Monday Morning Update
Options Program - May 20, 2019
COMPASS & OPTIONS SCHOOL NEWS
ASSESSMENTS ~ Thank you to scholars that attended testing with Compass this spring! We completed our CAASPP testing window, and will conclude our ELPAC Summative and PFT testing window next Friday, May 31. Score reports will be available mid- to late-summer.
BLOG ~ We support scholars' passions through our personalized learning experience. Check out this week's blog for four leading reasons why online learning is a great choice for children who are pursuing talents.
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATIVE UPDATE ~ A package of bills – AB 1505, AB 1506, and SB 756 – has been proposed by Sacramento politicians that could impact hundreds of high-quality charter schools like ours throughout the state. Each of these bills has passed out of the Education Committee and we expect a vote by legislators on May 22. Taken together, these bills would eliminate the right of existing charter schools to appeal non-renewal decisions, grant districts broad and subjective discretion to deny new charter schools without regard to the quality of the new petition, and impose a two-year moratorium on new charter schools. Learn more and make your voice heard today by visiting www.standforallstudents.org now!
CLASSIFIED SCHOOL EMPLOYEES WEEK ~ It’s Classified School Employees Week! This week, our scholars are invited to share pictures, videos and more on social media to say thank you to our classified school employees. Be sure to tag @CompassCS and use the hashtag #CSEW2019 in your posts!
ENERGY BUS ~ Tip of the Week: There are no limits to what you can accomplish, except the limits you place on your own thinking. Also, don’t forget to check out this week’s Make a Difference Monday Message from the Energy Bus.
ISTATION FINAL DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENTS ~ Our final Istation diagnostic window will be from Tuesday, May 28 to Friday, May 31. We encourage scholars to include Istation testing on their daily schedules during the week to ensure they have ample time to complete the diagnostic assessments. Please reach out to your EF if you have any questions.
NAVIGATORS’ COMMUNITY TOUR ~ Are you or someone you know interested in having their scholar(s) attend our Navigators’ Community at our Orange County Learning Center in Santa Ana this fall? Interested families are welcome to join us for a tour this Thursday, May 23 from 9:30-10:30 am. Please RSVP to Linda Larson at llarson@compasscharters.org.
OPTIONS FEEDBACK SURVEY ~ We want to hear from you! Compass is dedicated to providing the best programs we have for our scholars, and your feedback on our Options program is important to us. Please click here to complete our brief survey. Thanks, in advance, for completing the survey by this Friday, May 24, as the results will help us plan for a great 2019-20 school year!
OPTIONS HANDBOOK HIGHLIGHT ~ Work Permits, page 32 - Scholars under the age of 18 must obtain a work permit from Compass Charter Schools after securing an opportunity for employment. A scholar must maintain a 2.0 GPA each semester to be eligible. The scholar, after obtaining a promise of employment, shall complete “Statement of Intent to Employ and Request Work Permit,” which may be downloaded from the California State Department of Education website (Click Here).
RETURN OF NON-CONSUMABLES ~ Friendly reminder that families that are not returning to Compass next school year will need to return or purchase their “non-consumable” items by Friday, June 14. Please watch your emails for a list of these items. Information on drop-off opportunities has been shared via Parent Square, although you may also choose to ship or send payment. Non-returning families that do not return or pay for their non-consumable items by June 14 will be invoiced for those items.
SCHOLAR COMPETITION ~ Food waste is a problem everyone can tackle, including children! Scholars aged 11-18 years old are invited to enter Ace the Waste: a competition for food waste reduction ideas. Submissions are due this Friday, May 24.
VIRTUAL INFORMATION SESSION ~ We are hosting our next Virtual Information Session for prospective families this Thursday, May 23, starting at 1p. Know scholars and families who could benefit from our Compass Experience? Invite them to join us this Thursday to learn more about Compass, our academic programs, enrichment opportunities, and more!
NAVIGATORS' NEWS
TALENT SHOW ~ The OCLC Talent Show is coming Tuesday, June 4 at 1:15 pm. Auditions for the talent show will be Tuesday, May 21 and Thursday, May 23 during lunch. Contact Linda Larson for more information.
CURRICULUM EXCHANGE ~ The OCLC will be hosting a curriculum exchange and return on Tuesday, June 4 from 9:30a to 12p. Bring some/Take some! This is also the time and place to return any or your non-consumables if you are not returning next year. This event is open to all of our Options families.
FREE RESOURCES
Readworks is a free online database of informational and literary texts and question sets.
Reading informational texts requires different strategies as opposed to reading a fictional text. Scholars who are not used to reading an article in order to find information might struggle with this type of textual interaction. Reading informational text encourages scholars to find the main ideas and supporting details, as well as the author’s overall purpose, in a piece of writing. This type of reading tends to be more complex. That’s where Readworks comes in! Readworks not only offers a large variety of nonfiction texts, but it also includes question sets to help your scholar build comprehension and identify important aspects of informational text, along with vocabulary support. There is also an option to use the “StepReads” function which presents the articles in less complex ways than the original writing. You can even print the article and corresponding questions if you would like your scholar to be able to make marks and notations as they read.
Sign up for a free account as a teacher at readworks.org, and you can start searching through the huge library of both informational and literary texts based on a variety of subjects. And for those of you on a tight schedule, here’s a free one-page introduction to ReadWorks’ content and curriculum.
COUNSELING SERVICES
CAREER SPOTLIGHT ~ Last week concluded our 15-week career spotlight to highlight careers within the 15 California industry sectors. Did you miss a week? Do not worry! Click here for ALL of the previous career spotlights. Also, check out California Career Zone for more career exploration!
COUNSELING SERVICES WORKSHOPS/PRESENTATIONS ~ Our middle and high school scholars are invited to join our virtual College Career Success Cafe, “Time’s Not Out: 14 Days Until School Ends!” next Tuesday, May 28 at 12:30pm. Time’s not out! Scholars have 14 days until the end of the semester to catch up in their classes. We will share tips to help plan out your scholar’s remainder of the semester to increase success in their classes. Ms. Olson and Mrs. Schwartzberg are looking forward to sharing this information with you.
MULTI -TIERED SYSTEMS OF SUPPORTS SPOTLIGHT (MTSS) ~ This week’s MTSS spotlight is a continuation of the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) at home. Last week we discussed the 3Bs and setting clear expectations. This week is about having family meetings. We encourage families to hold a family meeting to present the matrix at home. Here are some helpful steps that families can follow while hosting a meeting:
Step 1--Explain the expected behavior (learning coaches may receive input from their scholars)
Step 2--Demonstrate the expected behavior.
Step 3--Role play/practice the behavior.
Step 4--Explain the positive reinforcements and the consequences.
Enjoy a detailed list of Spring 2019 helpful college and career planning resources for middle and high school scholars.
EXCEPTIONAL SCHOLAR SERVICES
FEATURED WEBINAR ~ The Autistic Brain: Dr. Temple Grandin, a leading autism expert, will highlight the latest research about autism, Asperger’s syndrome and other mental disorders. She will offer new insight and practical ideas for special education leaders and parents to help them better understand why particular strategies work and don’t work. Parents, please complete the registration link for this on demand webinar.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Visit our ParentSquare Calendar for more information on our upcoming events.
Compass Charter Schools
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