INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING INFORMATION FOR THE H.E.R.O. E-MAIL NEWSLETTER

The H.E.R.O. e-newsletter is a place where homeschooling families can share information with one another.

All submissions are subject to review, editing, or rejection at the Moderator's discretion.

The H.E.R.O. newsletter is generally sent out Wednesday or Thursday of each week. Announcements should be submitted no later than Tuesday to be considered for inclusion in that week's H.E.R.O. newsletter.

Please follow these steps when submitting information to be included in the H.E.R.O. e-newsletter:

1. Submissions should be sent via e-mail to nancy@happilyeducatingourown.org

2. The subject line of your e-mail should say HERO Submission

3. Include your first and last name in the body of your e-mail

4. Include contact information in the body of your e-mail (phone, e-mail)

5. Include your location when applicable (especially helpful for requests for recommendations, etc.)

6. Be BRIEF - Keep submissions as brief and easy-to-read as possible (see submission format sample)

7. Include vital details (date, time, location, contact information, cost, deadline, etc.)

8. We do not include attachments.

ANNOUNCEMENT FORMATTING INSTRUCTIONS - Click here to see Announcement format samples

ONE-TIME RUN POLICY

As a general rule, we only send out information one time.  This means we do not re-run the same submission multiple times.  We will run a subsequent post if there is a change, additional information to be shared about that particular event or submission, or one reminder notice for an event.  

Since the H.E.R.O. newsletter contains so much information, we do not wish to overwhelm anyone or bog them down by having to wade through a lot of repeat information to get to the new posts.  Also, we believe the families on our list are responsible, organized people capable of responding to a post they are interested in without having to be reminded over and over again.

ANNONCEMENTS REGARDING CLASSES

We believe that parents must be the primary instructor in at least the subjects of reading, grammar, math, science, and social studies in accordance with Arizona Revised Statutes 15-802. In addition, we believe the heart of home education is the parent-child relationship and interaction ... parents teaching and directing the education of their children. Therefore, we limit the inclusion of announcements about classes to those that are supplementary in nature.

Although we do not encourage the outsourcing of a child's home education experience, we do understand the value of helping one another so we are able to continue through the high school years successfully at home.  We will allow announcements about classes in core subjects for upper level students provided they are being offered from within the homeschool community as a means of support and not to replace the parent as the primary teacher. We encourage parents to be judicious when choosing co-ops or classes for their children. The parent should remain the primary teacher as stated in Arizona Revised Statutes 15-802.

Homeschooling parents have different strengths and skills sets. It is good to share our skills and areas of expertise with one another and to encourage one another along the way.  In the H.E.R.O. newsletter we will promote enrichment opportunities, classes, and co-ops that are being led, taught, and organized by homeschooling parents.

• Supplementary, enrichment classes in non-core subjects are welcomed.
• Classes in core subjects offered to upper level homeschooled students from within the homeschool community are permitted.
• No classes affiliated with public or private schools will be published.
• Submissions are subject to review.

Click here to read "A few thoughts on supplementary classes" by James & Nancy Manos

PROGRAMS FOR HOMESCHOOLERS THROUGH PUBLIC & PRIVATE SCHOOLS

We do not promote programs or offerings for homeschoolers run through the public school system (i.e. Eagleridge, Casa Vida) or through private schools. Nor do we promote programs that appear to be homeschooling but are, in fact, public school programs done at home (such as AZ Virtual Academy, Connections Academy, etc.).

POSTING INFORMATION ON THE WEBSITE

If you have information for an ongoing event, class or resource, or if you have an announcement about an event happening at least 2-3 weeks in the future, that information can be added to the website upon request (and upon review and approval by the Moderator).  Due to the effort involved in posting information to the website, we will not post information about events that are happening quickly.  If you wish to have your H.E.R.O. submission added to the website in addition to running in a H.E.R.O. e-mail newsletter, please let us know this in your e-mail.  

SUBSCRIBERS ARE REPONSIBLE FOR INVESTIGATING SUBMISISONS

Submissions from H.E.R.O. subscribers and others are generally unverified. H.E.R.O. subscribers should investigate all submissions on their own and utilize any services or resource at their own discretion.  The H.E.R.O. Moderator does not necessarily endorse all people, products, or services shared in the H.E.R.O. newsletter.

PERMISSION TO REPRINT

If you wish to publish information found in a H.E.R.O. newsletter, we ask that you contact the person listed and ask their permission before including their announcement in your newsletter or publication (either electronic or printed). This is especially important for posts that include someone's personal contact information.  We ask that subscribers DO NOT forward or reprint the HERO e-mail newsletter in its entirety. Thank you!

PROMOTING YOUR PERSONAL BUSINESS

On the H.E.R.O. website we offer a Business Directory and we are happy to list a homeschooler's business or businesses highly recommended by homeschooling families, especially those that are Christian owned/operated.

We ask that you respect the individuals posting information in the H.E.R.O. e-mail newsletters and website. Please do not use the H.E.R.O. e-mail newsletter as a marketing opportunity for your business by harvesting e-mail addresses or phone numbers and contacting H.E.R.O. subscribers to solicit their business.   

We do not include business signature lines with any H.E.R.O. e-mail newsletter submissions. 

We will include a submission in the H.E.R.O. newsletter one time letting people know about your business, and will list it on the H.E.R.O. business directory ... especially businesses owned/operated by homeschooling families or Christian owned/operated businesses. If you are hosting an open house, offering a special sale or discount, or other event for your business, a brief announcement could be submitted for the H.E.R.O. newsletter as well.

The person who submitts a business directory listing is responsible for notifying us if there are corrections or updates to the information listed on the business directory.

Thank you for your cooperation and for helping make H.E.R.O. a healthy, happy, safe place for fellow homeschoolers to share information!    We all get more than enough unwanted solicitations via telemarketers and mail, we don't need to experience that through H.E.R.O. as well :-)

ADVERTISEMENTS

Having the opportunity to buy and sell from one another is a wonderful community-building, community-strengthening situation. However, due to the high volume of advertisement submissions and the significant amount of time involved in compiling the newsletter each week, the Advertisements Section of the H.E.R.O. newsletter was discontinued in December 2008.

H.E.R.O. subscribers have two other options for free classifieds from within the Arizona homeschool community

FREE CLASSIFIEDS SERVICE - www.myazonline.com
From Lonnie and Melanie Clardy:

• We are a homeschooling family with four children.
• Our #1 goal with our website is to meet the needs of HERO subscribers.
• We will be providing classified ads free of charge.
• We will provide weekly automated updates that can be sent to your email box.
• To use the service, go to www.myazonline.com once to subscribe and you will automatically receive the newsletter.
• To place an ad you will go online, register once and then you can place classified ads.
• One of our concerns was keeping the same integrity and safety for HERO subscribers that James and Nancy have. Please mention in any ad you submit that you are a HERO subscriber so people know that when they contact you.
• We also have other features on the site like “Kids Eat Free” and we will be constantly working to improve it.
• Please don’t hesitate to suggest ides that will benefit families or the homeschool community.
  

We look forward to serving you!
Blessings, Lonnie & Melanie Clardy
CONTACT: Melanie@clardyfamily.com
WEBSITE: www.myazonline.com

HOMESCHOOL CLASSIFIEDS EMAIL LIST

Sheila and Craig Greenwood started an email list in May 2009 to provide a place for homeschooling families to buy and sell from one another since the H.E.R.O. newsletter is no longer able to include advertisements. Please contact Sheila to sign up. She'll send you their guidelines for participation.

CONTACT: Sheila Greenwood, homeschoolclassifieds@gmail.com

QUESTIONS ... Contact Nancy Manos nancy@happilyeducatingourown.org