HomeschoolNY/LEAH is hosting a virtual Homeschool Legislative Day coming up on April 20th.
Pre-event training sessions will take place on April 13.

Register and participate as a family for a great learning experience and an opportunity to advocate for homeschooling in NY.

You don’t need to be a member of HomeschoolNY to register, and they even made a special check box for North Country Homeschooling members.

For more information: https://leah.regfox.com/2021-legislative-day

The upcoming edition of North Country Live!, sponsored by International Paper, will feature the following sessions, each of which takes place at 7 p.m. on Zoom. All these programs are free and open to the public.

To register and receive a Zoom invitation for any or all of these programs, visit www.nccc.edu/live. Each presentation and panel discussion will include an opportunity to interact with and ask questions of the host or hosts.

• History of NCCC Campus Locations, Feb. 11 and 18. From battlefields, to hospitals, to engines of industry, this series will explore the history of the North Country campus locations before they became places of higher learning. Hosted by faculty member Tom McGrath.
• Managing Recreation in the High Peaks, March 4. A panel discussion on what steps can be taken to address overuse in the High Peaks. Hosted by Jimmy Cunningham, director of North Country’s Wilderness Recreation Leadership program.
• Threats to Adirondack Water Quality, March 11. Co-sponsored by the Adirondack Watershed Institute at Paul Smith’s College, this program will focus on road salt contamination, aquatic invasive species, failing wastewater treatment systems and other pressures on Adirondack waterways.
• Climate Change: What Can You Do About It, March 18. We know that climate change is happening. What can you do about it? A group of college and high school student leaders will share their ideas and perspectives.
• Backcountry Preparedness 101, April 8. Hikers and backpackers can sometimes wind up in bad situations because of a lack of knowledge or preparedness. This program will focus on how to plan and prepare for your next adventure. Hosted by Jimmy Cunningham, director of North Country’s Wilderness Recreation Leadership program.
• Why We Garden, April 22. To mark Earth Day, Cornell Cooperative Extension-trained Master Gardener Diane O’Connor looks at the physical and emotional benefits of gardening, with helpful tips and techniques for establishing a healthy, happy garden that nourishes both body and spirit.
• All About Birds, April 29. A multimedia introduction to birding hosted by Joan Collins, President of Adirondack Avian Expeditions and Workshops LLC. Topics will include: songs and calls – why birds make sounds and how they create them, how we identify bird species, habitats of the North Country, fascinating behaviors and more!

Calling all Middle School and High School playwrights! Pendragon Theatre’s annual play-writing contest for students is all virtual this year. Deadline: April 9, 2021. https://newpendragon.org/young-playwrights/

By Carolyn Anderson and Hil Rafferty-Weinisch 
Directed by Margaret E. Hall 

“Petticoats of Steel” uses primary sources to tell the true stories of women, specifically those in the State of New York – Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Ida D. Wells​, Mary Church Terrell, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton (among others) – and the roles they played in gaining voting rights for all women in the United States of America. 

How to register:
Link:  https://tickets.proctors.org/TheatreManager/95/login?&coupon=0
Enter: “VOTES4WOMEN” and register

Cost: Free of charge for school 
Length: 48 minutes 
Dates: February 22 – March 5, 2021 
Grade Levels: 5 & up
Curriculum: American History, New York History, Social Studies, ELA, Women’s History

Access: The content will be placed in your online account you create or login in to when registering. See these 4 easy steps on how to view the content: https://www.proctors.org/howtowatchvirtual. 
If you have virtual learners you can use the share screen option in your classroom. 

TNRSEF is a student’s door into challenging scientific research and engineering design, exciting Fair Day experiences, awards and state, national and international advancements, and we’re excited to be able to run this year’s fair virtually. The fair is set to take place in Mid-march.

The fair is open to all students in Clinton, Essex, Franklin and St. Lawrence Counties grades 5-12, although only 9th-12th graders are eligible to participate in the higher level ISEF fairs if selected.

More info at terrafairs.org; and here is a PDF of the fair announcement poster: https://terra-docs.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/terra-fairs/TNRSEF_11x17.pdf

Dan Spada will host two zoom sessions about ice in the North Country.

Session 1 on January 25, 2020 at 1pm will cover:
– what is wild ice skating?
– what kind of gear do we use?
– what precautions for safety do we employ?
– what happens in case of emergencies?

Session 2 on Feb. 8, 2020 at 1pm will cover the ecology of ice:
– how does water act as temperatures change?
– how does ice form on lakes and ponds?
– what is the effect of ice cover on living things below it?

Both sessions are free to attend and will last 40 minutes. To register and receive the zoom link, email Sunita Halasz at sunitahalasz@gmail.com

DEADLINE REMINDER:
Titus Homeschool Skiing Registration forms are due tomorrow Dec 18, 2020.
Please get them in the mail if you haven’t already!  Any questions, please email me at angelalaforest@msn.com.
**Just to clarify, Titus Homeschool Ski is not a drop-off program.  No supervision is provided after the one-hour lesson.**

This program is open to North Country Homeschool families and will consist of five consecutive Friday ski or snowboard days with lessons Jan. 15, 22, 29 and Feb. 5 and 12,2021. 

There are package options with/without lift tickets (if you already have Titus season passes) and with/without equipment rental.

Eligible participants include:
Youth in grades three and above and Adults

Youth age 6 through grade two are also eligible with an extra fee of $10 per week to cover the cost of an additional instructor for their own age group.

Prices for adults and students grade three and above are shown in the attached registration forms.  For each student age 6 through grade 2 please add $50.

To register: Please print and complete a separate form for each person in your family that will ski/snowboard. For “Name of School/Group” please write North Country Homeschool.  Fill in your individual email, address, and phone number, and all other particulars for your participant(s).
Please write one check for your family total (including the $50 extra fee(s) if applicable), payable to Titus Mountain Family Ski Center LLC and mail it and your completed and signed registration forms BY DECEMBER 18 to:
Angie LaForest 123 Goddeau Rd. Cadyville, NY 12918

Please email me if you have questions: angelalaforest@msn.com

Ever wonder how all the wildlife adapt to seasons changing from Fall to Winter? What do they do? Where do they go? How do they stay alive? Join our Educators for some fun learning activities to find out. Our afternoon block will include a visit to our indoor rock climbing facility, The Crux! Our Max capacity for the morning block is 20 as we’ll be outside, and our afternoon block is 10. Due to limited indoor space, please understand our priority is to get students in the Crux and we may need to ask parents to relax by the Pok-O-Queen wood stove for the afternoon block. As always, please call ahead to reserve a spot at 518.963.7967, leaving your name, how many people are in your party, which activities you plan on doing and a number to call you back to confirm your spot. $10 for either morning or afternoon programming or $15 for all day. All gear for rock climbing will be provided.

Please refer to previous blog posts for information on time, directions, Covid considerations and other information.