Monday, May 11, 2015

Book Return Events

From The Wire...



As we are wrapping up another great school year,  we wanted to let you know that we will be hosting several regional events to assist you in your year-end book returns.

Please see the following information for the locations, dates and times:

  • May 29 – 10 am – 12 noon, Pleasant Hill Community Park, 147 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill
  • June 3 – 10 am – 2 pm, Northgate Christian Fellowship, 2201 Lake Herman Road, Benicia
  • 
June 4 – 10 am – 12 noon, Century Assembly Church, 550 West Century Blvd., Lodi
  • June 5 – 9:30 – 11:30 am, Grace Fellowship Church, 8040 S. Highway 49, Jackson

  • June 5 – 1:30 – 3:30 pm, Foothills United Methodist Church, 3301 Green Valley Road, Rescue


Have a great end of the school year!

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 5/11
Ms. Bryon in Carmichael for Professional Development

Tuesday
Pine Grove
Emma N. - 1:00
Joy - 2:15
Tristan - 3:30

Wednesday
Jackson Public Library
Emma P. - 11:30
Ana & Baruch - 1:00 - 3:00
Leila - 3:00

Thursday
Placerville 
Marley - 11:00
Thomas, Dianne & Kennedy - 12:15

Friday
Office Day
Phone - 
Thomas, Dianne & Kennedy - 1:00

Monday, May 4, 2015

LP10!


Wow. LP10 is here. The last month of school. This has been such a wonderful year. Watching your children grow and learn, and being part of your educational choice has been such a privilege for me. Thank you.

A few things to keep in mind as we wrap up the school year:

  • Our next meeting will be the last one of the year. It will also be our report card meeting.
  • Mother's Day is Sunday, May 10.
  • Memorial Day is Monday, May 25.
  • Graduation Day is Wednesday, May 27.
  • Field Trip reimbursement deadline is the last day of school, Friday, May 29.
  • Pre-Ordering deadline is the last day of school, Friday, May 29.
  • Regular ordering begins for TextbookX on July 7. (TextbookX marketplace orders begin August 14).
  • Regular ordering for other vendors and vouchers begins July 10.
  • Visions book sale in on June 18. (Thanks Audre for catching my error!)

Don't forget to check your returnables list. There will be a book drop off day in Jackson at the beginning of June. Time and date to be determined. You can also give books and materials to me at our last meeting and I will return them for you. If you forget to return books or materials, they will just roll over to next year's account at 10% of their current value.

Field Day This Friday

Field Days are a “no fee” event and open to all K-12 Home School students and their immediate family members. Students will compete in a variety of field games supervised by the Visions staff.

While your children are playing, parents/guardians will have an opportunity to network with CTs, administrators and other Visions home school families.

The morning ends with a family barbecue provided and cooked by Visions staff. [Hot dogs (turkey and vegetarian), chips, lemonade and water]

Questions? Contact Nancy Peterson in the Home School Office at 916-971-5518 or email napterson@viedu.org


Where: Detert Park, 560 North Highway 49/88, Jackson
When: Friday, May 8, from 9:30 to 12:30
You will need: to register here and bring a completed permission slip available here.

Flyer

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 5/4
Ms. Bryon in Carmichael for Professional Development

Tuesday
Plymouth
Jezreel - 11:00
Haley, Madeline, Paige & Riley - 12:15

Wednesday
Camino
Alex - 11:00

Thursday
Ione
Alex & Luke - 12:30
Jasmine & Roxie- 2:35

Friday
Field Day

Monday, April 20, 2015

Vendor Fair

From The Wire...


Monday, May 4th
10am-12pm
Christ Community Church 
5025 Manzanita Ave Carmichael CA, 95608


This year’s Curriculum Vendor Fair is bigger than ever with 34 vendors participating—16 of them brand new to Visions or never before represented at the fair!

We’ve compiled our list of participating vendors and are excited to share them with you below. The fair is your chance to take the guess work out of which curriculum or services to purchase in Fall. You will have the opportunity to learn more about each vendor, browse through their curriculum, check out e-vendor websites, take home brochures/catalogs and goodies, and to speak directly to a company representative or a CT who is familiar with the vendor’s services.

There is no fee to attend and parents are welcomed to bring the kids!

Participating vendors are (companies marked with * indicate new or never represented vendor):
  • ABC Mouse

  • Acorn Naturalists*

  • All About Reading & All About Spelling

  • Blackbird & Company*

  • Book Shark*

  • Brain Pop
  • 
Brave Writer

  • Brighter Child
  • 
Essentials in Writing*
  • 
Evan-Moor Educational Publishers*

  • Gradpoint*

  • Growing with Grammar/Soaring with Spelling/Winning with Writing

  • Highlights*

  • Homeschool Programming

  • Institute for  Excellence in Writing
  • 
Kids Discover*

  • Lakeshore Learning

  • Math U See

  • Mathletics*

  • Moving Beyond the Page*
  • 
Nasco Science*
  • 
Oak Meadow, Inc.*

  • Quality Science Labs

  • Raddish Kids*

  • Right Start Math

  • Royal Fireworks Press*

  • Singapore Math

  • Spelling City

  • Starfall & More Starfall

  • Study Island*

  • Superkids
  • 
Tech Rocket*

  • Time4Learning & Time4Writing

  • Visions In Education Classes

  • Visions In Education Resource Center

  • Zoo-phonics

Testing Update...

Testing begins this week for those of you that are testing at the Rescue site.


Rescue Site
Foothills United Methodist Church
3301 Green Valley Rd.
Rescue, CA 95672


STAR Testing*
April 20, 12:45 p.m.

SABC Testing
April 21, 22 and 23, 12:45 p.m.

(Dianne, Thomas*, Alex)

Please arrive 10 to 15 minutes early for check-in.


Go Thomas, Dianne and Alex! Try to relax and just do your best.


This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 4/20
Office Day

Tuesday
Ione
Gage - 11:00
Daisy & Gracyann - 12:30
Lillian - 12:45

Wednesday
Plymouth
Michael & David - 8:30
Ione
Grace - 11:00
Somerset
Teran - 1:00

Thursday
Pioneer
Wyatt - 12:00
Joseph - 1:00
Emma E. - 2:15

Friday
Office Day

Monday, April 13, 2015

Curriculum Ideas

One of our CTs has compiled a list of common homeschool curriculum by grade. The lists are pretty comprehensive and have information on how to order, if the curriculum meets standards and what you would need to supplement if it doesn't, and notes.

She is updating these lists continuously, so if you have suggestions of items that you think would be helpful to add, please send me an email with the information and I will forward it to her.

Kindergarten
1st Grade
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
4th Grade
5th Grade
6th Grade
7th Grade
8th Grade

High School is still in Development

I will also place these links on the Homeschool Resources page.

Upcoming...



Monday, April 20 - STAR Testing in Rescue - (5, 7, and 9th Grade Science Test Only)
Tuesday, April 28 - STAR Testing in Jackson - (5, 7, and 9th Grade Science Test Only)
Tuesday April 21 to Thursday April 23 - SBAC Testing in Rescue - (3 -8 and 11th Grades)
Wednesday, April 29 to Friday May 1 - SBAC Testing in Jackson - (3 -8 and 11th Grades)
Friday, May 1st - End of Learning Period 9


Monday, May 4th - Vendor Fair in Carmichael - info
Friday, May 8th - Field Day - info
Sunday, May 10th - Mother's Day
Monday, May 25th - Memorial Day (No School)
Wednesday, May 27th - Graduation Ceremony
Friday, May 29th - Last Day of School
Friday, May 29th - Deadline for pre-ordering



~ June 3rd - 5th - Returnables Drop off in Jackson (Actual date and time to follow)
Saturday???, July 6th - TextbookX ordering begins
Wednesday, July 10th - Voucher, vendor and computer ordering begins
Thursday, June 18th (12 - 3) - End of Year Book Sale - (To be confirmed)

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 4/13
Office Day

Tuesday
Pine Grove
Emma N. - 1:00
Joy - 2:15
Tristan - 3:30

Wednesday
Jackson Public Library
Emma P. - 11:30
Ana & Baruch - 1:00 - 3:00
Leila - 3:00

Thursday
Placerville 
Marley - 11:00
Thomas, Dianne & Kennedy - 12:15

Friday
Office Day

Monday, April 6, 2015

End of Year Book Sale


Visions holds an end of year book sale, for returning families, to recycle books and curriculum materials. Materials can be purchased (with student funds only) at a discount. One other plus...you can purchase materials from any grade level at this event.

Book Sale: Carmichael, June 18th - More info to follow as it comes.

Returnables


If you have "returnables", there will be a Visions book and materials pick-up day in Jackson sometime between June 3rd and 5th. (Date to come soon.) You can also take them down to Carmichael, mail them to the resource center, or give them to me at our last meeting.

New policy for returning families: If you do not return your returnables, they will be automatically retained after June 5th, (added to next year's account), at 10% of the original value*. No need to fill out the textbook retention forms any more. Yay!


*Any lost book will be charged at original cost.

Latest on Pre-Ordering...

Returning families will be able to "pre-order" April 6 - May 29.


  • Pre-orders will be processed in July
  • Pre-orders will be exempt from the processing fees
  • Pre-ordering is only for curriculum vendors, NOT TextbookX, SkyQ or vouchers. (You will still have to order any curriculum that is available at TextbookX through TextbookX, starting July 6.)
  • You will order the same way you do now, through Launchpad. You will see a new dropdown menu to choose the school year. It should default to 2015, which is the correct year for next year's curriculum orders.


TextbookX ordering begins July 6.
Voucher and Computer ordering begins July 10

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 4/6
Ms. Bryon in Carmichael for Professional Development

Tuesday
Plymouth
Jezreel - 11:00
Haley, Madeline, Paige & Riley - 12:15

Wednesday
Camino
Alex - 11:00
Jackson - Grace Church
Wyatt - 1:00 - 2:30
Phone
Daisy - 3:00

Thursday
Ione
Alex & Luke - 12:30
Jasmine & Roxie- 2:35

Friday
Office Day

Monday, March 23, 2015

Spring Break Next Week!


Visions will be on Spring Break next week - Monday 3/30 through Friday 4/3.
Have a wonderful time!

Testing Update

I have received the student site assignments for this year's STAR and SBAC testing. Here is the latest information:


Jackson Site
Grace Fellowship
8040 South Highway 49
Jackson, CA 95642


STAR Testing*
April 28, 12:00 p.m.

SABC Testing
April 29, 30 and May 1st, 12:00 p.m.

(Haley, Madeline, Riley, Jasmine, Teran*, Daisy, Lillian, Wyatt*, and Luke)

Rescue Site
Foothills United Methodist Church
3301 Green Valley Rd.
Rescue, CA 95672


STAR Testing*
April 20, 12:45 p.m.

SABC Testing
April 21, 22 and 23, 12:45 p.m.

(Dianne, Thomas*, Alex)


Please let me know if you have any questions! I will post further information as I receive it.

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 3/23
Ms. Bryon in Teacher Meetings

Tuesday
Ione
Gage - 11:00
Daisy & Gracyann - 12:30
Lillian - 3:00

Wednesday
Plymouth
Michael & David - 8:30
Ione
Grace - 11:00
Somerset
Teran - 1:00

Thursday
Pioneer
Baruch & Ana - 10:30
Wyatt - 12:00
Joseph - 1:00
Emma E. - 2:15

Friday
Office Day
Phone
Emma P. - 10:00


Monday, March 16, 2015

Sierra-at-Tahoe Ski Days Cancelled

From The Wire:

It is with much sadness that we have learned that Sierra-at-Tahoe had to close their resort today, March 16th, as a result of no new snow. Our next scheduled Ski Day, Friday, March 27th has also been cancelled.

A big thank you to our CTs, Ty Beekman and Shelby Shupe,  who put in many hours to create these opportunities for our students. For those who participated, I hope you had a great time. Hopefully, we will be back on the slopes next year. All Launchpad orders placed for March 27th will be deleted. If you have prepaid for adult or sibling costs, they will be refunded.

Feedback Survey


Thank you to everyone who submitted the feedback survey last week. I got some great info that I will be using to improve services for next year.

If you didn't get the chance to take the survey yet, please consider it. While it is not mandatory for you, it is mandatory for me to try to get as many replies as possible and to share them with my administrator :) Please know that I am very interested in your thoughts an opinions.

Remember...it is completely anonymous!

You can take the survey here.

Reminder


The last day to order computers or vouchers for this school year is Friday!

Get your voucher orders in by 5 p.m. (I think they will technically take them until 11:59 on Friday, but you don't want to miss the deadline.)

Field trip reimbursement forms can be submitted right up until May 29th.

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 3/16
Office Day

Tuesday
Pine Grove
Emma N. - 1:00
Joy - 2:15

Wednesday
Jackson Public Library
Tristan - 1:00
Emma P. - 2:00
Leila - 3:00

Thursday
Placerville 
Marley - 11:00
Thomas, Dianne & Kennedy - 12:15

Friday
Office Day

Monday, March 9, 2015

Feedback Survey

Please take a moment to take the following parent/guardian survey. It is completely anonymous :)

Thank you!


This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 3/9
Office Day

Tuesday
Plymouth
Jezreel - 11:00
Haley, Madeline, Paige & Riley - 12:15

Wednesday
Camino
Alex - 11:00

Thursday
Ione
Alex & Luke - 12:30
Jasmine & Roxie- 2:35

Friday
Jackson Public Library
Wyatt - 12:00

Monday, March 2, 2015

Mark Your Calendar for our Field Day!


Field Day
Every Spring Visions sponsors Field Days in a variety of parks throughout our service area.

What are Field Days? Field Days are a “no fee” event and open to all K-12 Home School students and their immediate family members. Students will compete in a variety of field games supervised by the Visions staff.

While your children are playing, parents/guardians will have an opportunity to network with CTs, administrators and other Visions home school families.

The morning ends with a family barbecue provided and cooked by Visions staff. [Hot dogs (turkey and vegetarian), chips, lemonade and water]

Questions? Contact Nancy Peterson in the Home School Office at 916-971-5518 or email napterson@viedu.org


Where: Detert Park, 560 North Highway 49/88, Jackson
When: Friday, May 8, from 9:30 to 12:30
You will need: to register here and bring a completed permission slip available here.

Flyer

Academic Talent Search for 4th-9th Graders


Talent-search
Academic Talent Search (ATS) provides academically challenging, fast-paced courses to  highly able and motivated 4th through 9th grade students in the greater Sacramento area. Classes are held on the Sacramento State campus, giving participants the opportunity to sample University life at an early age. 4th and 5th grade students can discover new approaches to traditional topics and experience enrichment opportunities in new subject areas. 6th through 9th grade students can experience a collegiate environment while accelerating their learning in traditional subjects.

To qualify for this summer program, Visions in Education will be providing the qualifying exam on March 11, 2015  at 10:00 – test is over.  The testing location will be at the Visions In Education building 5030 El Camino Ave Carmichael, CA  95608.

Please call Theresa Mora School Counselor (916) 971-5399 or tmora@viedu.org to put your students on the list.  Please include the following information:  The student/students names and grades so testing materials can be obtained.

There is a $15.00 processing and registration fee. Please have checks made out to Academic Talent Search for the amount of $15.00. Fees will be collected at ATS testing day on March 11, 2015.
For more information about the cost and individual classes that will be offered in the summer,  visit their website at: http://www.csus.edu/coe/ats/.

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 3/2
Office Day

Tuesday
Office Day

Wednesday
Grace Fellowship Church, Jackson
Wyatt - 11:00 - 1:00

Thursday
Jackson Public Library
Emma P. - 11:45
Emma E. - 12:45

Friday
Phone Conference
Kimbrough - 12:00

Monday, February 23, 2015

Upcoming...


End of Learning Period 7 - Friday, 3/6
Last day to add a voucher vendor - Friday, 3/6
Daylight Saving Time Begins - Sunday 3/8
Last day to order vouchers and computers - Friday, 3/20
End of Learning Period 8 - Friday, 3/27
Spring Break - Monday, 3/30 - Friday 4/3


STAR Testing - (5, 7, and 9th Grade Science Test Only) -  Tuesday, 4/28
SBAC Testing - (3 -8 and 11th Grades) - Wednesday 4/29 through Friday 5/1
End of Learning Period 9 - Friday, 5/1


Field Day - Friday, 5/8
Mother's Day - Sunday, 5/10
Memorial Day (No School) - Monday, 5/25
Last Day of School - Friday, 5/29

SBAC Practice Classes (Gr. 3-8 and 11)


Visions has scheduled the SBAC practice classes. These classes will focus on understanding the format and instructions for taking the tests. They are designed to help students feel prepared and comfortable with the tools, interface and testing location.

Information is on the Wire here:


These classes are free enrichment classes and you sign up in Launchpad the same way you do for other enrichment classes. Classes are posted in Launchpad and ready for signups.

This is the schedule for classes in Jackson:

Location:
Grace Fellowship Church
8040 State Highway 49, Jackson CA 95642

Date: 
Monday, 3/16/15

Launchpad #, Class, Time, Room:
15068 - Gr 3-5 Math - 10 - 10:45 (Room A)
15069 - Gr 3-5 ELA - 11 - 11:45 (Room B)
15070 - Gr 6-8 ELA - 10 - 10:45 (Room B)
15071 - Gr 6-8 Math - 11-11:45 (Room A)

Please let me know if you have any questions!

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 2/23
Ms. Bryon in Teacher Meetings

Tuesday
Ione
Daisy & Gracyann - 12:30
Lillian - 3:00

Wednesday
Plymouth
Michael & David - 8:30
Ione
Grace - 11:00
Somerset
Teran - 1:00

Thursday
Pioneer Public Library
Joseph - 1:00
Tristan - 2:15

Friday
Ione
Lillian - 11:15
Daisy & Gracyann - 12:30
Gage - 3:00

Monday, February 16, 2015

Rescue Science and Project Fair Options

Due to scheduling conflicts and lack of student sign-ups, the Science and Project Fair at the Rescue site has been cancelled.

If you have a student who has been working hard on a science project and would like to get together with others who have been doing the same, please email me. I will put everyone in contact and see what we can arrange.

Reminder



Last Day to Order Curriculum - Feb 20 - That is this Friday :)

Purchasing Policies

Purchasing Matrix


This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 2/16
President's Day - School Holiday

Tuesday
Pine Grove/Pioneer
Joy - 1:00
Emma N. - 1:35
Tristan - 3:30

Wednesday
Jackson Public Library
Emma P. - 11:30
Baruch & Ana - 1:00
Leila - 3:00

Thursday
Placerville 
Marley - 11:00
Thomas, Dianne & Kennedy - 12:15

Friday
9 - 12:30 - Teacher Meeting
Ione
Gage ~ 1:00


Monday, February 9, 2015

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 2/9 - Lincoln's Birthday
No School

Tuesday
Plymouth
Jezreel - 11:00
Haley, Madeline, Paige & Riley - 12:15

Wednesday
Camino
Sarah - 11:00
Alex - 12:15

Thursday
Ione
Alex & Luke - 12:30
Jasmine & Roxie- 2:35

Friday
Somerset
Teran - 1:00

Monday, February 2, 2015

Homeschool Resources


I added a page at the top of the Blog to collect and share homeschool resources. Right now it has a list of Facebook groups that you might find helpful.

If you have any resources to add, just email me and I can put them up here!

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 2/2
Ms. Bryon in Professional Development

Tuesday
Ms. Bryon Proctoring the CAHSEE Exam
Meetings rescheduled

Wednesday
Ms. Bryon Proctoring the CAHSEE Exam
Meetings rescheduled
Plymouth
Michael & David - 3:00

Thursday
Pioneer
Wyatt - 12:00
Joseph - 1:00
Emma E. - 2:15

Friday
Ione
Lillian - 11:30
Crowley, Pick-up materials - 1:00
Gracyann & Daisy - 1:30

Monday, January 26, 2015

Don't Forget the Science Fair!

(This information is copied from the Wire. The location nearest us is in Rescue. The Rescue location offers the Science and Project Fairs but not the Performance Fair.)

Visions in Education Charter School is excited to offer a variety of locations for our Project, Science and Performance Fairs. These are opportunities for our students of all ages to share their talents, hobbies and projects that they have been working on throughout the year. Keep these events in mind when planning curriculum and completing projects. Prepare, plan and participate!

It is open to all levels of ability. Students may present and perform in more than one area. (Not all locations offer all areas of presentation.)

See the event flyer for details and registration form.

Download the new Khan Academy iPad app. For free.


For the first time, the entire Khan Academy library is available on your iPad!
Download our app and experience the brand-new ways to learn math and more:

Learn with Khan Academy's new iPad app!
Available in the iTunes app store!

Sharpen your skills: Over 150,000 interactive exercises with instant feedback and step-by-step hints for each question.
Flex your muscles: Get interactive math exercise recommendations tailored just for you.
Show your work: No need for paper or typing -- use our touch scratchpad to work through math problems! Once you have your answer, just write it with your fingertip and we’ll recognize it!
Track back: Your activity auto-magically syncs between your iPad and khanacademy.org, so your progress and recommendations are always up-to-date, anytime, anywhere.
We hope you enjoy Khan Academy being, quite literally, at your fingertips!

Matt Wahl and the Khan Academy Mobile team

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 1/26
Office Day

Tuesday
Pine Grove/Pioneer
Joy - 1:00
Emma N. - 2:15
Tristan - 3:30

Wednesday
Jackson Public Library
Emma N. - 10:30
Emma P. - 11:30
Baruch & Ana - 1:00
Leila - 3:00

Thursday
Placerville 
Marley - 11:00
Thomas, Dianne & Kennedy - 12:15

Friday
Jackson Public Library
Tristan - 2:45

Monday, January 19, 2015

From The Wire...

Science Camp - there are still a few openings available for 5th & 6th graders for the overnight science camp being offered at Alliance Redwoods.

Alliance Redwoods Environmental Camp
Monday, March 2 – Friday, March 6, 2015
$225.00 – payable from student or private funds
See Flyer for details

If you have any questions please contact Nancy Peterson directly a t916-971-5518 or napeterson@viedu.org.


As we begin the second semester of the school year, we still have limited openings in the following four upcoming fee events.


  1. Sutter’s Fort Environmental Living Program – Tuesday, February 17, 2015 from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. View flyer for details and cost. 
  2. B Street Theatre – “Dia de los Quentos”, Friday, February 27, 2015 – 11:30 – 1:00 
  3. Harris Theatre at Folsom Lake College – “Brave Irene”, Monday, March 2, 2015 from 11:30 – 12:30
  4. Crest Theatre in Downtown Sacramento – "Junie B Jones", Thursday, March 5, 2015 from 10:00 – 11:00.
For details to purchase student tickets, parent tickets and sibling ticket policies view the Theatre and Concert Field Trips flyer. 

Note: All Visions sponsored ski trips are available to register. No limit on enrollment. Please contact Nancy Peterson to enroll. Do not directly enroll in Launchpad without contacting Nancy, as to do so may result in your order not being processed properly. Ski Days Flyer 

If you have any questions regarding any of these events, do not hesitate to contact Nancy Peterson directly at 916-971-5518 or email at napeterson@viedu.org

Testing Update

Due to conflicts with dates, the SBAC and STAR test dates have been changed.
The latest information for our area is:

STAR Testing - (All students in 5th, 8th & 10th grades)
STAR Testing is only in Science. It is a paper and pencil test.
Date: April 28
Sample questions: http://starsamplequestions.org/starRTQ/search.jsp


SABC testing - (All students in grades 3-8 and 11)
The SBAC will test Language Arts and Mathematics. It is a computer adaptive test.
Dates: April 29, 30 and May 1st (Most students will complete testing on the 29th and 30th.)
Practice test: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sa/practicetest.asp

Location:
Grace Fellowship
8040 South Highway 49
Jackson, CA 95642

I will post further information as I receive it.

LP6 Work Samples - Important :)



LP6 Work Samples
I will be collecting second semester work samples to submit to Visions during our LP6 meeting.




To be accepted by Visions, work samples:
  • must match the assignment in Launchpad (assignment #'s, learning units, etc. that you put in your lesson plans for LP6)
  • should not be a multiple choice test 
  • must show original student work (no photocopies)
  • should not have dates (unless the date falls within the actual dates of LP6)
  • should have clear evidence of parent/guardian review
  • should be on standard 8 1/2 by 11 paper (so it can be easily filed)
Please let me know if you have any questions or need any help organizing your LP6 work samples. 

This week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 1/19 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
No School

Tuesday
Plymouth
Jezreel - 11:00
Haley, Madeline, Paige & Riley - 12:15

Wednesday
Camino
Sarah - 11:00
Alex - 12:15

Thursday
Ione
Alex & Luke - 12:30
Jasmine & Roxie- 2:35

Friday
Ione
Grace - 11:00

Monday, January 5, 2015

Upcoming...



  • LP 5 Ends: Friday, January 9th
  • Teacher Work Days (No School): Monday, January 12th & Tuesday, January 13th
  • LP6 (Semester 2) Begins: Wednesday, January 14th
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day (No School): Monday, January 19th
Science Fair - Rescue - March 11 from 2:30 to 5:30.
Ski Days - January through March.


2nd Semester To Do List

  • Complete your lesson/semester plan through LP10
  • Check your remaining student funds
  • Order curriculum and supplies 
  • Plan extra curricular classes, lessons, field trips for the remainder of the year
  • Check your "returnables" list so you know what you will need to return at the end of the year
Remember: Last day to order curriculum is February 20, last day to order vouchers is March 20

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 1/5
Office Day

Tuesday
Ione
Austin & Dylan - 11:00
Jasmine & Roxie - 1:30

Wednesday
Plymouth/Ione/Somerset
Michael & David - 8:30
Grace - 11:00
Teran - 1:00

Thursday
Pioneer
Wyatt - 11:00
Joseph - 12:30
Emma E. - 1:45

Friday
Jackson Library
Emma P. - 10:00
Gracyann & Daisy - 11:00
Alex - 1:00

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Winter Break


We are officially on Winter Break!

Have a wonderful two weeks off with family and friends. I hope everyone gets some time to relax and enjoy themselves. See you next year!

School resumes on Monday, January 5, with one week remaining in Semester 1.

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Ordering Reminders


All ordering is open for Spring Semester - This includes curriculum, vouchers, and enrichment classes.

Voucher ordering for Spring - in order to receive vouchers for services starting on the first day of the Spring semester (January 14, 2015), please enter these into Launchpad by Monday, December 15 (Today), so that the resource center can process the majority of them before the offices are closed for Winter Break from December 20 - January 4.

Last day to place orders for the year - the curriculum deadline is February 20, 2015 and the voucher deadline is March 20, 2015.


Visions Project and Science Fair is Just Around the Corner!

(This information is copied from the Wire. The location nearest us is in Rescue. The Rescue location offers the Science and Project Fairs but not the Performance Fair.)

Visions in Education Charter School is excited to offer a variety of locations for our Project, Science and Performance Fairs. These are opportunities for our students of all ages to share their talents, hobbies and projects that they have been working on throughout the year. Keep these events in mind when planning curriculum and completing projects. Prepare, plan and participate!

It is open to all levels of ability. Students may present and perform in more than one area. (Not all locations offer all areas of presentation.)

See the event flyer for details and registration form.

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 12/15
Ms. Bryon in Professional Development in Carmichael

Tuesday
Pine Grove/Pioneer
Joy - 1:00
Emma N. - 2:15
Tristan - 3:30

Wednesday
Jackson Public Library
Emma P. - 11:30
Baruch & Ana - 1:00
Leila - 3:00

Thursday
Placerville 
Marley - 11:00
Thomas, Dianne & Kennedy - 12:15

Friday
Somerset
Alex M. - 10:00
Ione
Phoenix - 12:00
Alex & Luke - 1:15

Monday, December 8, 2014

Report Card Time!


Kindergarten through 5th grade:

1) Print
Grade K Standards Based Report Card


2) Fill out a "rough draft" 
We will go over and finalize the report card at your LP5 meeting. I will generate and print an official copy for Visions and one for you that I will bring to our LP6 meeting.

In general, students working at grade level at this time of year should generally be earning "2's" (approaching grade level standards) for most areas. If you have any questions about specific sections, you can leave them blank and we will decide together at the meeting.



Special Situations:
If your student is working a full grade level above, every day, in any subject (meaning a full year ahead), they will also need a report card for that grade level. (For example: Tommy is a 3rd grader, he is on grade level in all subjects but math. He is in 4th grade math. He will need a 4th grade report card for math and a 3rd grade report card for all other subjects.)

If your student is working a full year ahead in all subjects, just use the report card for the level they are working at. (For example: Justin is a Kindergartener, he is working with all 1st grade materials. He needs a 1st grade report card.)

If your student sometimes works ahead with a brother or sister, but also works at their own grade level just use their own grade level report card. (For example: Sandy is a Kindergartener, her brother Jack is in 2nd grade. Sometimes Sandy does projects and worksheets with Jack that are 2nd grade level work. But she also works in her own grade level materials. She only needs a Kindergarten report card.)

Please email, text, or call with any questions!


6th through 12th grade:
Parents will provide me 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.

From The Wire...




Spring Enrichment Class Registration begins December 8!
http://wire.viedu.org/spring-classes-registration-december-8/

Seats are limited so register early.




Looking for Supplemental Worksheets? Try these free sources...
http://www.commoncoresheets.com/
http://www.mathworksheetsland.com/grades.html
http://www.k12reader.com/common-core-standard/ccss/

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 12/8 - First Day of LP5
Camino/Pollock Pines
Charlotte - 9:50
Sarah - 11:00
Alexandra - 12:15

Tuesday
Plymouth
Jezreel - 11:00
Haley, Madeline, Paige, & Riley - 12:15

Wednesday
Ms. Bryon Assisting 
Enrichment Classes in Rescue

Thursday
Ione
Phoenix - 11:00
Alex & Lucian - 12:30
Gracyann & Daisy - 2:35
Austin & Dylan - 4:30ish (paperwork only)

Friday
Office Day

Monday, December 1, 2014

Upcoming...



  • LP 4 Ends: Friday, December 5
  • Scholastic Book Fair: Monday, December 8 - Friday, December 12
  • School Pictures: Thursday, December 11  
  • Book Fair and Picture Day Flyer
  • Spelling Bee: Friday, December 12, 9-12 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 22 - Friday, January 9
Upcoming and Notable:
Science Fair - Rescue - March 11 from 2:30 to 5:30. Start brainstorming your projects now :)
Ski Days - January through March (Flyer)



State Capitol Field Trip


Would you like to go on a homeschool group tour of the California State Capitol?

When: This Thursday, December 4th at 2pm.

If you are interested or would like more info, text Cassy Smylie at (209) 768-0100.

Testing Update (subject to change)

SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium)
All students in 3rd - 8th and 11th grades will be taking the SBAC this year. It consists of two tests, one in English and one in Math. This test is a computer based test and it is not timed. Each section has 50 questions.

Location:
Grace Fellowship
8040 South Highway 49
Jackson, CA 95642
Testing Dates: 
March 24 - 26 12:00-4:30 (3rd - 8th Grade Students Only)


STAR
5th, 8th, & 10th graders will take the STAR Science test. This is a paper and pencil test based on the CA state science standards. I will forward more info on when this will be administered as soon as I get it.




What you can do to help your students get ready

Take a Practice Test
The more familiar students are with the types of questions asked and the format of the test, the less stressful the test will be.
https://login4.cloud1.tds.airast.org/student/V42/Pages/LoginShell.aspx?c=SBAC_PT
(Ignore the Click here if you are a California student link and just sign in as a guest)


Practice Keyboarding Skills
Students will have to type words, sentences and paragraphs and use numbers and symbols on a computer keyboard to answer the test questions. The more comfortable students are using a computer keyboard, the more they will be able to focus on answering the questions.

There are lots of free typing and keyboarding games on the internet. Just do a Google search for "free typing games" or "keyboarding free".


STAR Science Test Released Test Questions
5th, 8th & 10th Graders can study for the STAR science test using the California Department of Education's Released Test Questions.
Grade 5 - http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/documents/cstrtqscience5.pdf
Grade 8 - http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/documents/cstrtqscience8.pdf
Grade 10 - http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/documents/cstrtqscience10.pdf


This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 12/1
Office Day

Tuesday
Ione
Austin & Dylan - 11:00
Jasmine & Roxie - 1:30

Wednesday
Plymouth/Ione/Somerset
Michael & David - 8:30
Grace - 11:00
Teran - 1:00

Thursday
Pioneer
Wyatt - 11:00
Joseph - 12:30
Emma E. - 1:45

Friday
Ione
Austin & Dylan - 3:30

Monday, November 17, 2014

Ski Days!

Come and enjoy a day on the mountain with other Visions families and friends this winter at Sierra at Tahoe! Whether you know how to ski or snowboard or whether you are a beginner, there is an opportunity for you to have a blast in the snow.

These events are planned and supervised by Visions CTs Ty Beekman and Shelby Shupe. There are a variety of specially discounted packages. These events are not purchased with vouchers. Click on this flyer for all package and event details. Click here for the flyer.

To enroll your student and family in these events call Nancy Peterson, Home School event coordinator at (916) 971-5518. Do not enroll directly in Launchpad. Doing so will result in your order not being processed properly with the venue.

Homeschool Facebook Group


Would you like to connect with other homeschool families in this area? Share tips, tricks, and go on field trips together? 

Check out the Making Homeschool Fun Facebook page that is administered by our own local Ione Homeschool mom Audre Fowler. I can't say enough good things about this group :)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/MakingHomeschoolFUN/


Report Card Preview

During our LP5 meeting, we will be focusing on semester report cards.

We have plenty of time, but I wanted to give you a preview of the process and the K-5 report cards so you can download them, look them over, and let me know if you have any questions.


Kindergarten through 5th grade:
Parents will fill out a standards based report card prior to our LP5 meeting. We will go over the report card at that meeting. Then, I will generate and print an official copy for Visions and one for you that I will bring to our LP6 meeting.

.doc format (Microsoft Word, can edit on the computer)
Grade K Standards Based Report Card
Grade 1 Standards Based Report Card

.pdf format (Not editable digitally)
Grade K Standards Based Report Card
Grade 1 Standards Based Report Card
Grade 4 Standards Based Report Card
Grade 5 Standards Based Report Card

6th through 12th grade:
Parents will provide me 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.