Inspire Insider
Bringing families together, one newsletter at a time!
Monday, February 3, 2020
Quote of the Week
School News and Important Dates
Starry Night- Prom 2020
Riverside Art Museum
3425 Mission Inn Avenue
Riverside, CA
Friday, April 24th, 7-11 pm
There are a limited number of tickets for this event. Tickets are on sale now!
Ticket Sale Schedule:
February 1st through February 14th ------------------$90
February 15th through March 31st --------------------$100
This event is not eligible for Instructional Funds use.
Join us for hors d'oeuvres, desserts, interactive art, raffle prizes, all-night photo booth, and rooftop dancing under the stars! High School Inspire students grades 9-12 are eligible to attend and may invite a non-Inspire guest (age 14-19) to join them at this event, so grab a friend and dance the night away at the historic Riverside Art Museum in downtown Riverside. Tickets are limited, so purchase yours early! (Tickets go on sale February 1st)
Purchase your tickets HERE:
https://www.icsinspirationstation.net/#/fieldtrip/all/01adfc09-e3ed-4336-9a40-8dbaa12964c3
Prom Details:
https://www.smore.com/qm297
Questions? Summer Davidson summer@inspireschools.org
Tomorrow- Celebrate 100 Days of School
Join Inspiring Parents This Wednesday
Most students do not like to write which means many homeschooling parents struggle with their children. Help is here! Genieva Davis, our own writing specialist, and creator of a free site with a treasure trove of writing resources, is our featured speaker on Inspiring Parents this Wednesday. If you have ever wondered what writing ought to look like at your child's grade level then you can also tune in to see where you can easily find writing samples from Kinder to high school. Bring your questions about writing and we will answer as many as we can fit in this Wednesday, February 5th from 1-2pm.
Click this link to join the webcast this Wednesday: http://bit.ly/InspiringLink
Mark your calendars for the first Wednesday of every month from 1-2pm for an Inspiring Parents webcast that will help moms and dads grow as homeschool teachers of their children.
Don't Miss Our Vendor Fair!
Parents' Night Out
Costa Mesa Mobile Lending Library Locations
Return your items to our librarians at the following locations!
CAASPP Testing
Each year, the State of California requires public schools to reach a 95% participation rate for state standardized testing (CAASPP testing, sometimes also referred to as SBAC testing). If a school has less than 95% of its students participate, they are at risk of losing their charter and WASC accreditation. We are not asking our parents to change their homeschool style or “buy-in” to Common Core State Standards. However, we do need your support in ensuring that our students are in attendance at testing and that they do the best they can. Your participation in helping us meet the minimum 95% requirement is one important way you can aid in safeguarding the survival of our charter. Our school is penalized on our performance levels in math and language arts when we do not meet the 95%.
A second way you can help is to make sure your students are familiar with the testing platform. This will give them the best advantage to show what they know. Please utilize this resource of How to Take a Practice Test and Check-Out Designated Supports to walk them through how to navigate the testing portal. We know our homeschool students are smart and we need to make sure they do their best during state testing to demonstrate that our programs are working. Even if a student scores below grade level, our school can benefit academically when students show growth from year to year.
Inspire Charter Services’ Testing Department has created a series of presentations in response to questions and concerns received from our homeschooling families about state standardized testing. I hope you will find these videos, along with the additional supporting resources and articles, to be helpful in alleviating any fears or anxieties your family may be facing with regards to testing. Please take the time to review these Parent Testing Videos and Resources to see if you feel any would be beneficial for your family. We would also appreciate it if you could complete this Parent Testing Video Survey and give us your feedback.
We appreciate the opportunity you have given us to partner with you in your homeschooling journey. We look forward to many more years of supporting the homeschool community and their unique styles of education
Field Trip Tip
1. Log in to www.icsinspirationstation.net and you will see “Hi (your name)” on the top right, with a little drop down arrow next to it. *Tip: if you're on your phone, just turn it horizontally and this will show.
2. Press the arrow and it will offer the option of viewing “My Account.”
3. Click on "My Account" and it will list all of the field trips you have signed up for. This includes all the links to the pages where you signed up, so you can find the lead teacher's name, email address and phone number!
An Important Message About Field Trips
Inspire Planners Feedback
It may feel too soon, but Inspire is already planning their 2020-2021 school planners and we'd love to hear your thoughts on what you thought of this year's planners!
Special Education Parent Newsletter
January Greetings!
As we start off 2020, we are excited to share with you the January Special Education with Care newsletter! In this newsletter, you'll find some great information on:
- Extended School Year
- Academic Crafts
- Going Back to School After the Holidays
- Positive Reinforcement
If you missed the Bravewriter webcast
Julie Bogart, creator of BraveWriter shared techniques for how to incorporate writing across the curriculum and ways to make it fun.
If you missed the live webcast, click on this link http://bit.ly/BraveLearnerFreeResources to add your email address and receive Writing Across the Curriculum, Writer's Jungle and High School Writing Help, as well as the Brave Learner Companion Guide.
Parent Testing Resources Website
Academic Video Library
Instructions to access Academic Video Library can be found here.
Orange County History Day - Natural History Day
To learn more about this unique opportunity, please visit https://ocde.us/EducationalServices/STEMandHumanities/History/Pages/History-Day.aspx
If your child is interested in participating in this year's contest, please contact Chuck Glowacz: chuck@inspireschools.org
California Homeschool Parent Association
Click here to view the Statewide Executive Board New Officers!
Field Trips and Events
Click on the flyer to view the event!
All new field trips open on Wednesdays at 8am for ticket bookings.
Community Connections: park days, high school hangouts and more!
Below is the newsletter for January and for February. We’re looking forward to seeing you as we continue to connect families and foster community. Please RSVP in the Field Trip and Events website.
February OC Community Connections Newsletter
We would like to ask that if you are unable to attend an event that you have RSVP’d for, please cancel your ticket and let the coordinator for that location know. It helps with supplies and planning. Thank you!
If you need any assistance, please reach out to the CC in that area or to our Regional Community Coordinator, Gina Garland: ggarland@inspireschools.org
Educational Tools
ARTistic Pursuits Curriculum
With ARTistic Pursuits, you leave the lesson planning to us and you won't have to wonder if you've covered the right topics. We present lessons at age level to give your children learning opportunities that fit their needs as growing artists and expand their visual experiences. As you relax and rely on the text to teach art, your child will:
- develop observation skills that are vital to becoming proficient in the arts
- learn creative thinking skills
- produce artworks that are uniquely their own, not a copy-by-following example, but one-of-a-kind creations.
As your child applies the concepts presented in each lesson of these award winning books, your child is
- learning
- wholly engaged
- participating in the mindset of an artist
Homeschooling Advice
Visual homeschool planning: For when you feel overwhelmed
"Recently, I went all-in on visual planning.
Something clicked during my winter break, and when I came back, I ordered an obscene amount of Post-its and Sharpies, and now my office looks like a scene from A Beautiful Mind.
But it’s working.
It’s working so well.
It’s making my mind feel calm, and let’s face it, that’s worth it’s weight in Post-its and Sharpies.
So today, I wanted to share a bit about visual homeschool planning – how to start, why to try it and easy and inexpensive ways to do it."
Read the rest of the article here.
Local Events
The Revolution - Living History in Huntington Beach Central Park
When: February 15th & 16th, 2020
Where: Huntington Beach Central Park
Cost: Free!
Find more details here.
Girls in Ocean Science Conference
Middle school-aged young women with a love for science, or even just a growing interest, are invited to attend this conference that features workshops led by prominent female scientists. It’s a great opportunity to get first-hand information about careers in fields related to marine ecology, oceanography, and conservation. Registration is required for this conference, which lasts from 8:30 am-4:30 pm.
Where: Ocean Institute, 24200 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point
When: Middle School Conference: February 15, 2020 and High School Conference: March 21, 2020
Price: General: $60.00
Members: $50.00
*Members receive $10.00 off by typing “gios” before your member number
EX: gios1234567
Please note that the Ocean Institute does not accept purchase orders or certificates.
For additional information or assistance regarding registration please contact us at girlsinoceanscience@oceaninstitute.org.
Your Orange County Team
Community and Connection
Facebook Page
Instagram Page
Orange County Parent Resource Site
Ladan Rashidi - OC Family Liaison
Shaemanique King - OC Family Liaison
Feedback
We would like this newsletter to best reflect the needs of our community! If you have any suggestions or input, please complete this survey. We appreciate your feedback!