The Raven's Call
Raven Homeschool
December 2018 Edition
Dear Raven Families,
Welcome to Raven's Call, your digital newsletter to keep you up to date on all things Raven. This monthly newsletter via SMORE will have an overview of highlights from each of our 6 Raven offices. Within this electronic version of our newsletter, you have easy-access to your local office news and resources by clicking on links within each section.
We are looking forward to another successful year and hope you will share pictures of your learning adventures with your local offices to be included throughout the year.
If you would like a printed copy, please contact your local office.
If you have questions, please contact Maegan mmascagno@yksd.com
- Raven Homeschool
From the Director's Desk:
The Alaska Week of Code is December 3-7th this year. Many Raven offices are participating either next week or a week in December.
What is coding?
Simply put, ‘coding’ is giving instructions to computers to do something. It is what makes it possible for us to create computer software, apps and websites. Your internet browser, the apps on your phone, Facebook, and this website – they're all made with code, by people who code.
Why learn coding?
Computer science informs almost every aspect of our lives, from communications to shopping to national security and government. Coding is the basic foundation of computer science, and an area that every public school can benefit from teaching. And the best thing is that ANYONE can learn to code.
How to participate in The Alaska Week of Code:
Our goal is simple: Introduce more Alaskan students to coding! Check out the following links for fast and easy ways to get you or your students coding today:
Coding Activities (by grade level) - A great place to start!
Hour of Code for all Ages - An overview of the Hour of Code Program
Hands-on Exploration of Computer Science - A list of fun hands-on activities, with links
Resources made available by the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development.
Learn more about The Alaska Week of Code: https://education.alaska.gov/alaska-week-of-code
Learn more about the importance of Coding from experts:
Student Recognition:
Brooke Hanson - Delta Office
Brooke is a 2nd grader and has been enrolled within Raven for three years.
Brooke is a member of the Delta Raven Lego Robotics Jr. team. Innovation Creation Kids Station is the name they picked for their team, or I.C.K.S. She is a great helper with her siblings.
Brooke is a strong student. Her favorite subjects are science and math. She has the biggest heart around. She still is undecided about she wants to be when she grows up, but is always thinking about good ideas she would like to do.
Leina Tillotson - Juneau Office
Leina is in 5th grade and she recently won the Juneau Public Libraries Bookmark Contest for her grade level.
The Juneau Public Libraries website describes the contest as :
Every year since 1981 the Friends of the Juneau Public Libraries has sponsored a Bookmark Contest for children in pre-school through high school. With much help and enthusiasm from the public school librarians and the teachers at the public and private schools in town, we have always been inundated with entries. We receive around 1500 entries each year.A team of judges select three designs from each grade level. The winner and two honorable mentions from each grade receive a gift certificate from the Friends of the Library Amazing Bookstore and a laminated bookmark with their design. The winner from each grade level is also awarded a gift certificate from Hearthside Books, compliments of Hearthside and the Friends of the Juneau Public Library.
The winning bookmark design is printed by the City and Borough of Juneau for use in the Public Libraries throughout the year. Printed bookmarks are very popular with our younger readers and are a favorite souvenir of guests and tourists visiting the Capital City.
Leina is an amazing, cheerful, thoughtful young lady who always enhances our day when she stops by the office. She’s a voracious reader and an aspiring singer and actor too. She has two brothers, Luke, her twin, and Pierce, a 7th grader at Raven.
Counselor's Corner:
HIGH SCHOOL
Here are some of the upcoming events and important dates we would like to highlight.
Upcoming ACT Test Dates
Apr 13, 2019, register by March 8, 2019
June 8, 2019, register by May 3, 2019
July 13, 2019, register by June 14, 2019
Upcoming SAT Test Dates
Mar 9, 2019, register by February 8, 2019
May 4, 2019, register by April 5, 2019
Jun 1, 2019, register by May 3, 2019
PREVIOUS EVENTS
Keeping Kids Out of Techno-Trouble, Workshop w/ Randi in Eagle River about Internet Safety
Internet Safety 101
Before you think…
T = is it true
H = is it helpful
I = is it inspiring
N = is it necessary
K = is it kind
Are Free Apps Safe?
When it comes to security and privacy risks, you're better off with paid apps, a new study finds. Free apps, however, are more likely to compromise your information and device. According to the report, 95 percent of free apps displayed at least one risky behavior, compared with 78 percent of paid apps.
For More Resources About Internet Safety:
Contact your counselor or visit www.commonsense.org
Community Service-the Benefits of Volunteering
Reasons to Volunteer
1. Gain Valuable Life Experiences and Skills: Whether you build houses for the homeless or mail flyers for a local politician, you'll experience the "real world" through hands-on work. You can use this experience to explore your
major or career interests.
2. Meet Interesting People: Volunteering brings together a variety of people. Both the recipients of your volunteer efforts and your coworkers can be rich sources of insight. For example, maybe you'll learn about the legal profession from a former lawyer you visit at a convalescent center. You could even meet your future prom date while saving the rain forests.
3. Get Academic Credit: Some schools offer academic credit for volunteer work through "service-learning." This is a teaching method that integrates hands-on learning (through service to the community) into the school curriculum. It's available in high schools and colleges, as well as in earlier grades.
4. Send a Signal That You'd Be an Asset to a College Community: Colleges pay attention to your life inside and outside the classroom. Your extracurricular activities reveal a great deal about you, such as what your interests are, whether you can manage your priorities and maintain a long-term commitment, what diversity you'd bring to the student body, and how you've made a meaningful contribution to something.
How to Get Involved
There are many people, places, and organizations that need volunteers. Here are some tips for getting started:
• Look in your community and in the phone book to learn what programs exist that may need help.
• Visit your city or town web site. It may list volunteer opportunities in your community.
• Contact your local United Way, cultural arts association, student organization, or umbrella association that can point you in the right direction.
• Ask your library, church,
SCHOLARSHIP SPOTLIGHT
Better Business Bureau: http://alaskaoregonwesternwashington.bbb.org/scholarship
BBB Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to educating consumers on a variety of marketplace issues. The programs offered by BBB Foundation span all demographics and reach hundreds of thousands of consumers each year. As we continue to work to enhance these programs, we look to the support of Pacific Northwest businesses and consumers.
Mission: To empower consumers in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Washington and Western Wyoming to be confident and proactive by providing education, information and resources on marketplace issues. By doing so, BBB impacts the communities it serves.
More Scholarships to Apply for in December
- AXA Achievement and Community Service:
http://www.axa-equitable.com/axa-foundation/AXA-achievement-scholarship.html
- Anne Ford: http://www.ncld.org/about-us/scholarships-aamp-awards/the-anne-ford-and-allegra-fordscholarship-award
- Navy ROTC: http://www.nrotc.navy.mil/scholarships.aspx
- Alaska Distinguished Young Women Program: www.ajm.org/programs/state_n_local_programs/alaska
- Elks Scholarship: http://www.elks.org/enf/scholars/mvs.cfm
- Wal-Mart: http://walmartstores.com/communitygiving/8736.aspx
- McKervey Young Entrepreneurs: http://www.nfib.com/yef/yef-programs/young-entrepreneur-awards
- DOT Summer Transportation Internship for Diverse Groups: www.fhwa.dot.gov/education/stipdg.htm
CTE CORNER
The second EXCEL 9 will start a few days after Christmas break, and everything needs to be coordinated before Christmas break happens. Important information listed below.
Session Dates: January 14th-19th
Application Due Date: December 10th.
Contact Your Counselor for more info
EXCEL 9 is a communication & career exploration camp. Students in 9th grade will be introduced to various career pathways through interactive field trips and job tours during a 6-day session. They will practice valuable employability skills such as time management, teamwork, and problem solving. Additionally, participants will begin building a Personal Learning & Career Plan (PLCP) on AKCIS to prepare them for their future.
PLEASE CALL YOUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR WITH QUESTIONS!
Randi Shrider | Anchorage, Eagle River, Wasilla | rshrider@yksd.com | 907.622.6631
Ryan Tilbury | Delta, Fairbanks, Juneau | rtilbury@yksd.com | 907.374.9432
EdTech Update:
AK Grad Update:
One of the ways that we can help our students is to help them to learn to set goals, by creating a goal, and writing the steps to reach the goal. Along the way show them how to check their progress for completing steps and modify the steps if necessary to reach the goal. If your student is taking an online course, AK Grad recommends that they write a schedule to complete a quarters worth of work every three months, by totalling the lessons required for 1 quarter and dividing them by the number of days that are considered school work days. Placing these on a calendar in a visual location will help students stay on track. If a student falls behind, modify the schedule to get caught up by adding extra work days or work time.
Anchorage Office:
November Recap:
We kicked off November with a field trip to Alaska Junior Theater’s show of Black Violin. At the end of the month we also saw their show, AirPlay which everyone loved! For November's ARTiculate class, students learned how machines & art mix through making fidgets, ferris wheels and all about the artist Diego Rivera. Alaska Resource Education presented a workshop on oil drilling, and used cupcakes to demonstrate the process. Who doesn’t love cupcakes? We had five families decorate doors in our office so come in and vote! This year’s theme was “Winter Wonderland” and the winner will be announced at our Winter Party on December 12th! We hope everyone had a safe and fun holiday weekend!
Reminder, if you need to meet with your advisory teacher it is best to call and schedule an appointment!
Upcoming Dates/Events/Deadlines:
December 4th-6th - Science Workshops: The Physics of Toys
December 5th - PAC + SIA Meetings
December 6th - Thursdays at Three Series: Raven Book Review
December 12th - Raven Winter Party at Bear Tooth
December 13th - High School Bowling Party, I Know I Can Program, Drop and Shop
December 14th - Jr FLL Lego Celebration
December 21st - Civil Air Patrol Workshop
December 24th-26th - Office Closed
December 31st-January 2nd - Office Closed
Staff Out of Office Dates:
Carmen: 12/7, 12/24-12/31
Danae: 12/3, 12/10, 12/17, 12/24-12/31
Terri: 12/11, 12/18, 12/24-12/31
Randi IN office: 12/13
For more details about our events and to RSVP, please click on our SMORE below!
Turkey in Disguise Winner, tied for first place
Turkey in Disguise Winner, tied for first place
ARTiculate workshop
Delta Office:
Looking back over November:
Ryan is preparing our senior to graduate in May. They interviewed each other and made introductions last month. This month we are going over FAFSA and discussing Service work and volunteering.
Kevin Robotics is preparing for a Lego event in Fairbanks on December 15th.
Our Lego Robotic Jr. Team, Innovation Creation Kids Station is doing great things, preparing for their open house.
Our Terrific Tuesdays have been Terrific. We have Wolves pictured here enjoying board games and snacks!
Our Dorshorst family is always traveling in their Raven Gear, and we appreciate the good press. Jeshua asked Mark Begich a few tough questions about homeschooling.
Looking forward:
December 4th - Raven Craft Day
December 5th - Parent Advisory Committee meeting
December 11th - Open House
For more details about our events and to RSVP, please click on our SMORE below!
ARTiculate
Look who Jeshua D. met at the airport!
Senior Meeting
Eagle River Office:
November in Review:
November was another fun-filled, busy month in our office! Randi kicked off the month with a workshop teaching Interview Skills for some high school students. Our PAC meeting was successful and many topics were covered for the rest of the year. Lt. McPherson from the Civil Air Patrol came to our office and hosted an informative demonstration about all of their programs. The first field trip of the month was to the AK Rock Gym and everyone who attended had a great time! Steve taught a fun ARTiculate workshop where students learned all about textures while making dinosaurs. Our Geography club stayed local this month and we all learned about North America. There were many fascinating topics covered and many delicious snacks were shared! We also hosted a canned food drive at Fred Meyer, it felt great to be able to collect food to donate to those in need in our community. Deb Fancher was in our office again teaching everyone all about the Science of Spices. We were blown away by some of our Turkey in Disguise creations! Everyone was so creative and made some really neat turkeys. Randi also held a parent workshop where they discussed the importance of internet safety. Steve is starting a ski club, if you have any interest in joining please contact him! Our four Battle of the Books teams have been meeting weekly and spending a lot of time practicing. We wrapped up the month with a fun field trip to watch “AirPlay” at the Performing Arts Center.
Upcoming Activities:
December 3rd - Science Workshops: The Physics of Toys *CANCELLED*
December 4th - Battle of the Books Meeting (K-2nd) *CANCELLED*
December 4th - Ski Club Outing *CANCELLED*
December 5th - Geography Club: Australia/Oceania
December 5th - PAC Meeting
December 6th - Battle of the Books Meeting (5th/6th, 7th/8th)
December 10th - Battle of the Books Meeting (3rd/4th, 5th/6th, 7th/8th)
December 11th - Battle of the Books Meeting (K-2nd)
December 12th - Raven Winter Party at Bear Tooth
December 14th - Santa’s Workshop
December 17th - Battle of the Books Meeting (3rd/4th, 5th/6th, 7th/8th)
December 18th - Battle of the Books Meeting (K-2nd)
December 18th - Middle/High School Bowling Party
December 19th - Office Holiday Party
Office Closures:
Our office will be closed December 24th-26th, and December 31st-January 2nd.
Staff Schedules:
Randi will be out of the office December 7th and December 21st-January 8th.
She will be working in the Wasilla office on December 5th, and in the Anchorage office on December 13th.
Steve will be out of the office December 21st-January 8th.
Maegan will be out of the office December 10th-11th.
AK Rock Gym Field Trip
Science of Spices workshop
CAP Presentation
Fairbanks Office:
November Recap:
School Portraits:
Those families that chose to have school portraits taken this year, you should have received your individualized link to view your photos by now. Any questions, please call RED Photography directly.
Literacy Night:
Raven’s first literacy night was a hit! Although we postponed the evening due to weather, about 20 people attended the event a few days later. Camp Read A-lot had story time, puppet crafts, word fishing and a full on baked potato bar dinner. Our next Literacy Night will be scheduled after the New Year.
Expressions in Glass Field Trip:
Raven families got to spend the afternoon at the gallery where they had the option to make wind chimes, pendants, small plates and sun catchers. Everyone had a great time and we were even offered the opportunity to have them come into the homeschool if there was enough interest…let me know!
Food Bank Field Trip & Volunteer Day:
5 amazing Raven families signed up to get a short tour of the Fairbanks Community Food Bank. The volunteer then spent a few hours packing care packages for Fairbanks senior citizens. The families loaded an astonishing 3 pallets of much needed boxes. Thank you all!
Office Closures:
December 24th - Office Closed
December 25th - Office Closed
December 31st - Office Closed
Looking Ahead:
December 3rd - Dog Sledding & Farm Tour Field Trip
December 5th - Parent Advisory Committee Meeting
December 5th - Hour of Code Event
December 6th - Cultural Night & Activities
December 8th - Barnes & Noble Gift-Wrapping Volunteers Needed
December 12th - LEGO League Jr. Meeting
December 13th - LEGO League Meeting
December 15th - Barnes & Noble Gift-Wrapping Volunteers Needed
December 18th - Raven Homeschool Holiday Party
December Staff Schedules:
Natasha Anderson - out December 24th-January 4th
Chuck Backe - out Monday’s & December 24th-January 4th
Jessica Desrochers - out December 24th, 25th & 31st
Tami Rump - out December 24th ,25th & 31st
Ryan Tilbury - out December 10th-14th, 18th in Delta, off 20th-21st
Cathy Walker - out Friday’s & December 24th-January 4th
Fairbanks Community Food Bank
Expressions in Glass
Literacy Night at Camp Read-A-Lot
Juneau Office:
November in Review
November has flown by in a whirlwind of activity! We put up our thankfulness tree on the hall bulletin board to share thoughts on what we are all grateful for. The Digital Animation and Drawing Club met weekly to work on projects together and learn new concepts from one another. Our JrFLL teams are finishing getting ready for the competition in December and have been learning a lot about the moon this year. Our “I Know I Can” activity had a good turnout of kids to get an early start thinking about the future and what they might want to do when they grow up. Many turkeys got disguised for our annual competition and were able to sneak past Thanksgiving unnoticed. Other fun activities that were all squashed into the final week and finished out our month really well included Chess Club, Yearbook Committee Kickoff, Spanish Club, and a Fire Station tour. It was a great month to remember how thankful we are for all the families that are a part of our Raven Homeschool family.
December Important Dates
December 4th - Digital Animation/Drawing Club for 6th-12th grades
December 5th - Parent Advisory Committee Meeting & Hour of Code Activity
December 7th - Middle/High School Sip ‘n Paint Party
December 7th - Deadline to sign up & bring stocking for Stocking Stuffer Gift Exchange
December 11th - Digital Animation/Drawing Club for 6th-12th grades
December 12th - Elementary Spanish Club: Sentimientos (Feelings)
December 13th - YKSD Virtual Holiday Program
December 14th - Deadline to bring gifts for Stocking Stuffer Gift Exchange
December 14th - Yearbook Committee Meeting
December 17th - Scholastic Reading Club Dec Orders Due
December 17th - Sack Lunch, Card Making, & Caroling at Wildflower Court
December 17th - Chess Club
December 18th - Digital Animation/Drawing Club for 6th-12th grades
December 20th - Holiday Craft Party
December 21st - Deadline to pick up filled stocking for Stocking Stuffer Gift Exhange
Staff Schedules:
Theresa Off - December 3rd-7th, 24th-31st
Joan Off - December 7th, 14th, 21st-31st
Holiday Office Closure:
December 24th-31st
Wasilla Office:
November in a Nutshell:
We hope you enjoyed the Thanksgiving Holiday, and our continued mild winter weather throughout the month. November saw Raven students create cards for Veterans, volunteer visit with seniors at the Palmer Pioneer Home, and make their own ornaments for the tree at Michael's craft day in Wasilla. Our Culinary Bake-Off this month was a hit with several delicious pies entered in the contest judged by two current service members and our office staff. Miss Joy continues to meet with the Battle of the Books students, and we are happy to have so many participants this year! We finished up November with a trip to the Art Cafe to make glittering garden bugs.
December Activities:
December 1st - Make Gingerbread Houses at Michael's Craft Store
December 4th - Battle of the Books meeting Middle School
December 5th - Battle of the Books meeting 3rd/4th
December 5th - PAC Meeting at 2:00
December 5th - Counselor Randi in Office
December 6th - The Alaskan Nutcracker at The Glenn Massey Theater
December 11th - Battle of the Books meeting Middle School
December 12th - Battle of the Books meeting 3rd/4th
December 18th - Battle of the Books meeting Middle School
December 19th - Battle of the Books meeting 3rd/4th
December 19th - Cookie Exchange at 2:00
December 24th - Christmas Eve, Office Closed
December 25th - Christmas Day, Office Closed
Science Workshops with Mr. Bergey - TBD
House of Bread - TBD
Denali Gymnastics - TBD
Office Closures:
In Celebration of the Christmas Holiday, the Wasilla Office will be Closed Christmas Eve, December 24th, and Christmas Day, December 25th
All Teachers will be off December 24th through January 4th
Staff Schedules:
Joy - off on December 7th, 14th, and 21st
Ruth - off on December 14th and 21st
Cynthia - off on December 3rd, 10th, and 17th
Monique - off on December 3rd-12th