Welcome to the 2024-2025 School Year!
From the Alveary Team:
We are officially in our 2024-25 school year with lesson plans now live and all of the excitement that comes with it. Planning out a new school year can be a daunting task, especially if this is your first year using a new curriculum. We get it and we are here to help you out as much as possible as you navigate through planning the upcoming school year.
We want to make sure you know all of the resources and ways that you can find support from the Alveary team. Having a community to help you along the way makes all the difference, so check out the ways you can get involved, find answers, and learn from other Alveary members below:
Foundations: We offer two incredible Foundations courses that are included in an Alveary membership and are located in the “Before you start” section of your Dashboard. They are “Relational Ideas” and “Relational Methods”. They are a wonderful way to kick off your planning, especially if you are new to Charlotte Mason. Be sure to check them out.
The Hive: The Alveary Hive is a great way to connect with other Alveary members to ask questions and learn from one another. If you are new to Alveary there is even a “New Member Support” circle to ask questions that experienced members can answer. We have many different circles in the Hive to help you connect with others with similar interests or find Alveary members in your area. Be sure to check out #HiveHelp for tips!
Office Hours: We hold Office Hours every other week, sometimes more. Office Hours are a great way to learn and hear from the Alveary team on a variety of topics. We are always open to more ideas of what you would like to hear so be sure to comment on these events with questions and suggestions for future events! You can check out all of our upcoming events here.
Contact Us: Please feel free to contact us through our contact form with any questions you may have related to Alveary. We will do our best to get back to you as quickly as possible. This is a great place to ask questions about the curriculum or for questions that you can’t find answers to in the Hive. We are always happy to help!
Reflective Practice Plan: Starting a new school year requires intentional planning and that is just what our Reflective Practice Plan is all about. Do not skip this step as you start planning for next year. It is so beneficial to reflect back on the year and move forward with a clearer perspective. We even have a “Reflect Together” circle in the Hive! You can find the Reflective Practice Plan book in the “Before you start” section of your Dashboard.
Zoom Calls: If you are in the Hive you will have an opportunity to hop on Zoom with other members to learn and grow together. For example, this week Amy Fluharty, a long-time member of Alveary, led a Q+A session for moms to chat and ask questions in an informal setting. We love to see experienced members lending a helping hand to others!
Alveary Mom Videos: If you like getting tips from other Alveary members check out these videos on our YouTube channel where a group of Alveary moms share some amazing and useful tips for planning and getting started with Alveary.
We are always here to help you out in any way we can. Feel free to submit a question by email to Contact Us, reach out on Instagram, or tag us in the Hive. We hope your planning is going well and that these resources will help you along the way!
Notes
1. Lesson Plans are Live: The moment we've all been eagerly anticipating is finally here—2024-25 school year lesson plans are now live on your Dashboard (Step 3)!
2. Alveary Hive: Are you in the Hive? Members are sharing schedules, asking questions, and connecting. Hop on over and introduce yourself. While you're there, look for a few Circles to join!
3. Planning Your Year: We'd love to showcase how some of our members plan their year on social media and the Hive. If you're interested in documenting a bit of your process, please reach out to Sarah at sarah@cminst.org.
4. Office Hours: Please join us next Wednesday June 12 for Office Hours for a Lesson Plan Q&A! Submit all of your Lesson Plan questions in this Hive event by noon Tuesday, June 11th to allow time for us to prepare thoughtful responses.
5. Art Lessons: We have some updates to the art lesson this year. We have more instructional videos and the lessons for each term will focus on one topic instead of switching for each lesson. For example, in Level 1, the first term focuses on drawing, the second term focuses on brush drawing, and the third term focuses on color theory. Watch this short video with Erin Day to hear more.
6. Alveary+ QR Codes: Don’t print from Alveary+ yet! By August 1, lesson plan printouts will include a QR code for links.
7. Giveaway: CMI is giving away amazing prizes all month long on Instagram, so be sure to follow for your chance to win! Make this the summer of joy and creativity at the Joy of Making Conference in Wilmore, KY.
8. Conference Deadline: The cost of tickets for the Joy of Making will increase on June 15. So run and grab them if you haven’t yet. We can’t wait to see you there!
9. Common Place Quarterly: Alveary curriculum developer Kathryn Avery contributed an article to CPQ’s Upper Years edition titled Johann Sebastian Bach: Composer of Living Music. For just $25 per year, you can enjoy digital access to all 25 back issues of CPQ, plus the new issues coming out this year! Use code CMIdigital25 at checkout.
10. Office Hours: Here is a link to the recording of Wednesday's office hours on Alveary+
