Diamond Gazette
October 2016 ~ FALLing into a School Year Rhythm
Autumn Reflections
Autumn Fires
Robert Louis Stevenson (from A Child’s Garden of Verses, 1885)
In the other gardens and all up the vale,
From the autumn bonfires see the smoke trail!
Pleasant summer over and all the summer flowers,
The red fire blazes, the gray smoke towers.
Sing a song of seasons! Something bright in all!
Flowers in the summer. Fires in the fall!
Hearing/Vision Screenings, Picture Days
Picture Day Is Coming!!
Get ready! They are coming back! They will coincide with some of the Hearing/Vision screenings offered throughout the state (see below). Be watching your email for more information.
Friday October 14th in Jonesboro
Craighead County Public Library (Round Room)
315 W. Oak Ave. Jonesboro, AR 72401
9am to 2pm
Monday October 24th in Little Rock
Hillary Rodham Clinton Children's Library
4800 W. 10th Street Little Rock, AR
10:30 am to 2:30 pm
There will also be social activities at many of the locations. We hope you can make it!
School Resources and Support
High School Counselor Office Hours
An office hour for Counselors will be available weekly for students from 8-9 am on Wednesdays. If you have questions regarding credits, colleges, scholarships, etc, come on in and talk with your Counselors! The link to attend is:
https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?password=M.5D5C056791CC9C331D0D65DA50B626&sid=559
Interested in other Bullying Awareness Resources?
Check out these resources shared from 11th-12th grade Counselor, Carol Heavin:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-magid/celebrate-national-bullyi_b_8254330.html
Stop Bullying – http://www.stopbullying.gov/
SAMHSA Bullying App - http://store.samhsa.gov/apps/knowbullying/index.html
Eyes On Bullying – A Guide for Grandparents
http://www.eyesonbullying.org/pdfs/bullying-prevention-guide-for-grandparents.pdf
Common Sense Education - https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/cyberbullying-toolkit
National Crime Prevention Council - http://www.ncpc.org/topics/bullying
ADE Resources - http://www.arkansased.gov/divisions/learning-services/technology-initiatives-and-resources/cyber-safety-resources
Arkansas IDEAS - Bullying Prevention: Moving from a Culture of Cruelty to a Culture of Caring - http://ideas.aetn.org/course_catalog?subject=Health&tess=option&result_41219_result_page=2
It's My Life - http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/friends/bullies/index.html
American Psychological Association – http://www.apa.org/topics/bullying/index.aspx
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - School Violence: Prevention Tools and Resources - http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/schoolviolence/tools.html
ARVA's Parent Lending Library
ARVA's Parent Lending Library has books and games to loan to parents and learning coaches. It includes book titles such as Doing Math in Morning Meeting: 150 Quick Activities (shown here) and non-book selections and games. To find out more information about the ARVA’s Parent’s Lending Library or to check out a book, click here.
*Note that you can also request titles at most Arkansas libraries. They will often request the book from another library or order it for you to check out. Find your local library here.
FEATURED SELECTION for October: Doing Math in Morning Meeting: 150 Quick Activities
Bring joy and energy to math learning without adding to your already-packed schedule! This book gives you 150 fun and engaging math activities suitable for kindergartners to 5th graders, and provides math-themed ideas for all four Morning Meeting components: greeting, group activity, sharing, and morning message. Use these guessing games, songs, chants, hands-on experiments, and more to inspire students' interest in math and help them practice skills. Each activity includes: Easy how-to steps; The Morning Meeting component in which to use the activity; Relevant NCTM content and process standards; Specific math skills addressed; Materials needed (all require few or no materials); Tips on preparing students for success; Math vocabulary to emphasize; Variations and extensions.
2016-2017 ARVA Student/Parent Handbook
It is important to read and understand the handbook, whether you are a student or a learning coach. Once you have read the handbook, please sign the online form here, if you haven't already: surveymonkey.com/r/16-17_ARVA_Student-Parent_Handbook
Booster Club and Outing Information
Wish there were MORE OUTINGS near you?
YOU are important and needed!
Click here for information and to access recordings.
ARVA’s Next Booster outing of this school year (ARVA-family sponsored outing):
Click here for more information and to RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/petting-zoo-outing-arva-students-tickets-28299827546
Booster Meeting Recording
ALL ARVA Learning Coaches Facebook Page
Northwest Arkansas ARVA Families
North Central AR Families
Supporting our K12 'Family' ~ Cynthia Perry's story, LAVCA
Look at all the ways ARVA Diamonds SHINE across our state!
Sunni Deb, 8th grader at ARVA, shows Boer goats, poultry, and waterfowl year round through 4-H, having already competed at over thirty shows this year. She has competed almost every weekend since school started. She is the reigning three time state champion poultry showman, as well as a two time state reserve champion Boer goat showman. She also was reserve champion in the Market Goat Skill-A-Thon last year. She is a three time inductee of the Purple Circle Club, an alumni for ASF Champions. The photos below are a few of the many wins Sunni Deb achieved at some fairs in Arkansas and Louisiana over the past weekends. Sunni Deb is gearing up for the BIG SHOW at the Arkansas State Fair this month. Showing animals takes a lot of dedication in and out of the show ring. Sunni Deb works round the clock to ensure that her animals are taken care of, trained all while still getting her school work done. Congratulations on your hard work and Good Luck at the BIG FAIR Sunni Deb! Your fellow Diamonds are rooting for you!
Community Resources
Careeer Day for High School Juniors at UACCB!
UACCB’s Career Day, Friday, October 28 is looking to be another successful day for high school juniors. Attached you’ll find an agenda and a list of the career sessions that will be offered to your students that day. Students will have the opportunity to attend 3 different sessions, 25 minutes each. If you have not submitted your school registration, please do so by Friday, October 15th. Registration is here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Byiu66oA4VBfYjNmSk8tV1h2bUk/view?usp=sharing
I’d like to introduce you to our keynote speaker, Mr. Jeff Cline, PhD, LPC-S, NCC, DCC, ACS - Clinical Coordinator/Therapist
Jeff Cline began his work with the Better Life Counseling Center in 2006 and serves as clinical coordinator of counseling services. He graduated with an MA in Counseling from Harding University Graduate School of Religion in Memphis, TN and is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Arkansas as well as a National Certified Counselor (NCC) through the National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc.
Mr. Cline is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors and the Arkansas Counseling Association and is Prepare/Enrich Certified. As an experienced and vibrant speaker he leads a variety of BLCC’s workshops and seminars including; Parenting Separately, Marriage/Family and Adolescent problems, Stress/Anger Management, Workplace Productivity, and Faith-based issues.The day will conclude at noon with a picnic lunch and entertainment. We look forward to seeing you and your students there! Please contact me with any questions.
Free Symphony Orchestra Tickets
The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra presents its newest outreach program to all children and parents in the entire state of Arkansas. This program offers every student, from Kindergarten to High School seniors—all 400,000 of them—the chance to experience live orchestra performances, some of them, perhaps for the first time in their lives. Free!!
Special Needs Families ~ Click the pictures below to read more!
Community Connections in Central AR
Community Connections is a non-profit organization in central Arkansas providing extra-curricular activities for children with special needs & support for their families. Programs include cheer, soccer, football, basketball, music, art, acting, golf, ceramics, etc. Most programs are FREE!
I CAN! of Arkansas in Central AR
2 Special Needs Programs in NW AR
- Children with Special Needs and their families are invited to come to Jump!Zone in Bentonville on the 1st Wednesday of every month from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. FREE! What an exciting Booster outing this would be! Click here to see how to set up a Booster outing.
- The Special Needs Athletic Program, Inc. (SNAP, Inc.) states that their mission is to expand the quality of life for individuals with disabilities through athletics and activities, to provide positive and encouraging leadership for the development of these individuals/athletes, and to support and enrich their lives through social interactions. Contact Mark Stave: supernaturals1416@gmail.com for more information.
Do you know of more opportunities for children with special needs in your area?
Let us know so that we can share it with the rest of our ARVA community!
K12 Resources and Offerings
K12 Art Competition- "When I Grow Up...."
The artwork can be realistic or abstract. You can use paint, photography or drawing materials or create a collage, a didgital illustration, a three-dimensional piece using clay, origami, etc. Be creative!
For all the guidelines click here. ART is FUN!!
To submit your entry click here. ART is AWESOME!
K12 National College and Career Workshops
Have you thought about life after high school? Have you considered the careers that you might be interested in and whether or not you want, or will need, to attend college?
There is a lot to think about to get ready: where to go, what to study, how to apply, how to pay or it, and more. It’s never too early —or too late— to explore your options!
K12 will be hosting two live workshop sessions each month through the end of the 2016–2017 school year for students to talk about college and career prep topics.
Recent Parent Workshop and Series Recordings
ARVA's Family Academic Support Team (FAST) and the Strong Start Site
- Jennifer Shelby for grades K-8: jshelby@arva.org
- Alyssa Gordon for grades 9-12: agordon@arva.org
Website: http://arva.k12start.com/
Location: 4702 West Commercial, Suite B3, North Little Rock, AR 72116
Phone: 501-664-4225
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArkansasVirtualAcademy
Gina Moore, editor
Amanda Lloyd, assistant editor