TLC Information
GROUP SUCCESS
For the TLC Homeschoolers to be a successful support group, member involvement is necessary. The demands of homeschooling are great, but many hands make light work and less stress for everyone! Hosting an event would greatly benefit the group.
EMAIL LOOPS
The TLC Homeschoolers maintains four email loops to serve our group. All our email loops are by membership only and are restricted from unapproved senders. The group leader manually adds your email address to the proper loops, so no extra work on your part is needed. However, please remember to notify your group leader if you change your email address.
When sending a message to all the homeschool families in our group, please address your email to eloop@tlchomeschool.com
When sending a message containing only TLC Co-op information, please address your email to coop.loop@tlchomeschool.com
When sending a message for only our Little Learner families with children 2nd grade and under, please address your email to littlelearners@tlchomeschool.com
When sending a message containing info on Saving Money with coupons, sales, and freebies, please address your email to savemoney@tlchomeschool.com
In ensure viruses are not passed around the TLC email loops and that our members do not feel harassed, the following restrictions apply when using these above loops:
(1) Please only send items relating to family or homeschool information which could include but is not limited to upcoming events and activities, as well as pertinent advice and articles.
(2) The TLC email address can be the only addressee on any emails going over the loops. Many emails have been delayed from getting on the loop due to a large number of recipients. This is a built in protection feature to prevent spamming.
(3) Due to size and virus prevention, do not attached websites to your emails just include the web address.
(4) Do not send too many attachments on TLC emails or your email may be deferred due to size.
(5) Do not include full size photos over the email loops but reduce them in size. Full size photos are normally deferred due to size.
(6) Please share lots of emails over the loops. The more we communicate about local homeschool events and activities, the more successful those activities will be. It may be just what one of our homeschool families has been looking for. You are also welcomed to share educational, homeschool, & parenting articles and advice.
MEMBERSHIP
We sugggest that potential members visit with the Training for Life in Christ group for a few activities / meetings before joining the group. This gives us an opportunity to get to know each other and ensure that membership of a new family is mutually beneficial.
Along with an informal interview with the Group Leader, completion of the membership application is required which includes: Statement of Commitment, Statement of Group Doctrine, Statement of Church Attendance and Family Information. Please contact the group leader for mailing and payment information. Your annual membership dues should accompany your application form.
MEMBERSHIP DUES
All TLC families pay annual membership dues to cover expenses for managing the group which are $25 for the school year. Membership begins on August 1st and expires on July 31st of the following year. Dues will be the same no matter what time of year you join and are non-refundable. All the dues directly benefit our group by covering associated cost for group events, service projects, field trips, and socials. Funds will also be used to cover copying, mailings, guest speaker gifts, church gifts, website maintenance and email loop support. Furthermore, a portion of all membership fees are set aside for general liability insurance required by our event locations as well as small incidental building repairs. Membership in the TLC Homeschoolers also provides your family membership in Maryland Association of Christian Home Educators (www.machemd.org) where we receive FREE admission into the Frederick Homeschool Fair, discount six flag tickets, and more fieldtrips!! A discount rate for membership into Homeschool Legal Defense Association (www.HSLDA.org) is yet another perk you receive with your TLC membership.
MONTHLY SUPPORT MEETINGS
Monthly support meetings are usually attended by the mother and occur once a month on the 2nd or 3nd Sunday evening of each month from September through April (no meeting in December). Meetings may move to accommodate holidays so please check the event calendar for details. Our Little Learners of TLC group host their support meetings 3-4 times a year for their monthly activity and usually meet the first or second Thursday morning. During these support meetings we will cover upcoming events, have pre-arranged topical discussions (with periodic guest speakers), as well as prayer and devotion. Throughout the school year, we will also meet at various locations for social gatherings, field trips and group events.
COOPERATIVE CLASSES
Classes are held for ten consecutive Mondays. For a few of our middle/high school classes we also offer an four additional weeks per semester to handle some of our full year courses. At the end of the winter semester we also offer our presentation social where we celebrate another great year of classes. Co-op classes are available for children Kindergarten through high school with prek and nursery available for siblings only. Please visit our Co-op Classes and Co-op Info pages for more information on this exciting and growing program.
FIELD TRIPS
Field trips are coordinated by group members and schedule to fit their families needs. It is not recommended to schedule events for the months of December and May since homeschool families are very busy during these months. To advertise your fieldtrip, send an email around the tlc loop with your contact information. If it is an activity that requires an advanced reservation based fee (that is unchangable), it is recommended that you collect any money in advance instead on the day of the event.