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“Good Morning!” said Bilbo, and he meant it. The sun was shining, and the grass was very green. But Gandalf looked at him from under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out further than the brim of his shady hat.
“What do you mean?” he said. “Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?”
“All of them at once,” said Bilbo.
~ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
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Welcome and good morning to you, dear reader! It certainly is a good morning in all of the above ways, as we start a new year together at SLO Classical Academy. We know there are many adventures ahead, and are thrilled to begin this journey with our incredible group of families and supporters!
Down Home is our school blog and its purpose is to encourage, inspire, nurture and educate us on the home-front, as we learn and grow alongside our children. Whether you are homeschooling kids in the 2-day program, or supporting and coaching your children in the 4-day program or in high school, we hope our blog will become a valuable resource for you. We want to support your vital role as an involved parent who is providing a rich, classical education for your children.
What to Expect
You will find an assortment of things here, such as organizational and home learning tips, thought-provoking articles, classical education resources, enrichment activities, recipes, crafts, glimpses into what’s happening on campus and in people’s homes, parent testimonials, photos from SLOCA events, and more.
Down Home also desires to build and foster relationships in our parent community by becoming a forum to share ideas and connect with each other. Don’t be shy! We hope you’ll participate by leaving comments, sharing your own great suggestions and finds, encouraging others, and sending in your experiences and photos.
Today is Monday, and for those of you new to Down Home, Mondays are usually reserved for Magical Moments – special times experienced by our students or by ourselves, either on campus or at home. Examples are: photos from school events, “aha” moments when important connections are made at home or at school, when a parent or student is captured by a sense of wonder or imagination, or any type of homeschooling success story from major breakthroughts to minor victories, or anywhere in between!
Here’s a small sample of a Magical Moment: We recently hosted our Family Reading Group to discuss The Hobbit, led by Mr. Stavros. Soft background music from the movie soundtrack set the mood as parents and children discussed this rich and epic tale, played charades, shared snacks and drank “Mirkwood juice.” It was fantastic to hear the kids’ thoughtful responses and to see them have fun as they acted out scenes from the book. The power of great literature was felt by all as we recalled favorite scenes, shared which type of character we most identified with (many of us we hobbits!) discussed what was surprising or unexpected, followed the hero’s journey, made connections to other stories and to life today, and much more. Thank you, Mr. Stavros, for making this evening magical and memorable!
{photo by Tim Theule}
We love to hear what’s happening at home and on campus, and want to share those glorious moments here on the blog. We also want to start your week off with a smile, and we hope sharing our memorable photos and stories will do just that.
Before we wrap things up for today, allow me to introduce myself to all the new parents! My name is Jenny Bischoff and this will be my third year of coordinating the Down Home blog. My husband Paul, our three kids and I are a Track A family entering our 9th year at SLOCA. We have a son in Primary, a daughter in Lower Middle School, and another daughter who is a freshman here at SLO Classical Academy High School (sloCAHS). Educating this way has been an amazing and beyond-rewarding choice for our family, and I hope you will love learning SLOCA-style as much as we have!
Here’s to another great year of educating for life! Semper discentes – always learning together.
If you have any questions, stories, photos, or suggestions to share, you can contact us at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you! We hope you'll stop by the blog often and see what's happening Down Home.
Now, how are you REALLY feeling about school starting? Come on, let’s hear it! Excited? Nervous? Exhausted? Leave a comment below:
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