Compass Chronicle
Online High School | Summer 2018
Happy Summer!
The 2017-18 has been a great school year! This year scholars worked hard to navigate the new StrongMind curriculum and have succeeded in mastering this curriculum and their courses. The online high school scholars and teachers have been very busy this spring! First, the online high school had its first learning lab attendance competition, March Madness. Scholars were in the race to see which My Compass class would have the highest percentage of attendance and who would be the overall attendance winner. In the end, Mrs. Ginn’s My Compass scholars had the highest percentage of scholars attending their learning labs in March. Plus, Julian R. had the highest learning lab attendance percentage out of all of our scholars. Along with attending learning labs, scholars also participated in engaging learning lab sessions.
As the AVID program continues to grow, scholars have participated in AVID learning strategies in engaging learning lab sessions. Between working together in collaborative groups in Science, discussing literature with philosophical chairs in English, or completing a close reading in Social Studies, scholars and teachers took a close look at the many complex topics for each subject in their live sessions. Scholars have also taken detailed Cornell notes to help prepare them for exams and their end of the semester finals.
During the spring semester, our Biology, Chemistry, Physics scholars attended live, hands-on a-g wet labs at our Temecula, Los Angeles, and Fresno locations. Lead by a highly qualified, credentialed science teacher, scholars were able to participate in this unique experience where they worked in lab groups to solve lab inquiries and experiments. This spring, we had our highest wet lab attendance since we implemented these unique labs. Our science team is very proud of our scholars who are dedicated to their learning and their creative and innovative responses to their science labs and courses.
Along with attending science labs in person, our 11th and 12th grade scholars were able to show off all of their learning and attended the CAASPP testing during the month of April. The 11th graders participated in the SBAC test and worked hard to show their knowledge in English/Language Arts and Math. The 12th graders were able to complete the CAST testing for science. The online high school 9th graders completed the Physical Fitness test and proved their level of athleticism.
As the semester came to a close, the online high school held their first End of the Year Awards assembly where scholars were recognized by their teachers for their academic achievement, learning lab attendance, outstanding improvement, and mastering specific subjects. The online team also recognized our Firebird of the year, Alani S., who was also voted scholar of the month this past school year and represents each of the CCS core values of Achievement, Respect, Teamwork, Integrity, and Communication.
Lastly, the semester culminated with our Compass Charter Schools’ Class of 2018 commencement ceremonies held in Poway, Long Beach, and Clovis. The online high school team is very proud of our first official CCS graduating class. These scholars have been dedicated to their studies during their time at CCS, and we wish them the very best.
The team looks forward to all of our online high school scholars next year!
Sincerely,
Janae Smith, High School Coordinator
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Scholar Projects & Assignments
- Scholar Spotlights
- Staff Spotlights
- Counseling
- Share Your Story
SCHOLAR PROJECTS & ASSIGNMENTS
Take a look at what our scholars have been working on!
SCHOLAR SPOTLIGHT
This month we're featuring the Jeraffi Family.
Rachel, a learning coach, shares her daughter's experience at CCS.
Leilani (my daughter) started dancing when she was only four years old. In her teens, schooling at home became the perfect solution for her because it allowed her to dance ballet around 4-6 hours a day and follow her dream of becoming a professional ballerina while staying on track with school work.
Both ballet and schooling at home require so much self-discipline, it was a natural fit. During her final year of high school, Leilani moved to New York where she danced at a year-round ballet school.
As a learning coach, I honestly never had to manage her studies. She has always been pretty responsible and managed to complete her school work on her own. Her favorite school subjects were Anatomy, Science, and US history.
Leilani has always been compassionate and drawn to organizations that help people. I remember when she was in fifth-grade she spoke to a local merchant and got permission to set up a lemonade and cookie stand on their premises. She got some friends together and they raised money for Pablove, an organization that supports children living with Cancer. It was very successful, and Leilani continued that fundraiser for the next four years. She also volunteered to play with children living with disabilities on a weekly basis through an organization called Shane’s Inspiration. At the same time, she volunteered with Ballet for All Kids, which is a ballet program for children with physical and mental disabilities. Leilani helped them during class and also helped them give performances for their parents.
For the past four years, Leilani has been involved with Charity Water, an organization that ensures that clean drinking water is available to everyone in remote parts of the world. The company operates by requesting their volunteers to "give up their birthday", and ask for donations instead of birthday gifts. 100% of donations go to this amazing cause.
During her free time, she enjoys cooking and experimenting with unique and healthy ingredients (she’s a really great cook!) and this year she learned to eat most of her meals with chopsticks....just because it's fun!
She doesn't watch very much TV, but she loves crime and detective shows and medical surgeries...Yes, she finds those fascinating.
Leilani is very creative and loves the arts. She loves visiting museums, drawing, painting, studying fashion, and taking pictures.
Our family is very grateful to have been a part of the Compass Charter Schools community. It’s a very caring environment with passionate teachers and an excellent online program!
We're also featuring our scholar Flavia Nunez Placer!
CCS: What has been your greatest joy of schooling your child at home?
Mayte: The greatest joy of having my daughter at home is the feeling of security that I have. I enjoy being part of a better learning experience for her.
CCS: Can you describe a challenge that you have faced as a learning coach?
Mayte: At times, it is challenging to be responsible for supporting my daughter's education. English is not her primary language, so sometimes it just takes more time to complete the activities. Together we have managed to overcome this challenge thanks to the help from her teachers at Compass.
CCS: Why did you decide to school your child at home with Compass Charter Schools?
Mayte: I chose to school at home with Compass because of the successful experience I had with my oldest daughter, Lilimar. It offers our family a lot of flexibility and has worked for us.
CCS: What advice can you give to a parent who is thinking about schooling their child at home?
Mayte: The advice I would give to a parent who is thinking about schooling their child at home is that having your child at home is the best option! As a parent, you can support their academic growth, and above all, you know that your children are safe.
CCS: What does your family like to do together during free time?
Mayte: During our free time, when we are not focused on school, our family just takes the opportunity to spend time together and enjoy time as a family.
STAFF SPOTLIGHTS
Michelle Whitney, High School Math Teacher at CCS
CCS: What is your job title, and what are a couple of the things you do at Compass Charter Schools?
Michelle: I am a high school math teacher, and I have been teaching at Compass for almost three years.
CCS: Tell us your “why” for doing what you do here at CCS?
Michelle: I just love math! I love teaching teenagers and watching them develop and mature into young adults. I enjoy watching them understand new math concepts throughout the school year.
CCS: What advice can you give to scholars and learning coaches to help them succeed in math?
Michelle: I encourage my scholars to spend a little bit of time on their math studies every day so that they don't fall behind. It's better to spend an hour each day working on your math assignments than spending the entire weekend trying to catch up on the assignments!
CCS: Share one thing about you that people may not know.
Michelle: Before I got married, I was an avid swing dancer and I even taught teenagers in Germany how to swing dance at a youth conference!
CCS: What does your family enjoy doing together during their free time?
Michelle: My family and I like spending time together and with our extended family, too. We also enjoy going to fun places!
Alyssa Ginn, High School Social Studies Teacher at CCS
CCS: What is your role at Compass and what are some of the things you do to help scholars succeed?
Alyssa: I am a social studies teacher, and I have worked at Compass for the past two years. I teach subjects like Art History, World Religions, and Criminology and Justice to our high school scholars. I support our scholars by teaching live learning labs and one-on-one meetings after class to ensure they understand each lesson. I love teaching and being able to support scholars who learn from home. It gives me the opportunity to share my love of history and help them succeed.
CCS: If you could share a piece of advice with scholars and learning coaches, what would it be?
Alyssa: If I could offer scholars and learning coaches a piece of advice, I would share with them that is always important to ask questions. Teachers are here to help each scholar succeed! I love it when I can explain a complicated concept or clarify any confusion about a course lesson.
CCS: What is one thing that most people don't know about you?
Alyssa: One thing most people don't know about me is that I don’t like to watch movies unless they make me leave the movie theater happy. I have a history of starting and then stopping all sorts of television shows and movies that are too dark and unhappy.
CCS: What does your family enjoy doing together during free time?
Alyssa: During our free time, my family and I enjoy going on little outings including trips to the park, the farmer’s market, and a local wildlife experience.
COUNSELING
Happy Summer from the Counseling Team!
Here we are in the midst of summer break. Scholars, teachers, and counselors worked hard to conclude another great school year. The counseling services team has been gleaming with excitement as this summer marks an important milestone for us at Compass, it's the launch of our summer school program! Scholars can remediate coursework, advance, and/or recover credits that will inch them closer to high school graduation. For those whose plans don’t include summer school, we invite you to use your time wisely over the next couple of months by visiting college campuses, taking on internships, participating in academic and sports camps, and volunteering in your community to help you find new interests and passions. Look for those opportunities to grow, build self-confidence, and develop important life skills. Whatever your plans, we hope you enjoy your summer! We look forward to working with you during the 2018-19 school year!
~ Counseling Services Team
Counseling News
Alaska Pacific University
AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts
California Baptist University
California State University, Northridge
Concordia University
California State University, Sacramento
Vanguard University
Whittier College
University of California, Irvine
Family Spotlight
Since this is our last newsletter of the school year, we want to take this opportunity to highlight a few of our graduating seniors and their families! We are pleased to introduce to you Dominic Smith, Sabella Hunter, and Damion Dillard. Before they graduated from Compass, we asked them to share a bit about their experience during their time with us!
The Smith Family
The brick and mortar schools that Dominic attended in the past left him feeling rushed and we found it difficult to get the accommodations he needed for his disability. Luckily, we found virtual learning at CCS that allowed him to set a more suitable and comfortable pace for his learning needs and style. Sometimes it was hard for Dominic to resist the temptation to waste time distracted by other online activities, but overall this program really worked for him!
What we loved most about CCS was the open communication and availability of teachers and counselors. The staff here truly want to see each scholar succeed. They genuinely cared about Dominic’s goals and did everything they could to help him reach his full potential. CCS is a school I that I trust to provide a top-notch education that prepares scholars for college and thereafter. I’m excited to say that he will be attending California State University, Northridge (CSUN) in the Fall of 2018! He will be majoring in the prestigious film program. We are so proud and elated!
Hunter Family
We chose virtual learning because Sabella was interested in a variety of challenging academic courses offered at CCS. The courses have given her the freedom to explore each subject in as much depth as she would like. While virtual learning has its challenges, like learning to effectively manage time especially when taking AP exams and the SAT, Sabella was able to overcome the challenges with encouragement from family, self-directed research, and support from her teachers and school staff. Her only regret is wishing she participated in more school field trips and clubs.
Our biggest advice to families considering virtual learning would be to develop effective time management and planning skills to ensure that the scholar completes their work on time, and to encourage the learning coach to truly embrace their role and remain available to assist their scholars as a backup resource when challenges present themselves.
We have enjoyed interacting with Sabella’s teachers and other scholars, and we feel CCS has a magnificent support structure to ensure each scholar's success. Perhaps most of all, Sabella has enjoyed working with the counseling staff. Mr. Samples, her school counselor and Ms. Cruz, her College and Career Counselor have had such a positive impact on her journey. Ms. Cruz has proven to be dynamic and holds an energetic spirit! She has been a tremendous support for Sabella and is always ready to investigate, analyze, and share her findings and perspective with us, and keep us informed of scholarship opportunities. She has ensured that our family will be forever bonded to CCS!
Our family is excited to see Sabella go off to college. This summer she will be attending the University of California, Irvine (UCI) Summer Bridge Program and will be a freshman at UCI starting in the Fall of 2018. She plans to major in Visual and Concept Art with a double minor in Game Science and Japanese. She plans to study abroad in the summer of her sophomore and junior years and has aspirations to join the UCI honors program in preparation for a Master’s or advanced degree fellowship in the future.
Dillard Family
I found virtual learning seven years ago while searching for a safe place to learn, and be myself without fear of being judged or bullied because of who I am and how I choose to identify. It gave me not only the safe space I was looking for but also a better learning experience than the one I had in a brick and mortar school. Doing my schooling online has changed me and I feel I’m a better person as a result. Virtual learning gave me the time and the space to understand who I am, what I stand for, and what I believe in. I will take these values with me for the rest of my life. While I did face some difficulties feeling a bit isolated, I took it upon myself to get involved with my local YMCA teen center to build friendships and socialize with other kids. For me, it was important to socialize for my emotional and personal well-being, it helped me successfully learn online and it made me a responsible social citizen.
My favorite thing about being part of the CCS community was being part of Book Club! It allowed me to get involved in school and it was somewhere I could turn to explore my worth and it gave me something to be proud of.
My next steps include attending my local community college, where I plan to start my course studies in a field that brings together my joy for learning, design, computers, and 3D Graphics and Animation! I’m hoping to get “my feet wet” at the community college before transferring to a 4-year university since I’ve been out of a physical classroom for so many years. For me, this transition represents adjusting to schedule changes, classrooms, teachers, and other scholars, but it’s something I am looking forward to with excitement!
Staff Spotlight
This month we are featuring Karla Gonzalez, Records Technician at CCS.
CCS: What are your primary job responsibilities?
Karla: My primary job responsibilities at CCS as a Records Technician include maintaining transcript records to ensure completeness and accuracy. Specifically for our high school scholars, I request, receive, process, enter, and validate transcripts and work with various counselors to troubleshoot any problems that pertain to records. Most of my work is behind the scenes collaborating internally with other CCS staff. I also assist the records department in maintaining scholar records for all grade levels. I process and issue scholar high school graduation diplomas, once they become eligible, which is perhaps one of my favorite responsibilities!
CCS: Can you share a little bit about your background?
Karla: I have 10 years of experience working in online charter schools as a registrar and enrollment secretary. I have been part of the Compass community in the records department for the past three years.
Karla: My favorite thing about working at CCS is having the ability to be part of each scholars education. Even though my job is behind the scenes and I don't work directly with our scholars, seeing and witnessing the amazing things that our teachers and counselors do every day makes me proud and happy to be part of the process. I truly enjoy watching our scholars graduate, move on to the next step in their life, and succeed.
CCS: What is your favorite thing to do when you’re not working?
Karla: My family is a central focal point in my life so when I am not working I am spending time with them. We love nature and more often than not we can be found spending time outdoors enjoying all that nature has to offer. When we’re not outdoors, we are practicing Jiu-Jitsu together, or I might be off on my own practicing yoga, reading self-improvement books, and writing.
SHARE YOUR STORY
Compass Charter Schools
Email: info@compasscharters.org
Website: www.compasscharters.org
Location: 850 Hampshire Road, Suite P, Thousand Oaks, CA, United States
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Twitter: @CompassCS
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