This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 12/14
Professional Development in Carmichael

Tuesday
Plymouth
Jezreel - 10:00
Somerset
Yarrow ~ 11:20
Plymouth
David - 3:30

Wednesday
Ione
Grace - 11:00
Luke & Alex - 12:30
Jasmine & Roxy - 2:30

Thursday
Camino
Alex M. - 11:00
Grizzly Flat
Teran ~ 12:30

Friday
Office Day

Spelling Bee

Visions invites 1st to 8th grade students to participate in the school-wide Visions Spelling Bee this Friday 12/11 from 9 to 1. More information on the Spelling Bee event page.

Scholastic Book Fair

Join us at our annual Scholastic Book Fair, December 7th – 11th, for a fun opportunity to purchase books and other educational items. Families have two options to make purchases (on site or through Launchpad) and each enrolled student is allotted up to $50 from school funds for the book fair. To learn more visit our Book Fair event page.

Picture Day

Visions will host a Picture Day at the main office during the week of the book fair (Thurs, Dec. 10).  For more information, visit our Picture Day event page.

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 12/7
Office Day

Tuesday
Ione
Gage - 11:00
Haley, Riley, Madeline, & Paige- 12:30

Wednesday
Jackson - Grace Church
Wyatt - 11:30
Ana & Baruch - 12:30
Emily - 2:30
Tristan - 3:30

Thursday
Pine Grove
Emma N. - 11:00
William - 12:15
Joy & Tobias- 1:30

Friday
Hold for Carmichael IEP meeting

Upcoming

• Scholastic Book Fair: Monday, December 7 - Friday, December 11
• LP 4 Ends: Friday, December 11
• Optional School Pictures: Thursday, December 10
• Spelling Bee: Friday, December 11, 9-1 p.m.
• Christ Community Church, Manzanita Avenue, Carmichael. Grades 1-8 will do a grade level preliminary spelling bee. The top three winners of grades 3-8 will progress to a final round. The winner of the final round is eligible to participate in the Central Valley Spelling Bee.
• Winter Break: Monday December 21 - Friday, January 1

• New Year's Day: Friday, January 1
• School Resumes: Monday, January 4
• LP 5 Ends: Friday, January 15
• Martin Luther King Day (No school): Monday, January 18
• Teacher Work Days (No School): Tuesday and Wednesday, January 19 and 20
• LP 6 Begins: Thursday, January 21

Report Cards

First semester report cards for K-5, and grades for 6-12, will be due at our LP5 meeting.

K-5
I will bring a paper (draft) copy of the report card to our LP4 meeting. (For parents to fill out and have ready for our LP5 meeting.) I will create the final copy, submit one to Visions and one to you.

6th through 12th grade:

Parents will provide LP5 grades at our LP5 meeting. I will calculate the cumulative grades from LP1-LP5 and enter them in to Launchpad. Visions will create and send the report card to you.


For additional information on Grades and Report Cards, or to download copies of K-5 report cards, see the Grades and Report Cards Overview page on the Wire.

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 11/30
Office Day

Tuesday
Ione
Khloe & Sadie - 11:00
Tyler & Lexi - 1:00

Wednesday
Grace Church in Jackson
Leila - 11:00
Zora - 12:30
Clark's Corner in Ione
Lillian - 2:00
Jaye - 3:00

Thursday
Pioneer Library
Xanett - 12:00
Joey - 1:10
Wyatt - 2:20
Emma E.- 3:30

Friday
Office Day
Somerset
Yarrow - 10:00

First Day of LP4

Today is the first day of LP4.

Please check that your semester plans are up to date through the end of the semester (through LP5). Thank you! Let me know if you have questions or need any help.

Spring semester plans will be due for our LP5 meeting. (At the very least, I'll need your LP6 plans that will correspond with the official 2nd semester work samples.)

I will be collecting second semester "official" work samples during our LP6 meeting (or LP7 meeting if we meet the first week of the LP).

Any questions?  :)

Thanksgiving Break

Next week is Thanksgiving Week.

I will be working on Monday and Tuesday so feel free to contact me if you need anything. I will be unavailable Wednesday - Sunday. School resumes Monday, 11/30.

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 11/16
Office Day

Tuesday
Plymouth
David - 8:30
Jezreel - 10:00
David - 3:30

Wednesday
Ione
Grace - 11:00
Jasmine & Roxy - 12:30

Thursday
Camino
Alex M. - 11:00
Placerville Library
Yarrow - 2:10
Teran - 3:20

Friday
CT - Small Group Meeting

Upcoming

• Daylight saving time ends: Sunday, November 1
• Sly Park Science Camp: Monday, November 2 - Friday, November 16
• Overnight science camp for 5th & 6th graders only. Student enrollment by contacting Nancy Peterson at napeterson@viedu.org.
• Veteran's Day (Holiday): Wednesday, November 11
• LP3 Ends: Friday, November 13
• Thanksgiving Week Break: Monday, November 23 - Friday, November 27

• Scholastic Book Fair: Monday, December 7 - Friday, December 11
• LP 4 Ends: Friday, December 11
• Optional School Pictures: Thursday, December 10
• Spelling Bee: Friday, December 11, 9-1 p.m.
• Christ Community Church, Manzanita Avenue, Carmichael. Grades 1-8 will do a grade level preliminary spelling bee. The top three winners of grades 3-8 will progress to a final round. The winner of the final round is eligible to participate in the Central Valley Spelling Bee.
• Winter Break: Monday December 21 - Friday, January 1

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 11/2
Office Day

Tuesday
Ione
Gage - 11:00
Haley, Riley, Madeline, & Paige- 12:30

Wednesday
Jackson - Grace Church
Jaye - 11:30
Ana & Baruch - 12:30
Emily - 2:30
Tristan - 3:30

Thursday
Pine Grove
Emma N. - 11:00
William - 12:15
Joy & Tobias- 1:30
Pioneer Library
Wyatt - 3:30

Friday
Office Day

Student Budget Transfer Season

Copied from The Wire...

We want to let Home School Academy families know that budget transfers will be accepted during the month of November (either by email, fax or mail) and they will be processed by early December, so that families may have funds in place for Spring semester ordering. Please email the Budget Transfer Form to rc@viedu.org, or fax them to 916-971-5379 or mail them to the attention of the Resource Center at our main offices at 5030 El Camino Avenue, Carmichael, CA 95608.

The purpose of budget transfers is to allow families to have the ability to move budget dollars between student(s) accounts within the same family, should a certain student have a need for a greater amount of educational resources or services. Transaction ranges are limited to:

• Individual student account deduction, limited to $100-$250 (no more than $250 from a single student).
• Individual student account increase, capped at $500 (no more that $500 can be added to a single student).

If you have any questions on any of these items please submit them through our Help Form.

Thank you,

The Resource Center team

Sacramento Children's Museum Homeschool Days

Did you know about this? I didn't, but I know a family who went recently and LOVED it!

It is worth checking out :) And the museum is a Visions vendor so you can get a voucher for the cost of admission!

From their website:

DETAILS  During Homeschool Days, students will have exclusive access to all of the Museum's hands-on exhibits, and two different classes per age group will be offered. Classes are appropriate for Grades Preschool-6 and may include science, art, music, cultural, and/or literacy classes.

DATES/TIMES  The program will be offered the second Monday of each month from 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. On-site registration and check-in begins at 12:30 p.m. Upcoming 2015 Homeschool Days are Nov. 9 and Dec. 14.

COST  Admission is $5 per person, which includes all classes and Museum play. Members and children under 1 are free. The Museum is a vendor with Horizons Charter Schools, Visions in Education, South Sutter Charter School, and Pacific Charter Institute and its entities.

CLASSES  Registration is required to take classes. To register, click HERE to sign up online, e-mail sherry@sackids.org, or call 916-638-7225 ext. 104. Classes are split by age group. However, if you would like your child to attend a class time outside of their age group or would like all of your children to attend the same class, you are more than welcome to sign them up for your preferred class time. Each class will be tailored to meet the needs of that age group. Please note: Registration is NOT required if you are coming for Museum play only.

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 10/26
Professional Development

Tuesday
Ione
Khloe & Sadie - 11:00
Tyler & Lexi - 1:00

Wednesday
Ione
Leila - 11:00
Zora - 12:30
Lillian - 1:35
Jaye - 3:00 (Clark's Corner)

Thursday
Pioneer Library
Xanett - 12:00
Joey - 1:10
Wyatt - 2:20
Emma E.- 3:30

Friday
Office Day

Where The Wild Fractions Are: The Power Of A Bedtime (Math) Story

I heard this story on NPR's All Things Considered last week...

"Parents who are uneasy about their own math skills often worry about how best to teach the subject to their kids.

Well ... there's an app for that. Tons of them, in fact. And a study published today in the journal Science suggests that at least one of them works pretty well for elementary school children and math-anxious parents.

A team from the University of Chicago used a demographically diverse group of first-graders and their parents — nearly 600 in all — across a wide swath of Chicago. One group got to use an iPad app called Bedtime Math, built by a nonprofit with the same name. (The app is also available for Android, but we're told most used the iPad version) The no-frills app uses stories and sound effects to present kids with math problems that they can solve with their parents."

See the rest of the story here.

Harvest Festival - This Friday

Friday, October 23, 2015 - 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Sunrise Community Church, 8321 Greenback Lane; Fair Oaks, CA 95628

Bring the family and enjoy Visions annual Harvest Festival. 

Enjoy games and activities including Bean Bag Toss, Fishing Booth, Face Painting, Cake Walk, Crafts and more.  This is a no fee event.                          

Food and snacks will be provided.

(Turkey and vegetarian hot dogs, chips, popcorn and water.)

Register through the flyer.

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 10/19
Office Day

Tuesday
Plymouth
David - 8:30
Jezreel - 10:00
Ione
Grace - 11:30
Alex & Luke - 1:00

Wednesday
Ione
Lily - 1:00
Jasmine & Roxy - 2:30

Thursday
Camino
Alex M. - 11:00
Placerville Library
Yarrow - 2:10
Teran - 3:20

Friday
Harvest Festival - Sacramento

Upcoming

• LP2 Ends: Friday 10/16
• Harvest Festival: FLYER: Friday 10/23.

• Daylight saving time ends: Sunday, November 1
• Sly Park Science Camp: Monday, November 2 - Friday, November 16
• Overnight science camp for 5th & 6th graders only. Student enrollment by contacting Nancy Peterson at napeterson@viedu.org.
• Veteran's Day (Holiday): Wednesday, November 11
• LP3 Ends: Friday, November 13
• Thanksgiving Week Break: Monday, November 23 - Friday, November 27

• Scholastic Book Fair: Monday, December 7 - Friday, December 11
• LP 4 Ends: Friday, December 11
• Optional School Pictures: Thursday, December 10
• Spelling Bee: Friday, December 11, 9-1 p.m.
• Christ Community Church, Manzanita Avenue, Carmichael. Grades 1-8 will do a grade level preliminary spelling bee. The top three winners of grades 3-8 will progress to a final round. The winner of the final round is eligible to participate in the Central Valley Spelling Bee.
• Winter Break: Monday December 21 - Friday, January 1

Keyboarding Skills

Looking for some cool resources to teach your students keyboarding skills?

Being able to quickly maneuver around the keyboard is a valuable skill. Not only are our standardized tests being administered on the computer, but kids are using academic programs on the computer more and more these days.

Here are some well reviewed paid programs:
Typing Instructor for Kids Platinum 5

Disney: Mickey's Typing Adventure for Windows and Mac

Keyboarding Without Tears

Spongebob typing

Here are some free programs (beware of ads):
BBC Dance Mat Typing
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3c6tfr
learninggamesforkids.org
http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/keyboarding_games.html
Typershark
http://www.shockwave.com/gamelanding/typershark.jsp
e-learningforkids.org
http://www.e-learningforkids.org/computer-skills/lesson/keyboarding-skills/
Typing master games
http://www.typingmaster.com/games/typing-games.asp

This Week's Meeting Schedule

This is one of the rare LPs that we have four actual school weeks. Therefore, there are no regularly scheduled meetings this week. I will be busy working from home getting all of your work samples ready to submit to the school. I will be available by text, phone, or email to answer any questions you may have.

Monday 10/12
Jackson
Emily - 12:30
CT Meeting @ 1:30

Tuesday
Office Day

Wednesday
Office Day

Thursday
Office Day
Somerset
Available for make-up meetings at Crossroads Cafe, 6032 Grizzly Flat Rd, Somerset, CA 95684
Gage - 11:00?
Lily - 12:00?

Friday
Office Day

Studies Weekly Update

I heard at our staff meeting today that Studies Weekly was inundated with a HUGE increase in orders this year, something like a 10 fold increase. That is why we have experienced such an issue with orders and shipping.

If you still don't have your Studies Weekly order, or your order came and it was incorrect, please use the "Help with Orders" button on your Launchpad Order screen to notify the resource center so they can check on your order for you.

Meanwhile, you can view all of the Studies Weekly newspapers online. You don't need a registration # or email to do so. Just go to Studies Weekly and register as a teacher.
https://www.studiesweekly.com/online/

CAASPP Results Coming

The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) results will be mailed out to families next week.

The CAASPP report will include the Smarter Balanced results for grades 3-8 and grade 11. In addition, for students in grades 5, 8, and 10 the reports will have the Science California Standards Test (CST) results.

Remember...

• This is only one of multiple measures of how your student is doing
• The results should be viewed as a conversation starter or “a tool” to help identify where your student is performing well, and where he or she might need a little bit extra support
• These results cannot be compared with the old Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) system scores because it is measured on a different scale and the test varies greatly from the old STAR tests
• With all new systems, it is understood that it takes three to five years to become familiar with new standards and learning strategies for scores to reflect a complete transition

Below are some links to help you understand the CAASPP reports, and you can always email, text or call me with any questions you may have.

Understanding CAASPP reports links:

• CAASPP Individual Score Reports Home Page
• Sample Score Report
• Grades 3-5 Parent Guide
• Grades 6-8 Parent Guide
• Grade 11 Parent Guide
• Understanding Your Child’s Score Report Video

Are you curious as to how Visions students scored overall? How California students scored overall?
(Downloaded from the California Department of Education website on 10/2/15) 
Visions in Education CAASPP report 2015
State of California CAASPP report 2015

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 10/2
CT Meeting

Tuesday
Ione
Gage - 11:00
Haley, Riley, Madeline, & Paige- 12:30

Wednesday
Jackson - Grace Church
Wyatt - 11:30
Ana & Baruch - 12:30
Emily - 2:30
Tristan - 3:30

Thursday
Pine Grove
William - 11:00
Emma N. - 12:15
Joy & Tobias- 1:30
Lily - 3:30

Friday
Office Day
Pine Grove
IEP at 10:00

Still Waiting on Curriculum?

A number of families are still waiting on their curriculum. Some items on backorder, and the Studies Weekly has had some difficulties shipping this year.

If you are still waiting on curriculum, you can do a few things.

1) Wait another week or so to see if it arrives and use your list of grade level standards to create learning activities.
2) If it was a TextbookX order, I can check the backorder list for you. Just email me what books you are waiting on, and I can check the estimated time of shipping.
3) If you order was through another vendor, and it has been over 3 weeks since your order was processed (check on Launchpad), you can use the "help with orders" button on your Launchpad Order page to contact the resource center. They can check the status of your order.

Also, if you don't have access to an online component of your curriculum, one that was supposed to be included in your order, use the "help with orders" button to request the access info from the resource center. 

Let me know if you still have problems!

Jurassic Quest Coming to Monterey

Thanks to Bianca Sigala for sharing this info!

Coming to Monterey October 23-25.

http://jurassicquest.com

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 9/28
Office Day
Somerset
Yarrow - 11:00

Tuesday
Ione
Khloe & Sadie - 11:00
Tyler & Lexi - 1:00

Wednesday
Ione
Leila - 11:00
Zora - 12:30
Lillian - 1:35
Jaye - 3:00 (Clark's Corner)

Thursday
Pioneer Library
Xanett - 12:00
Joey - 1:10
Wyatt - 2:20
Emma E.- 3:30

Friday
Office Day
Google Hangouts
William - 1:00 ?

Quick Links From The Wire

(Links will only work if you are signed in to Launchpad)
K-8
Sutter's Fort Environmental Program
Science Camp for 5th and 6th grades

High School
ASVAB Career Exploration Program
Pumpkin Ball
PSAT
Sierra College Parent Information Nights
Sierra College Career and Tech Ed Exploration Day
Foster Youth Training Program

Meeting Scheduling

Do meetings seem closer together than last year? I heard this question a lot this LP, so I thought I would share with you how our meetings are planned.

We are required to meet once each learning period. Learning Periods can have from 15 to 20 school days, and some of them have holidays smack in the middle.

I have used the Learning Period calendar to set up three weekly "groups". (I can't schedule four, because some of the learning periods don't have four weeks :) Your meetings will fall into the first, second, or third meeting-week group of the learning periods. These groups are represented on the calendar below in orange, green and yellow.

There are no regularly scheduled meetings on Mondays and Fridays. Mondays are when Visions schedules our professional development meetings and our CT meetings. In addition, many holidays fall on Mondays. Fridays are my day to do paperwork.

Since standardized testing has not been scheduled this year, we may need to be flexible in April or May.

I'm hoping to be able to note all of your meeting dates on your semester plan by the end of our LP2 meeting.

Let me know if you have any questions!

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 9/21
Office Day

Tuesday
Plymouth
David - 8:30
Jezreel - 10:00
Pine Grove
William - 12:00

Wednesday
Ione
Grace - 11:00
Luke & Alex - 12:30
Jasmine & Roxy - 2:30

Thursday
Camino
Alex M. - 11:00
Placerville Library
Marley - 1:00
Yarrow - 2:10
Teran - 3:20

Friday
Office Day

Upcoming...

Monday 9/21 - LP2 Begins

Wednesday 9/30 - F.A.M.E Begins

Monday 10/19 - LP3 Begins

Friday 10/16 - Last Day to Add/Drop

Friday 10/23 - Harvest Festival

Sunday 11/1 - Daylight Saving Time Ends

Monday 11/2 - Friday 11/6 - Sly Park Science Camp (5th & 6th Grades)

Wednesday 11/11 - Veterans Day - No School

Monday 11/16 - LP4 Begins

Monday 11/23 - Friday 11/27 - Thanksgiving Break

LP2 Begins Next Monday

We are almost through the first LP of the year. It was a short but busy one!

I will be inputting your LP2 assignments into Launchpad on Friday, so please have your semester plans updated (at least through LP2) by Thursday. Thanks!

If we are meeting this week, I can help you update it then. If you have any questions about your semester plan, please contact me. 

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 9/14
CT Meeting
Rancho Murietta
David - 2:00

Tuesday
Ione
Gage - 11:00
Haley, Riley, Madeline, & Paige- 12:30

Wednesday
Jackson - Grace Church
Emma E. - 12:00
Ana & Baruch - 1:30
Tristan - 3:30
Emily - 4:30

Thursday
Pine Grove
William - 11:00
Emma N. - 12:15
Joy & Tobias- 1:30
Lily - 3:30

Friday
Office Day
Phone
Emma N. - 10:00
Joey - 11:00

This Year's FAME Schedule

(Courtesy of Tracy Muldery)

Join us at the Amador Center (Grace Fellowship - 8040 S. Hwy 49, Jackson) for fun and informative sessions about music and art, open to grades K-8+. Each FAME (Fine Arts Mini Experience) session includes a lesson about an artist and a musician, which will be followed by a hands-on art lesson with materials provided for each student. This is a relaxed atmosphere where students and parents can come together to meet other families.

Class Time: 9:30 - 10:45
Cost for four classes: $20 - Enroll in Launchpad Class ID#16033

Each lesson consists of:

• Introductory segment (skit, presentation, etc.)
• Information about a selected composer and artist of same genre, timeline.
• References to elements of art (line, texture, composition, etc.)
• Large reproductions of featured art, featured music, pictures of artist/composer.
• Individual student art projects emphasizing the same featured concepts.

Semester 1 Class Dates:
Class # 1 - September 30:
(FAME III) The Marriage of Giovanni Arnolfini and His Bride (Jan van Eyck) and Minuet in G and Toccata & Fugue (Johann Sebastian Bach.) Lunch provided (open to all students.)

Class # 2 - October 28:
(FAME III) The Purple Robe (Henri Matisse) and Rhapsody in Blue (George Gershwin.)

**December 2 – Additional Fee - $15.00 – *Enroll in Launchpad Activity #  (Gingerbread Houses (9:30-11:30), Party & Talent Event following at 11:30. Refreshments provided **NOTE: Not included in class fee.

Semester 2 Class Dates

Class # 3 - February 24:
(FAME III) The Blue Boy
(Thomas Gainsborough) and Sonata in C Major (Wolfgang A Mozart)

Class # 4 - May 11:
(FAME III): Persistence of Memory
(Salvador Dali) Hungarian and Rhapsody #2 and Liebestraum (Franz Liszt) Lunch provided (open to all students)

Hope to see you there! ~Traci Muldery, CT (209-217-6538) and Kirstin Leggett (Musician/Parent.) Complete, sign and bring one Field Trip Permission Form per family/semester

Link to Flyer

I Can Statements, Standards, Learning Units & Report Cards

Looking for information on what your child needs to know this year? Here are some links to commonly asked for information.

Learning Units
The subject units for grades K-8. These are the "big picture" units you choose to focus on each learning period (LP) to help ensure that the standards are covered. If you lose this link, the learning units can be found on the Hub. Open the Helpful Homeschool Documents and scroll down. The link is at the top of the second page.
Learning Units Link


California Standards (Common Core)
If you lose the following links, the standards can be found on the Hub. Open the Helpful Homeschool Documents and scroll down. The standards can be found on the second and third pages.

Transitional Kindergarten & Kindergarten
1st Grade
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
4th Grade
5th Grade
6th Grade 
7th Grade
8th Grade
High School Standards (Link to the CA Dept. of Education page)

I Can Statements
Created by the Folsom-Cordova School District, they turn the standards into an "I Can" statement that makes them easier to understand. (K-6, + TK Math)
I Can Statements Link


Last Year's Report Cards (K-5, 6th grade and up receive letter grades)
These are for reference only. I don't imagine that there will be many changes, but you never know.
Last Year's Report Card Folder Link

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 9/7
Labor Day - No School

Tuesday
Ione
Khloe & Sadie - 11:00
Tyler & Lexi - 1:00

Wednesday
Ione
Leila - 11:00
Zora - 12:30
Lillian - 1:45

Thursday
Pioneer Library
Wyatt - 12:00
Joey - 1:10
Xanett - 2:20
Emma E.- 3:30

Friday
Office Day

What to Expect From Meetings

Meetings begin this week so I thought I would just do a quick rundown of what to expect.

I will be...

• meeting with you for approx. one hour each Learning Period (each student).
• bringing your attendance sheet for you to initial.
• bringing any other paperwork that needs to be submitted.
• notifying you of deadlines and upcoming important dates.
  
• answering questions and helping with issues that arise.
• collecting work samples and discussing them with you and your student(s).
• reviewing your semester plan.
• discussing your student's progress and collecting progress grades.

Here is how you can get ready for your meeting:

• Have work samples ready for collection, review and discussion. (See next post for more info about work samples.)
• Update your Semester Plan with any changes to your assignments or materials. (I will go over this with all new families at our first meeting.)
• Enter progress grades and comments into your Semester Plan. (I will go over this with all new families at our first meeting.)

I do my best to be prompt about meeting times, however, due to the nature of the job and the distances I travel, I may be up to 15 minutes early or late to any meeting. 

Work Sample Guidelines

The Basics...

• 1 work sample for each subject, each meeting.
• Samples should come from the time period between meetings and reflect the learning units and assignments on your Semester Plan.
• Samples should be on 8.5 x 11 paper so I can easily file them. (I am required to keep work samples on file for all of my students for 3 years)
• Samples need to show student work. (No multiple choice tests or activities, or screen printouts of computer based activities.)
• Please don't put dates on the work samples. (If there are dates, they need to match exactly with information on Launchpad, and that can be a challenge.)
• Please try to leave the upper right hand portion of the paper blank. (I will be placing labels with your student's name, the learning unit and the assignment in that section.)

Art and PE Samples

A hand drawn image or photograph of the activity on the top half of a piece of paper, with a written description/narrative on the bottom half.

(In general, descriptions/narratives should follow these guidelines: K - can be dictated and parent/guardian can write, 1st grade - one sentence, 2nd grade - two sentences, 3rd grade - three sentences, 4th grade - four sentences, 5th grade - five sentences, Middle and High School - half page + write-up)

Official Samples

Twice a year I need to submit official sample packets to Visions. I try to collect these samples during LP1 and LP6. I understand that it can be difficult if not impossible to have all of your samples ready for our first meeting of the year, especially if you don't have curriculum yet, or if we meet the first week or two of the year. In those cases, I will collect the remaining official samples at the LP2 meeting.

Tips and ideas: 

• Put your student(s) in charge of choosing, creating and organizing work samples.
• Gather your work samples the week of our meetings so they are of recent work and students will easily be able to discuss what they learned.
• Make the school day before our meeting day a "work sample day" where students can pull together things they want to share and create things that they don't have ready yet.
• If it is easier for you to gather work samples early each LP, to get it out of the way, consider having your student(s) review them the day before the meeting so they can remember what they did :)
• Get together with other homeschool families to create Art and PE samples.

If you are having trouble coming up with work samples, please let me know. We can brainstorm ideas. Remember, it is only one sample, per subject, per learning period, and you are working every day!

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 8/31
Office Day

Tuesday
Plymouth
David - 8:30
Back to School Picnic
Detert Park 10:30 to 12:30
Jezreel - during or after picnic

Wednesday
Ione
Grace - 11:00
Luke & Alex - 12:30
Jasmine & Roxy - 2:30

Thursday
Camino
Alex M. - 11:00
Placerville Library
Marley - 1:00
Yarrow - 2:10
Teran - 3:20

Friday
Office Day
Pine Grove

Lily - 11:00

Happy First Day of School

And it is a FRIDAY! What genius planned it that way?

I am super excited to meet with everyone, find out about how your summer was, and learn of your plans for the year. It is going to be a GREAT one with lots of growing, learning, and exploring.

Remember: Start out slowly. The first week or so should be about building excitement for learning, adopting a routine and procedures that work, and setting up your classroom and curriculum. Give yourself room to make mistakes. Give yourself room to grow. Remember why you choose to do this, and HAVE FUN!

Here are some Back-to-School thoughts and ideas:

• Back-to-School Tips for The Homeschool Mom (or Dad) 
• 120 Ideas for Back-to-Homeschool 
• Homeschooling 101: First Day of School 

You know where I am if you need me :)

Do you have more/better resource links to share? If so, email them to me and I will add them to the Homeschool Resources Blog page!

Back-to-School Picnic

Tuesday, September 1st

Detert Park in Jackson

10:30 to 12:30

Bring a picnic lunch

Link to the flyer.

Those Lego Classes...

The Lego class registration opened today. Last time I checked, the K-4 class was already 1/2 full with 8 slots left.

To order:

• Go to Launchpad, Click on My Orders
• Click the New Order button
• Click Next to get through the new order Wizard screen.
• Choose VIE Classes & Events

• Select Class in the dropdown menu

You can sort by city or county now. (Thank goodness! Do you remember scrolling through hundreds of classes to get to ours?) The Lego Classes look like this:

• From here, just follow the directions to order the class

Call me if you need any help.

School Starts Friday

If you need help with ordering, planning, or anything else, just let me know! I am available via phone, email, text, Skype, or Google Hangouts to help with anything you need.

Here is the link to the meeting schedule for the first LP.

2015-16 School Calendars

School Year Calendar:
Click on this link: 2015-16 School Calendar

Learning Period Calendar:
Sign into Launchpad on a separate tab, and then click on this link: 2015-16 Learning Period Calendar

School starts on Friday, August 28.
CTs will begin contacting all families on Friday, August 14.

Enrichment Classes

Visions Enrichment Classes - Resuce

To view the Rescue enrichment classes, go to the Home Schoo Hub, click on Classes and Events and filter for Rescue on the Location bar on the right hand side.

Here is a direct link to a printable version of the schedule. You can order Rescue Enrichment classes through Launchpad "classes and events" starting Friday.

Visions Lego Classes - Jackson  (not on the Hub)

K-4th Grades Engineering  12:10-1:30  

LP# 16815 

Sep. 23                 Pullback motor dragster

Oct. 28                 Skyscraper (group project)

Nov. 18                Truss Bridge

Dec. 16                 Rail Racer

5-10th Grades Robotics  1:40-3pm  

LP# 16816  

Sep. 23                  Mini Golf Robot

Oct. 28                  Dead Reckoning Robot

Nov. 18                 Basketball Shooter Robot

Dec. 16                 Moving Target Robot

$66 for all four classes.

Registration opens first day of school, August 28th. (Order through "classes and events" in Launchpad).

Boston Alley Homeschool Fitness Classes (Sutter Creek) - Starting September

5th -12th Grade

Mondays & Wednesdays at 3:30

K-3 (4th graders also welcome, but the focus will be on the K-3 PE learning units)

Thursdays at 10:00

Please call Tyler at Boston Alley if you are interested in these classes.

209-507-2305

43 Boston Alley, Sutter Creek

(Order voucher through Launchpad)

Mary Longacre Enrichment Classes (Pine Grove)

Mary offers science, history, art, music and writing classes for K-8 students. 

Here is a link to her handout.

(Order voucher through Launchpad)

Ann Kania Art Classes (Ione)

Ann offers Art classes for grades K-12 using Artistic Pursuits materials.

Here is a link to her information.

(Order voucher through Launchpad)

Do you know of other opportunities for home school families in this area that you would like to share? If so, just send me an email and I will post it.

Check-in

Hello Everyone! I hope your summer was as relaxing, engaging, and fulfilling as mine was :) I am so excited to see everyone, hear how your summer went, and get started on this new school year.

While school doesn't officially start for students until Friday, August 28th, I'm sure you are anxious to begin planning, ordering, scheduling and checking-in. All Visions CTs begin work today, so I am available to you for any questions or help you need.

I will be calling all new families either today or Monday to touch base and get started.

Returning families, please feel free to call, text, or email if you have any questions or need any help.

Meanwhile, (for new and returning families) make sure to fill out the meeting preferences form below so we can start scheduling meetings :)

What is New at Visions

You may have noticed some changes at Visions for this school year.

Funding has been increased from $1,700 to $1,800 per student. Yay!

The Homeschool Hub, The Wire, and the ehandbook have been updated. They are all accessible through one location. The New Wire.