Compass Chronicle
Online K-8 Program | January 2020
A Word from the Coordinator!
Work Samples & Learning Labs
- Our K-1 grade online scholars had fun participating in around the world learning labs. They had tons of fun learning about holidays around the world, such as Christmas, Kwanza, & Hanukah
- Our 2nd and 3rd-grade scholars had some fun learning about area and perimeter!
- 6th Graders worked on their AVID One-Pagers to kick off our Argumentative Writing Unit. They also IN LL we are continued to analyze and evaluate arguments and prepare for their first Socratic Seminar!
- Accelerate Education 3rd-5th graders participated in Sketchnote Fever Friday! Here is the flyer. They also looked at the current events going on in the world, tie it in with SDGs and flow it into building sustainable homes (tiny homes).
A Family Story!
Learning coach Ann-Marie F. and her scholar, Payton F. share their experience at Compass
CCS: We know that often with our scholars that each day is different, but what would a typical day look like for you and your scholar?
LC: We usually wake up and have breakfast (Payton likes rice cakes with peanut butter on them), and then we start school work about 30 mins later, still in our jammies.
We usually do 2-3 classes and then take a break. Then 2-3 more after lunch. Then, in the afternoon, she takes classes like gymnastics, tap, and ballet.
CCS: What has been your greatest joy in schooling your scholar at home?
LC: I really love the quality time we spend together and I especially enjoy re-learning the history lessons with her. I’m excited that we’re studying the American revolution right now because I recently took Payton to see Hamilton. I also like having more time to teach her the other things she enjoys, like cooking!
CCS: Share a challenge that you have experienced as a learning coach and how you have worked to overcome the challenge.
LC: One of the challenges we’ve faced has been distractions around the home. Sometimes my kids would rather play Fortnite and jump on the trampoline than so school and it’s hard to get them to focus. We have come up with guidelines: trampoline can be used at “recess” and after school and Fortnite can only be played Fridays through Sundays.
CCS: Why did you decide to school from home with Compass Charter Schools?
LC: We found Compass through the recommendation of a friend as a more flexible option for child actors. It has been the perfect for my kids as we travel a lot for their shows. Pulling them out of traditional school for auditions and work was problematic in the past.
CCS: What do you enjoy most about being part of our Compass community?
LC: As new members of the Compass community, there has certainly been a learning curve. We would have liked to participate more, but I didn’t realize the field trips and such fill up so quickly. We are excited to attend our first in-person event this Friday!
CCS: Share a piece of advice you’d give to a parent thinking about taking their child out of school to school at home?
LC: I would let parents considering homeschooling know that this program offers a structured curriculum but a lot of flexibility. I would recommend homeschooling because it means spending quality time with your children and letting them learn at their own pace. CCS offers schedule flexibility without the red tape of traditional school.
CCS: What do you, your scholar and the family enjoy doing together during your free time?
LC: We have much more free time because the kids can complete the lessons at their own pace or in the car or wherever! As actors, my kids usually have rehearsals in the evenings or performances at night and on the weekends. When they had to wake up early and go to traditional school they were often exhausted and rundown. Now they wake up naturally, complete school on their schedule and have much more free time. We love to play games (video and board games), see live theatre, visit friends and family, mountain biking and going to Disneyland!
Staff Spotlight
Meet Kasey Wingate, Scholar Success Coordinator
Kasey Wingate has been at Compass Charters for 6 years! She is currently the Scholar Success Coordinator (SSC) which gives her the opportunity to coordinate support and intervention services for scholar success in grades kindergarten through 12th via our Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework. In reflecting on this role, Mrs. Wingate says, “It is truly exciting to work that allows me to facilitate academic and behavioral support groups to help our scholars get the tools and skills they need to find success. While I have worked at CCS for 6 years in different roles, I have found that I enjoy being the SSC the most!”.
Mrs. Wingate is passionate about building connections with CCS families and ensuring every scholar gets equitable access to a quality education. If she can make a difference in just one scholar's life, she knows she has succeeded. When asked what advice she would share with scholars she said, “Don't be afraid to try something and fail. If you fail, you will inherently have more wisdom and will grow from your experiences”.
Besides her many hours devoted to scholars, she has a keen eye for interior decorating. She designed her outdoor living space which has been featured on Houzz.com. In addition, she and her husband love the outdoors and to be active. Mrs. Wingate shared, “I work out daily and we walk our fur babies to the beach every weekend. We also love to travel. We visit a National Park to hike and explore and go to a tropical destination to relax every year. My favorite destinations have been: Belize, Costa Rica, Havasupai Falls, Zion National Park, and Sedona”.
Kasey Wingate helps our scholars to achieve their goals. We are happy to have her on our online team!
Counseling Services Department
Counseling News
Happy New Year and welcome back! We can’t believe that the first semester is almost over. We hope you all had a productive and relaxing winter break, using the time to catch up on any missing assignments and time to recharge to finish the first semester strong! As we are near to closing the fall semester, we reflect on the proud accomplishments of the counseling services department team and all the wonderful things we have planned for the remainder of the school year. Happy 2020 and thank you as always for your continued support.
It has been an exciting time in the counseling services department since the school year started. We close the fall 2019 semester with having delivered 17 counseling webinars for scholars and learning coaches centered around academics, social-emotional intelligence, and college & career. We look forward to ‘seeing’ you all at our upcoming spring weekly learning labs, held every Tuesday at noon.
As we look ahead to the spring 2020 semester, we invite you to join us in celebrating National School Counseling Week, from February 3 through February 7th. This year’s theme is "School Counselors: Helping Build Better Humans” and will focus on the efforts your counseling team strives for in creating a positive impact on scholar success. If a counselor has made a positive impact in your life, we invite you reach out to your counselor to let him or her know what a difference they’ve made.
Counselor Spotlight
Meet Mataya Olson, College and Career Counselor
What is your job title and what are a couple of the things you do at Compass Charter Schools? How long have you worked for this organization?
I am the College Career Readiness Counselor at Compass Charter Schools. In this role, I support scholars in college and career planning, obtaining work permits, and concurrent enrollment. This is my second year at Compass Charter Schools.
Tell us your “why” for doing what you do here at CCS?
I love the aspects of college and career, and how it is always evolving. It is especially rewarding to help scholars plan for what is next after high school. There are so many possibilities out there and it is amazing to see each scholar’s unique passions and interests.
As an educator, is there piece of advice you’d like to share with learning coaches or scholars?
It is never too early to start thinking about college and career! There are many great opportunities available to middle and high school scholars. The earlier you start planning, the more aware and prepared you will be.
Counseling Stories
This month we are happy to highlight the Kelly Family! Learning Coach, Angela, has two daughters at CCS, Jhala (age 12) and Monica (age 10). Both Jhala and Monica are very busy with projects they work on outside of school. Jhala recently recorded a new single, Kaleidoscope, and authored a book, I Am Who I Say That I Am.
What does a typical day look like for you and your scholar? A typical day for us begins with getting ready as if we were going to a regular public school, having breakfast, before we start our schoolwork; that is if we’re not rushing out to an audition or filming, an early morning rehearsal, or heading off to a recording session.
What has been your greatest joy and what has been your greatest challenge in schooling at home? How did you overcome the challenge(s)? My greatest joy has been knowing that my two girls are in a safe environment and that I am their greatest influence when it comes to morals and values. My greatest challenge is being a single parent, I have to work and so there are times when I’m not there to supervise my girls the way that I would like to be. However, I have recently received more support from family members and friends who have stepped up to assist me with my girls’ homeschooling.
What do you enjoy most about being part of our Compass community? We have enjoyed so many things about being a part of the Compass Community, but what stands out the most is the spirit of excellence, dedication, and caring that the educational facilitators and staff have shown my girls and myself.
Special Education Department
Special Education Teacher Spotlight
I collaborate closely with the Exceptional Scholars team, Educational Facilitators, Parents, and Scholars to develop individual student goals and develop IEP’s. Based on those goals I provide instruction and support which facilitates the participation of scholars with disabilities in the regular classroom. I have worked for CCS since January of 2019.
I have worked as a Special Educator in a brick and mortar setting for 20 years. I taught kindergarten through second-grade students with moderate/severe disabilities. Being a special educator brings me so much joy, but I needed a change and I found that at Compass Charter Schools. A special education teacher is a rewarding job. When a child makes a breakthrough, the teacher understands the effort required for that breakthrough.
Some advice that I would like to share with learning coaches and scholars is that it is ok to make mistakes. As teachers we make mistakes and as scholars we make mistakes. We can always learn from our mistakes. “You’ve got to take the good with the bad, smile with the sad, love what you’ve got, and remember what you had. Always forgive, but never forget. Learn from mistakes, but never regret.”
One thing that very few people know about me is that I dislike getting my face wet or getting splashed. The crazy thing is that I was a swimmer all through high school!
I have a wonderful husband of almost 16 years. We have two children, Caiden (14) and Ava (10). In our free time we like to try new restaurants around San Diego and go motorhome camping. Our favorite camping spot is at the beach. We usually spend a week at the beach during the summer with friends and family.
Scholar Work Samples
SHARE YOUR STORY
Compass Charter Schools
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Website: www.compasscharters.org
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