The last Capitol Day of 2007 will be held May 16, and the deadline for registration is today. Take advantage of this final opportunity until 2009 to observe the Texas legislature in action and participate in the process. While in Austin, visit some historic and educational sites, such as the Governor's Mansion and the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum. Learn more at our Web site, about field trips in the capital city of Texas and about discounts that are available to home schoolers.

Plan to attend THSC Association's May Capitol Day! Register today! Click on the graphic to download the registration form, or call our toll-free order line, 888-200-4903.

The National Day of Prayer this year is Thursday, May 3. Most cities will have special gatherings and ceremonies, so check your local venues for what is available in your area (or click on the graphic to go to the website of Texas' National Day of Prayer). Although every day is a day of prayer, United States citizens are blessed to have the right to participate publicly and corporately in prayer for our nation on this special day each year. Take the time to celebrate that right and thank God that we have it.

The Arlington Home School Book Fair is Mother's Day weekend, May 11 and 12. Dads, this is a wonderful gift for your hard-working, burned-out wives! Moms, don't miss this great opportunity to see and browse through all the curricula you've wondered about in catalogs. Great speakers will also be available to educate and inspire you to continue your home schooling journey.

Tim and Lyndsay Lambert of the Texas Home School Coalition Association will both be speaking at the fair. If you are a new home schooler, do not miss their informative talk, "Ready, Set...Now What Do I Do?" It will guide you through the first days after you make the important, life-changing decision to educate your children at home. If you are a veteran, you'll want to hear the update on what's been happening in the legislature.

When you join the Texas Home School Coalition Association, the benefits include a free field trip directory. The Class Trip Directory is a gift that provides guidance for planning day trips, overnight jaunts, and journeys, from Texas to New York City, Boston, and Niagara Falls. This invaluable guide features educational places in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas, as well as longer jaunts to historical sites on the East Coast. It includes museums, aquariums, parks, and ranches, as well as suggestions on where to stay and daily itineraries. The book is organized by state and city. Become a member of THSC and start planning your next trip now!

"We have been homeschooling for eleven years and have never joined the Texas Home School Coalition Association. After all, OUR child had never been in public school, and we've never had any trouble. We still haven't-but now he's almost ready for college- and some of those institutions still have not changed their policies to match state regulations. Thank goodness that THSC is available whenever we need it, because now, when I thought we were home safe, we may need help from them-and we are joining!" - Denise S.

Have YOU joined Texas Home School Coalition Association yet? (Click on the graphic for more information about who we are and what we do.) Often we just get busy and we don't get around to some of the IMPORTANT things because we're so occupied with the URGENT ones. However, now's the time, because once you join, you'll be eligible to take advantage of all the discounts and benefits we offer to members. THSC Association is continually adding not only more member discounts to its Member Benefit Package but also new ways to make joining more manageable.

Check out the ways it has gotten even easier to budget for your membership! We still offer $15 off the annual membership price of $85 for members of local home school support groups. In addition, an auto-renewal option gives another $5 in savings. Our newest budgeting tool is our monthly payment plan. You can now spread your payments throughout the year. The base price still includes the discounts.

To learn about these options or to join, you can call our office at (888) 200-4903 and speak to our friendly, helpful staff or send your questions by e-mail to staff@thsc.org. You can download, print, complete, and mail or fax your application and order form. Mail completed application to THSC, PO Box 6747, Lubbock, TX 79493 or fax to (806) 744-4446. If you would like to join or renew your membership, you can still join online, but the payment plan options are not yet available at the Web store.

The new regional group HEART of Texas (Home Educators Alliance for Resources and Training of Texas, Inc.) has published its MID-APRIL 2007 ISSUE of Home School News and Events, with information about several events that may be of interest to home schoolers in the Greater Dallas/Fort Worth and surrounding areas.

If you would like to receive their newsletter, if you need help spreading the news about an event or activity that your group is doing, or if you know of an event or activity that would benefit other home schoolers, please drop HEART of Texas a line at info@HEARTofTex.org.

Please feel free to pass along this information to the home schooling families in your network.

"Melissa Busekros turned 16 today and is enjoying the day with her parents at their home in Erlangen, Germany, near Nuremberg. How long authorities will allow her to remain at home is unclear."

See previous article about Melissa Busekros from
4-10-07.

In its April 21 Update, the Home Educators Association of Virginia wrote a tribute to one of the slain victims at Virginia Tech, who had been part of the home school community in their state:

"Lauren Ashley McCain, a 20-year-old homeschool graduate and the daughter of Dave and Sherry McCain of Hampton, was lost to us this week. Lauren, a freshman at Virginia Tech, was majoring in International Studies."

The Texas Vocations Forum is a page on the Texas Home School Coalition Web site that we have established for the express purpose of connecting employers in Texas with Texas home schoolers who are potential interns, apprentices, or employees. We believe that home schooled students often make great workers and that hands-on experience can often be a much better way of learning than the classroom. Therefore, we are providing this Web page as a service to the home school community of Texas.

Congratulations to Donna Hall of Elgin, the winner of the Who Said This? Contest in the May issue of the Texas Home School Coalition REVIEW. Donna will receive a Home School T-shirt of her choice!

The quotation, stated by Leo Tolstoy, was:

"It is within my power to either serve God or not to serve him. Serving him, I add to my own good and the good of the whole world. Not serving him, I forfeit my own good and deprive the world of that good, which was in my power to create."

We appreciate the readers of the THSC REVIEW who sent their guesses! We hope that the REVIEW is a blessing and that you will be watching for the next quotation question. You could be the next winner!

A Travis Middle School official refused to withdraw a member parent's child from the school's rolls and tried to make her submit unnecessary documentation. Tim Lambert apprised the official of the state's actual requirements and advised her to withdraw the student immediately.