Fine Arts Mini Experience

From Traci Muldery (Visions CT)...
Visions Families,

On Wednesday, October 2, we will be having our first FAME (Fine Arts Multi-Experience) meeting at the Amador Center at 9:00.  FAME is a wonderful program which exposes students in grades K-8 to the great artists and their contributions.  We will be learning about the artistic style of Paul Klee.  Students will view a large print of "Sinbad the Sailor", followed by giving each student an opportunity to create their own artistic masterpiece in the same style.

FAME consists of 4 lessons during the year.  The set of lessons is only $20.00 for all 4.  Students will create their own art work at each lesson and be able to take it home.  Last year we had 26 students that enrolled in FAME, and I'm hoping that we can get another great turnout this coming year.

FAME is listed under Event #29734 through Launchpad--->orders---> put in ID number 29734.  

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions at 209-217-6538, text or call or email.
Traci

See the flyer here.

Upcoming & Notable

Sly Park Parent Meeting - Thursday, September 19, Visions main office, 3:30 - 4:30
Deadline for returning supported curriculum to TextbookX and MBS - Friday, September 20
LP2 Begins - Monday, September 23

Back to School Park/Vendor Day - Monday, September 23

Lifetouch Picture Day - Wednesday, September 25 - Visions in Education Board Room, Carmichael
Deadline to apply for the California Scholarship Federation (10th - 12th Graders) - Monday, September 30

FAME - Class1: “Sinbad the Sailor" by Paul Klee - Wednesday, October 2
Harvest Festival - Friday, October 11 - Fair Oaks Park, 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd. Fair Oaks
LP 3 Begins - Monday, October 21
Sly Park Environmental Camp - October 21 - 25th (sign-ups open now)

Veteran's Day (No School) - Monday, November 11
LP4 Begins - Monday, November 18
Thanksgiving Break - Monday, November 25 - Friday, November 29

This Week's Meeting Schedule

This is the 4th week in a 4 week Learning Period, so there are no regularly scheduled meetings this week.

Monday 9/16
Office Day

Tuesday 
Ms. Bryon out on Personal Leave

Wednesday 
Ms. Bryon out on Personal Leave

Thursday
Office Day 
Lillian - 3:30 - Virtual

Friday
Office Day
Wyatt - 11:45 - Virtual

Student ID Cards

To get your Visions Student ID Card, all you have to do is take a picture that follows these guidelines, and text or email it to me. I will take care of the rest. IDs will come in the mail to the address you have on file.

Back to School Park Day & Vendor Fair

What: A casual park day event where you can meet other homeschooling families, CTs and administrators, share ideas, and learn about some local vendors.

When: Monday, September 23rd from 10:00-12:00

Where: Minnie Provis Park, 71 Church Street, Sutter Creek (AKA Sutter Creek Park)

Bring your own: Picnic lunch, chairs and games (Visions will provide bottled water)

Please sign up here: Sign Up Form

And download the: Permission Slip to bring to the event

Upcoming & Notable

Deadline to submit back to school pictures for contest - Friday, September 13
Sly Park Parent Meeting - Thursday, September 19, Visions main office, 3:30 - 4:30
LP2 Begins - Monday, September 23

Back to School Park/Vendor Day - Monday, September 23 (See post above)

Picture Day - Wednesday, September 25 - Visions in Education Board Room, Carmichael

Harvest Festival - Friday, October 11 - Fair Oaks Park, 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd. Fair Oaks
LP 3 Begins - Monday, October 21
Sly Park Environmental Camp - October 21 - 25th (sign-ups open now)

Veteran's Day (No School) - Monday, November 11
LP4 Begins - Monday, November 18
Thanksgiving Break - Monday, November 25 - Friday, November 29

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 9/9
Office Day

Tuesday 
Somerset - Crossroads Cafe
Elijah - 11:00
Akira & Aria - 12:00
Somerset - Pioneer Park
Angel - 2:30

Wednesday 
Jackson Library 
Wyatt - 11:00
McKenna - 12:00
Hunter - 1:00
Ana & Baruch - 2:00

Thursday
Jackson Library 
Skyler - 10:30
Hailee, Cody & Lyla - 11:30
Lilly - 2:30

Friday
Office Day
Vice Principal Meeting - 1:30

Work Samples

What and Why...
Twice per school year, (once each semester) Visions collects official work samples from students. These samples are intended to show our auditors that our enrolled students are actually enrolled, and that they are engaging in the academic activities on their master agreement and semester plan. They are also used to demonstrate that there is a responsible adult who is reviewing and or grading their work.

When..
Semester 1 samples are due at our LP2 meeting. However, if you have them ready at our LP1 meeting, I'm happy to take them then. I will also repost this the first Monday of LP2.

How...
Samples must be work from LP1 or LP2. You may submit samples from your own curriculum, use the provided samples (grades K-8), or any combination of the two. (9th - 12th grade courses are so variable that it is impossible to create packets.)

Please provide one written sample from each subject.

Instructions for using provided samples (K-8th grades): 

• Download and print the work sample packet or individual pages you intend to use.
• Have your student complete the worksheet(s).
• Grade and or comment on each sample in a different color than the student worked.
• Please do not put dates or LP#s on worksheets.
• When possible, please leave upper right corner blank for the school's generated label.
• Match the standard code on your semester plan drop-downs for LP1 or LP2 to the one on the sample. (Change the code if you need to, or we can do it together at the meeting.)
• Submit to CT at next meeting.

If you would rather submit samples from your own curriculum (all 9-12th graders):

• Samples cannot be from a religious publisher (handouts, worksheets with publisher’s name on them). Handwritten work on blank or lined paper that is from religious curriculum, but is not addressing religious themes, is fine.
• Match the standard drop-downs on your semester plan for LP1 or LP2 to the samples. You can make your best guess here, and I will help you when I collect the samples.
• Samples cannot be a test or multiple choice, they must show student work. (Samples where student just matches, underlines, or circles items are not sufficient, there must be some written work on the page.)
• Grade and or comment on each sample in a different color than the student worked.
• Please do not put dates or LP#s on worksheets.
• When possible, please leave upper right corner blank for label.
• Submit to CT at next meeting.

K-8 Fall Sample Packet Folder

Please don't hesitate to call, text, or email with questions about work samples.

Save the Date

Visions is planning a Back to School Park Day!

When:

Monday,  September 23rd from 10:00-12:00

Where:

Minnie Provis Park, Sutter Creek, CA 95685

We are still finalizing the set up and plans and working on getting local vendors to showcase their businesses. 

I'll update you as information comes in.

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 9/2 
Labor Day - No School

Tuesday 
Ione
Tiffany, Madison & Logan - 11:00
Jasmine, Roxie & Fiona - 1:30

Wednesday 
Jackson Library 
Jezreel - 11:00
Uriah - 12:05
Camryn - 1:10
Ella - 2:15

Thursday
Ione - Corner Cafe 
Leila - 11:00
Ione - Pizza Factory 
Jaxon & Sarah - 12:00
Ione 
Charlotte - 2:30

Friday
Placerville Starbucks 
Robert - 11:00

School Starts Tomorrow!

Are you ready?

Beginning of year checklist:

• I know when I'm meeting with my CT
• I have my curriculum
• I've planned my year (or at least the first semester)
• My semester plan is updated with books and materials and at least the LP1 assignments
• I know where to find the state standards
• I know what I'm doing for PE and Exploration (and/or other electives)

If you have all this, you are READY for a fantastic start to the school year. Reach out if you need help!

LP1 Meetings

Thank you to everyone who responded with meeting restrictions and desires. I tried to accommodate as best as I could.

Here is the current meeting plan.

Please check it out and make sure that our meeting time and place will work for you. Get back to me ASAP if there is any issue.

If you don't see your name on the schedule, please choose an AVAILABLE spot and let me know your choice.

Thanks!

Semester Plans

I shared out your semester plans last week. You should be able to access and edit them. If not, please let me know ASAP.

I will populate semester plans for LP1 for all new families.

All that is required (by Visions) for Tuesday is that at least something is set for books and materials, assignments and standards for LP1.

I will be checking all semester plans tonight to make sure they are Visions ready for Tuesday morning. If there isn't anything in there, I will put in a placeholder and check with you at our first meeting. (You can change this.)

Things to remember about semester plans:

• One book or material per row. Assignments from that book or material in the same row.
• If you are using multiple resources (library books, projects, field trips, online resources), please just put "Teacher Generated Activities" in the Books and Materials section and use the assignments columns to define what you will be addressing that learning period.
• You do not need to choose the standard drop downs, I will do that. But you CAN. If you do not choose the standard you will address each LP, I will need some info on the topics you will be teaching beyond "Chapter 2, Unit 3, etc."

Here are some Semester Plan samples if you are looking for ideas:

Elementary 1

Elementary 2

Middle School

High School

Enrichment

Looking for activities and field trips to enrich your child's education?

Check out the Vision's vendors in your area here:

https://www.viedu.org/home-school/enrichment-vendors/

Also, these Facebook pages are an AMAZING resource for activities and events going on in our area:

Amador homeschool events/field trips
https://www.facebook.com/groups/255180118334587/

Amador County Homeschool Connection: 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/383355335052927/
This is a Facebook Group for Amador County homeschool families to post abouthomeschool specific classes, activities, and field trips. Join the group to post, see the discussion, and comment.

Calaveras Homeschoolers:
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/calaverashomeschoolers/info
Calaveras Homeschoolers is a group of homeschooling families, both private and charter. This is a Christian group, but you do not have to be a Christian homeschooler; all are welcome. All topics and activities of interest to homeschoolers are discussed. Field-trips, weekly park days, and other activities are available.

Big Oak Homeschoolers:
http://bigoakhomeschoolers.com
info@bigoakhomeschoolers.org
Big Oak Homeschoolers is a diverse group of fun, friendly, welcoming unschoolers and gentle homeschoolers.  Does not endorse any one resource, method or philosophy. Goal is to establish friendships amongst members, organize activities, share resources and create liaisons with other groups, and provide information to those considering or new to homeschool.

Amador County Homeschool Meetup:
localhomeschoolmeetup@gmail.com
Open to and welcome any and all types of homeschooling. Generally meet up the first and third Tuesday of each Month, from around 12:00-3:00, but are flexible, depending on the activity planned (hours open) and people’s schedules. We also welcome new ideas for fun. Some of the fun activities planned are: bowling, biking, tours, pool, museums, parks, picnics, and more! Please use the above email address to contact the meetup to find out about their group.

Visions Home School Group - Amador County
https://www.facebook.com/groups/289038597790927/
Serves students across the region in cities like Jackson, Ione, Volcano, Amador City, Sutter Creek, Fiddletown, Drytown, Pine Grove, Martell, and River Pines.

El Dorado Homeschoolers Network:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/360517857351491/

Homeschoolers of the Foothills:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FoothillHomeschoolers/

Foothill Learning Academy
https://www.foothilllearningacademy.com/
Our mission is to support parent participation in education by organizing superior enrichment and supplemental classes for homeschool and charter school families. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, California public benefit corporation, Foothill Learning Academy collaborates with independent instructors to offer high quality classes to home study students in El Dorado Hills and Placerville, California.  Foothill Learning Academy is not a school or a charter school. Our classes are taught by qualified  independent contractors, known as vendors, who are paid directly by the students' parent or charter school.

*Links not working? Have a resource to add? Please contact me and I will update!

This Week's Meeting Schedule

Monday 8/26
Office Day

Tuesday
Jackson Library
11:00 - Billy
12:05 - Sterling
1:10 - AVAILABLE
2:15 - AVAILABLE

Wednesday
Ione - Corner Cafe
11:00 - Willow H.
12:00 - Lucas & Elias
2:00 - AVAILABLE

Thursday
Somerset - Crossroads Cafe
11:00 - Jette
12: 00 - AVAILABLE
1:00 - *Virtual - Uriah

Friday

Office Day 

Back to School

Whoo Hoo! It is time to plan for a great year!

Visions' credentialed teachers are back to work and we are busy putting all the processes and procedures in place to help you have a wonderful year.

Please don't hesitate to call, text or email me with your questions. I am here to help.
tbryon@viedu.org
(925) 337-1972

Meeting Schedule

I am so excited for our first meetings of the year! Help me get a plan in place that will work for everyone.

As you know, Visions requires us to meet once every learning period. Most of these meetings will be face-to-face, but we are allowed 2 per semester on a virtual platform.

I'm sure you know how difficult it is to schedule multiple families in multiple areas. It is super important that our meeting schedules are kept as a priority*. For you, it is the one day per learning period that you get to share what you have been doing and get all of the required documentation filed. For me, meetings happen Tuesday through Thursday, every week.

(I don't have meetings on Mondays or Fridays. Mondays have too many teacher trainings and holidays, and Fridays are my office/paperwork days - with the exception of the last Friday of each LP which I keep open for make-up meetings.)

Do you have days and/or times that absolutely won't work for you? If so, please email me asap, and I will try my best to accommodate your schedule.

After I get the initial emails about meeting time and date restrictions, I will send out a proposed meeting schedule. (Hopefully by Thursday.)

*I understand that schedules change. Enrichment activities are added, life events happen, people get sick. My schedule changes, too. Sometimes I get new students or have life events interfere as well. I just ask that you keep schedule changes to the important things, as they can make a lot of extra work for me :)

What to do before August 27th

Student instruction begins Tuesday, August 27th. Are you ready?

Here is a checklist of things to do:

• Understand Your Student's Courses and the Required State Standards
• You can view your student's courses via Pathways and the state standards are linked to the semester plans. Please let me know if you need help in viewing them.
• Choose and Order Your Curriculum
• There are so many options! You get the chance to decide what will work best for your student and your teaching style. Homeschooling is amazing, rewarding, fascinating, and also incredibly time intensive. What do you want to do and how do you want to do it? Do you want complete control? Do you want to teach all aspects? Would you like to have resources that teach for you and you monitor progress? You decide. You need to order your curriculum items as soon as you are able. If you need help choosing or ordering curriculum, please contact me.
• Plan Your Year
• Teachers across the country are planning how they will teach students for the year. They unpack their curriculum and decide what they want to teach and when. This is what you will be doing over the next week. Visions uses the required Semester Plans to document this planning. I shared out all semester plans last Friday so you can begin to document your academic plans for the year. The semester plan is due on our LP1 meeting. Please contact me if you need assistance in filling it out, or if you didn't get it or can't access it.
• Reach Out
• I am here to help. I have up to 40 families with incredibly different approaches to learning. Some are completely independent and only want my assistance to cross the t's and dot the i's for the state, others desire more input and support. I respect you. I respect how you decide to educate your children and how you approach that endeavor. I respect where you are in your journey. I am available to you for questions, advice, support, tutoring, extra meetings, etc. Just reach out via email, text or phone if you need anything. If I don't hear from you (aside from required communications and meetings), I assume that you have things under control and don't want or need added input.

Ordering Reminders

Curriculum and Supply Orders
You can find ordering resources, ordering reminders and ordering reference videos on your ordering screen on Launchpad.

Here are a few often used links:
Purchasing Matrix
Religious Content Review and Ordering Guidelines
Supported Curriculum Lists
Common Home School Curriculum Folder
Home School Instructional Materials and Services Purchasing


Vouchers

• Vouchers are officially non-refundable, so try to order only what you know you will use.
• Vouchers can only be ordered once curriculum has been obtained. 
• You may only use 1/2 of the remaining funds once curriculum is ordered for vouchers for the Fall semester. The remaining funds must be saved for the Spring semester.
• Be specific about dates and fees. More info is better than less. Dates, fees, quantity, description and fee type must match. 
• Visions will not approve any backdated orders. All vouchers must be dated from the date you order forward.

Acellus

For those who are using Acellus this year, you will order through Launchpad. 

Go to New Order >More Ordering Options > Curriculum >  Choose International Academy of Science in the drop down menu > No ISBN, Quantity 1, price $100, Description Acellus Academy 1year subscription.

Enrichment

There are lots of things going on in our area to enrich your educational plans.

You can do a search on the Visions website to find vendors in our area. There are new local and online vendors added often.

https://www.viedu.org/home-school/enrichment-vendors/?utm_medium=301&utm_source=/visions-vendors/


Here are some popular local vendors:

Anne Soule - Foothill Equestrian Center - Fiddletown - (209) 245-4991
Kaizen Martial Arts - Jackson - (209) 419-0803
Ko Sutemi West Karate - Jackson - (209) 296-4200
Lisa Lawson - Violin and Viola Lessons - Ione - (916) 549-3806
Karen Reed - Piano Lessons - Ione - (209) 781-6228
Dana Kreishok - Writing Class and Tutoring - Jackson - (209) 304-5671
Mary Longacre - Enrichment classes in science, history, writing, art, music, home economics - Pine Grove (209) 419-1686
Mother Lode Music - Musical lessons - (209) 223-4323
REACH - Amador County Recreation Agency - Sutter Creek - American Sign Language, Spanish, art and other enrichment courses - (209) 223-6349
The Dance Academy - Dance lessons - ballet, pointe, jazz, creative dance, tumbling, and lyrical -
Ione - (209) 256-0634

Stephanie Strong has art classes in Ione:

I will share out additional information about enrichment activities as I get it. If you have a vendor you like, or a class your student enjoys, please let me know so I can share with other local families.