Compass Chronicle
Counseling | Summer 2019
June is here!
Scholars, teachers, learning coaches, administrators, and counselors are gearing up to finalize another great school year and begin to look forward to summer break - be it for planning, relaxing, or remediating! As the counseling services department begins to wrap up the school year, we are proud to celebrate all that we have accomplished since August of 2018. The 18/19 school year marked the roll out of our school-wide Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) program which included Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS), in efforts to take a school-wide approach at decreasing the time it takes to deliver coordinated interventions, supports, and resources to scholars. In addition to facilitating the roll out of MTSS and PBIS, our counseling team delivered almost 40 webinar and in-person lessons, including Counseling with Compass Live, SEL Spotlights, monthly curriculum, and college career success cafe, to equip scholars with the tools, skills, and information to support their academic, personal, and social development. It was quite a busy 10 months for the team, but we are always happy and excited to be able to provide such a rich and ample offering of scholar support services throughout the school year. We look forward to another great year in 19/20!
Sincerely,
Debra Stephan, Director of Counseling Services
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- What's New in Counseling?
- Family Spotlight
- Staff Spotlight
- Share Your Story
- Exceptional Scholar Services, Engagement, and Main Newsletter
WHAT'S NEW IN COUNSELING?
Our graduating class of 2019 is on the cusp of turning the page to reach the next chapter of their lives and as they enjoy their final days of high school, we want to share how proud we are of our 61 graduating scholars this school year. They have all worked so hard and have invested so much of themselves to see their goal through to the end.
As part of our farewell celebration, the counseling services department hosted our second annual Decision Day virtual assembly on May 1st! Decision Day allowed us to celebrate the post-high school plans of our graduating class which included a variety of paths such as trade schools, military, gap-year, 4-year college and universities, community college, and the world of work.
To continue the celebration of accomplishments of not only our high school graduates but our 133 eighth-grade scholars promoting to ninth-grade, Compass Charter Schools hosted graduation and promotion ceremonies throughout the State the week of June 10th. This is one of our favorite bittersweet times of the year when our counseling staff gets to enjoy the smiling faces of scholars and family members rejoicing over proud accomplishments but also a time marked with a tinge of sadness as we say farewell to scholars and families that we’ve grown so fond of and attached to. You will all be missed!
Summer 2019 marks the second year Compass Charter Schools will offer summer school for high school scholars. Many have already taken advantage of this opportunity. 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 strengthen your sense of what you might find interesting and rewarding. Look for those opportunities to grow, build self-confidence, and develop important life skills.
Have a wonderful summer break! The entire counseling services department team looks forward to continuing to work with you in the 19/20 school year.
FAMILY SPOTLIGHT
This month we are highlighting the Melkonyan Family
CCS: What does a typical day look like for you and your scholar?
Mrs. Melkonyan: A typical day for me and my scholars would be following up with what was not done on the previous school day and continue with school/homework, attending the learning labs, ensuring my scholars have a quiet room to listen to all the information presented to them during learning labs, and encouraging them to ask questions if they feel something was not clear to them.
CCS: What has been your greatest joy and what has been your greatest challenge in schooling at home? How did you overcome the challenge(s)?
Mrs. Melkonyan: The greatest joy of schooling at home is that we have a safe and secure environment in which my scholars are motivated to learn and succeed. In a traditional school, often times kids don’t feel motivated to learn due to several factors like bullying, inability to concentrate during an early time of day, or feelings of exhaustion from previous classes. I must also emphasize how happy and proud I am with the approach of all the teachers my scholars had so far! I must thank them extensively for all the hard work they do to make learning fun and engaging!
The only challenge that I can point out would be being skeptical of a new online school at the very beginning. After we got to know many teachers and counselors at Compass Charter Schools, I was very pleased by their professionalism and interpersonal approach.
CCS: Why did you Compass Charter Schools, among the vast competition out there?
Mrs. Melkonyan: The reason my husband and I chose Compass Charter Schools was because of the professional atmosphere and the willingness of staff to provide us with all the information we needed when we visited the central office in Thousand Oaks. Additionally, unlike other charter schools, CCS offers two learning paths to choose from: 100% online learning and home study.
CCS: What do you enjoy most about being part of our Compass community?
Mrs. Melkonyan: We love being part of Compass Charter Schools! Compass offers a safe and secure, 100% online QUALITY learning environment! On top of that, the staff at CCS is very professional and caring. I couldn’t have asked for more!
CCS: What advice would you give parents thinking about schooling their child at home?
Mrs. Melkonyan: If your students are struggling with their traditional school and don’t get the help needed to succeed, consider joining CCS! The teachers at CCS motivate students to learn. I noticed more communication is available with teachers and counselors at CCS compared to what we had with our traditional school. CCS counselors encourage students to attend local community college through its dual enrollment program. By taking advantage of dual enrollment, Aram has been able to earn all the courses necessary for an Associates Degree! This has motivated and made him ready for the upcoming four-year university of his choice. Additionally, Compass Charter Schools has amazing counselors, including a college and career counselor, who have spent extensive time with my scholar educating him and assisting him with the college application process.
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
This month we recognize Kasey Wingate, Scholar Success Coordinator
CCS: What is your job title and what are a couple of the things you do at Compass Charter Schools? How long have you worked for this organization?
Mrs. Wingate: I am the Scholar Success Coordinator (SSC) for Compass Charter Schools and have the opportunity to coordinate support and intervention services for scholar success in grades kindergarten through 12th via our Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework! It is truly exciting work that allows me to facilitate academic and behavioral support groups to help our scholars get the tools and skills they need to find success. While I have worked at CCS for 5 years in different roles, I have found that I enjoy being the SSC the most!
CCS: Tell us your “why” for doing what you do here at CCS?
Mrs. Wingate: I am passionate about building connections with our families and ensuring every scholar gets equitable access to a quality education. If I make a difference in just one scholar's life, I know I have succeeded.
CCS: As an educator, is there a piece of advice you’d like to share with learning coaches or scholars?
Mrs. Wingate: Scholars, don't be afraid to try something and fail. If you fail, you will inherently have more wisdom and will grow from your experiences.
CCS: Share one thing about you very few people would know.
Mrs. Wingate: I can run a sub-6 minute mile. In high school, I could run a sub-5 minute mile.
CCS: What do you and your family like to do during your free time?
Mrs. Wingate: My husband and I love the outdoors and to be active. We work out daily and walk our fur babies to the beach every weekend. We also love to travel. We visit a National Park to hike and explore, and go to a tropical destination to relax every year. We are going to Glacier, Sequoia and Yosemite National Park this summer as well as to Costa Rica!
SHARE YOUR STORY
Continue to Exceptional Scholar Services, Engagement, and Main Newsletter
Compass Charter Schools
Email: info@compasscharters.org
Website: www.compasscharters.org
Location: 850 Hampshire Road, Suite P, Thousand Oaks, CA, United States
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CompassCS/
Twitter: @CompassCS
Copyright © 2017, All rights reserved.