Right Around the Corner

We have exactly two weeks left of summer. Two weeks to gather the rest of our school supplies, to decide on books and courses, to prepare uniforms and get haircuts. Two weeks to enjoy the sweltering Portland heat. Fourteen days isn’t really a long time, especially when you factor in weekend visits, family activities, church meetings, bedtimes, dinners, laundry foldings, and regular life that happens. It’s not much time to find a new computer, or finish cleaning out the basement. Its not enough at all, actually.

Somehow, whether or not I get each thing done, the days will slip by me and September third will greet me with that amazing smell in the morning air. The smell of back-to-school, of shopping at the Gap for sweaters, and of new notebooks. Fall and everything it includes can be bitter sweet. There are promises of a new start, new things to learn, new things to experience, as well as promises of dark and dreary days where it seems that time has stopped, and everything in the world is immobile.

This fall we are setting out into the unknown, much like so many men and women before us who have begun new adventures. Our family actually has no idea where we will be six months from now, or where life will take us. It’s an adventure, right? My husband is done with his degrees here in Portland around Christmastime, and after that? We will wait to see with anticipation, and probably sometimes dread, but regardless, history is being made at the Harmon Academy. The history of us, and we will have stories to tell!

The Harmon Academy is growing, from two students to four this year! We are excited to welcome a satellite school in East Portland, with one student, as well as moving our youngest up into a pre-K program this year, we will have four officially in books.

• So far,  our class catalog for fall includes:
• US History
• Algebra 1
• Math 2
• Matter and Motion Science
• Entomology
• Biology
• Art History and Artist Studies
• Art Fundamentals
• Grammar
• Handwriting/cursive
• Geography and Cartography
• Independent studies on Shorthand and Linguistics
• Sewing and Home Economics
• Woodshop
• PE
• We will also be going through a book on prayer, as well as the Operation World calendar, which will serve as a wonderful overview of the countries of the world, in addition to working out what we learn practically in the prayer book.
• Book lists are still being compiled!
• The Pre-K program will include:
• Pre-reading
• Math Manipulatives
• Art Fundamentals
• Biology and Entomology
• PE
• Sewing and Home Economics
• The East Portland school will also be including:
• World History

As the summer comes to a close, our classroom is slowly taking shape. Maps of the eastern US, whole country maps, maps of Asia and Europe, timelines, hopefully a giant flag, and possibly individual student desks will be included in what has been our dining room. We usually end up eating in the kitchen, and when guests come, they spread out around the house. The wood paneling in the dining room makes me feel like we are attending Charles Xavier’s School for the Gifted.

You can expect posts from some of the students this year as well!

Sincerely Yours,

Shelley

***The Harmon Academy will gladly accept donations of school supplies, books, navy blue sweaters, stickers, fruit snacks, fun letters in the mail, or anything else you may feel like helping out with! This will be a skin of the teeth year for us, as we will be living on an extremely restricted income. For more information, you can email me here: theharmonacademy@gmail.com