Inspire Insider
Bringing families together, one newsletter at a time!
Monday, April 20, 2020
Quote of the Week
School News and Important Dates
- Teachers will still be available to meet you virtually and will still be monitoring student progress
- EOS orders will still be approved and processed
- Curriculum and Technology orders will continue to be processed
- CPA will still continue to offer learning opportunities for high school
- HQT's will hold office hours for high school students and families
- High school students, particularly seniors, are strongly encouraged to keep up with their school work and completion of assignments
- A special website of open and free resources is available at this link
- Support videos, lessons, and tools compiled by our intervention team are available here
2020-2021 Planners
Student and parent planners for the 2020/21 school year can be requested through your students' EOS accounts from now until April 24, 2020.
ORDERS DUE BY 4/24
The final cost of the planners will be deducted from your students' accounts when funds drop on July 1, 2020. The planner(s) ordered will be shipped directly to your home in August 2020.
To place orders:
1. Login to your EOS account: www.icsinspirationstation.com
2. Create a new product order by clicking on Create Request, then select Product as the Order Type.
3. Type in “South Planners” as the vendor name.
4. Review the catalog for planner options and pricing: https://tinyurl.com/yapca7l8
5. Type the planner name in the Item to Order field, and add the Item Number to the Item ID/Number field. Add pricing information to the order, and use the catalog link for the Item URL.
6. Click Next, then verify your shipping address.
7. Hit submit!
The final cost of the planners will be deducted from your account when funds drop on July 1, 2020. The planner(s) you order will be shipped directly to your home in August, 2020.
Inspire Virtual Art Fair
Click the link below for the full details.
Virtual Homeschooling Coffee Chat with Your Family Liaisons
Zoom link
New Resource Site For All Parents
We worked together to create a resource site for our families and for parents who are now faced with homeschooling their children. Please share with anyone who you feel could benefit from the site!
Community Connections
Check out the newsletter for workshop days and times: https://www.smore.com/z7m6j
High School
Classes and Curriculum
Most of our popular curriculum providers remain open and students can access classes and continue learning. Some of our curriculum providers are offering free resources during this time:
Language Bird
Chirp Room availability for students to enter a chat room moderated by Language Bird teachers to converse in the language they are studying: Chirp Room Link
ASU Prep. Digital
Resources at no cost such as virtual field trips, library access, video lessons, and much more: ASU for You
Shmoop and Rosetta Stone are offering free student and teacher accounts while families are distancing during this time. Please contact your HST if you are interested in learning more.
8th Grade High School Transition Information Sessions
High School Counselor Support
Mock College Admissions Committee
Tuesday, April 21 | 6:00 - 7:30 PM | Via ZOOM | Click here to register
Brought to you by your Inspire High School Counselors
College representatives will lead parents and students through a mock admissions committee! The exercise will point out the intricacies of the process and the importance of assembling a strong application. Gain insight and understanding as to what is valued in the application.
This event is an engaging and effective way to discuss the college application process commonly used in California.
Staff are welcome to register and participate as well.
Tiffany Viggiano, Presenter
Tiffany Viggiano is a regional admissions representative for the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). UAA practices open-access admissions and is the largest university in Alaska (apx.18,000 students). We are ranked among the top 25 public universities in the West according to US News and World Report, and ranked number 1 for long-term return on investment amongst peer institutions according to the Center on Education and Workforce. Tiffany serves all prospective out-of-state and WUE students, but specializes primarily in California, Oregon, and Washington. In the past, she has worked at the University of California Riverside and the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland. She is a published scholar of higher education and a Fulbright scholar.
Virtual College and Career Fair
Opportunity Exposed Inc. Virtual College and Career Fair for high school students!
Thursday, April 23, 2020 from 10:30 am – 3:00 pm.
VIA Zoom
Colleges, universities, trade schools, scholarship, careers and community resources will be in attendance.
Click HERE to Register
Career Exploration From Home
How about a little career exploration while you are held-up at home? Here are some fun and free, online tools to help you get started:
Road Trip Nation: Wondering what to do with your life?
Career Exploration: See careers come to life through stories and advice from people who’ve been in your shoes.
Video Interviews with professionals: Watch videos of leaders talking about themes that matter to you.
Journeys Map: You will be provided personalized roadmaps to explore life’s possibilities.
California Career Zone: Learn about yourself, the employment options available to you and the training that will prepare you for them.
Your High School Counselor is also available for College and Career Counseling!
How do students turn in their Concurrent Enrollment forms now that community colleges are closed? (Orange County)
Attention Juniors and Seniors
College Admissions Updates:
AP/SAT/ACT Resources & Updates:
Student Support
Open to Parents/Guardians: Intervention Support Website
Exciting News!
All students now have access to our recorded outstanding direct instruction (ODI) classes on our Intervention Website! Parents/Guardians can sit with their students and watch as our teachers guide them through the lessons.
Reading videos focus on: beginning phonics, decoding, blending and Reading & Comprehension classes
Math Videos focus on: foundation skills, operations, multiplication and division, factors, multiples and fractions, expressions and algebra.
Office hours will be posted soon on the Intervention Website!
English Learners
English Learners Newsletter
Please read this resource to find a wealth of information about English Learners and the programs we offer to support our students.
Special Education
Zoom updates and security
We understand there have been questions about our use of Zoom, which has been under scrutiny for some potential security flaws in their product. Zoom has been responsive to these issues and has tightened up their security. We have confidence at this time to continue using them to support our students. Additionally, part of the problem we have read about in the media has been related to individuals not using the program appropriately, in that they are making their meetings open to the public and not limiting who can participate in the meetings. We have recommended our teachers implement best practices for securing online classrooms to prevent unauthorized users entering the Zoom classrooms. Our teachers are only sharing Zoom links with their students and are only allowing students to enter the virtual classrooms once they recognize their student's names.
Zoom is using privacy practices and technical security measures to ensure that customer data is protected and are ensuring that customers in the education sector are compliant with the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
We hope this eases any concerns you may have. We will continue to closely monitor this situation to ensure privacy for all of our students.
Special Education Parent Newsletter
This month's Parent Newsletter content includes:
- Understanding the Special Education Processes
- Homeschooling and State Testing
- Using Notebooks in Instruction
- Calming Strategies
Enrichment
Enrichment Ordering System: Amazon Punchout
We are excited to announce that the much anticipated Amazon Punchout system has gone LIVE in the EOS!
Please feel free to watch this video to familiarize yourself with the new ordering process for Amazon requests. Please note, as stated in the video, all orders need to be placed through the approved Product vendor A-Punchout (AKA Amazon) in order to access the Punchout system.
Quick Video Summary:
1. Click "Create Request" - Product - Approved Vendor - A-Punchout - select Shipping Details, and then you will be directed to Amazon's site.
2. Enter your student's name in the account creation field. Each student should have his or her own shopping cart.
3. Do not edit the email address already associated with your child's punchout account.
FAQs:
Q. Why is the punchout system not working for me?
This happens when a parent is still trying to place their order through the approved vendor "Amazon"; you will need to select "A-Punchout" as the vendor to have access to the Punchout system.
Q. What happens if I forget my Punchout password?
You will only be required to enter a password upon account creation the first time you log into the Punchout system. The EOS will remember your password for future requests.
If you experience any issues or have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your HST. Happy shopping!
Inspiring Parents
The same holds true for math. A strong foundation for future math learning in fractions, decimals, percents, proportions, word problems and algebra is built upon on how well students know their addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. Join our magnificent math support team to learn their successful math strategies.
Wednesday, May 6th from 1-2 p.m. at this link: http://bit.ly/InspiringLink
Questions? arlene@inspireschools.org
Academic Video Library
Instructions to access Academic Video Library can be found here.
Educational Tools
Proof! Math Game
- 100 number cards chosen for optimal fun!
- For a better mental math experience, there are more of the easier-to-use lower numbers, such as 0 - 10.
- We've also removed some of the more difficult-to-use larger numbers, like 85.
- And, we've left out many tricky prime numbers, like 97.
- Instructions with game play options, including solo play and modifications for kids of all ages and levels!
- Play with numbers up to only 20, 30, or 50 (you get the idea).
- Play with 12 cards on the table rather than 9.
- Play without multiplication, division, or square roots as needed.
Price: Currently $17.99 on Amazon.
Virtual Spring Faire at the Environmental Nature Center
Take the Eco Challenge! by the Discovery Cube
Free Audible Books
Homeschooling Advice
A Trick to Motivate Yourself Out of a Homeschool Morning Slump
"I used to wake up hours before my kids. Yes, I'm serious. It was amazing!
I had time
- to plan our day
- to write
- to read
- to exercise
All that time made me a better homeschool mom.
Most days, I was on top of my game. We got stuff done. And then winter hit—it got cold and gray. Winter makes me tired. It makes me want to curl up, in my bed, with a good book. It does not make me want to put my feet to the freezing floor and do all the things.
At first, I just slept in a little bit—an extra twenty minutes here or there. But then those stretches grew longer and longer until now my kids are waking me up, forcing me to put my reluctant feet to the floor and do all the things (or, if we are being honest here, some of the things).
The end of winter is a trying time for a me as a homeschool mom. Gray skies, cold temps, kids with cabin fever, and homeschool fatigue can be a dastardly combination. Maybe your homeschool kryptonite is something different—a new baby, an extended illness, home renovations, a death of someone loved, or a big move.
How can you get back on track? How can you feel a sense of homeschool success when you can’t seem to locate your motivation?
I’d like to share a strategy that recently worked in our home. I want you to think of what you are goodat. C’mon, homeschool mama, everyone is good at something!"
Read the rest of the article here.
Your Orange County Team
Community and Connection
Join Our Orange County Facebook Community
Please note: There are three questions that need to be answered in order to join. The group is for currently enrolled families only.
Instagram Page
Orange County Parent Resource Site
Ladan Rashidi - OC Family Liaison
Shaemanique King - OC Family Liaison
Feedback
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