Compass Chronicle
Online Elementary School | Spring 2019
Scholars and families,
We have had a rainy winter here in California, but that hasn’t stopped our amazing K-8 team from doing great things! We started out by hearing what our K-8 scholars and teachers were thankful for using our "CCS is Thankful" FlipGrid! After a nice and relaxing winter break, our scholars and teachers got back to working hard, and made sure to have some fun in their virtual live lessons, learning all about exciting topics from Black History Month to space! Our elementary scholars also participated in a writing workshop, refining their writing skills while interacting with their classmates!
Ashley Daugherty, K-8 Coordinator
Table of Contents
- What's New
- Family Spotlights
- Staff Spotlight
- Scholar Work Samples
- Share your Story
- Counseling, Engagement, and Exceptional Scholar Services Newsletters
What's New in Online K-8?
K-1 Team:
History: Scholars have learned about Black History Month (Ruby Bridges), the Ancestral Pueblo of the Southwest, the Pilgrim's First Thanksgiving (Squanto) and in 1st grade: Black History Month (Ruby Bridges), the First Olympic Games, Scholars and Learning Coaches, from Athens to Alexander (Poseidon & Athena).
Math: Scholars have practiced fractions and 3D shapes.
Language Arts: Scholars have been reading passages about winter, the animals and the season. We also read passages about great leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.
2nd-3rd Grade Team:
Math: We have been focusing on our area and perimeter unit. Scholars created a robot on grid paper using exact measurements of perimeter and area. They will be completing a treehouse project using their planned blueprint and applying what they have been learning in our area and perimeter unit. Scholars are focusing on problem-solving skills and tapping into their imagination and creativity with this project!
Science: In Science they are learning about weather, the water cycle and different types of clouds. We created a water cycle using ziplock bags and made a model of a rain cloud with shaving cream, water and food coloring.
4th and 5th grade team:
Math: In January, scholars went on a trip to space! They dabbled in rocket science, the vastness of space and Elon Musk. Scholars also utilized adding and multiplying decimals and graphing.
In February, scholars reviewed Semester 1 skills with an escape room called, “Escape from a Dragon's Lair”. We will be reviewing and practicing test-taking skills by using “games” until the end of March.
Art: In January, scholars learned about shading. We created 2D circles into 3D spheres and even composed a space scene with 3D planets out of chalk pastels.
In February, we practiced simple optical illusions. We created our own optical illusions by bending lines utilizing markers.
Science: We learned about the Engineer Design Process by creating cars made out of vegetables and fruit in January.
Social Studies: We celebrated Black History Month in February by studying different influential men and women each week. Scholars have learned about Martin Luther King Jr. and Frederick Douglas.
Reading: Scholars have been working on close reading to gain deeper meaning of the text!
We are excited for the amazing upcoming learning labs! Be sure to check them out over the next couple months!
6th-8th Grade Team:
Science: The 6th graders are working on some engineering designs to prevent beach erosion. They teach another person at home, too!
The 7th graders are researching how different organisms interact in an ecosystem.
The 8th graders are building balloon cars this month. The project is currently being built and we are learning about Newton’s Laws.
FAMILY SPOTLIGHTS
Learning coach Ann-Marie F. and her scholar, Payton F. share their experience at Compass
CCS: We know that often with our scholars each day is different, but what would a typical day look like for you and your scholar?
Dayren: Currently, our family consists of Grandmother Miriam (Abu), Mom (myself) and daughter Yanisel (or Yani). A typical day for us is to wake up, usually not very early, since I typically work until late at night. Sometimes when I come home Abu and Yani are waiting for me to know the stories from my performance. We eat a light breakfast, run a few errands, lunch is somewhere in between the errands and school work. Our schedule varies each day because sometimes we do school work before the errands and other times Yani feels like learning later in the day. After her school work is completed, if I don’t have to work, I prepare our vegan or vegetarian meal and we do something fun at night together like watch a movie or play video games. Sometimes I work from home writing music and Yani plays with Abu. Then, we clean up and get ready for bed by doing some Yoga and listening to meditation music so that we can have peaceful dreams (which works pretty often!)
CCS: What has been your greatest joy in schooling your scholar at home?
Dayren: My greatest joy is knowing that my daughter is getting an amazing education and the knowledge that she needs for a successful future. There are other great things like having control of our time and being able to do school work at a time that works best for our schedule. We can visit our friends in Florida and still do our schooling from there. Yani has the flexibility to come with me to my shows and tours while still learning and completing her assignments using her laptop. I love it! Currently one of the jobs is playing the violin, writing music and directing the band for a Hispanic TV show. I work very long hours and there is no way that I could do my job without virtual learning! We enjoy being part of Compass for so many reasons.
CCS: Share a challenge that you have experienced as a learning coach and how you have worked to overcome the challenge.
Dayren: There are many! Starting with my language barrier, I speak Spanish and Yani helps me improve my English every day. I enjoy working with her on her subjects or watching her do the reading and comprehension exercises. Also, sometimes it is challenging to keep track of all her assignments and tasks in a virtual school. But I do like that Compass uses ParentSquare to help families stay more organized and have easy access to important information.
Another very important challenge is being able to change from the role of a parent to a learning coach. It can be difficult since usually, children want to have fun with their parents and have difficulty focusing. We always solve any frustration or difficult behavior by talking and understanding how important is for us to do our best for many reasons. Whenever she doesn’t want to do her homework, we always solve it by talking and reminding ourselves of how important it is to complete the assignments so that we can continue learning from home for a long time in the future.
CCS: Why did you decide to school from home with Compass Charter Schools?
Dayren: I sent Yani to a private school because I worked as an assistant, performed at their events and was able to receive free tuition for my daughter. I was very disappointed with the experience. Then, a friend recommended using K12. We then found Compass because they allow scholars to use that curriculum. We found what we needed for Yani’s education.
CCS: What do you enjoy most about being part of our Compass community?
Dayren: What I enjoy the most about the Compass community is the great communication and positive attitude that the teachers and staff have.
CCS: Share a piece of advice you’d give to a parent thinking about taking their child out of school to school at home?
Dayren: If you want your child to get a great education, and your job interferes with a traditional school schedule, Compass is an amazing alternative! The learning experience will give your child an excellent education and you as a parent have full control to monitor the education your child is receiving.
CCS: What do you, your scholar and the family enjoy doing together during your free time?
Dayren: We enjoy walking on the beach, visiting the library, organizing play dates with Yani’s friends, going to the movies, eating delicious food, and when we have a lot of free time we love to travel!
Thanks for the opportunity to share a bit of our everyday lives.
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Jenn Tatum, Middle School Teacher
Mrs. Tatum: I am a Middle School Teacher at Compass. I primarily teach English Language Arts and Social Studies to eighth-grade scholars. I am also the committee chair for the Energy Bus Committee, which has been a wonderful way to spread positivity to our learning coaches, staff, faculty and scholars! This year is my fifth year working for Compass!
CCS: Tell us your “why” for doing what you do here at CCs?
Mrs. Tatum: Why do I do what I do at CCS? I have always wanted to work with children, even as a young girl. I used to babysit as much as I could and I played with the neighborhood children every day after school. You can say that I was just preparing myself to be a teacher, or I just wanted to boss everyone around. I LOVE TEACHING! It is one of my biggest passions in life. I love being my scholars’ biggest cheerleader and seeing them succeed is an extra bonus.
CCS: As an educator, is there piece of advice you’d like to share with learning coaches or scholars?
Mrs. Tatum: Learning coaches and scholars have two very different roles. To my scholars, I would like to encourage them to always do their best and forget the rest. I always encourage my scholars to be positive and have fun in class and in life. Joy is addicting and if you can just be positive and spread a little joy around, you are guaranteed to make someone’s day. For learning coaches, I would like to kindly remind them that they are their scholars “go to”. Be there for them, check in on them, be proud of them and encourage them. I am their teacher, but you are their guide!
CCS: Share one thing about you that very few people know?
Mrs. Tatum: One thing that few people know about me is that my family had a house fire in 2017 that changed our lives forever. We lost a lot of very sentimental items, along with our home. My children witnessed a terrible tragedy right in front of their eyes and gained a feeling of fear in the home they once thought safe. We have since rebuilt, not just our home, but our feeling of comfort and safety. And to be on the other side of this tragedy has allowed me to see how much we have each grown as our own individual person and as a family.
CCS: What do you and your family like to do during your free time?
Mrs. Tatum: Our family is very active and very busy, so as far as free time, we don’t have much. My oldest son plays club soccer and he is always playing sports at school. My daughter is the creative one. She is always building, creating, drawing, gluing and cutting all the while listening to music. My youngest son can’t stay still! He plays soccer, rides his bike or scooter and continually asks questions. However, if we do have the chance, we go outside! We run, swim, ride bikes, play soccer, go to the park, take our two German Shepherds on walks or go to the snow. We also like our inside games of freeze tag in the living room, telephone, any board game, hide and seek, truth or dare or playing cards.
SHARE YOUR STORY
Continue to Counseling, Engagement and Exceptional Scholar Services Newsletters
Compass Charter Schools
Email: info@compasscharters.org
Website: www.compasscharters.org
Location: 850 Hampshire Road, Suite P, Thousand Oaks, CA, United States
Phone: 855-937-4227
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