Riverside County

Delivering the Heart of Homeschooling

Week of April 1, 2019

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Hello Riverside County!

Spring is here! I couldn't be more excited! Has anyone ventured out into their garden yet to plant seeds for a vegetable garden or wildflowers in your garden beds? As busy as I am every day, each season I look for the things I can do with my children to make memories and usher in the new seasonal change. This past week I made an effort to plant every wildflower seed packet I had which actually looked more like the 5 and 3 year old shaking seeds everywhere! We will see how that turns out! I also started our sugar snap pea and herb garden bed with my 4 youngest. It is messy and dirty and can be a lot of work, but the time spent together and the educational benefit is always worth it! I have spent so much time with all 8 of my children in our garden and orchard and every moment spent there has always been filled with excellent conversations, educational opportunity, and smile-filled experiences. I encourage you to get outside and plant a garden with your kids young and old today! Don't have garden beds? Don't worry! The 99 cent store has tons of seeds, terracotta pots and also small plants that have already been started for you. I just bought our cilantro plants there last week! Have fun learning and growing with your kids this spring.


In this week's newsletter, we have a 'Curriculum Spotlight' on Phonics Flip Books! Our 'Vendor Spotlight' features Leading Edge Learning Center!

Make sure to read about both in this edition.


Also, be sure to check out Inspiration Station.

It is filled with so many amazing field trips designed by our HSTs and Liaisons just for you! Scroll through every so often so that you can see all that is being offered

throughout Southern California!


Please reach out anytime and get to know us!

We are so happy to answer all of your questions and guide you through

learning about homeschool philosophy, curriculum, and the homeschool lifestyle!

Don't let yourself drown in worry or fear over homeschooling.

If you find yourself there, reach out!


We are hoping to connect with you soon!


Audrey & Candice

The Adventure of Learning with Inspire Charter School!

Enrollment for the 2019/20 school year has opened!

Head HERE to enroll!

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Your Inspire Riverside County Team!

Your Riverside County Homeschool Teachers and Family Liaisons are always here for you! Reach out to your HST or Family Liaison for support, advice, and connections with the homeschool community around you!


Look how we've grown since August!

Test Prep!

Testing dates are nearly upon us! Our wonderful teachers have compiled a list of resources and links to practice tests to help your student feel comfortable with the testing process.


CAST Resources

SBAC Resources

Inspire Charter Riverside County College & High School Fair 2019!

Calling all High School and Middle School students!

It's our first annual Riverside County College and High School Fair!


The Riverside County Team has prepared an amazing night of information and preparation for our current and future high school students!

We will have local colleges and vocational schools onsite to answer your questions

as well as many of our amazing high school specific vendors!


We have featured speakers from Inspire sharing all the details of what

high school looks like with Inspire!


You do not want to miss this amazing event!


It all happens on Tuesday, April 2nd at The Grove Community Church in

Riverside from 5 pm to 8:30 pm.


The Grove Community Church

19900 Grove Community Drive

Riverside, Ca 92508


Questions? Contact:

Candice at (714) 797-1209 or candicez@inspireschools.org

Audrey at (951) 541-4809 or audreye@inspireschools.org

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SAVE THE DATE: Riverside County Graduation 2019

Please save the date for our 2019 promotion and graduation ceremony!

We will have many more details coming soon!


Thursday, June 6, 2019

2 pm


Sandals Church Hunter Park

150 Palmyrita Avenue

Riverside

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"A Night in Paris" Inspire Charter School Prom 2019

We anticipate a fun-filled evening of dinner, dancing, dessert, snacks, raffles and prizes, formal photos, and an all-night photo booth for students to enjoy.


High School Inspire students grades 9-12 are eligible to attend and

may invite up to two (ages 14 - 20) non-Inspire guests to join them at this event, so grab a friend and dance the night away at the historic Mission Inn Hotel in downtown Riverside.

Tickets are limited, so purchase yours today.


Questions? Summer Davidson summer@inspireschools.org


Thursday, May 16th from 7 - 11 pm


Mission Inn Hotel & Spa

3649 Mission Inn Avenue

Riverside, CA


Head HERE for more information


Registration & Payment

This event is not eligible for use of instructional funds.

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GRAD NITE AT DISNEY CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE

*** CALLING ALL INSPIRE SENIORS! ***


Come celebrate your accomplishment with your fellow grads and other high school seniors from all over the country for Grad Nite at Disney California Adventure!


Inspire students attending Grad Nite can use their Instructional Funds to pay for Grad Nite. They will still have to pay out of pocket for their guests. The original deadline to purchase tickets was Friday, March 22, however due to the change the new deadline is April 5.


Book your ticket HERE!

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Coachella Valley Vendor & Student Entrepreneur Fair

Coachella Valley's Vendor Event is here!

Come and explore vendors! Many Inspire approved vendors

will be there including Usborne and Discovery Toys.

Curriculum Share!
Many curricula and subscription box samples for you to browse

and plan for the summer and next school year!

High School Specialist on Site!
Schedule a one on one appointment with our high school specialist Liz Palmiter. This is open to all families! Presentation starts at 9 am with appointments to immediately follow.

Student Entrepreneurs!
Shop student creations & their efforts!

Where:
JPL Church
39001 Monterey Ave.
Rancho Mirage

When:
April 17th
10 am - Noon

Questions? Heather Siani at (760) 848-0953 or heathers@inspireschools.org

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Great News for Readers!

Inspire is excited to announce that we now offer Accelerated Reader for students in TK-12th grade! The cost for this program is just $20 per student in instructional funds and can be requested through your HST. Please note this program does not include books.


Accelerated Reader (AR) is a computer program that helps parents manage and monitor children’s independent reading practice. Your child selects a book rather than having one assigned to them and reads it at their own pace. This makes reading a much more enjoyable experience as they can choose books that are interesting to them. They may also read articles of interest right on the screen. When finished, your child will take a short quiz on the computer. (Passing the quiz is an indication that your child understood what was read.) In addition, when an LP meeting comes up, you can easily print up the list of books that your child read and share it with your HST.


If you are interested in signing up for Accelerated Reader, please let your HST know. They will be happy to assist you.

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Inspire Special Education Department Monthly Newsletter!

Dear Inspire Parents,


Inspire Special Education Department is excited to share a new project with you – our Monthly Special Education Website and Newsletters. We hope that you find the information presented in our newsletter meaningful and applicable to your needs. We always welcome your feedback and suggestions on topics to cover.


Inspire Special Education Department Parent and Teacher Newsletter March 2019


You can also access our Inspire Cares website to support you in your homeschooling journey and view all of our newsletters!



Sincerely,

Anna Lindahl

Statewide Parent Outreach Coordinator

Inspire Charter Schools

Ph: (619) 627-9623

E: annalindahl@inspireschools.org

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Enrichment item returns!

Dear Inspire Families,


We are continuing to stock the Corona Lending Library and need your help! If you have any enrichment items, including curriculum, please let your teacher know as soon as possible.

Thank you for all of your help!

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Inspiration Station Booking REMINDERS!

Did you know that you can log into your account on Inspiration Station to view ALL of your field trip bookings?? Checking my account is a regular part of my "Field Trip Booking Routine". I check this by selecting My Account from the drop-down in the upper right-hand corner of the Inspiration Station site. Here you will find all of the field trips you have booked. I advise everyone to always double check the field trip you had just booked by checking the amount and names of the tickets purchased. It's a great time to also input the trip date, time, and host contact information into your planner.


Happy Planning!

Field Trip Booking Tutorial

Want a step by step tutorial for booking your next field trip tickets on Inspiration Station? Watch this tutorial!

Utilizing Enrichment Certificates for Service Orders

Please make sure to submit your service orders 2-4 weeks prior to the start of services to allow for sufficient time for your orders to be processed. Once you have your enrichment certificate and give it to your service vendor, that is when you can begin your services.

High School!

Did you know that our counseling team hosts virtual information sessions throughout the year? Each session is recorded, and you can view them HERE!


Session recordings include:


  • The College Application Process
  • UC/CSU Application Process
  • Common Application Info Session


Make sure you head over to Inspire High School Resource Site for all things High School.

Shmoop Webinar for Parents!

Have a High Schooler? Want to learn more about Shmoop? Here's your chance to see how it works! Shmoop is UC approved for "a-g" credit.

HIGH SCHOOL VIRTUAL INFO SESSIONS!

Want to know what high school looks like with Inspire? Hang out with Amy Edwards, an Inspire Teacher, Teacher Trainer for High School, and Homeschool Mom! In her Virtual Info Sessions, she will cover:


What are California's high school grad requirements?

What makes Inspire unique?
~Program & Curriculum options
~Online classes, live classes, vendors, parent-created & led curriculum, community college classes, and MORE!


Next session is on Monday, April 8th at 9 am


Slide presentation followed by live question-answer time.

Zoom Room Link: https://zoom.us/j/2433924197

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Inspire Preferred Vendor Programs Weekly Info Sessions!

Learn more about Inspire's unique enrichment opportunities!


Next info session is Thursday, April 4th at 4:30 pm


Join by computer:

https://tinyurl.com/inspirepv

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Every Kid in a Park!

Did you know? There is a federal public lands youth initiative to get all 4th graders and their families to experience the places that are home to our country’s natural treasures, rich history, and vibrant culture.


To help engage and create our next generation of park visitors, supporters and advocates, Federal Land Management agencies, launched the Every Kid in a Park initiative. The immediate goal is to provide an opportunity for each and every 4th-grade student across the country to experience their federal public lands and waters in person throughout the school year.


Every year, beginning September 1, all kids in the fourth grade have access to their own Every Kid in a Park pass at www.everykidinapark.gov. This pass provides free access to national parks across the country.


The Every Kid in a Park pass is good for the 4th grade school year, until August 31, 2019. Information on obtaining the pass is available by visiting www.everykidinapark.gov.

Facebook Live! at the Corona Lending Library

Candice and Audrey, your Riverside County Family Liaisons take you on a tour with Librarian Lisa at the Corona Lending Library!

Riverside County Library System EVENTS!

Make sure you're in the "know" for all the events happening at the Riverside County Libraries!


Head over to http://rivlib.info/website/events

This Week's Vendor Spotlight: Leading Edge Learning Center!

Leading Edge Learning Center (LELC) is a California certified Supplemental Education Service Provider that was established in June 2004, with the opening of our flagship center in Moreno Valley, California. Leading Edge Learning Center, originally established to provide a chance for achievement to youth who were struggling academically, has grown over the years to be a leader in education, for all ages and all levels.

Services provided by Leading Edge Learning Center include academic tutoring for TK-Adult, mentoring and educational coaching, diagnostic assessments, and test preparation, as well as career and professional skill development. Our programs are available year-round across six major counties throughout Southern California, with additional specialized camps and accelerated courses offered during targeted periods.


We have several different locations, here’s the phone number for each location:


Fontana Branch: (909) 646-7475

Moreno Valley/Perris Branch (951)924-9449

Murrieta/Temecula Branch (951)698-0290

Riverside Branch (951)684-3811

San Diego Branch (888) 517-3522

Victorville Branch (702)872-2096

This Week's Curriculum Spotlight: Phonics flip books!

Teaching our children to read may be one of the most important tasks we have as parents. It can be the most daunting, too, when we have a reluctant reader. If you've talked with me before about this topic, you will know that I am a big proponent of spending a large majority of your homeschool hours reading to your children to build their own personal reading skills. Although, there are a few things I do enjoy using with my kiddos to teach reading, especially once they've crossed the threshold of interest. One of those items is our Phonics Flip Books! They are amazing and divided into categories like vowel sounds and two-syllable words. This kit from Lakeshore is a great addition to your homeschool day with little ones! It is also a fun resource to use to allow the older kids to teach the younger ones! Happy reading!


-Candice

Educational Website of the Week! Elephant Learning

Elephant Learning is an automated Math Academy for students from ages 2 to 16. The curriculum covers from counting to fractions, decimals, percentages, and algebra. They teach math conceptually which means that it's focused on teaching the language behind the math. Regardless of whether a child is struggling with mathematics or thriving and is way ahead, Elephant Learning can determine their level and build upon the foundation of concepts they already understand to accelerate them forward.


You can use instructional funds or pay out of pocket for the service.


We added Elephant Learning to my kid's iPads at the beginning of March. They "play" on the app an average of an hour a week. All 3 of my children have shown an increase in their math scores. I plan on increasing their screentime with this app in April, you know for research :) I'll keep you all updated!


Happy Homeschooling!

~ Audrey

RIVERSIDE COUNTY PARENT RESOURCE SITE

Your go-to spot for homeschool help!

Riverside County Facebook Group

Join us on Facebook for lively discussion and homeschool support.

Riverside County Parent Feedback

Our goal is to provide you with the best homeschool program in Riverside County...so we want your feedback! If you have any comments, suggestions, or concerns, please let us know!

Candice Zuniga

I am starting my eleventh year of homeschooling my big group! I have eight kids and six are enrolled in Inspire! I love to help families discover their perfect homeschool lifestyle based on the needs of each child and the family! We homeschool in a very eclectic and flexible way and always have. I desire to bring a deep understanding of the importance and enjoyment of home education to our awesome Riverside County Community of Homeschoolers! As always, reach out at any time for all your homeschool needs and concerns. I am always happy to help!

Audrey Everson

Hi everyone! I am a mom of 3 awesome kids ranging in age from 10 to 6 years old. My husband and I are high school sweethearts and have been married for 16 years. Having homeschooled our children over the last 6 years in 3 different states, I've found homeschooling here in California, especially with Inspire Charter, 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!

We want to hear from you!

What do you want to hear more about? Drop us an email!

We'd love to answer all of your questions in regards to homeschooling with Inspire

and what the homeschool lifestyle looks like!

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