We have scheduled our Christmas party for November 25th! Please refer to the November Newsletter for more information!

It is never too early to get your letter of intent to homeschool your child/ren into the County Superintendent’s office! Montana law requires each homeschool family to notify them of their intent to homeschool either by composing your own letter (including your child’s name and age), or by using the form below.

Click this link to view the Cascade County’s form (You do not need to use it, but it may streamline it for you). You will need to print it and either mail it in or bring it in. If you mail it, be sure to include an SASE so they can send you a copy of the signed document. They also have the forms printed and able to be filled out at the office. The address is 121 4th Street North.

The End-of-School-Year Party will be on Monday, May 15th, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. at the Art Higgins Memorial Black Eagle Park. In the event of inclement weather (daytime high temp below 50 degrees, high winds (20+ mph sustained), or rain.), we will be meeting at the Bridge Church, 3400 Flood Road.

Hello! There will be a used curriculum sale this year on June 17th. Please click HERE for more information!

Hello!

The annual Back-to-School Kickoff will be Friday, August 26th, 2022!

Please check your inboxes for all the details, including time and location! (The newsletter will be sent out on or before August 20th.)

There will be a school-supply treasure hunt, guessing games, and a sidewalk chalk art contest! Plus a chance to meet new homeschool families and catch up with veteran homeschool families!

We can’t wait to see you!

Our Winter Party will be Saturday, January 8th, starting at 2:00 p.m.

We will have games for the kids to play and a snowflake craft for anyone who wants to participate!

It will be a great way for kids to meet kids and for parents to meet parents!

We had to postpone the Christmas Party! Please keep an eye out in your emails for when it will be! We apologize for any inconvenience!

CMOAH would like to invite you to our annual Christmas Party that will be held on December 4th at 2:00 p.m. at The Bridge Church at 3400 Flood Road. There will be music, crafts, the Christmas Store, cookie bar, a game room, a community service project (Christmas Cards for Seniors), and a saran-wrap gift exchange (Pre-K-6, 7-12, 13+).  

We would like a headcount so we can plan ahead! 

Please email us (cmtoah@gmail.com) ASAP with the number of children you will be bringing and their ages. This does not commit you to come. Please do not attend if anyone in your family is not feeling well.

What you should bring (only if you want!):

Cookies 

If you want your children to participate in the Cookie Bar, your family will bring a dozen cookies. The number of cookies will be divided by the number of children, and each child will take home a small bag of cookies at the end of the event!

Unwrapped Gift for the Gift Exchange

There will be three different age groups for the gift exchange: Pre-K-6, 7-12, 13+. If your child wants to participate in the gift exchange, please bring a small-to-medium UNWRAPPED gift valued between $5-$10. Try to have the gifts be as neutral as possible. PLEASE have the gifts to our wrapping station by 2:30! We will then wrap them up in a big plastic ball. When it is time for the gift exchange, kids will attempt to unwrap the ball in a designated amount of time. Once a kid unwraps and receives a gift, they leave the circle!  

If you do not know what to buy, let us know. We can arrange to pick up cash from you in advance of the party and purchase a gift on your child’s behalf!

Cash for the Christmas Store

The Christmas Store is a hit each year and we have had several requests to continue it! Kids will get to come in and shop for their parents or siblings and leave with a wrapped gift. All monies raised go toward events like this. 

If you would like to make a donation to the Christmas Store (Items are normally priced from $0.25 up to $10 or $15 dollars.) Please email us right away and we can make arrangements to pick up the donation. Items must be new (or created to be new).

SCHEDULE AND DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES:

2:00-2:30 Party begins!

Everyone starts arriving and we check you in! Cookies for the cookie bar will be dropped off by the kitchen. Gifts for the gift exchange will be dropped off at the wrapping station. Water and Lemonade will be available. The game room will be open until 4:00 p.m., and kids are welcome to play outside if it is nice. The Christmas Store will be open, too!

2:30 Crafts and Christmas Cards begin! 

Pre-K-6 will have their own Christmas ornament craft, while the older kids will get to choose between two Christmas Ornament crafts. We will have a photographer taking pictures on polaroid film to be used for the crafts, so have them wear a Christmas shirt or sweater if you want!

The Christmas Cards are a gift and service to two local senior homes. For most seniors, getting physical holiday cards really lights up their season. Children will write a holiday greeting to a senior on a pre-made card. (Examples of what they might write will be available.) They can be written out at any time during the party. They will then be delivered to the homes on Monday.

3:30 p.m. Gift Exchange begins!

Children will separate into age groups and the unwrapping will begin!

4:00 p.m. Winding down!

Time to start winding down the party. Kids will get to take home their cookie bag and clean-up begins!

If you would like to help with the party, please let us know when you RSVP!

Our Annual Fall Kickoff Party will be on Friday, September 3rd at 1:00 p.m. at Black Eagle Park.

There will be a School Supply Treasure Hunt, a Student Sidewalk Chalk Art Competition (four age groups), and Nerf Gun battles. There will also be guess-the-number jars (for both parents and kids) and a couple of door prizes for the adults!

If you have school supplies to donate to the treasure hunt, please bring them up to the picnic tables by 1:30 p.m. If your children bring their own nerf guns, please make sure they are labeled! No darts are needed.

If you have homeschool activities or groups you would like to promote, feel free to bring more information and/or sign-up sheets.

We have decided to not have parents bring snacks to share due to children’s allergies. We will provide packaged juice and water. (Until we run out!) 

We hope to see you all there!

Approximate Schedule of Events:

1 p.m.: Start arriving, bring school supply donations to the picnic table, sign up for the sidewalk chalk art competition. Art can start when they get their number. (The sidewalk sections will be numbered, but they need to check-in, first!) 

Nerf Battles and Guess-the-Number will be ongoing. Student’s Choice Sidewalk Chalk will also be ongoing until 2:30.

2 p.m.: Treasure Hunt down in the bottom field. Sidewalk Chalk Judging.

2:30 p.m. Winners of Art, guess-the-number, and door prizes announced.

In the case of rain OR wind over 20 mph and temperature under 50 degrees, we will cancel the event. 

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The first thing you need to do is to notify the county superintendent of schools (in which you reside) of your intention to homeschool. This is required by Montana law and you are required to file this intent every year. If you live in or around Great Falls, Cascade County puts its form online for you to print here. Alternatively, you can write your own letter and bring or mail it to them.

If you are pulling them from a government or private school, you are not required to notify the school superintendent or principal where your child/ren were enrolled, but many have chosen that route so that they are not contacted by their offices. Most parents have teacher or principals’ emails available. You do not have to give them a reason, though some parents prefer to explain why so that the school has written confirmation of any unsolved issues. Some parents have found that a verbal notification goes unheard or they try to be persuaded by staff to keep the child in that school.

You can bring the form or letter into the superintendent’s office or you may mail it. They also have forms at their office (map in link. They have moved the drop-off area to the Property Tax Office.). Either way, you will want to get a copy of it (after the office puts their stamp on it) so you can use your form at many local businesses for a discount.

To view the laws regarding homeschooling in Montana, please click here.

Now that you know of the laws and have filed your exemption, take another deep breath or two. Or three. Repeat this phrase: We can do this!

As a community, we are all here to help you. Feel free to ask questions and get recommendations, try new things, ask your child’s input, and know that you have support! Our email is cmtoah@gmail.com.

We do suggest signing up for our newsletter (by clicking Become a Member) so you can be kept up-to-date on local activities and events.  With the current uncertainty of the times, many families have opted for small gatherings and we, as CMOAH, haven’t been able to plan any of our fun events that we normally have throughout the year. Many homeschoolers are on the Local and State Facebook Groups and our calendar has almost every local homeschool event on it (that we know about, anyway!).