Monday Morning Update
Options Program - February 17, 2020
Compass Charter Schools Will Be Closed Today in Honor of Presidents' Day
Presidents' Day, officially Washington's Birthday, in the United States, a holiday recognized as honoring George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. This is a day many celebrate the birthdays and lives of all U.S. presidents.
Find more information on Presidents' Day click here.
COMPASS & OPTIONS SCHOOL NEWS
ACADEMIC SUPPORT SESSIONS ~ We have a variety of Academic Support Sessions offered this month. You can find session dates and information here. If you have missed a previous workshop and would like to access the recording, you can find all the available sessions here.
Please note the date change to this session:
* CAASPP Math Prep for Middle and High School Scholars with Mrs. Heather Hathaway
Scholars in Grades 6-12
Thursday, February 20 @ 11 am
https://compasscharters.adobeconnect.com/academicworkshops/
ASSESSMENTS ~ Join us this Tuesday and Thursday for two Virtual Workshops designed to help scholars prepare for state testing.
1. Test anxiety is a prevalent, common, and normal experience that scholars face when asked to perform on a test. It can stem from many places, such as poor past experiences, a lack of preparation, and many other unknowns that come with the testing environment. The good news is that there are techniques to help identify the testing anxiety triggers and potentially even alleviate or at least cope with those uncomfortable feelings. With state testing around the corner, we invite you to attend our workshop on how to cope with testing anxiety. Please join Mrs. Ayala and Mr. Samples in the Counseling Learning Lab to learn more about combating test anxiety.
Date: Tuesday, February 18
Time: 12pm
Click Here to join the session
2. Join us for a Test Prep Workshop for scholars and Learning Coaches designed to prepare scholars for state testing. Topics include the testing window, daily schedules, test registration process, why scholars take the tests, what CCS does with the score data, and how to use the practice and training tests to prepare for testing, along with a recap on test anxiety. Please join our Test Prep team to learn more about how to be ready for state testing.
Date: Thursday, February 20
Time: 12pm
Click Here to join the session
AVID ~ Attention Learning Coaches! Please join this week’s AVID academic support sessions for instructional strategies you can use with your scholars at home. This week we will be going over strategies that focus on writing strategies, including Focused Note Taking (FNT), Learning Logs, and Process Writing. Don’t forget 6-12 sessions are on Mondays at 1 pm and K-5 sessions are on Wednesday at 1 pm. Use this link to join the session(s). Questions? Contact Jason Bee AVID Program Coordinator, jbee@compasscharters.org.
BLOG ~ As we continue to celebrate CCS School-Wide Testing Preparedness Month at Compass, check out our latest Compass Blog: “6 Reasons Why Your Scholar Should Participate in State Testing.”
CCS NAMES THEIR JANUARY SCHOLARS OF THE MONTH ~ We are proud of our scholars and use the Scholar of the Month program to recognize their accomplishments. Join us in congratulating our award-winning scholars:
CCS of Los Angeles
Elementary School: Brevin H.
Middle School: Jessica A.
High School: Natalya H.
CCS of San Diego
Elementary School: Gloria G.
High School: Lars O.
CCS of Yolo
Elementary School: Brooklyn B.
Middle School: Devin F.
High School: Nahir T.
CENSUS 2020 ~ Make Sure California’s School-Aged Children Are Counted As the 2020 Census approaches: CCS must do our part to ensure a complete and accurate count in our state; by providing accurate information to the federal government, all California scholars and families will benefit. As the most populous and diverse state in the nation, California is in major jeopardy of an undercount. Find regional outreach efforts at the California Census 2020 website. Census Day is Wednesday, April 1, 2020. We are counting on you to help us ensure that every one of California’s scholars is counted.
COFFEE WITH COMPASS ~ Coffee with Compass returns this week with a stop in Temecula (Wednesday, February 19). Visit ParentSquare to learn more and to RSVP!
ENERGY BUS TIP OF THE WEEK ~ Laugh more often this week! Also, don’t forget to check out this week’s Make a Difference Monday Message from the Energy Bus!
LEARNING COACH SUPPORT SESSION ~ Assessment Preparation Strategies Join Options Scholar Success Coordinator, Lindsey Chalco-Paz, for practical resources to use as you help your scholar(s) prepare for the upcoming state assessments. We will explore test-taking strategies, resources for review, practice exams, and ways to ensure your scholar feels successful heading into the testing season.
When: Thursday, February 28 @ 7 pm
Where: https://compasscharters.adobeconnect.com/parentsupport/
OPTIONS HANDBOOK HIGHLIGHT ~ Vendor Info - Material order totals must include approximately 20-25% to cover any shipping, taxes, and/or handling fees required by the vendor. (Once invoices are reconciled, any overages will return to scholar’s balance.) Please watch for any notices of deadline dates for placing order requests. In March/April, the allotment of funds will need to be finalized as orders will close then.
Learning coaches will be expected to monitor their scholar’s use of loaned materials, including computers, to ensure appropriate use for educational purposes. Please be advised that the computer remains school property and there is no reasonable expectation of privacy.
The materials purchased with state instructional funds are the property of Compass Charter Schools. Learning coaches should instruct their scholars on how to care for and respect any materials purchased by the school for scholar use. The materials are loaned to the scholar while they are enrolled in our school and are for their use for educational purposes. Once the scholar withdraws, the non-consumable materials must be paid for or returned within one week; otherwise, the family will be billed and transcripts will be held. If any item purchased by the school for instructional use is lost or broken by a scholar, the scholar must pay to replace the item.
ORDERING CLOSING DATES ~ Please make sure you have any remaining order requests submitted to your EF by the Friday, March 20 deadline. This includes both service order requests as well as materials order requests.
VENDOR NEWS
VENDOR REVIEW FORM ~ We have created a new form to collect feedback on our approved vendors. If you have feedback on any of our approved vendors that you would like to share with our Vendor Relations Department, please complete our new Vendor Review Form, which will be reviewed on a regular basis.
Los Angeles County
The Rinks-Lakewood Ice (Lakewood)
KIBO Academy (Monterey Park)
Materials
Sphero
COUNSELING NEWS
Welcome Back, Mrs. Schwartzberg! We’ve missed you!
We are excited to announce that Mrs. Schwartzberg has returned following her maternity leave. Thank you Mr. Samples and the entire Counseling Services Team for supporting her scholars during this time.
SPRING 2020: COURSE CHANGE REQUESTS
Please review your Spring 2020 course schedule. The deadline to request any schedule changes is this Friday, February 21. Please use this form to submit the schedule change to your counselor for approval.
A-F | Gabby Ayala | gayala@compasscharters.org
G-L | Jacob Samples | jsamples@compasscharters.org
M-R | Mandy Schwartzberg | aschwartzberg@compasscharters.org
S-Z | Michelle Bateman | mbateman@compasscharters.org
FEATURED COUNSELING SERVICES LESSONS
CCS Cafe: How to Prepare for University Admissions - Tuesday, February 25 from 12-12:30 pm
This session will discuss the important aspects of the university application and how it is reviewed. From GPA to extracurriculars, we will go over it all! Any scholar interested in applying to a university is encouraged to attend. Please join Ms. Olson and Mrs. Schwartzberg in the Counseling Learning Lab to learn more about university admissions.
SAT/ACT Bootcamp - Thursday, February 27 from 12- 1 pm
Are you taking the SAT or ACT and don’t know where to begin? Do you need help with test prep and how to learn strategies? Join Ms. Olson and Mrs. Wingate for the next four Thursdays starting February 27 from 12pm-1pm in the Counseling Learning Lab for SAT/ACT Bootcamp.
Enjoy a detailed list of Spring 2020 helpful college and career planning resources for middle and high school scholars.
EXCEPTIONAL SCHOLAR SERVICES
FEATURED ARTICLE ~ Special education enrollment has surged in the last decade, with more than 96,000 scholars pouring into school districts across the state, according to data from the California Department of Education. One of the drivers has been a marked increase in scholars with autism and other behavioral delays, a Bee analysis shows. At the same time, the number of scholars with other disabilities grew modestly or decreased between the 2009 and 2018 school years. Read the full article here.
FIELD TRIPS & EVENTS
Upcoming Engagement Event Registration Deadlines
*Note deadlines may be several days prior to the actual event*
Wednesday, February 19 - (SD) Marine Science Day with SDSU (February 20 Event)
Friday, February 21 - (CC) Black Diamond Geology Tour (March 5 Event)
Friday, February 21 - (MA) Bay Model Journey (March 11 Event)
Friday, February 21 - (CC) Paradise Skate (March 12 Event)
Friday, February 21 - (AL) Oakland Zoo (March 17 Event)
Friday, February 21 - (RV) Alpaca Hacienda (March 24 Event)
Thursday, February 27 - Virtual Scholar Workshop - Spring Semester Scholar Club Kickoff
(Feb 27 Event)
Friday, February 28 - (SB) MyGym *3rd Grade and Under* (March 16 Event)
Friday, February 28 - (RV) Lincoln Memorial Shrine (March 18 Event)
Friday, February 28 - (SA) Old Town Sacramento Underground Tour (March 25 Event)
ENGAGEMENT NEWS
EVENT SPOTLIGHT ~ Join us on Thursday, March 12, to combine learning and fun at Paradise Skate in Antioch! Math is used all over the skating rink. During this lesson, scholars will measure, compare, and average the speed of several skaters, discover how engineers use geometry in the rink, and how statistics relate to roller skating. Registration is currently open for this field trip and will close this Friday, February 21. Click here to learn more and sign up!
CONTEST SPOTLIGHT ~ The California Armenian Legislative Caucus is holding two scholarship contests for the 2020 commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. California high school scholars in grades 9 through 12 are invited to participate in an essay contest and/or a visual arts contest to increase greater awareness of the Armenian Genocide on its anniversary. The deadline to submit is Monday, April 6. To see all contest details, please click here.
CLUB SPOTLIGHT ~ The Photography Club is a place to explore your artistic side through photography. We have a monthly theme to focus on while scholars go out into the world and take photos to share with the rest of the club! You can use any type of camera, phone, or tablet to take pictures. We have contests, share our thoughts, ideas, and activities with each other, and much more! To learn more about this club or any of our other Scholar Clubs, please visit the “Parents & Scholars” section of our CCS website.
Compass Charter Schools
- Kristy Smith, Director of Options Learning, at ksmith@compasscharters.org
- Karle Roberts, Options Regional Coordinator at kroberts@compasscharters.org
- Laura Harvey, Options Regional Coordinator at lharvey@compasscharters.org
- Michelle Vreeman, Options Regional Coordinator at mvreeman@compasscharters.org
- Sharlie Walker, Options Regional Coordinator at swalker@compasscharters.org
- Ruth Chavez-Rivera, Options Regional Coordinator at rchavezrivera@compasscharters.org
Email: info@compasscharters.org
Website: www.compasscharters.org
Location: 850 Hampshire Road, Suite P, Thousand Oaks, CA, United States
Phone: 855-937-4227
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CompassCS/
Twitter: @CompassCS