Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Happy Summer!

Thank you all for a great year. I had a wonderful time being part of your educational experience this year and am looking forward to working with those of you who are returning next year. For all of you who are leaving Visions, I will miss you :)

Have a wonderful summer!

Dates to Note...

  • Last Day of School - Friday, June 3rd - THIS FRIDAY!
  • Last Day of Pre-Ordering - 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

  • Regular Ordering Begins (including vouchers) - Thursday, July 7th

  • CTs to Contact Families - Friday, August 19th
  • First Day of School - Monday, August 29th


This 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
Emily - 3:30

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

Monday, May 23, 2016

Field Day This Thursday


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.

Annual Book Sale


Information copied from the WIRE...

When: Thursday, June 16 from 12:00 – 3:00 pm (entry tickets handed out starting @ 11:00 am)

Where: Visions Carmichael Resource Center @ 5030 El Camino Avenue

Why: In an effort to reduce excess inventory resulting from returns, withdrawn students, etc., Visions will make available (at reduced pricing) various instructional materials

Who: Open to all students currently enrolled in the 2015/2016 school year who will be continuing with Visions for the 2016/2017 school year.

Student(s) must have completed and signed a 2016/2017 Master Agreement or confirmation of enrollment to receive your ticket for entry. (Please bring a copy of your signed MA or be prepared to work with staff to confirm enrollment for the new year)

What: All items are “as is” with no returns or support.  There will be a wide variety of consumable (no textbooks) items for sale:

  • Manipulative materials
  • Instructional materials, workbooks and resource books
  • Chapter books and novels
  • Miscellaneous software and DVDs

How: Families will fill out curriculum order forms on site for the items they select and check out with Visions staff.  The amounts spent will be charged to the student’s 2016/17 budget.

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 5/23
Office Day

Tuesday
Ione
Luke & Alex - 12:30
Jaye - 2:30

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

Thursday
Field Day

Friday
Office Day

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

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

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

Sunday, May 8, 2016

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

Monday, May 2, 2016

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

CST Practice Tests

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.

Monday, April 25, 2016

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

Monday, April 18, 2016

Upcoming...







  • 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