Our scholars are working hard to finish their courses by January 27! As the final months of 2021 came to a close, we are pleased to recognize the great things our scholars have experienced and accomplished.

Mr. Prussack and Mrs. Dong's homerooms have joined together for instruction this semester. They have been hard at fun with math games, learning through chess, and esti-mysteries.

Mrs. Collier's class has been working hard on goal-setting and Social-Emotional Learning as they embark on a new year. In their live synchronous classes, they made virtual vision boards for 2022 where scholars reflected on the past year and wrote about what they hope to accomplish in 2022. Scholars have also been working on identifying their social, academic, emotional, mental, and physical needs to achieve their goals. Finally, they are practicing expressing these needs and goals through writing to cross-connect subjects in a meaningful way.

In Mrs. Attalla's live synch instruction, her 4-8th grade scholars are working through the writing process with their expository writing. They currently peer editing an essay about different types of monkeys and are working on fact versus opinion. Her TK-3 grade scholars are working on a mystery science project where they are building a prototype of a shelter to see if it could retain heat in arctic temperatures (aka their freezer😉). The scholars are having a blast!

Ms. Jacob's scholars have been busy this month too! They have looked at topics ranging from igloos to rainforests and many others in between. In addition, her 4 and 5 graders finished the novel Pax, and her younger group finished I Survived the American Revolution. She has an enthusiastic group of scholars this year, and they are making tremendous progress!

Starting in December, the OCLC scholars have been learning about colonial America and beginning the 13 original colonies. Science classes have been learning about atoms, molecules, and periodic tables. Scholars had covid safe outside winter celebrations with their classes, including snacks and games. OCLC families also made and sold items at our Maker's Faire. Our scholars are so crafty!

Supervising teachers and families continue to collaborate to provide the best educational experience for our scholars. We are all working hard to ensure our scholars meet their goals, and we continue to offer the gold standard in personalized learning. Keep up the great work, scholars!

Scholars projects about "The Poinsettia and the Legend of the Poinsettia" by Tomie Depaola.

Hi, we’re the Strautman Family. We’re Chris, Elizabeth, Levi, and Elliott. Levi is ten and in 4-grade, and Elliott is seven and in 2-grade. We love to go to the zoo, museums, hiking, play sports, and spend time together. This is our first year with Compass. We’re in the Options program and loving it! We’ve chosen to learn from home because we are both first responders working shift work, and learning from home allows us to keep untraditional hours for learning. So we can follow our passions and interests while still having far more family time than ever before!

Every learning day is a little different for us. Some days we start first thing in the morning, getting in our core subjects. Other days we begin with a hike or beach trip, bringing our learning in later in the day. Finally, a couple of days a week, we start with local learning center classes. Some of the classes we’ve done are chess, science, 3D printing, video game building, sports classes, and woodshop. We love being able to explore different interests as we learn!

Last year we homeschooled completely independently but felt a little lost with all the options. However, being with Compass this year has been fantastic. We’ve appreciated the extra guidance, and our supervising teacher Ms. Coe has been excellent in helping keep us on track and providing support, yet still giving space for us to learn in the ways that fit our family. It’s an adventure, and we wouldn’t have it any other way!

Hi! I’m Kelly Darley.

I have been married for nine years and have two little kids. We love to have adventures and explore the world around us. We enjoy going to the local farm, participating in activities, and traveling together. A crazy fact about me is that I was born and raised in the city that I live in today. I have never lived anywhere else other than my hometown.

I have been in education for six years now. I have held various roles that have helped develop me into the educator I am today. I have taught in multiple K-6 reading and math intervention positions, a middle school resource position, and an online middle school teacher. I am very honored now to be a part of the Compass Charter Schools team, in which I will be able to continue to support scholars as one of the supervising teachers.

As an educator, I strive to support every scholar and family with individuality in mind. Furthermore, I strive to adapt my teaching practices to help scholars succeed in their educational journey.

My advice for families and scholars is to give yourself grace and understanding through the last few years of living in the pandemic world. This is a lesson that I have learned for myself. I have found it essential to set accomplishable goals, take breaks when needed, reset expectations, and take time for reflection. Not everything can go as planned, and using skills has made it easier to give me grace.

I am happy to be a part of the Compass family. I hope you are enjoying your educational journey through Compass!

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