Next Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 5/30
Memorial Day - No School

Tuesday
Ione
Khloe & Sadie - 11:00
Alexis and Tyler - 1:00
Leila - 2:30

Wednesday
Visions Graduation Ceremony in Sacramento

Thursday
Jackson Library
William - 11:30
Wyatt - 12:30
Matthew & Marie - 2:00

Friday - Last Day of School!
Ione
Zora - 12:00
Lilly - 1:00
Gage - 3:00

2016 - 2017 Semester Plans

Would you like your 2016 - 2017 semester plan early, so you can plan during the summer?

If so, please fill out this form and I will create it for you.

2016 - 17 School Year Calendar

School Year Calendar:
2016-17 School Calendar

School starts on Monday, August 29.
CTs will begin contacting returning families on Friday, August 19.

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 4/17
Ms. Bryon at Professional Development in Carmichael

Tuesday
Ms. Bryon proctoring Make-Up testing in Rescue

Wednesday
Ms. Bryon proctoring Make-Up testing in Rescue

Thursday
Pioneer Library
Connor - 11:30

Xanett - 12:30

Emma - 1:10

Friday
Office Day

Report Card Time

Can you believe that Monday is the beginning of LP10? Only four weeks left in the school year. Wow, this one went fast!

Don't forget that during this coming meeting, I will be collecting report card grades.

K-5
Do you have your semester 1 report card? The draft copy you used to record grades for semester 1? If so, just fill in your child's semester 2 grades in the second column and I will record them on my computer at our meeting. If you can't find your report card, let me know asap and I can email you another copy.

6-12
Just record your LP10 grades as you normally do, and I will average your cumulative grade at our meeting so you know what your final grades will be. Visions will mail your report card during the summer break.

Upcoming...

• LP 10 Begins - Monday, May 9th
• Curriculum Vendor Fair in Carmichael - Monday, May 9th, 10:00 to 12:00
• Jackson Field Day - Thursday, May 26th, 9:30 to 12:30 (Info on Field Days)
• Memorial Day - No School - Monday, May 30th

• Last Day of School - Friday, June 3rd
• Remote Book Return - Thursday June 9th - Jackson 9:00 to 11:00; Rescue 1:00 to 3:00
• Book Sale in Carmichael - Thursday, June 16th

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 5/9
Ms. Bryon in Carmichael for Vendor Fair

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

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

Thursday
Camino
Alex M. - 11:00
Somerset
Teran - 1:00

Friday
Office Day

Curriculum Fair - Vendors and Raffles

From the WIRE...

We are happy to announce the full list of curriculum vendors for the Curriculum Vendor Fair on May 9 in Carmichael and May 11 in Concord.

1. A Brighter Child

2. Acellus Academy*

3. Acorn Naturalists

4. All About Reading/All About Spelling

5. Art in History*

6. Art of Problem Solving*

7. Blackbird and Company**

8. Book Shark**

9. Brave Writer

10. Britannica School* **

11. Cengage Learning (National Geographic)* **

12. Essentials in Writing

13. Exploration Education*

14. Family Time Fitness*

15. Growing with Grammar

16. Handwriting Without Tears

17. Highlights

18. HMH School (Houghton Mifflin/Harcourt)* **

19. Home Science Tools*

20. Institute for Excellence in Writing

21. Kids Discover

22. Lakeshore Learning

23. Mango Languages*

24. Math-U-See

25. MBS Direct* **

26. Moving Beyond the Page**

27. My Homeschool Math Class*

28. Naviance*

29. Oak Meadow

30. Raddish Kids

31. Right Start Math

32. Singapore Math

33. Staples**

34. Starfall/More Starfall

35. Superkids**

36. Teaching Textbooks*

37. Thinkwell*

38. Time 4 Learning/Time 4 Writing

39. The Virtual Instructor*

40. Visions In Education Classes

41. The Well-Trained Mind*

42. Zoo-Phonics At Home

*New vendor and/or first-time appearance

**Representative from the company in attendance

The above vendors are working in coordination with Visions to provide curriculum samples, pamphlets, and/or valuable information about their products. The fairs are your chance to browse through samples, view vendor websites, and speak to company representatives or knowledgeable teachers about curriculum vendor options, all in an effort to aid your decision of what to order in the 2016/17 school year.

We are also excited to announce we will be holding a raffle with prizes for both parents and kids. We have a huge selection of books from Scholastic to raffle to students of all ages. And, for the parents, the following vendors have generously donated gift certificates, gift bags, or kits:
• Acellus
• Acorn Naturalists
• Art in History
• Art of Problem Solving
• Oak Meadow
• Right Start Math

Dates & Locations for the fairs are:
Carmichael – Monday, May 9, 10am – 12pm @ 5025 Manzanita Ave., Carmichael, CA 95608 (More Info)

Concord – Wednesday, May 11, 10am – 12pm @ 1925 Risdon Road, Concord, 94518 (More Info)

We hope to see you at the fairs!

CONGRATULATIONS!

To all students who have already completed testing! (Some locations began already).

For everyone testing in Jackson this week, how about some last minute practice?

CAASP Practice Tests

http://www.caaspp.org/practice-and-training/

CST Practice Tests

Grade 5 Science

Grade 8 Science

Grade 10 Science

This Week's Meeting Schedule

There are no regularly scheduled meetings this week as testing continues in Jackson. I will be proctoring in Jackson all week.

Monday 5/2
Office Day

Tuesday
Jackson - Grace Church - 9-12
Science Paper and Pencil Test (5th, 8th, and 10th Grades only)
Haley, Emily, Xanett, Alexis, David, Matthew

*After testing meeting: Haley, Riley, Madeline, Paige: ~ 12:30

Wednesday
Jackson - Grace Church - 9-12
Math and Language Arts Performance Tasks (3rd - 8th and 11th Grades)
Jasmine, Baruch, Xanett, Tyler, Lillian, Wyatt, Luke, Marie, Matthew, Gage

*After testing meeting: Gage ~ 12:30, Wyatt ~ 1

Thursday
Jackson - Grace Church - 9-12
Math and Language Arts Regular Tests

Jasmine, Baruch, Xanett, Tyler, Lillian, Wyatt, Luke, Marie, Matthew, Gage

*After testing meeting: Emily ~ 12:30

Friday
Jackson - Grace Church - 9-12

Extra time for students who did not complete testing on Tuesday-Thursday.

Field Days!

One of the highlights of Visions’ annual events is Spring Field Days, a fun day of field games and activities organized by Visions staff and held at a variety of parks throughout our service area. This is a great opportunity for students and families to get to know and network with other home school families. And for kids to expend some energy!

Games are supervised by Visions CTs and staff, and the day ends with a family barbecue of hot dogs, chips, and lemonade. You won’t want to miss this day of fun and activities!

Important Details
Where: Detert Park, Jackson
When: Thursday, May 26, from 9:30 to 12:30

Come Prepared to Play
•WEAR ATHLETIC SHOES! Students will compete in a variety of field games, so it’s important they come prepared to play. All participating children must wear closed-toe, sports shoes.
•Adults are also asked to wear athletic shoes for a planned child-parent activity.
•Visions will provide water and snacks for participating students.
Networking & Family Barbecue
•While your kids are playing, take advantage of the opportunity to network with CTs, Administrators and other Visions home school families.
•A family barbecue will be offered from 12-12:30. Vegetarian option is available. Please RSVP your food choice in Registration Form below.
Home School Curriculum Preview
•Visit with a Visions curriculum expert and preview some of the newest Home School curriculum for 2016-17.

How to Enroll
The Spring Field Days are FREE for all students, siblings, and family members to attend.
So that we may appropriately plan for food and staffing, please register your student(s) by filling out the Field Day Registration Form.
To save time on the day of the event, bring a completed permission slip (one per household).

Interested in attending a Field Day in another location? See the WIRE post for information on all Field Day locations and dates.

Enrollment Updates: Lottery, Siblings, Transfers, Children of Employees

From the WIRE...

LOTTERY
Due to the interest in our program, Visions in Education will be implementing a lottery for enrollment.  It is outlined here for you as a way to keep you informed and, to the degree that our families may have questions, so that you can respond to them.

WHY A LOTTERY?

Each year we monitor our enrollment by county and academy to ensure we can accommodate students seeking enrollment at Visions.  This year it is apparent that in some counties interest will now exceed our available space (capacity).  In our Charter we state that when our application pool exceeds capacity we will conduct a public random drawing (lottery).

HOW WILL THE LOTTERY WORK?
Continuing students and students that have been enrolled are not subject to the lottery. The completed applications (ensuring there has been submission of all supporting documents) are randomly sorted by the computerized Enrollment lottery and are not based on a first-come first-serve basis, so that when we enroll students they are in randomly-selected-order and not based upon when applications were completed.   If there is more than one student applicant in a household and one student is randomly selected, then the remaining applicants in that household fill the next openings. Following the deadline to submit applications on May 6, 2016, families will be informed of their acceptance into the requested program and school. Those who do not receive a placement through the lottery will be placed on a waiting list. Families will be informed of their number on the waiting list via phone or email by June 2016. All eligible applications following our enrollment deadline date of May 6, 2016 will be accepted or placed on a waiting list based on county and a first-come first-serve process...

Read the rest of the article on the WIRE post:
https://wire.viedu.org/enrollment-updates-lottery-siblings-transfers-children-of-employees/

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 4/25
Office Day

Tuesday
Ione
Gage - 11:00
Leila - 12:30
Jaye ~ 1:35
Haley, Riley, Madeline, & Paige- 12:30

Wednesday
Plymouth
Jezreel - 11:00 - 11:30
Jackson - Grace Church
Ana & Baruch - 12:30
Emily - 2:30

Thursday
Jackson Library
William - 11:30
Wyatt - 12:30
Matthew & Marie - 2:00

Friday
Office Day

Upcoming...

• Pre-ordering - Began April 11th and continues through June 3rd (Info on Pre-ordering)
• Testing in Rescue - Wednesday, April 27th through Friday, April 29th, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. (Link to Testing News Blog Post)

• Testing in Jackson - Tuesday, May 3rd through Friday, May 6th, 9:00 to 12:00 (Link to Testing News Blog Post)
• LP 9 Ends - Friday May 5th
• Mother's Day - Sunday, May 8th
• LP 10 Begins - Monday, May 9th
• Curriculum Vendor Fair in Carmichael - Monday, May 9th, 10:00 to 12:00
• Jackson Field Day - Thursday, May 26th, 9:30 to 12:30 (Info on Field Days)
• Memorial Day - No School - Monday, May 30th

• Last Day of School - Friday, June 3rd
• Remote Book Return - Thursday June 9th - Jackson 9:00 to 11:00; Rescue 1:00 to 3:00
• Book Sale in Carmichael - Thursday, June 16th

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 4/18
Office Day

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

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

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

Friday
Office Day

New Language Arts Adoptions

Are you looking for something new for Language Arts next year? Check out the newly adopted recommended curriculum:

Reach for reading (K-5)
By Cengage/National Geographic

Projected Pricing:
K - about $220
1-5 - about $110

Bundle Includes:
Student Anthology (hardcopy)
Practice Book
Online Teacher's Edition

Ordering Info:
Order through LPad with the vendor “Cengage Learning.” Tradebook lists will be available when pacing guides are complete in July. These may be purchased through Amazon or checked out of the library.

URL: www.myNGconnect.com
To learn more about the Reach for Reading program, click HERE. For a Virtual Tour, click HERE.

For directions to preview the Reach for Reading program through “myNGconnect” online, click HERE.






California Collections (6-8)
By Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Pricing:
Student Anthology, $67
Close Reading Workbook, $25
Student Online Resources, $15
Online Teacher Edition, $31

Ordering Info:
Order through LPad with the vendor “HMH School.” Novel lists will be available when pacing guides are complete in July.

Note: When pacing guides have been completed in July, there may be adjustments to needed items. For example, you may also want to order the Performance Assessments.

URL: learn.hmhco.com/CASuccess

To learn more about the Collections program, including highlighted features, click HERE. 

For directions to preview the Collections program through “Dashboard” online, click HERE.

Another Note: California Collections also has materials for 9-12. I got the chance to look at them and I was really impressed. If you are have a student that will be in grades 9-12 next year, and are looking for a Language Arts option, this might be for you. Since it is not on the recommended list, there won't be pacing guides available from Visions, but there is no reason you can't use it.

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 4/11
Ms. Bryon in Carmichael for Professional Development

Tuesday
Somerset
Yarrow - 11:30
Plymouth
David - 3:30

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

Thursday
Camino
Alex M. - 11:00
Somerset
Teran - 1:00

Friday
Office Day

Testing News Update - Repost

Student testing assignments are complete.

Where and when will my student test?

Here is a link to my student testing assignment list.

Who will be testing?
Students in grades 3rd through 8th, 10th & 11th will be testing. (No testing for K-2 or 9th or 12th graders.)

What tests will students be taking?
Paper-pencil tests:
• California Standards Tests (CSTs) for Science—grades 5, 8, and 10 (10th graders only take the science test.)
Smarter Balanced Tests:
• English language arts/literacy and mathematics in grades 3–8 and grade 11

Where can we start practicing for these tests?

CAASP Practice Tests

http://www.caaspp.org/practice-and-training/

CST Practice Tests
Grade 5 Science
Grade 8 Science
Grade 10 Science

Other ways to get your child ready include:

• Typing practice 
• Computer navigation practice
• Reading long stories and other text on a computer or tablet screen

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Visions is required by the state to have over 95% of its students test, falling under that number endangers the Charter and puts Visions at risk for state compliance monitoring.

Pre-Ordering Information - Repost

At our last CT meeting, Visions provided us with a slideshow that outlined important pre-ordering information.

This presentation also provides information and dates for the upcoming Vendor Fairs, Book Sale and Remote Book Returns.

Here is a link to that presentation.

The Purchasing Matrix has also been updated. (Sign in to Launchpad to view.)

Note: Some families are having to request permission via Google to access the updated Purchasing Matrix. I have emailed Visions about this and hopefully it will be fixed soon. While you are awaiting the email granting you access to the document, you can use this copy.

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 4/4
Office Day

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

Wednesday
Jackson - Grace Church
Ana & Baruch - 12:30
Xanett - 2:15
Emily - 2:30

Thursday
Jackson Library
William - 11:30
Wyatt - 12:30
Matthew & Marie - 2:00

Friday
Office Day