Please find (links below) information about the mail-in contest for the Middle/Elementary School
Academy of Science (MESAS) sponsored by The Center for Science Education (CSE) at USC &
South Carolina Academy of Science (SCAS), produced by faculty and staff at Universities &
Colleges in South Carolina and members of SCAS.
I have attached two MESAS Contests for your students (one for grades 4-6 “E Contest” and one
for grades 6-8 “M Contest”). Please make as many copies as you need and distribute to your
students. I hope your students have fun and learn something by competing in the contest. Each
student who participates will be recognized and each school that participates will have at least
one winner. Winners will be announced in the SCJAS and SCAS newsletters and the SCAS
Bulletin. The deadline for entry is Monday, March 1, 2021. The authors of the 2021 contest
include Dr. Don Jordan and members of SCAS. We also have significant support from the
Center for Science Education College of Arts & Sciences at UofSC.
We encourage students to use reference resources of all types, including the internet.
However, we strongly discourage parent’s assistance in finding the answers. This is a
competitive contest meant to teach the children new methods of learning and exploring. We
love the parent’s involvement, but require the students find the answers on their own for
this contest. Questions are prepared with respect to the standards for SC.
The South Carolina Academy of Science Annual Meeting will be held in the Spring at USC
Aiken, Aiken SC. We hope to announce the winners of the SC Academy of Science MESAS
Mail-in Contest by April 15, 2021
There will be lots of winners, not just one or two. We recognized at least one winner at each school
and sometimes at each grade level. Certificates and prizes will be mailed out to each student’s principal
so that the awards can be presented at the school’s Awards Assembly. We have four levels of
winners: School, Region, State, and Grand Winners.
Results will be returned to Teachers/Parents/Principals. (See contest rules next page for more details)
We also encourage MESAS students to participate in their regional science fair in March/April
of 2021. Check with your regional science fair director whose address can be found on the web
at Center for Science Education site.

Parents, It is time to start planning for annual testing and to plan curriculum for next year. For those of you with a child with documented medical conditions that make learning at a “normal” pace or difficulty with testing, CBCCA now offers an Alternate Learning plan. See the information attached. Parents of high school students, CBCCA now offers a High School Credential Certificate in place of a diploma. Please see the attached information to learn about the parameters of this program. I look forward to help you with these plans.

Linda Navorska/CBCCA Academic Advisor: lnavorska@outlook.com

Dear Homeschool Associations Director/Administrator,

Some time ago, you received an invitation to join us for a Military Careers Workshop for Homeschool parents. Unfortunately, this workshop was subsequently cancelled due to low response and other factors beyond our control.

In an effort to keep the homeschool community informed, it remains the Army’s goal to provide a comprehensive understanding of its service requirements, incentives, benefits, free programs, education resources and career opportunities in order establish, maintain and nurture a partnership with our state’s homeschools and parents.

At this time, I would like to invite you to explore several resources and virtual information about the Army by visiting goarmy.com.  This site which is available 24/7 is a valuable one stop resource portal for homeschool administrators and parents alike. Homeschool students may also utilize the site to find their Army Career path/career match, explore the benefits of serving in the Army, connect with an Army representative, learn the process of how to join, locate scholarship opportunities and more.

With that said, currently our higher command is conducting preliminary planning for next year’s annual National Educators Tour at Ft. Carson, CO. I have been asked to place a feeler out to the homeschool education community to gauge interest as this time. The tour will be conducted face-to-face and is scheduled for June 7-11, 2021.  You may find a short video of testimonials from past participants at this link: http://www.usarec.army.mil/downloads/videos/EdTourV1_720p.mp4.

As a brief overview, all selected attendees who participate will be provided:

– Transportation to and from Ft. Gordon, GA
– Hotel reimbursement
– Daily allowance for meals and incidentals
– Professional tour coordination
– A relaxing, informative and collaborative learning environment

No commitment is required at this time as we are only gauging interest. However, should you be interested please contact me directly at Shantelle.n.james.civ@mail.mil

Should you have questions, requests, or would simply would like additional information to connect to the military community, my personal contact information may be found below. At enclosure I have also taken the liberty of providing a copy of your local Army leadership command team as well. 

In interim, stay safe.

Regards,

Shantelle James, M.Ed.
Columbia Recruiting Battalion
Education Services Specialist
Office 803-751-0959
Mobile 803-904-0437
shantelle.n.james.civ@mail.mil

Just a reminder of the CBCCA fellowship tonight. Pastor Carl will discuss “How to Prepare Your Child for College.” This is open to anyone, not just CBCCA members. It starts at 7:00 in the main sanctuary with the same Covid protocol as Sunday mornings. (Social distancing and masks please when going in and out).

One of our members who works at Dataw called to say there were many job openings; from dishwashers to golf course help. The number for Dataw is (843) 838-3838.

FOR SALE AND IN EXCELLENT CONDITION-  $60.00 for set

The Notgrass From Adam to Us curriculum is a one-year world history and literature curriculum for students in grades 5-8.From Adam to Us includes two primary textbooks (one for each semester; each includes 75 lessons). The daily lessons are written in a narrative style and richly illustrated with color photographs and maps. Volume 1: Creation to Cathedrals will introduce students to ancient civilizations, the Great Empires, the early Church, and the Middle Ages. Volume 2: Castles to Computers covers the early Renaissance, Age of Revolutions, Victorian Era, the 20th Century and up through modern communications. Each unit includes five lessons that look at biographies, landmarks, daily life, “God’s Wonders” (natural resources), and “Our World” stories (major events).

he Timeline Book covers the entire curriculum from Creation to the 21st century. Linked to the textbook assignments, students find the box that has the matching lesson number and copy the assigned statement onto the lines. Illustrations, dates, and famous people are also listed. Pages may be kept in-book or removed.

Our Creative World features primary documents that accompany the curriculum, including stories, poems, documents, and pictures of art, artifacts, and architecture. Entries include a short contextual introduction.

The Answer Key includes unit-by-unit answers to the Thinking Biblically and Vocabulary assignments given in the textbook, as well as answers for the Lesson Review book, Student Workbook, and Timeline Book. A vocabulary word list and a short summary of each literature books is also included.

Jennifer Bales jennbales@yahoo.com (843) 368-9528 • Mobile