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Welcome to the Mission Vista Academy Pen Pal Program!
How It Works:
This program is open to any Mission Vista Academy student. You need to sign up and be willing to commit! The students will be required to write one letter per month throughout the school year. Please be patient, especially during the holidays and breaks. Students are not required to work during these times.
Most importantly, you need to be active. This is a free program but you need to be committed. We need to be sure we aren’t letting anyone down because that’s just not nice and not fun! Can you imagine running out to your mailbox every day for a month, waiting on a letter, and then never receiving one? That’s just really sad and hurtful, so please:
Do Not Sign Up If You Cannot Commit.
Students will be put into one of four writing levels. The students will be paired with another student from that level, and ideally the same grade level. This can sometimes be a little difficult so your student may be placed with someone a grade higher or lower.
Level requirements are just general guidelines but strongly encouraged. Rules are a must. If we become aware of a failure to meet these, you may be asked to withdraw from the pen pal program.
Levels:
Level 1: Drawings Only: TK, Early Kinder, Special Needs
Level 2: Drawing/Craft and 1-5 sentences: Kinder - 2nd Graders
Level 3: 2-3 Paragraphs, Drawing/Craft Optional: 2nd - 5th Graders
Level 4: 3-5 Paragraphs, Drawing/Craft Optional: 6th - 10th Graders
Rules:
Must write one letter per month
Must address the envelope themselves (Parents can help if necessary)
Mail out the letter (Parents: teach them how to mail a letter at home and/or at the post office)
Must be appropriate and polite (Parents: please proofread before mailing)
Get creative with your letters!
Parents will receive an email with the contact info of the other parent the student has been matched up with. It will be up to you to exchange mailing addresses. Parents will be in charge of making sure their student is sticking to the program and not letting other students down. Again, please read your student’s letters to be sure they are appropriate before mailing them out!
Print out MVA Voluntary Activity Waiver HERE (you will be asked to upload a waiver when signing up for Pen Pal Program)
If your pen pal hasn’t written their monthly letter, please let us know and we will try to help!
Worst Case Scenario: We assign you a new buddy if it is possible.
Happy Homeschooling,
Audrey & Andrea
Audrey Everson
audrey.everson@missionvistaacademy.org
Andrea Hart
Hi MVA Families!
My name is Lisa Mesa, and I am your ML Coordinator. This is my 23rd year in education, five of those in the charter realm. I have a Master’s in Multicultural Education and am a second language learner myself. My first language is Albanian :) I remember the difficulty of going to school as a kindergartener and knowing no English. I can relate and aim to make your acquisition of English as easy as possible. Your HST is your first point of contact for questions, but please also feel free to contact me at any time.
Lisa Mesa
Here is the link to our NEW South Schools Intervention Website:
South Schools Intervention Website
You now have access to our highly anticipated Tier 1 Intervention Programs for Reading to replace our Lively Letters and Sight Words You Can See Videos. In addition to that, you will still see our ODI Math Videos, SEL/Growth Mindset Resources, and our Writer’s Workshop Video Lessons.
Please remember to update the link in your bookmarks!
FREE Pre-recorded videos with LIVE Office Hours!
These writer's workshop videos are there for parents and teachers to use starting wherever you would like! If you need advice as to where to begin, feel free to email our amazing writing teacher at writersworkshop@pacificcoastacademy.org.
Then on Tuesdays and Thursdays, you and your student can join in the office hours to go over items! Again, you can email to ask questions or get help, etc.
Access the recorded writing workshop videos HERE
Office Hours (for extra assistance):
Tuesdays: 10 - 11 am
Thursdays: 1 - 2 pm
Password: davidson
Save the Date for our next Mindset Monday
High School Questions?
Have questions about High School? Reach out to your Mission Vista Academy High School Success Coordinator, Summer Davidson at summer.davidson@missionvistaacademy.org
Counseling Information Sessions
Our MVA counseling department hosted an information session on the concurrent enrollment process.
- You can watch the Concurrent Enrollment info session HERE.
- View the presentation slides HERE.
- Instructions for how to enroll in a community college class
Below you will find information about the UC and CSU Application Processes:
Link to video recording (recorded 10.19.2020)
Annual Black College Expo
February 19 & 20 - Annual Black College Expo is Now Virtual! $5 Registration fee
Over 10 million in Scholarships available!
BIG Opportunities:
Get Accepted to colleges on The Spot
College Application Fees Waived
Receive Scholarships on the Spot
Informative Seminars and Workshops
Experts will help you with FAFSA
$1,000 Cash & Prize Giveaways
Career and Internship opportunities ..upload your resume
FAMILY LIAISON OFFICE HOURS
Your Family Liaisons will be offering weekly office hours on Thursdays, from 10 -11 AM. This is a time each week when you can drop in to ask questions and is open to all parents and teachers at MVA. This is an opportunity to chat about anything homeschooling. Here are just a few things that could be discussed during this time:
- Schedules, Routines, and Rhythms
- Curriculum
- Schooling Multiple Children
- How to Navigate our Enrichment Ordering System (EOS)
- Resistant Learners
- Getting Organized
- Resources
New Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84272589947
What if you can't make it during our office hours? No problem at all; your Family Liaisons are available Monday through Friday, so don't hesitate to call or email us:
Andrea Hart-
email: andrea.hart@missionvistaacademy.org
phone: (951) 378-6144
Audrey Everson-
email: audrey.everson@missionvistaacademy.org
phone: (951) 541-4809
Homeschooling Teaching Tip! Note Taking Strategy - Cornell Notes
Cornell note-taking is a method of note-taking arranged in a way that allows your student to take notes in a quick and organized way. The method can be used in lecture or while reading a chapter from a textbook by writing keywords, main ideas, and summarizing what has been learned.
Some students have difficulties with recording notes during lectures or lessons such as writing fast enough to keep up with the pace, paying continued attention, making sense out of their notes after class, and deciding what was important to record during the lecture. Many of these note taking difficulties often result in notes with either partial or incomplete lecture points. Implementation of Cornell note-taking addresses all these issues by creating a note-taking style that is quick, clear, and structured.
In addition, guided notes allow for different mediums in which to teach the information, rather than hear and record. They provide a means to increase student learning and understanding of content through the use of multiple modalities; auditory, visual, and tactile (Jimenez, 2012). Students can draw pictures, fill in the blanks, write summaries of activities they engaged in or form questions they think the content is geared for answering.
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Structure | During Lecture | After Lecture |
Structure
During Lecture
After Lecture
Mission Vista's School at Home Website
Mission Vista worked together with others to create this resource site for our families and for parents who are now faced with homeschooling their own children. Feel free to share this site!
Please reach out to your Family Liaisons or your HST at any time. We're here for you!
National Park Service- Free access for 5th graders
How It Works
Many 4th graders missed out on using their Every Kid Outdoors Annual 4th Grade Pass during the 2019-2020 school year. A new voucher is now available for 5th grade students for the rest of the school year!
With this voucher, 5th graders and their families will have free access to national parks and other federal lands managed by the Department of the Interior from October 28, 2020 through August 31, 2021.
FREE: Wide Open School!
Wide Open School helps families and educators find trusted resources to enrich and support distance learning. Every day students can access free, high-quality learning activities across subjects, all in one place. More than 80 partners and supporters have come together to meet the change in learning needs of students, teachers, and families due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Wide Open School offers free resources for subjects like:
-Science
-Fitness
-Life Skills
-Social Studies
-Reading
-Writing
-Math
-Art
-English Language Learners
And much, MUCH more! Check out this amazing FREE website here: wideopenschool.org
Our South Schools' Family Liaisons joined together to bring our families 'Themed Curriculum Weeks!' Each week had its theme: All-In-One Curriculum, Math, Language Arts, History, Science, and Subscription Boxes. Your Liaisons kicked off each week with a webinar highlighting popular curriculum choices. Additionally, throughout each themed week, webinars were scheduled with curriculum companies to share more about their products. If you missed any of these or want to check them out again, visit our special Webinar Newsletter.
THIS NEWSLETTER INCLUDES:
✦ Curriculum showcases hosted by the South Schools' Family Liaisons, during which they share about popular curriculum options and subject-specific curriculum webinars offered by the providers.
Additionally, you will find links to the following:
✦ 20/21 Online Subscription Package Webinars
✦ The High School Curriculum Roadshow
Wanna show off your school spirit? Purchase your very own Mission Vista T-shirt, sweatshirt, tote bags, and MUCH more!
Visit the Mission Vista website for the full list of school apparel and other goodies now!
Mission Vista Academy School Website
Mission Vista Academy Facebook Group - Enrolled with Mission Vista Academy? Join us on Facebook for a lively discussion and homeschool support.
mission_vista_academy - Follow Mission Vista Academy on Instagram!
Online Subscription Package Handbook - If you need additional help, please consider joining our weekly office hours. Every Wednesday from 1:30 - 2:30 pm https://zoom.us/j/94816292813
We are here for you!
Your Mission Vista Academy Homeschool Teachers and Family Liaisons are always here for you! Reach out to your HST or Family Liaisons for support, advice, and connections with the homeschool community around you!
Andrea Hart
Hello! My name is Andrea Hart, and I am a homeschooling momma of two beautiful girls. Thanks to Mission Vista Academy, we have been homeschooling for 2 years and absolutely love the freedom and new learning experiences that it provides us daily. Homeschooling has changed our lives for the better, and I can’t wait to help other families learn, grow, and navigate through this extraordinary journey. I'm here to help encourage, guide, and answer any question you may have! I can’t wait to connect with you.
Audrey Everson
Hi everyone! I am a mom of 3 awesome kids ranging in age from 12 to 8 years old. My husband and I are high school sweethearts and have been married for 18 years. Having homeschooled our children over the last 8 years in 3 different states, I've found homeschooling here in California, especially with Mission Vista Academy, has been a great fit for our homeschool journey. I am grateful for our ability to homeschool so freely and I aspire to assist other families with their own homeschool adventures!
Fully Accredited for Grades TK-9 by the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
(As each year we add another grade level in high school, we anticipate full accreditation of grades TK-12 by 2023. Go MVA!)
