Riverside County

Delivering the Heart of Homeschooling

Week of April 8, 2019

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Hello Riverside County!



Happy Monday! What kinds of spring activities are you participating in with your kiddos? We'd love to see what kinds of homeschool fun you like to have during the warmer months. Are you taking hikes, vacations, spring cleaning? Show us what you like to do on social media and hashtag #howihomeschoolwithinspire. We can't wait to see all the fun you have planned!


In this week's newsletter, we have a 'Curriculum Spotlight' on Right Start Math! Our 'Vendor Spotlight' features Giordano's ATA Martial Arts!

Make sure to read about both in this edition.


Also, be sure to check out Inspiration Station.

It is filled with so many amazing field trips designed by our HSTs and Liaisons just for you! Scroll through every so often so that you can see all that is being offered

throughout Southern California!


Please reach out anytime and get to know us!

We are so happy to answer all of your questions and guide you through

learning about homeschool philosophy, curriculum, and the homeschool lifestyle!

Don't let yourself drown in worry or fear over homeschooling.

If you find yourself there, reach out!


We are hoping to connect with you soon!


Audrey & Candice

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The Adventure of Learning with Inspire Charter School!

Enrollment for the 2019/20 school year has opened!

Head HERE to enroll!

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Your Inspire Riverside County Team!

Your Riverside County Homeschool Teachers and Family Liaisons are always here for you! Reach out to your HST or Family Liaison for support, advice, and connections with the homeschool community around you!


Look how we've grown since August!

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Test Prep!

Testing dates are nearly upon us! Our wonderful teachers have compiled a list of resources and links to practice tests to help your student feel comfortable with the testing process.


CAST Resources

SBAC Resources

Test Prep Day in Temecula!

Can I just toot the horn for our Inspire Teachers?!? The Temecula team hosted a Test Prep Day this week for all students. I brought my two, a fifth grader and third grader, and they LOVED it! They’re anxious testers and our awesome HSTs helped them understand the test and ways to prep themselves with fun games and helpful crafts with wonderful little reminders ❤️


As an Inspire parent, thank you, Teachers, for caring ❤️

"A Night in Paris" Inspire Charter School Prom 2019

We anticipate a fun-filled evening of dinner, dancing, dessert, snacks, raffles and prizes, formal photos, and an all-night photo booth for students to enjoy.


High School Inspire students grades 9-12 are eligible to attend and

may invite up to two (ages 14 - 20) non-Inspire guests to join them at this event, so grab a friend and dance the night away at the historic Mission Inn Hotel in downtown Riverside.

Tickets are limited, so purchase yours today.


Questions? Summer Davidson summer@inspireschools.org


Thursday, May 16th from 7 - 11 pm


Mission Inn Hotel & Spa

3649 Mission Inn Avenue

Riverside, CA


Head HERE for more information


Registration & Payment

This event is not eligible for use of instructional funds.

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SAVE THE DATE: Riverside County Graduation 2019

Please save the date for our 2019 promotion and graduation ceremony!

We will have many more details coming soon!


Thursday, June 6, 2019

2 pm


Sandals Church Hunter Park

150 Palmyrita Avenue

Riverside

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Coachella Valley Vendor & Student Entrepreneur Fair

Coachella Valley's Vendor Event is here!

Come and explore vendors! Many Inspire approved vendors

will be there including Usborne and Discovery Toys.

Curriculum Share!
Many curricula and subscription box samples for you to browse

and plan for the summer and next school year!

High School Specialist on Site!
Schedule a one on one appointment with our high school specialist Liz Palmiter. This is open to all families! Presentation starts at 9 am with appointments to immediately follow.

Student Entrepreneurs!
Shop student creations & their efforts!

Where:
JPL Church
39001 Monterey Ave.
Rancho Mirage

When:
April 17th
10 am - Noon

Questions? Heather Siani at (760) 848-0953 or heathers@inspireschools.org

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Inspire Charter Riverside County College & High School Fair 2019!

⭐️WOW! The College & High School Event was AMAZING! We're so thankful for our spectacular Inspire High School Team and their informational sessions, for the local Colleges and Vocational Schools that came out, to the High School Vendors that shared with our families, and to our Inspire Riverside County Team! We're already planning next year's event!⭐️

HIGH SCHOOL VIRTUAL INFO SESSIONS!

Want to know what high school looks like with Inspire? Hang out with Amy Edwards, an Inspire teacher, Teacher Trainer for High School, and Homeschool Mom! In her Virtual Info Sessions, she will cover:


What are California's high school grad requirements?

What makes Inspire unique?
~Program & Curriculum options
~Online classes, live classes, vendors, parent-created & led curriculum, community college classes, and MORE!


Next session is on Monday, April 8th at 9 am


Slide presentation followed by live question-answer time.

Zoom Room Link: https://zoom.us/j/2433924197

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High School!

Did you know that our counseling team hosts virtual information sessions throughout the year? Each session is recorded, and you can view them HERE!


Session recordings include:


  • The College Application Process
  • UC/CSU Application Process
  • Common Application Info Session


Make sure you head over to Inspire High School Resource Site for all things High School.

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Inspire Special Education Department Monthly Newsletter!

Dear Inspire Parents,


Inspire Special Education Department is excited to share a new project with you – our Monthly Special Education Website and Newsletters. We hope that you find the information presented in our newsletter meaningful and applicable to your needs. We always welcome your feedback and suggestions on topics to cover.


Inspire Special Education Department Parent and Teacher Newsletter April 2019


You can also access our Inspire Cares website to support you in your homeschooling journey and view all of our newsletters!



Sincerely,

Anna Lindahl

Statewide Parent Outreach Coordinator

Inspire Charter Schools

Ph: (619) 627-9623

E: annalindahl@inspireschools.org

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Enrichment item returns!

Dear Inspire Families,


We are continuing to stock the Corona Lending Library and need your help! If you have any enrichment items, including curriculum, please let your teacher know as soon as possible.

Thank you for all of your help!

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Inspiration Station Booking REMINDERS!

Did you know that you can log into your account on Inspiration Station to view ALL of your field trip bookings?? Checking my account is a regular part of my "Field Trip Booking Routine". I check this by selecting My Account from the drop-down in the upper right-hand corner of the Inspiration Station site. Here you will find all of the field trips you have booked. I advise everyone to always double check the field trip you had just booked by checking the amount and names of the tickets purchased. It's a great time to also input the trip date, time, and host contact information into your planner.


Happy Planning!

Field Trip Booking Tutorial

Want a step by step tutorial for booking your next field trip tickets on Inspiration Station? Watch this tutorial!

Utilizing Enrichment Certificates for Service Orders

Please make sure to submit your service orders 2-4 weeks prior to the start of services to allow for sufficient time for your orders to be processed. Once you have your enrichment certificate and give it to your service vendor, that is when you can begin your services.

Inspire Preferred Vendor Programs Weekly Info Sessions!

Learn more about Inspire's unique enrichment opportunities!


Next info session is Thursday, April 11th at 10 am


Join by computer:

https://tinyurl.com/inspirepv

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Great News for Readers!

Inspire is excited to announce that we now offer Accelerated Reader for students in TK-12th grade! The cost for this program is just $20 per student in instructional funds and can be requested through your HST. Please note this program does not include books.


Accelerated Reader (AR) is a computer program that helps parents manage and monitor children’s independent reading practice. Your child selects a book rather than having one assigned to them and reads it at their own pace. This makes reading a much more enjoyable experience as they can choose books that are interesting to them. They may also read articles of interest right on the screen. When finished, your child will take a short quiz on the computer. (Passing the quiz is an indication that your child understood what was read.) In addition, when an LP meeting comes up, you can easily print up the list of books that your child read and share it with your HST.


If you are interested in signing up for Accelerated Reader, please let your HST know. They will be happy to assist you.

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Every Kid in a Park!

Did you know? There is a federal public lands youth initiative to get all 4th graders and their families to experience the places that are home to our country’s natural treasures, rich history, and vibrant culture.


To help engage and create our next generation of park visitors, supporters and advocates, Federal Land Management agencies, launched the Every Kid in a Park initiative. The immediate goal is to provide an opportunity for each and every 4th-grade student across the country to experience their federal public lands and waters in person throughout the school year.


Every year, beginning September 1, all kids in the fourth grade have access to their own Every Kid in a Park pass at www.everykidinapark.gov. This pass provides free access to national parks across the country.


The Every Kid in a Park pass is good for the 4th grade school year, until August 31, 2019. Information on obtaining the pass is available by visiting www.everykidinapark.gov.

Facebook Live! at the Corona Lending Library

Candice and Audrey, your Riverside County Family Liaisons take you on a tour with Librarian Lisa at the Corona Lending Library!

Riverside County Library System EVENTS!

Make sure you're in the "know" for all the events happening at the Riverside County Libraries!


Head over to http://rivlib.info/website/events

This Week's Vendor Spotlight: Giordano's ATA Martial Arts

At Giordano's ATA Martial Arts, we are dedicated to changing lives through the martial arts! We put the traditional martial arts into practical applications in today's society. Our self-defense system is simple, memorable, workable and fundamentally efficient to use! Everyone should know how to protect themselves and their families. At Giordano's Martial Arts, we provide this knowledge suitable for all ages to use in the best way as possible. Through our martial arts system, we introduce fitness, goal setting, and learning the attributes of Life! We believe that martial arts are more than an after-school activity and a hobby, but an entire way of life! Our top instructors are trained to specialize in child development through positive feedback and a family-oriented environment. With this, we arm our students to prepare for their road of life, becoming successful in all things! Whether it's school academics, behavioral skills, mental development, social skills, commitment, and dedication, or even obtaining and holding a job or business, your child will learn the important values of what it truly means to be a Black Belt! From Discipline to Respect, Self Control to Concentrating, Perseverance to Confidence, Excellence to Black Belt Attitude, we fully believe that your child will be suitable and ready for life's challenges and difficulties!


The ATA Martial Arts is the world's leading martial arts organizations with developing top quality martial artists and leaders in our communities! This national and international organization has changed the lives of millions of students physically and mentally through the martial arts for 50 years! For more information on the history of the ATA and its success through the years, please visit www.ataonline.com!


The Owner, Mr. Giordano, is a 5th Degree Black Belt and the 2014 World Champion. He starting his martial arts career at the age of 11. Having been severally bullied in school and struggled with self-confidence, discipline, social skills, and physical activities, Mr. Giordano's life turned around completely from the moment he first stepped foot on the mat! With growing as a student himself and becoming an instructor, Mr. Giordano's life was drastically changed to more positive outcomes and to help him become the man he is today! With this, he was inspired to open his own studio to keep reaching the broken and the hurting. While using the martial arts as his tools, his vision is to reach out to the next generation to pass along what he has learned and obtained that helped change his life so much! As he teaches, the students are captured by this attention and work themselves to become the best they can be! Mr. Giordano trains his other instructors to help carry his determination and vision with seeing this become a reality! Here are Giordano's ATA Martial Arts, Mr. Giordano, and his instructors pour into the lives of the students daily to see them succeed! This program is suitable for all children, teens, and adults, it is never too late to make a change! We are Creating tomorrow's Leaders, One Black Belt at a Time!

This Week's Curriculum Spotlight: RightStart Math

Ever since we began our homeschool journey seven years ago, math has always been a "sore subject" in our home. No one wants to do math. I have one child that despises math altogether, and two that don't really care for it and are pretty dang good at math. I am always looking for ways to teach in fun and new approaches. I may have found one...


I was first intrigued to look into RightStart Math when one of our wonderful Homeschool Teachers did a presentation of a variety of curricula that were helpful to children with dyslexia and digraphia. It is a very visual curriculum, and review of concepts is accomplished through games, not worksheets. RightStart is scripted and includes lots of games to replace some of the “drill” work. A parent wrote this review explaining, "While there are families who may feel that the curriculum does not do enough “Drill” type of exercises, the choice is their own to supplement that type of reinforcement with RightStart Math. I did not realize how well the right type of game could reinforce number sense and math facts."


It is very hands-on which is great for kinesthetic learners! All of its lessons are centered around a wide variety of manipulatives and teaching aids. The teacher’s manual provides thorough instructions for each activity. It is a conceptual program, teaching the reasoning behind each math skill, with incremental lessons that offer just the right amount of new information for a child to learn. Singapore Math is the only other curriculum I know of that uses this method, which I like very much in theory, but have found that program to be tough to teach. We used Singapore Math for a couple of years until I got fed up. Each lesson is completely scripted, giving the exact wording to use as you guide your child through the activities. Of course, these are only suggestions.


RightStart currently goes through 5th grade.

Educational Website of the Week! Kahn Academy

Personalized learning

Students practice at their own pace, first filling in gaps in their understanding and then accelerating their learning.


Trusted content

Created by experts, Khan Academy’s library of trusted, standards-aligned practice and lessons covers math K-12 through early college, grammar, science, history, AP®, SAT®, and more. It’s all free for learners and teachers.


Tools to empower teachers

With Khan Academy, teachers can identify gaps in their students’ understanding, tailor instruction, and meet the needs of every student.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY PARENT RESOURCE SITE

Your go-to spot for homeschool help!

Riverside County Facebook Group

Join us on Facebook for lively discussion and homeschool support.

Riverside County Parent Feedback

Our goal is to provide you with the best homeschool program in Riverside County...so we want your feedback! If you have any comments, suggestions, or concerns, please let us know!

Candice Zuniga

I am starting my eleventh year of homeschooling my big group! I have eight kids and six are enrolled in Inspire! I love to help families discover their perfect homeschool lifestyle based on the needs of each child and the family! We homeschool in a very eclectic and flexible way and always have. I desire to bring a deep understanding of the importance and enjoyment of home education to our awesome Riverside County Community of Homeschoolers! As always, reach out at any time for all your homeschool needs and concerns. I am always happy to help!

Audrey Everson

Hi everyone! I am a mom of 3 awesome kids ranging in age from 10 to 6 years old. My husband and I are high school sweethearts and have been married for 16 years. Having homeschooled our children over the last 6 years in 3 different states, I've found homeschooling here in California, especially with Inspire Charter, has been a great fit for our homeschool journey. I am grateful for our ability to homeschool so freely and I aspire to assist other families with their own homeschool adventures!

We want to hear from you!

What do you want to hear more about? Drop us an email!

We'd love to answer all of your questions in regards to homeschooling with Inspire

and what the homeschool lifestyle looks like!

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