In Memoriam, Hans Oerberg 1920-2010

Sad news from Focus Publishing:

Dear all friends and customers of Hans Orberg

I am very sad to announce the death of my beloved father, Hans Henning Orberg. He passed away peacefully, without pains and surrounded by his children on the 17th of February.

Although very weak and disabled in his last month, he was very happy that he managed to finish his "Ars Amatoria" and see it published. He also leaves this world with peace in his mind, confident that his children will carry on his publishing firm, Domus Latina.

The funeral will take place Wednesday the 24th of February at 2 pm in the church of Grenaa: Grenaa Kirke, Torvet 12, 8500 Grenaa, Denmark.

We would be grateful if you would pass on the sad news to friends and customers that you know of and who are not in the mailing list above.

Yours sincerely

Anders Orberg

Free Latin for the New Millennium Webinar Coming Soon

Bolchazy-Carducci will be presenting a free Latin for the New Millennium Webinar on September 17, 6-8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, with information about both volumes of their new Latin curriculum,. which combines both a grammar-based and reading-based approach.

Memoria Press First Form Latin

Memoria Press has just published a new Latin curriculum, First Form Latin. Known for their adherence to "grammar-first" principles, this program will eventually add a DVD component as well. A follow-up volume, Second Form Latin, is planned as well. See sample pages from their student textbook and workbook as well as the teacher's manual, plus examine a sample First Form Recitation at Memoria Press.

Latin for the New Millennium Webinar August 13th

Rose Williams will be hosting a one-hour webinar on Latin for the New Millennium, a two year introductory Latin series written by Milena Minkova and Terence Tunberg, on August 13th. Teachers who wish to find out more about Bolchazy-Carducci's new series may RSVP for the free online seminar by registering online. After registration, you should receive emailed instructions on how to join the meeting. Participants need a PC (running XP or Vista) or a Mac (with OS 10.3 or higher) as well as a high-speed internet connect (cable modem, DSL, or similar; dial-up is too slow and not recommended.)

Minimus is Coming to America!

Barbara Bell, creator and author of Minimus, "the mouse who made Latin cool," will be spending two weeks in the United States (New York, Pittsburgh, and the Baltimore-Washington area) participating in children's events, teacher-training meetings, book-signings, events in conjunction with the Excellence Through Classics organization, and an online webinar!

Minimus: Starting Out in Latin is a popular course for elementary-age students (ages 7-10), which introduces the Latin language, Roman culture and Classical mythology using stories, dialogues and comic strips. The second volume, Minimus Secundus, continues the course through the middle school level (up to age 13). The Minimus series is published by Cambridge University Press. The author resides in the United Kingdom.

Minimus in the U.S.A.: July 12-26, 2009

New York City: The main event will be an “Online Webinar” from the US offices of Cambridge University Press on Tuesday, July 14. From 2-2:30pm Eastern, Barbara will do a Powerpoint presentation on the story of Minimus, followed by a question and answer session. Anyone who wants to take part in the webinar should sign up by contacting Jim Harmon, the Classics specialist at CUP in New York. The webinar makes it possible for teachers nation-wide to participate without having to leave home.

Baltimore-Washington, DC: On Friday, July 17, Barbara will be holding another teacher-training event at St. Vincent Pallotti High School in Laurel from 9:30 am-1:00 pm. Plans are also being firmed up for two activities for families: the first one will be held in Takoma Park from 10-11:30 am on Saturday and the second is on Sunday at the Laurel library from 1-3 pm. On both of these days, Barbara will be participating in a children’s celebration of Latin, Roman mythology, and Roman history. For more information, to volunteer or register, contact rabesse17ATgmail.com.

Pittsburgh: In the summer of 2009, the Excellence Through Classics Committee of the American Classical League will celebrate its 20th anniversary for promoting the study of Classics at the elementary and middle school levels. In conjunction with Barbara Bell's visit to the USA, several events are being planned in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Please mark your calendars for Wednesday, July 22 - Saturday, July 25th. Highlights include a Welcome TEA Party on Wednesday, a teacher training workshop on Thursday at St. Louise de Marillac Parish Center, a book signing on Friday at Barnes & Noble at South Hills Village Mall, and an event at the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh on Saturday. Details will follow in the next two months. These events will be a collaboration of local, state, national, and international Classics organizations. For more information, contact Zee Ann Poerio, pastchairATetclassics.org, Immediate Past Chair of ETC.


You can find out even more about Minimus by visiting the Official Minimus blog.

Second Free Webinar Planned: Latin for the New Millennium

On Thursday, August 7, 2008, at 3:00pm EDT, Bolchazy-Carducci will be presenting a second free Webinar focusing on their new, introductory two year series, Latin for the New Millennium. Series editor LeaAnn Osburn will review the textbooks, teachers' manuals and other ancillary materials, as well as take questions from the attendees. Attendance will be capped at 30 participants.

All you need to participate is high speed internet access, a speaker phone and an access code which will be provided in an electronic invitation sent one day prior to the webinar, containing a link and login information. Contact Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers for further information.