We are sending you: *Our 2010 Calendar which is attached -please keep a copy handy and            print out this term for your school area wall. * Details of the Fiji Missions Trip, 30 Oct. to 7 November, see the            information below… *Attendance Registers for term one are attached –try to fill it out           regularly…It needs to be sent in at the end of term.
ALAN Program Newsletter #1    2010                          Dear ALAN Program Families	*Confirmation of Enrolment letters are being sent out this week by           Jennifer. *Details and a flyer about  the 3 Parks Camp that is running in Week 8            will also be sent out this week in order to give families plenty of            notice and time to save funds.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas together as a family sharing the special memories that come at this time. One thing is for sure it has been a busy Christmas for ALAN Program staff. We currently have over 200 students enrolled and all but a few late comers have their programs and placements ready for the start of term.

It is surprising how quickly we have grown despite not advertising, only offering placements to a few districts and even asking families in some areas to “keep things quiet.”  We do not want to be secretive it’s just that we could not cope with the enrolment queries if we did advertise and open up to other districts.  Our growth needs to be staged and we need to ensure we are employing the right people for the positions God is creating.

It is clear to me that God has been providing the right people and we are pleased to announce the appointment of Louise van Heerden to the Toowoomba position. Louise has been involved in primary and early years education for the last 10 years. She has experience in day school and home schooling.

I originally spoke with Louise on the phone while she was in South Africa, 6 or so years ago. I had received her CV and was very impressed with her commitment to Christ and servant heart. So I rang to encourage her. I remember praying to God as I hung up the phone, “Lord, I would love to work with Louise”. Many years later after Louise had moved to Queensland and completed her retraining, God who hears our prayers, has provided the opportunity for Louise to join the Jubilee Alan Program team as a Full Time Teacher. As you can imagine, I am amazed at God’s provision and I am enjoying the strengths Louise has brought to our team.

So, please pray that God will provide the right locally based Teachers for South Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast as we are currently advertising.

I also want to thank Lizy Johnson for her continued hard work in North Brisbane and I know families have already been enjoying her friendly service gaining tutoring and advice even through the holidays. Thanks Lizy.

           Our Fulltime Teaching Team so far…

If you can please print this section of the newsletter out so that students will be able to put a face to the name. We also would like families to be able to contact a teacher at any time, so if your teacher is tied up on the phone or out on the road visiting, you can still get someone to help who cares. We work as a team and do not have an issue with you calling one of the other teachers.

I would also like to welcome Jennifer Lesnik who is doing up to 15 hours per week of admin work for us. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Resources News
Our online data base for managing our libraries locally and automatically, is up and running. We just need time to enter the data and show you all how to use it. I have not rushed this as we want to do it well. This system will save us tens of thousands of dollars in Library staff wages and thus give us more money for resources. I want to thank my wife Vanessa for her work helping to coordinate the Library and Readers system in the interim.

We have recently purchased the following items:
*   $14 K of additional early readers to top up the $17 K we already have and to provide for new families.
*   20 Electronics Kits –they are so good and we got them for a third of their rrp. I am trying to buy 20 more from the same supplier.
*   $2K on Christian Novels –purchasied direct from the States and getting excellent value for money. We still need to spend $5K in this area.

Still to come:
*   We have purchased 7 Microscopes and have had 3 large Binocular Scopes donated.  However, I still feel we need to buy:

 *  Another 5 quality Binocular  3 compound microscopes.
*   Science Chemistry kits and Equipment to be house locally
*   General Maths Equipment to be housed locally

Workshops
Last year the 22 workshops were well received and we are going to continue our efforts in this area. Please watch the calendar for when dates are coming up and help us to work in with things happening at a local level so that we do not run in competition with other events. If a day we have put down does not work for a large number of families in the area we will do our best to change the date. Just remember, you can never get a date that pleases everyone.

We are also trying to provide computer labs for student in all areas. This is easy out West as the Skill Centers and schools are very accommodating. However, in the city they are wanting big dollars or not wanting to let us use their rooms at all. I have even done a costing to buy 25 laptops. But then you still need the venue with power points and furniture?

So if you have any contacts in this area, please let us know, as we are wanting to use our funding wisely.

New Programs and Placements
I am pleased to report that approximately 30 new families (70 new students) have all received placement interviews and their completed documentation to help them make a strong start to the new school year. As we have received several new families just in this New Year we still have a couple families waiting for their collaborative planning meeting or documentation. Please know that we are getting to you as soon as possible and give me a call if you have any concerns.

Existing Program Updates
Across February and early March you will be working with myself or your teacher to discuss program updates. Sometimes this is just a matter of updating the year levels and the text in the series. However, sometimes people may be having trouble with a particular program and it is good to review and find out either what needs to happen to get it working or find out what the alternatives are available. Your Teacher and I will work with you to do this and it is important that we are on the same page and work together. I still find families that have spend large amounts of money on what “Betty “ down the road uses and loves, only to find it is not right for their children or even at the wrong level.  So, please keep us in the loop.  

2009 Final Reports
Have been collated and I just have to check through them and have them printed. This is difficult at this busy time. Thanks for your patience, we are aiming to have them out by the end of February . Some of our students have needed reports for other course access and we have and will continue to fast track these few student reports, but generally we would like to get them out in one process.  Next year we have planned to collect the data two weeks earlier in Term 4 and we have moved the Fiji Trip forward so that it does not clash.

Jubilee Christian College ALAN PROGRAM Fiji Missions Trip 2009
Dates: 30 October to 7 November -7 Days           Cost:$1000
Once again we are pleased to be able to offer our older students this exciting opportunity to gain real world missions experience. I have attached a flyer. Please don’t miss this wonderful opportunity.  

Jubilee ALAN Program Calendar 2009
Please find attached the 2010 Calendar that I will also make available online… It is a busy year and you will see several camps, many home visits and work shops are planned in each area. There are also a number of educational trips and get togethers that will be happening and later a forum will be set up for each area group to save time on area leaders ringing around. Please print this calendar out and pin it on the wall where it  can be referred to.

I want to close by thanking you all for your encouragement and support. It is really nice to hear back how ALAN services have been able to support you in your vital work.

Regards Jason Caldwell
ALAN Program Coordinator 
www.Homeschoolqld.com