Though it seems early to be thinking of spring term already, at First Class, we want to get our planning done early so we all have the break free of that kind of thing.  That said, there will be a planning meeting held for spring term of Eugene First Class Christian Homeschool Co-op on Dec. 2 immediately after our co-op classes for the day.  This meeting will be held at Garden Way Church at 1:15pm.  Childcare will be provided.  If you're interested in joining First Class for spring term which will run Feb. 24 through May 11, please come join us for the meeting.  Everyone is welcome.  We are a Christian co-op, providing three class periods for children ages nursery through 12th grade, on Friday mornings at Garden Way Church.  

For more detailed information on the co-op, please click on the co-op link at the top (inside the crayon.)  

Hope to see you all there!