The Raven's Call
Raven Homeschool
January 2020 Edition
Dear Raven Families,
Welcome to Raven's Call, your digital newsletter to keep you up to date on all things Raven. This monthly newsletter via SMORE will have an overview of highlights from each of our 6 Raven offices. Within this electronic version of our newsletter, you have easy-access to your local office news and resources by clicking on links within each section.
We are looking forward to another successful year and hope you will share pictures of your learning adventures with your local offices to be included throughout the year.
If you would like a printed copy, please contact your local office.
If you have questions, please contact Maegan, mmascagno@yksd.com.
- Raven Homeschool
From the Director's Desk:
Congratulations for completing another successful semester of homeschooling with Raven! On behalf of our amazing staff I’d like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope you have the opportunity to relax with family & friends and recharge for the new year ahead. Here are some amazing highlights from our fall semester submitted by our hard working administrative assistants.
Anchorage
Back to school party in August was a huge success! Students spun the prize wheel, completed a "find a friend activity", enjoyed pizza and cookies and went bowling as a groupd
Science workshops with Deb Fancher are always a blast! We've studied DNA, Science of Oil, Environmental Science & Strange Materials so far this school year
We've been to two shows at the Center for Performing Arts, the Wildlife Conservation Center, Public Land Information Center, Dimond Greenhouses and Bear Tooth Theater for field trips
Civil Air Patrol, Quilting Club, FLL Robotics, Girls Who Code, Spanish, Spelling Bee, STEAM and Strategies 4 Success workshops are happening monthly
Delta
We began the semester with our Back-to-Homeschool picnic and since have had field trips (honey harvesting, the Alaska Flour Company, Ft Greely Fire Department), the Scholastic Book Fair and we just celebrated with our Holiday Party
Tuesdays have been busy with our Terrific Tuesday activities
Our Christmas Craft Day was very well attended and students went home with fun gifts to give
Eagle River
Eagle River families appreciated the Ice Cream social hosted at Loretta French Park. Our students had all of the ice cream toppings they could want and had fun areas to run around and work off all the sugar!
We hosted a Holiday Game Party at the end of the semester! The office was packed with families playing games, eating food and chatting away
Fairbanks
Fairbanks families greatly appreciated the free ice skating/pizza party we earned for reaching our re-enrollment goals from last year
Our office collaborated with the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Hockey team and our families loved winning free tickets throughout the year for great seats to both the Ice Dog and UAF Nanooks games
We ended the semester organizing a wonderful Christmas party/potluck with students and parents coming together to celebrate Christmas Around the World
We have had an increase in family participation at our events and look forward to a second semester of more families enjoying time together!
Juneau
We have had a wonderful first semester in the Juneau office with so many fun activities that it is hard to pick out just a few for highlights.
Definitely a monthly favorite has been our Art with Rocky activities at the end of each month from Sept-Dec. The students have loved hearing his stories while crafting and creating beautiful works of art.
One field trip which has been designated “the best ever” by many of our Raven families was our Airlift Northwest tour in December. The students got to do hands-on medical activities to learn about how the nurses take care of people that they transport, they got to climb inside the aircraft, and even sit in the cockpit. It was definitely an activity that will be talked about for years to come.
Wasilla
Mailed 12 boxes stuffed full of things such as foot powder, hot sauces and condiments, candy, homemade cookies, and baby wipes to a squadron in a hot spot in Afghanistan
Crafternoon workshops are very popular and well attended. In these workshops students of all ages get to make the craft of the hour and take it home! It is a nice time for students to socialize, work on a project, and get positive feedback on their creativity.
Don't forget about these important deadlines!
January 31st:
- 2nd Quarter Progress Reports & Work Samples Due
- Reimbursement Deadline for all receipts dated July 1-December 31, 2019
- Internet Reimbursement Deadline for all statements from July-December 2019
Counselor's Corner:
Class of 2020 - Graduation is just around the corner!
Seniors there are a number of things you need to do before May 15, 2020:
- Before January 31, you should be at least half way done with all of your year long classes! All classes must be completed by May 15, 2020
You should schedule a face-to-face meeting with Ryan or Megan to review your credits one last time in January or February
Schedule and take at least one of the following test - Workkeys, SAT or ACT
Complete the “Senior Information Sheet” so that your Cap and Gown can be ordered if you are walking - Deadline: March 6
Attended a Mandatory Graduation Meeting - check with your home office for dates and times after the first of the year.
7th & 8th Grade Students:
- Now is the time to start thinking about college or post-secondary training.
PLEASE CALL YOUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR WITH QUESTIONS!
Megan Rosendall | Anchorage, Eagle River, Wasilla | mrosendall@yksd.com | 907.622.6631
Ryan Tilbury | Delta, Fairbanks, Juneau | rtilbury@yksd.com | 907.374.9432
Anchorage Office:
December Recap:
December was packed full of activities, workshops and field trips before the office closed for the holiday break! Terri’s FLL Robotics team, Narwhals Constructors, finalized their project and competed in the city wide competition! We are proud of all of their hard work, dedication and teamwork this season. Terri also stayed busy hosting Quilting Club, Book Club, Girls Who Code and her Jr. FLL workshops. Carmen’s Drone Racing League started in December and was an instant hit! Spanish and Spelling Bee students also met in December and continued to make progress towards their goals. Danae and Rocky hosted another virtual art lesson and students loved creating pop-up Christmas tree cards. Civil Air Patrol met again and students learned more about runways, runway signals, maps and helicopter balloons. Deb Fancher was in the office again and taught a fascinating workshop about DNA. Megan’s Strategies 4 Success workshops were well attended and students learned helpful life skills about finances and planning for their future. Jamie hosted two different field trips in December. First, students and families went to the Center for the Performing Arts and watched “Sleeping Beauty”, then we went to Dimond Greenhouses and everyone was able to create living holiday centerpieces. To celebrate the holiday season, the Anchorage and Eagle River offices rented out the Bear Tooth Theater for a combined Winter Party! Everyone enjoyed pizza, popcorn and watched “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch”.
We hope all of our Raven Homeschool families have a very happy holiday season! We are so thankful for every single one of you!
Office Closures:
Our office will be closed December 31st-January 1st.
January Activities:
January 1st - Office Closed
January 6th - Quilting Club
January 6th - Sewing School
January 6th - Drone Racing League
January 7th - Elementary Spanish I & II
January 8th - Science Workshop: Liquid Nitrogen
January 8th - PAC Meeting
January 9th - Science Workshop: Liquid Nitrogen
January 9th - Book Club: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library & The Invention of Hugo Cabret
January 9th - Strategies 4 Success: Effective Note Taking
January 10th - Girls Who Code
January 13th - Quilting Club
January 13th - Sewing School
January 14th - Elementary Spanish I & II
January 15th - Spelling Bee
January 16th - STEAM: Spheros
January 17th - Field Trip: Ice Skating
January 17th - Jr. STEAM: Spheros
January 20th - Quilting Club
January 20th - Sewing School
January 21st - Elementary Spanish I & II
January 23rd - Kids2College
January 23rd - Civil Air Patrol
January 23rd - Strategies 4 Success: How to Write a Paper
January 24th - Girls Who Code
January 27th - Quilting Club
January 27th - Sewing School
January 28th - Elementary Spanish I & II
January 29th - Spelling Bee
January 30th - Kids2College
January 31st - Second Quarter Progress Reports Due
January 31st - First Semester Reimbursements Due
Staff Schedules:
Carmen will be out of the office January 1st-3rd, 17th, 24th and 31st.
Danae will be out of the office January 1st-3rd, 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th.
Terri will be out of the office January 1st-3rd, 14th, 28th-31st.
For more details about our events and to RSVP, please click on our SMORE below!
Dimond Greenhouses Field Trip:
Quilting Club:
Art with Rocky
DNA Science with Deb Fancher
Narwhals Constructors during FLL Competition
Delta Office:
December Update:
Happy New Year Raven Families! We have had a fun filled December with creative crafts and sharing food.
Our Christmas craft was an amazing success. There were four crafts to choose from and most students were able to make at least two. Thank you to Katya for setting up the crafts! Thank you to parents who helped.
Our Delta Lego Masters participated in a qualifier competition in Fairbanks on December 14th. They competed in four areas: core values, real world project, robot design and missions. We will return in January for another competition. We are so proud of this talented team.
The Holiday Open House/Party was filled with great food and company. We are grateful you are part of our Raven Family.
Teacher Note: In January, our academic year is half over. All students should be half done with their classes. If you are struggling, it is your responsibility to ask for help.
Parents: We need help with Boys’ Night Out and our Girls’ Tea Party. All ideas, suggestions and helping hands will be gratefully accepted.
January Calendar:
January 7th - Terrific Tuesdays
January 14th - Terrific Tuesdays
January 15th - Girls’ Tea Party Planning Meeting
January 16th - Fingerprinting Workshop
January 20th - Jr. FLL Wreck-It Ravens Lego Team Open House
January 21st - Terrific Tuesdays
January 22nd - International Day
January 28th - Senior Meeting
January 28th - Terrific Tuesdays
January 29th - Parent Advisory Committee Meeting
January 31st - End of 2nd Quarter/1st Semester. Progress reports and work samples due
January 31st - Reimbursement Deadline. All receipts dated 1 July to 31 December must be turned in to be considered for reimbursement.
For more details about our events and to RSVP, please click on our SMORE below!
Eagle River Office:
Coming up in January:
December was a month to remember in the Eagle River office. Our clubs continue to grow as Battle of the Books teams gear up for battle. We enjoyed amazing events for the holidays. From the joined Anchorage-Eagle River Bear’s Tooth movie event to the Holiday game party, our families were able to socialize and enjoy the holiday season together. In January, a new year begins as we get ready for re-enrollment events and the continuation of a wonderful school year.
Events:
January 1st - Office Closed for New Years
January 2nd - Sledding Event
January 3rd - Zoo Lights
January 6th - Battle of the Books Team Meetings (All Teams)
January 7th - "6 Most Important Decisions" Workshop
January 8th - PAC Meeting
January 9th - Ski Club Outing
January 10th - Science Workshop: Liquid Nitrogen
January 13th - Battle of the Books Team Meetings (All Teams)
January 13th - TLC Meeting
January 14th - Art with Mandy
January 15th - Geography Club
January 16th - Ski Club Outing
January 17th - Ice Skating
January 20th - Battle of the Books Team Meetings (All Teams)
January 21st - "6 Most Important Decisions" Workshop
January 21st - Kids2College
January 24th - Ski Club Outing
January 27th - Battle of the Books Team Meetings (All Teams)
January 28th - Kids2College
January 29th - Ski Club Outing
Staff Schedule:
Steve will be out of the office until January 8th, as well as January 17th.
Megan will be out of the office until January 7th.
For more details about our events and to RSVP, please click on our SMORE below!
Fairbanks Office:
Creating Holiday Ornaments: Students and parents had a fun filled afternoon making Christmas ornaments and sharing holiday treats. Participants could choose to create three different ornaments: the snow globe ornament, the clothespin reindeer, or the tea light snowman. Creativity was rampant as the Christmas music played and laughter and merriment ensued.
Lego League Competition: Raven Lego Team takes 14th Place in State Competition Our team trained for weeks for their big day in the state competition with Cathy Walker. There were 25 teams competing for the championship title. Raven 2.0 was in full competition mode and worked very hard. We are proud of their accomplishments.
Fly Trampoline Student Appreciation Day: Fifty students attended the first student appreciation day held at Fly Trampoline December 17th. Kids of all ages signed up and were extremely excited to participate. The event was a huge success and we are hoping to schedule another one next year.
Raven Family Christmas Party: This year’s theme was Christmas Around the World. We had a full house with well over 100 people in attendance. Families were treated to craft tables, goody bags, and games. Each co-worker decorated a desk or door to match a country that celebrates Christmas. Included were South Korea, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, Italy, France, Holland, Croatia, and Mexico to name a few. Raven staff members brought dishes that corresponded to the culture of the country chosen. Families brought side dishes and it was a culinary delight for everyone. Hopefully, parents were able to introduce new yummy foods to their finicky eaters. We had a door decorating contest. Our family liaison, Tracy Kurzenberger, won 1st Place and Cathy Walker won 2nd Place.
Staff Calendar:
January 6th - Sewing Club
January 6th - Yearbook
January 7th - Battle of the Books
January 7th - Running Club
January 8th - STEM Day
January 8th - PAC Meeting
January 9th - Staff Meeting
January 9th - Carpenter’s Union Apprenticeship Meeting
January 9th - First Lego League
January 10th - Art Class
January 10th - Kids2College Curriculum Training
January 13th - Sewing Club
January 14th - Ice Dogs Reading Activity
January 14th - Running Club
January 15th - Junior Lego League
January 16th - Staff Meeting
January 17th - Art Class
January 20th - Sewing Club
January 20th - Yearbook
January 21st - Battle of the Books
January 21st - Running Club
January 22nd - Spangler Science
January 23rd - Staff Meeting
January 24th - Art Class
January 27th - Sewing Club
January 28th - Raven Running Club
January 29th - Junior Lego League
January 30th - Staff Meeting
January 31st - Art Class
Staff Schedules:
Natasha will be out of the office January 1st-3rd
Ryan will be out of the office January 1st-3rd, and in Juneau January 13th-17th
Cathy will be out of the office January 1st-3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th
Chuck will be out of the office January 1st-3rd, 6th-7th, 13th, 20th and 27th
Heidi will be in the Manley office January 21st. She will be out of office January 1st-3rd, 6th-10th, 13th, 16th-17th, 20th, 24th, 27th, 30th and 31st.
For more details about our events and to RSVP, please click on our SMORE below!
Juneau Office:
December in Review
Even though we haven’t had much snow, December has been a flurry of activities leading up to the holidays! The students taking the DARE class with Officer Cryderman finished up the session and had a celebration of their accomplishments. Our FLL and JrFLL teams competed at the Juneau Robot Jamboree and did a fantastic job with their teamwork to complete the mission challenges this season. The Battle of the Books teams also continued to meet weekly and had a lot of fun with a GooseChase scavenger hunt to practice. During our monthly PAC Meeting Luncheon, we also did an Hour of Code Activity with the students where they got to code and drive Spheros. We held our annual Stocking Stuffer Gift Exchange at our office and 19 students participated this year which was super fun. One field trip which has been designated “the best ever” by many of our Raven families was our Airlift Northwest tour. The students got to do hands-on medical activities to learn about how the nurses take care of people that they transport, they got to climb inside the aircraft, and even sit in the cockpit. It was definitely an activity that will be talked about for years to come. Another annual favorite this month was our Holiday Craft Party and Caroling at the Wildflower Court care facility. Many families joined us to make fun ornaments for their trees and Christmas cards for the elderly folks. After crafting, we went to do the caroling and handed out cards to the residents. Both of our Art with Rocky activities were well attended and the kids had fun crafting intricate snowflakes and fun pop-up tree cards. It was a wonderful month to connect with so many of our Raven families and wish them well this holiday season.
January Important Dates
January 7th - Parent Advisory Committee Luncheon & Student Activity
January 7th - STEM Club
January 10th - Battle of the Books
January 10th - Yearbook Committee Meeting
January 13th-24th - MAP Testing Winter Window
January 13th-16th - Individual High School Appointments with Ryan
January 13th - Middle & High School Mystery Party
January 14th - STEM Club
January 14th - Potluck & Family Movie Night at Gold Town Nickelodeon Theater
January 21st - STEM Club
January 24th - Scholastic Reading Club Jan Orders Due
January 28th - STEM Club
January 29th - National School Choice Week Activity
January 31st - Battle of the Books
January 31st - Q2 Progress Reports Due
January 31st - Reimbursement Deadline for all July-Dec receipts
TBD - UAS Career & Technical Education Center Tour
TBD - Bowling
Staff Schedules:
Theresa Off - January 2nd-3rd and 16th-27th
Joan Off - January 2nd-3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, and 31st
Office Closed - January 1st
For more details about our events and to RSVP, please click on our SMORE below!
Art with Rocky
DARE completion celebration
Artlift Northwest field trip
Wasilla Office:
December in Review:
The month of December flew by! The Mighty Mites and Mighty Midgets math groups continued to make strides in mastering math concepts; while the math workshops with Mrs. Horning had their last workshop until February, when they will resume. Our Rocket Readers groups are flourishing; it is exciting to see their progress! The LEGO Club keeps working on more and more challenging projects; we love to see how students can create and problem solve independently as well as in a group. Crafternoon and ART with Rocky continues to be a favorite workshop; this month the kiddos had fun making ornaments, intricate snowflakes, and a pop up Christmas card. The Dry Ice & Micro-World science workshops were fun and interesting. A huge shout out to our family liaison, Daphne, for spearheading & coordinating the Boxes to Troops! An ever bigger shout out to all who brought things in to fill the boxes. A total of 12 boxes were mailed with appreciation for their service. The month culminated with our annual cookie exchange (they all looked delicious!!) and ice skating party at the Curtis Menard Center.
January Activities Schedule:
January 1st - New Year's Day, Office Closed
January 6th - Mighty Mite Math (2nd & 3rd)
January 6th - Mighty Midget Math Games (K & 1st)
January 7th - Middle School Battle of the Books
January 7th - High School Battle of the Books
January 8th - 3rd & 4th Grade Battle of the Books
January 9th - Bowling Club
January 10th - Quilter's Club
January 10th - Crafternoon
January 10th - 4-H Club
January 13th - Mighty Mite Math (2nd & 3rd)
January 13th - Mighty Midget Math Games (K & 1st)
January 13th - Games Club
January 13th - Speech Workshop with Wendy Golter
January 14th - Rocket Readers (K & 1st)
January 14th - Rocket Readers (2nd - 4th)
January 14th - Middle School Battle of the Books
January 14th - High School Battle of the Books
January 15th - Culinary Cook-Off: Brownies!
January 15th - 3rd & 4th Grade Battle of the Books
January 16th - LEGO Club
January 16th - Artist in Residence
January 20th - Mighty Mite Math (2nd & 3rd)
January 20th - Mighty Midget Math Games (K & 1st)
January 20th - Field Trip to Tier 1 Vet Clinic
January 21st - Rocket Readers (K & 1st)
January 21st - Rocket Readers (2nd - 4th)
January 21st - Testing Skills Tuesday
January 21st - Middle School Battle of the Books
January 21st - High School Battle of the Books
January 22nd - Kids to College with Grad Coach Megan
January 22nd - 3rd & 4th Grade Battle of the Books
January 23rd - Quilter's Club
January 23rd - Project ARTiculate
January 24th - Crafternoon
January 24th - High School Hangout
January 27th - Mighty Mite Math (2nd & 3rd)
January 27th - Mighty Midget Math Games (K & 1st)
January 28th - Rocket Readers (K & 1st)
January 28th - Rocket Readers (2nd - 4th)
January 28th - Middle School Battle of the Books
January 28th - High School Battle of the Books
January 29th - Kids to College with Grad Coach Megan
January 29th - 3rd & 4th Grade Battle of the Books
January 30th - Family History Club
January 30th - Middle School Hangout
Office Hours:
- The Office will be CLOSED Tuesday, December 31st; AND Wednesday, January 1st in observance of the New Year
Regular Office Hours:
Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
January Staff Schedules:
Cynthia will be off January 1st-3rd, 6th, 13th, 20th, & 27th.
Joy will be off January 1st-3rd, 10th, 24th, & 31st.
Ruth will be off January 1st-3rd, 17th, 20th, & 27th.
Kim will be off January 1st-3rd.
For more details about our events and to RSVP, please click on our SMORE below!