Special Guidance for Home School Support Groups, Home School Students & their Parents/Guardians
New Jersey Poetry Out Loud welcomes students who are actively engaged in a home school program. In order for home-schooled students to participate, they must compete through a NJPOL-registered statewide-home school association.
This classroom level competition must be according to the POL guidelines of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation and New Jersey Poetry Out Loud so that they are properly prepared for the next level of competition.
ENOCH of NJ, a state home school organization*, will sponsor a school level competition in January 2009. The winner of that competition then will move onto the regional contest.
NJPOL Home School Participation Structure:
Home school support groups are the equivalent of a class of students.
A Statewide home school association (ENOCH of NJ, for example) is the equivalent of a school and will host the contest that determines the school level winner.
That student and ENOCH (or other State home school organizations) will then register the student and school information for the regional contest based on the student’s residential address.
*Note for other interested State Home School Organizations: if you are interested in organizing a school level contest please contact ENOCH of NJ.
Eligibility for Home School Support Groups
Be a home school support group in the State of New Jersey
Must have a student group of approximately 5 -15 participants for the classroom level competition as described in the 2008-2009 Teachers’ Guide. The winner of the classroom level competition would then move onto the school level competition.
Go to the ENOCH of NJ website to complete and submit the registration form to sponsor a classroom level competition in NJ Poetry Out Loud by November 18, 2008.
Ability to conduct the classroom level contest by January, 2009.
Ability to make arrangements (transportation, appropriate permission slips, etc) for the home school association winner to participate in the regional contest.
Agree to follow the NJ Poetry Out Loud guidelines and criteria.
Agree to follow the National Poetry Out Loud guidelines and criteria as described in the 2008-2009 Teachers’ Guide.
Eligibility for Home School Student Participation
Be the grade/age equivalent of grades 9-12
NJ residents do not have to have an affiliation with or belong to a NJ- based home school support group, but
All participation in NJPOL must be through a NJ based home school support group that has registered for NJPOL.
Non-NJ residents must be affiliated with or belong to a NJ–based home school support group.
No student may be excluded from participation in this program on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, disability, or national origin. Under federal law, participation in state competitions and the National Finals is restricted to U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Foreign exchange students and other visitors are not eligible to compete for titles or official prizes at the state and national level, unless they are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
