ISOK Mission Log
October 2016
In this edition...
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Broadcasting Outing - October 7th
Essay Contest - Deadline Oct. 5th
Parent University - Oct 10th and 24th
Tatooed Trees - Join our book club!
Teacher of the Year CelebrationRed Ribbon Week
Reminders!
Complete Online Learning Course
FEV Tutors are available for you!
COLLEGE CORNER: Lots of great info that you need to know! Check it out!
Video: Schedules and Routines
Video: Creating an Effective Learning Environment
Wednesday Workshop
Keep your Computer Running Smoothly
Learning Coach University
Fun for Students
Checkmate Club
Phoenix Music Club
Fall into Fitness
K12 Clubs
Learning Liftoff
Fall into Fitness
More to know:
Academic Calendar
Language Assistance
Important Websites
Archived issues
Look at what is coming soon!
Oklahoma high school students—grades 9 to 12—are invited to enter the 2016 Zach Taylor First Amendment Essay Contest, sponsored by Freedom of Information Oklahoma. For this year’s essay, pick one of the freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment (speech, press, religion, assembly, or government petition) and write about its importance to our way of life. Students are encouraged to do factual research on the topic, but to write creatively and personally, rather than write a report. Entries should be about 500 words, typed, double-space.
Each entry must include the following:
Student’s name
Name of student’s school
Name of student’s teacher
Name of student’s principal
Student’s mailing address
Contact phone number
Student’s personal e-mail address
Cash prizes will be awarded to winning essays. First prize is $300, second place will receive $200, and third place will win $100. Seven students will receive honorable mentions and iTunes® gift certificates. Cash prizes will be awarded on October 26 at the 2016 First Amendment Congress at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond.
All entries must be received by October 5.
E-mail entries to:
Bill Young, Public Information Manager
Oklahoma Department of Libraries
Bill.Young @ libraries.ok.gov
For more information about the contest,
please contact Bill Young at (405) 522–3562 or (405) 370–3750
Come join the ISOK Book Club
For our first book we will be reading
John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars
•It is not too late to join. Click on the link below or email Ms. Jordan: tojordan@insightok.org
ISOK Teacher of the Year Celebration!
ISOK proudly honored Mellisa Martin-Rathbone as Teacher of Year at the State Department of Education Teacher of the Year Recognition at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds
Mrs. Rathbone teaches History, US History, US Govt, OK History, and Economics, as well as several electives that are technology driven. She started with OVCA in 2013 as a Counselor Tech and then moved over to ISOK in 2014.
Mrs. Rathbone says “ For most of my students, someone gave up on them, teacher, school district, even a parent, so to see them realize that not only does one teacher, but a whole group of teachers and advisors believe in them is amazing.”
Congratulations Mrs. Rathbone!
ISOK Teachers are the BEST!
Reminders!
FEV Tutors are available for you!
COLLEGE CORNER! CHECK THIS OUT!
COLLEGE CORNER!
Check out these colleges fairs near you!
Important information about paying for college...
FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid
*****Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will never ask for money to apply (if you get asked to pay a fee, you are on the wrong site).
The date you can begin to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is three months earlier this year - Oct. 1. The FAFSA is used by schools to determine eligibility for student financial aid and is considered the most important document in getting help paying for college.
It's advantageous to file it as soon as possible because some funding is distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. New federal rules also change which year's tax information to use in the application.
A few things to know:
The FAFSA filing period used to open on Jan. 1 but it is now Oct. 1. You still have until June 30th to complete the form but again, filing early means a better shot at assistance.
Students and their families will also be required to report income from an earlier tax year, which is intended to make the process easier.
When the FAFSA application period opened on Jan. 1, many families rushed to apply but didn't have all the necessary tax information and had to estimate it. Now applicants will use tax returns from one year earlier. So those applying for aid for the 2017-2018 schoolyear will use their 2015 income information instead of 2016.
Families will be able to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to transfer information from their federal income tax returns into the FAFSA. This will not only simplify the form, but also reduce the likelihood that the FAFSA will be selected for verification, Kantrowitz said. Any data that comes unmodified from the IRS to the FAFSA will not be subject to verification. Skipping verification will save families and colleges time and hassle, he said.
>>>>if 2016 income is lower than 2015, the family should appeal to the college financial aid administrator for a professional judgment review.
Completing the FAFSA earlier means families can receive critical information like the Student Aid Report (SAR) sooner, says lender Sallie Mae. The SAR includes the Estimated Family Contribution, or EFC, which provides a clearer picture about eligibility for financial aid as families make decisions about colleges.
ACT Prep Workshops
Click here for more information
We love our Learning Coaches!
Keep your Computer Running Smoothly
Learning Coach University
K12 Learning Coach University™ was created to support the Learning Coaches who guide the schooling of their children at home. Online classes provide a clearer understanding of the developmental process of learning as well as effective strategies and resources to use at home to help every child succeed. Click here to view the October sessions.
Fall is a great time to get out and exercise!
Take time to relax, have fun,
and enjoy the beautiful weather!
Go Apple Picking
There are several orchards in Oklahoma that will allow you to pick your own apples. You can find the closest to you here:
http://www.americantowns.com/ok/features/apple-picking-and-apple-farms
Fly a Kite
Collect Fall Leaves - Even better, make a Pile of Leaves and Jump in them!
Have a Bonfire
Go on a Nature Hike - Top 100 hiking trails in Oklahoma
http://www.tripleblaze.com/best/?c=40
Take a Hayride
Visit the Pumpkin Patch - There are so many to choose from!
This site separates them by county.
http://pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/OKpumpkins.php
Stuff a Scarecrow
Visit a Corn Maze - Here is a map of registered Corn Mazes
K12 Student Clubs
Notification of Language Assistance Services
Any parent/guardian who is limited in speaking, writing, or reading English may request the school to provide access to services such as an interpreter and/or translated documents. To request services please email the ELL Coordinator, Nicole Ellison, at nellison@okvirtual.org
2016-17 School Calendar
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