1. education
2. homeschooling

ENRICHment
N e w s
f r o m
y o u r
E N R I C H r i
May 2015
h o m e s c h o o l
c o m m u n i t y
Volume 6 Issue 9
F r o m t h e S t a t e C o o r d i n a t o r ’s D e s k
Welcome Home!
In this issue:
After an exhaustive search and months of touring facilities and contract negotiations, we have found a
home for ENRICHri. We are pleased to announce the opening of the ENRICHri Community Center!
We are delighted! We are thrilled! And we are energized! Special thanks again to Rema Tomka who
devoted countless hours in making initial contacts, touring and lending her expertise in real estate.
Many thanks to our Executive Board for their careful thought and direction, and to our Cooperative
Directors for their input and visioning! We also want to extend a warm thank you to our communityfor being flexible during multiple moves and for your encouraging words. We would be lost without
our volunteers and our amazing community.
From the State
1-3
Coordinator’s Desk
Volunteers Needed 4
Teen Corner
5
Intro to
Homeschooling
5
Box Tops for
Education
5
ENRICHri Pinterest 6
We are excited to tell you all about it!
Q: Where is Community Center Located?
A: The ENRICHri Community Center’s address is 1395 Nooseneck Hill Road in centrally located
Coventry, RI. It is directly across from the Coventry Post Office on Route 3 and just 2 miles off of exit
6 on route 95. This building was the former home of the Saint Matthias community that closed down in
2008. Since that time, the building has had other tenants and has been used for a variety of community
activities.
Calendar
7
Homeschooling
8-9
with Pinterest
Spring by
Mariam Sasa
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ENRICHri Photos
1013
A+ Rewards
14
ENRICHri Board
and Staff
14
Q: Why did we choose this facility?
A: Coventry is centrally located in Rhode Island and the facility is just 20 minutes from Providence and
25 minutes from Newport. We made inquiries into six other facilities and all were either in disrepair,
did not have the needed square footage, were not centrally located, or had other drawbacks such as
high rent, time constraints and additional costs that were beyond our means.
ENRICHri
PO Box 1151
Coventry, RI
02816
This facility offered the best overall rental package and space to suit our needs. It recently underwent
some fantastic renovations such as a new fire and electrical system and new upgrades on several areas
of the building.
Visit us at
www.enrichri.org
Continued on page 2
May 2015 Volume 6 Issue 9
F r o m t h e S t a t e C o o r d i n a t o r ’s D e s k ( c o n t i n u e d )
Continued from page 1
Q: What makes this facility so special?
A: The ENRICHri Community Center has over 4000 square feet of space and has great features and amenities such as:
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The main level has been recently renovated with brand new flooring and a new handicapped accessible bathroom.
There is a handicapped accessible ramp into the building.
The upstairs nursery/quiet room has been renovated and is bright and cheery!
Brand new fire and electrical upgrades have been installed throughout the building so our children will be safe.
A large, welcoming foyer for easy check-in/out and coat closet for storage.
The Meeting Hall seats almost 200 people, has beautiful vaulted ceilings, stage area and microphone that can be
used for theater or choral productions or seminars & workshops.
There is a piano and organ available.
Ample floor space in the meeting hall for a movement or dance class.
Office space for the State Coordinator and Cooperative Directors.
A large, fenced in play area and yes! We have permission to plant a garden!
A large community room in the lower level that can seat 130 people.
Bulletin Boards to post notices, join committees, volunteer to help and all things ENRICHri related.
A refrigerator in the kitchen for lunch keeping, and a microwave to reheat lunches.
Tons of storage! No more trekking supplies week to week.
Boys & girls bathrooms on the lower level.
Five classrooms and bathrooms are all freshly painted.
Space for the ENRICHri Resource Library-come browse curriculum!
An outside basketball hoop!
Q: What’s different about this space?
A: While the building is a former church it has been used in past years by various other businesses. The space is very different in both look and feel from our previous rented school building and very much reflects the values and mission of our organization. We were inspired by the possibilities for this rental facility and what it might bring to ENRICHri. While there is
no gym, we do have an incredible, fully fenced outdoor play space and great community room. We also have permission to
plant a garden! Classroom sizes are somewhat smaller and our team is working on ideas on how best to use this space. We
are thinking outside the box and away from desks and institutional thinking.
Currently, Advent Church uses this facility only on Wednesday evenings for a worship service for children with autism. At
the moment, there is no Wi-Fi but we will explore that option further in the coming months as we settle into our new
home.
Continued on page 3
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May 2015 Volume 6 Issue 9
F r o m t h e S t a t e C o o r d i n a t o r ’s D e s k ( c o n t i n u e d )
Continued from page 2
Q: What will the space be used for and when?
A: ENRICHri will have full use of the space every Tuesday and Thursday from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm as well as four Saturdays a
month for special events! Tuesday programming is still being worked out but we expect to initially have some special events,
town hall meetings, a few classes, workshops, teen group and Homeschool 101’s. Thursdays will remain our Cooperative day
and our Directors are hard at work planning for the coming months. We look forward to hearing your ideas as well!
The State Coordinator will also have office hours at various times during these two days so that she may meet with staff or
any of our members who need support. You may make an appointment with her for a consult if you feel you need help, are
just getting started or just want to share a joy about ENRICHri or homeschooling.
Our goal for the community center is to find new and innovative ways to bring our membership together. There is much to
be done!
Q: What is ENRICHri responsible for and how can you help?
A: The Executive Board has carefully reviewed our finances with our Treasurer, reviewed additional costs associated with
renting and looked at budget & growth projections. We feel this is the right time in the life of the homeschooling community
to embark on this new adventure. Come dare to dream with us!
ENRICHri has a full 1 year rental contract with the facility. That means rent is due every single month. You can help support
our efforts (and community center!) by;
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Contribute to start up supplies to help get us on our way. *Our classrooms need furniture so please keep your
ears open for any possible leads for us and watch your email and Facebook for other information.
Attending events, volunteering for a committee or group and participating in our Cooperative Program and telling your friends who might be considering homeschooling about ENRICHri.
Donating your time, your talents and your funding to all of our programming.
We are also responsible for daily cleanup. That means emptying garbage, cleaning up spills, sweeping and lending
many helping hands to keep the facility in shape. All members are asked to help in some capacity before they
leave for the day and throughout the year.
Our outside play area needs to be attended to at least twice a year in the spring and fall. ENRICHri will be organizing clean up days. Please watch the calendar and contribute to volunteer time.
Q: What’s next?
A: In the coming months, the Executive Board’s focus will be on aligning our building use with our vision and mission to see
what essentials our community needs. What is no longer working or seems outdated? What might we try and how can we
build community within ENRICHri? Some programming may be eliminated, some may be on hold while we focus our energies on bringing our community together and, there may be some new opportunities to explore. Please be patient with us as
we dip our toes in the water on this new adventure!
We hope you are excited as we are! Watch your email and the Facebook page for more information about Open House and
other opportunities. Please do contact me if you have questions or suggestions.
Welcome Home!
Bev Burgess, ENRICHri State Coordinator [email protected]
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May 2015 Volume 6 Issue 9
Vo l u n t e e r s N e e d e d
ENRICHri is an all-volunteer led organization and it takes many hands to run a group of almost 350 families and we need
your help. The Executive Board and staff have worked tirelessly in the past few years to bring you outstanding programming
and support services and we have recognized the need for better communications to our members about volunteer opportunities. In the coming months, we hope to make that process easier with some new technology that will help us increase our
volunteer pool and to help make our volunteer needs more visible to our community.
With a group this size, we are asking our families to volunteer at least 5-10 hours per year. While this is not mandatory, your
volunteerism would go far in helping to make our organization the best it can be and help to alleviate the work of others.
Please consider serving on the Executive Board in the coming year. The time commitment is a one year term and Board
members must attend monthly Board meetings, annual retreat and have the ability to video conference when needed. Children are welcome to come to the meetings as well and we often have delicious food and coffee and a ready-made playdate
for your children! It is a great way to contribute to the direction of ENRICHri and volunteer on a deeper level.
Eva Sasa, our current secretary will be completing her term at the end of May after serving several years on the Board and in
various capacities throughout ENRICHri like our International Festival. Eva has done much to align our virtual filing and assuring that our documents are up to date. We cannot thank her enough for her time and commitment to ENRICHri and shall
miss her presence on the Board.
We are in need of a new Secretary beginning June 1 and training will be provided. The Secretary is responsible for the record keeping on all matters surrounding ENRICHri. Time commitment is about 3-5 hours per week. The ideal person will be
highly organized, able to meet deadlines and have basic office skills such as WORD, google documents and spreadsheet experience. If you love to organize, this position is perfect for you!
As our organization has grown, we are now in need of an Assistant State Coordinator (ASC) to help alleviate some duties from our State Coordinator (she’s tired and would love have some help or perhaps a nap!). The ASC will work directly
with the State Coordinator and the time commitment is approximately 8-10 hours per week with some additional time at
the beginning of the term for training. This position does require a larger time commitment due to the responsibilities of the
position. The ideal person for this position will be highly organized, able to multi-task and oversee many areas of the organization, have great communication skills and should be dependable and committed to ENRICHri’s vision and mission. The
ASC should also have basic office skills and the ability to video chat as needed. Ideally, we would like to see someone in this
position who is able to commit to volunteering for several years due to the training requirements, but a 1 year term is the
minimum we ask. The volunteer term would begin June 1.
You can view full job descriptions of both positions at these links.
Assistant State Coordinator Job Description
Secretary Job Description
If you are interested please contact Bev Burgess/State Coordinator at [email protected] by May 15, 2015, and
I will be happy to review your resume and schedule an interview.
Please also consider serving on our Special Events Committee and Cooperative Committee.
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May 2015 Volume 6 Issue 9
Teen Corner
by Marcia Pedini
May Activities That Teens May Enjoy!
Friday 5/1/15
Tuesday 5/12/15
Teen Cosmic Bowling
Teen Group (free)
Friday
Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun (did we mention FUN?)
Teen Movie Night Meet Up
In an effort to keep give our teens greater
5/15/15
Providence Place Mall Cinema
opportunities to socialize with each other,
please check out these upcoming trips and
Monday 5/20/15
Espionage! (sign up by May 1st)
Tuesday 5/26/15
Teen Group (free)
events! All of these listings are on the forum
(click links on left), please read their full
descriptions there and RSVP/sign-up via the
PayPal links if indicated.
If you have any ideas or want to help
plan a teen activity, please feel free to
contact Marcia .
Watch for more TEEN activities coming in June!
Introduction to Homeschooling
Each month in 2015 ENRICHri is holding Introduction to Homeschooling sessions. These sessions, held across the
state, are free and open to the public. Please let us know if you plan to attend one of the sessions (and bring a friend!).
If you don’t see a scheduled session that you can attend (date or location) please help us plan a session at a library
near you! Contact Barbara Winkler at [email protected] to make that happen!
Upcoming Sessions:
May 13th Attleboro Library
June 4th South Kingston Library
B ox To p s f o r E d u c a t i o n
Erika Iannella is managing our Box Tops for Education program. PLEASE MAIL YOUR BOX TOPS TO
ENRICHri or give them to Erika or any ENRICHri board member.
Don’t forget, mail them today!
MAIL TO:
ENRICHri, P.O. Box 1151, Coventry, RI 02816
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May 2015 Volume 6 Issue 9
Pin-interesting!!
by Alyssa Crowder (ENRICHri Pinterest gal!)
The ENRICHri Pinterest page is bursting with ideas for local fun and field trips, curriculum, learning
resources, and so much more! Click on the photos for more information.
Follow us at http://www.pinterest.com/enrichri/
Planning! A few recent
resources if your thoughts
Hatch Something!
are turning to what your
Studying lifecycles is a natuhomeschool is going to
ral activity for the spring.
look like next year.
This site explores hatching
butterflies but you could also
participate in a project to
hatch chicks, or catch some
tadpoles and watch them
grow into frogs!
Jamie Martin at Simple
Homschool talks about
getting your kids involved
in setting goals and
planning their education.
A comprehensive guide to
choosing the right curriculum for your family.
For when it’s time to
make the purchases!
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Find Yourself a Few Minutes!
You know those times when you
just need to keep the kiddos occupied for a 15 or 30 minutes while
you make dinner or catch up on
something? I love this idea for a
STEAM bored jar with activities like
seeing how color affects temperature, creating a lemon battery, and
weaving with paper.
Board of the Month – All Grade Resources!
Every house has a catch-all
drawer and our Pinterest site
is no different! While I try to
find a topic-specific board for
every pin there are some that
span a lot of different topics or
all age groups. This board is
where you will find an eclectic
mix of information pertaining
to all ages. Recent pins are on
topics such as DIY.org, living math, free printables for every format of
paper you could imagine, and creating a Mom & Dad homeschool
team. Check it out – you never know what you’ll find!
May 2015 Volume 6 Issue 9
You can find details for these activities, and more, on the members’ forum. All members should
have access to the forum. Contact Melissa Robb if you do not. [email protected]
May 2015
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
Teen Bowling Night
Edesia Tour
Park Day - North
2
3
4
5
Garden Day
Park Day - North
6
Save the Bay
Playground Day
South County
Runway Fashion
7
8
Zoo School
9
10
11
12
Teen Group
Chorus
13
Les Misérables
Playground Day
South County
Intro to Homeschooling
Runway Fashion
14
15
Fencing
Teen Movie Night
Geology
16
17
18
Chess Day
19
Religions of the
World: Baptist
Astronaut Day
20
5Wits Adventures
Mom's Night Out
Runway Fashion
21
22
Playground Day
South County
Geology
23
24
25
26
Chess Day
Teen Group
27
Playground Day
South County
State House Tour
28
29
Curious George Geology
30
31
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May 2015 Volume 6 Issue 9
Homeschooling with Pinterest (without getting overwhelmed!)
by Alyssa Crowder
I can’t use Pinterest
I would never get off
my computer!!
I spend hours
browsing but
never actually
use what I pin!
The consensus seems to be that Pinterest is a fabulous
tool but that it is very to get sucked in and look up
How do you use
hours later lamenting that you had planned to go bed
Pinterest? It
at a reasonable hour! I joke that taking on the role as
seems so overwhelming?
Pinterest Editor was a way to legitimize my addiction
to the site but in reality I have developed ways of using
Pinterest that allow me to limit my time and curate valuable
resources for myself and our community. So this month I’m sharing how I
do that!
What is Pinterest? Pinterest is essentially a virtual bulletin board
comprised of images and videos. It’s heaven for visually-focused people,
like myself, who struggle with lists of bookmarks in their browser because
you curate images instead of just links. The images you pin usually, but
not always, link back to an article, product, or other content on a website.
Why do I use it? There are two main reasons. The first is for broad inspiration. This would be when I
spend hours on the site browsing and just soaking up ideas. The second, and more frequent reason, is to
gather information, resources, and ideas regarding a specific topic or interest. This type of usage is what
I’m focused on here.
How do I use it (and not get overwhelmed or spend hours of my time)? My approach can be broken
down into four steps:
1. Create a board specific to the topic that you are interested in. Instead of creating a “homeschool
resources” board and then pinning anything school related there, create a board for each subject, topic, or
interest. For example, on my personal Pinterest page I have a series of boards named “Learning About…”
Some of these are fairly broad (ex. “Learning About History”) but others are more specific and reflect topics
that we delve into deeply, such as “Learning About Space” – a passion of my daughter’s. Having this
separate board allows me to quickly find relevant pins when I am looking for inspiration on a particular
topic. Rather than having to search through the other 54 pins on my “Learning About Science” board I can
go right to what I am looking for.
2. Set a goal for your Pinterest session. When I log into Pinterest these days I almost always have a goal in
mind. I’m looking for information related either to our personal homeschooling (such as building confidence
in young readers or printables related to Bob books) or for a specific topic for the ENRICHri boards.
3. Search for resources (sticking to your goal)! I go about finding information in a few different ways:
First, I check my own boards. This is where having topic specific boards comes in handy. There have been
many times that I have forgotten what I pinned a year ago, six months ago, or last week! And often I
already have a pin or two with ideas.
Second, I browse boards of friends, groups (ahem, ENRICHri!), and organizations that I am familiar with
and/or specialize in particular area. While Pinterest is a treasure trove of resources it can also be full of a
lot of junk! Starting with content providers that I already trust can save time and frustration because I’m
aware of the quality of the information. So if, for example, I know there is a specific blogger who I love and
that I know has discussed a particular topic I’ll start there. One of my current favorite blogs is Amongst
Lovely Things by Sarah Mackenzie. She has fantastic recommendations for literature and read-alouds so if
I’m looking for reading activities I might start on her boards. On the other hand if I’m looking for inspiration
on how to organize my homeschool files I might start at the ENRICHri “Homeschool Organization”
pinboard. Or if I’m looking for resources on Colonial times I might visit Colonial Williamsburg’s boards.
Finally, I conduct a search on Pinterest. I try to be as specific as possible in the search terms that I use.
Also for education related topics, I often find it helpful to include qualifiers such as
Continued on page 9
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May 2015 Volume 6 Issue 9
Homeschooling with Pinterest (without getting overwhelmed!)
by Alyssa Crowder
qualifiers such as grade or age level and the type of resource I am looking for
(printables, literature guides, worksheets, etc.). So I may conduct a search for “high
school poetry unit studies” or “Edgar Allen Poe lesson plans.” When I find a useful pin in the search results
I make sure to not only look at that pin but to scroll down and look at the related boards and pins. By doing
this I can usually find relevant information faster.
Continued from page 8
4. Pin Thoughtfully. There is A LOT of information on Pinterest and it is easy to simply pin everything that
looks interesting or catches your eye. But this is not conducive to creating useful boards. When you find a
pin that you like, take a minute to evaluate it and determine whether it is really useful to you.
First, actually click on it and make sure that it’s not a broken link and takes you to a legitimate site. Second,
ask yourself a couple of questions: Is this something I will actually use or do? Does this fit with my
personality or schooling style? I spent a lot of time pinning adorable printables for the preschool and early
elementary years but I recently realized that I never actually print them out and use them! So I’ve stopped
pinning them to my personal boards. Make sure that whatever you are pinning fits you and your family.
I am not saying that you will never get sucked into the Pinterest vortex but hopefully this approach helps
you manage the valuable time you have and still take advantage of the wonderful resources that can be
found on Pinterest!
Spring
By Miriam Sasa
Spring is my wing,
That carries me ‘til I catch the wind.
Wind is the thing that takes me so high and so far,
Until I catch a cloud.
The Could is what keeps me
Until I touch the ground
Ground is where my home sweet home is
Where I will stay and enjoy the wonderful Spring.
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May 2015 Volume 6 Issue 9
ENRICHri Photos
Arbor Day at Swan Point Cemetery
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May 2015 Volume 6 Issue 9
ENRICHri Photos
Logan Airport STEM EXPO
Fencing
Geology
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May 2015 Volume 6 Issue 9
ENRICHri Photos
Teen Group
Bees!
Mounted Police
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May 2015 Volume 6 Issue 9
ENRICHri Photos
Art Show
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May 2015 Volume 6 Issue 9
E N R I C H r i E xe c u t i v e B o a r d
State Coordinator: Beverly Burgess [email protected]
Secretary: Eva Sasa [email protected]
Treasurer: Megan Donovan [email protected]
Business Manager: Jamie Glowacki [email protected]
Member at Large: Stacey Gorbachev [email protected]
ENRICHri Staff
Webmaster: Jess Trabulsie [email protected]
Community Class Coordinator: Melissa Robb [email protected]
Members Coordinator: April Olmstead [email protected]
Newsletter: Melissa Robb [email protected]
Co-op Director: Celeste McClure [email protected]
Assistant Co-op Director: Marcia Pedini [email protected]
Special Events Coordinator: Maggie Maroney [email protected]
PR and Marketing: Jenn Curtis [email protected]
Barbara Slover [email protected]
Pinterest Editor: Alyssa Crowder [email protected]
Reference Librarian: Alyssa Crowder [email protected]
ENRICHri Mission Statement
ENRICHri is a secular community which
provides support and guidance in a
welcoming environment for homeschooling
families in Southern New England.
We will Promote: Life Long Learning,
Community involvement, Cooperative
classes, Active Membership, Cohesiveness
and connection within the homeschool
community.
ENRICHri is a nonprofit 501C3 tax exempt
organization.
ENRICHri does not discriminate based on
race, gender, age, sexual orientation, faith,
home education philosophy or methodology,
physical or other challenges.
Stop and Shop A+ Rewards
If you shop at any Stop & Shop, you can now earn rewards for ENRICHri! Just register your
Stop & Shop card, and you can start to earn points with each purchase. The money we earn
can be used to fund co-ops, field trips, classes, programs, materials: whatever our group
would
like to use it for!
All you have to do is:
Log on to www.stopandshop.com/aplus to register online using your Stop & Shop Card. Once
there, register your Stop and Shop card. When it prompts you to select a school, scroll down
to Coventry, RI and find ENRICHri.
If you use Peapod, you can earn points, as well. Just remember to register your Stop & Shop card on your Peapod
account.
FAQs
Q. One of the kids in in school and we are signed up for our points to go to that school. Can I sign up for both?
A. Yes! You can have up to two schools on your account. Points will be equally divided.
Q. I already get gas points with my Stop and Shop card. Will this program subtract from the gas points program?
A. No, you will earn points in both programs every time you shop.
Q. Can relatives and friends sign up for ENRICHri points?
Questions? Contact Erika :
A. Yes, please invite your family and friends to participate!
[email protected]
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May 2015 Volume 6 Issue 9