The Raven's Call
Raven Homeschool
February 2021 Edition
Dear Raven Families,
Welcome to Raven's Call, your digital newsletter to keep you up to date on all things Raven. This quarterly newsletter via SMORE will have an overview of highlights from each of our 6 Raven offices. Within this electronic version of our newsletter, you have easy-access to your local office news and resources.
We are looking forward to another successful year and hope you will share pictures of your learning adventures with your local offices to be included throughout the year.
If you have questions, please contact Maegan, mmascagno@yksd.com.
- Raven Homeschool
From the Director's Desk:
Dear Raven Students,
Welcome to 2021! We are about a month into the new year and we hope you enjoyed your break!! As we are closing out the first semester, I have been inspired by the work some of you are doing and have accomplished this semester. Please be sure to thank your parents and those who have been working with and supporting you in your efforts.
As we get ready to start second semester, I want to share my hope and encouragement that each and every student will use this semester to dive headlong into his or her academics. Your family and those who support you are providing you with an education that every student deserves and many will not have the opportunity to receive. Please be sure you are putting forth your best efforts to be academically engaged, digging deep into the things you enjoy learning about, and savoring all the fun and excitement of all that you are learning and mastering. If you do these things, your efforts will be rewarded and you will look back on this crazy Covid-impacted year with gratitude and thanks for all you have accomplished and those who helped you accomplish it.
I know that there are some things that many students and families have struggled with so far this year. I would like to briefly address these and provide encouragement to you.
First, I know that many are struggling with finding ways to socialize. Each Raven office continues to provide a variety of activities for students to participate in. Yes, many are virtual but this is one way for you to connect to others. Another way is for parents or students to get together and organize activities, especially outdoor activities, where students can connect at another location. The opportunity to get together at another location is the key component here as it gets everyone out of the house and fresh air is a great bonus. We must remember to be safe when we do this as our winter weather can present dangers.
Second, I know that as we gain daylight and spring arrives we often have a hard time focusing on our learning as we want to go outside and do other things. If you know this will be an issue for you, I encourage you to put in some extra time to get ahead on your academics so that when spring and good weather arrives you will have the opportunity to take your learning outdoors. By challenging yourself early you will be able to sustain your academic excellence and personalize your spring learning experiences.
If you are stuck or need support with a topic or concept, I encourage you to take the opportunity to reach out to your advisory teacher. They are happy to assist you with your challenges.
Calling all Seniors!!
Now is the time to think about how you will move forward each and every day toward earning your diploma and reaching the graduation stage. Please reach out to our counselor, Ryan Tilbury, or your advisory teacher if you need assistance with scholarship applications, college or career and technical school applications, or reaching a military recruiter. If you need references or copies of transcripts, we are here to help. Yes, we will have graduation! Be sure to check your emails for the necessary information. Here are the important items/dates for all seniors to know:
- May 1st-May 15th all work must be completed
- Decide if you are going to participate in the graduation ceremony
- Gather photos for graduation
- Complete your FAFSA application - parents have a part in this
- Apply for scholarships
I look forward to seeing ALL that YOU will achieve this semester!!
Mrs. Bergey
Raven Homeschool Director
COVID-19 Update:
Effective immediately, all Raven offices can hold in person meetings. The procedures to abide by are as follows:
- One family at a time - no more than 2 people
- A log of visitors will be maintained
- Please be sure hand sanitizer is used upon entry
- Covid-19 screening questions must be completed for each visitor
- Face masks are required
- Social distancing is required
- Sanitizing of each space will occur between each visitor
All meetings must be scheduled in advance! No walk-in meetings without being scheduled will be allowed. Walk-ins to drop off and pick up items is still allowed.
Counselor's Corner:
Dear Raven High School Students,
There are a couple of very important dates to note and things to think about as we approach the second semester:
- You have until February 15th to add courses to your Individual Learning Plan
- If you are in high school and pursuing the Alaska Performance Scholarship (APS) I would advise you to make an appointment directly with me. This is especially important for 9th, 10th, and 11th graders.
For a refresher on what the Alaska Performance Scholarship is: https://acpe.alaska.gov/FINANCIAL-AID/AK-Performance-Scholarship
Deadlines:
University of Alaska
The deadline to apply for scholarships through the University of Alaska (any campus) is also February 15th. To make this easier, make an appointment with me. In this hour-long appointment we can get your application submitted and I can show you where to apply for scholarships. I am available this weekend if that is more convenient for your family.
Application Link: https://university-alaska.force.com/formbuilderalaska/ERx_Forms__Portal_Login
Scholarship Link: https://www.alaska.edu/foundation/scholarships-awards/applying-for-scholarships/
Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
In order to accept most scholarships you must fill out the FAFSA. This federal form looks at family income and assists schools in awarding scholarships based on financial need. It is required to accept the Alaska Performance Scholarship as well as the Alaska Scholars Award as well as many of the other scholarships provided that are both public and private.
The link to start the process is: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
Scholarship Season:
When you think of scholarships, do you think of sports or academics? Would you believe there is a scholarship for students who want to study potatoes or a duck calling competition? Most scholarships are for merit or athletics, but there are others as well.
There is a lot of advice out there for how to complete scholarship applications. Most of it boils down to: follow directions.
The AKCIS Financial Aid section and the Financial Aid Sort narrows down over 3,000 scholarships in AKCIS, and how to be more discerning with scholarship postings students see on other websites. Use the linked QuickStart and Video Tutorial to learn more.
If you are a high school student or parent please take time to make an appointment with Ryan so he can assist you in your career and course planning as well as help you come up with a plan for life after high school.
PLEASE CALL RYAN WITH QUESTIONS!
Ryan Tilbury | rtilbury@yksd.com | 907.374.9432
Student Spotlight from Congressman Don Young - Linda Anderson
Student Spotlight - James Zuiderduin
Anchorage Office:
Book Clubs:
Our book club participants are amazing! Their insight and humor led to stimulating and fun conversations. They also deepened their friendships with other book lovers. "Two thumbs up!" (Book Club participants' rating)
Come and join us on Thursdays in February! Group One will be reading "Pippi Longstocking" (1:00pm); Group Two will be reading "Star Girl" (2:00pm); and Group Three will be reading "Greenhouse Glass" (3:00pm).
Poetry Club:
Poetry Club began for the Anchorage Office during January! Once a week for an hour, students in various grade levels joined Erika on BlueJeans and learned about poetry! So far, students have learned about Biography Poems and Guess Who Poems. Students will be learning about and writing Diomedes, Haikus, Shape Poems, Colors Poems, and much more in the coming months. Students will also be doing various activities focusing on parts of speech, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, imagery, rhyme, and other literary devices! Students also share their poetry with the other participants. It has been wonderful to interact with students despite the pandemic!
Health Club:
Health Club began for the Anchorage Office, which was led by Erika. Two different sessions are being offered, K-3 and 4-6th. The last week of January happened to also be The Great Kindness Challenge, and the focus was Kindness and Empathy. Several families sent in photos of their family doing the daily Kindness Challenge posted in our facebook group!
Students shared personal stories about kindness, read books and watched videos about kindness and empathy. In the upcoming months, students will be learning about Respect, Integrity, Growth Mindsets, Perseverance, Being Assertive and Solving Problems Positively!
Virtual Field Trip Opportunities:
We are hoping to schedule some virtual field trips for our office, but we need your help! If you have any suggestions or ideas, please email them to Maegan, mmascagno@yksd.com
Join our Facebook Group!
Have you joined the Anchorage Office Facebook group yet? Our group is a place where currently enrolled Raven Homeschool families can connect with one another safely and securely. This group is private and limited to families enrolled with the Anchorage office only.
Valentine's Exchange:
Would your student like to participate in a fun Valentine's Day exchange with other students? Sign up to participate and bring a "mailbox" with your student’s name on it to the office, then get valentines cards to add to everyone’s mailbox before Valentine's Day. View the flyer below for more information and to sign up!
Student Created Poems:
Student Spotlight:
Emmalyn S:
We practice yoga daily every morning for 30 minutes followed with 29 minute kids guided mindful awareness meditation Monday-Friday!
Cambrya P:
We have enjoyed being able to learn from home through Raven. The communication from your office has been great and working with Mrs Adams has been a pleasure. With the uncertainty of public school, I am glad we were able to go this route.
Thank you all!
Delta Office:
January went by quickly. Thank you for joining our virtual activities. You gave us wonderful feedback on our activity survey. Watch our calendar for more fun activities.
Most importantly...are your students 50% done with their curriculum? Please contact Ms. Heidi if you are behind, and we can work out a schedule that works for you. You need grades and work samples for all paper-based classes. You can upload work samples or drop them off at our Raven office. We are open for drop off from 8-4:30 but closed for lunch from 12-1. If you have Acellus or AK Grad classes, let Ms. Heidi know when you finish a quarter, and she will put your grade in Brightways.
Our Battle of the Books Teams are doing battle with other district teams this week. We are so proud of our K-2 grade Raven Eagle Reading Rascals and our 5/6 A Team. They read so many books and memorized book titles and author's names. Go Raven! Our A Team won their first battle...Go Adrianna and Anastasia!
This month we are launching Raven Pen Pals! Who said children are not writing? Go Raven students!!! For those already signed up, watch for a letter with details about your pen pal.
The Mitten by Jan Brett, is the story behind our art project. Katya led a virtual art activity, where students made a mitten and filled it with forest animals!
Graduation is planned for May 26th, 27th and 28th, 2021. We will celebrate graduates individually, as we did in May 2020.
Eagle River Office:
It’s been a very busy 2nd quarter in the Eagle River Raven office! We continue to assist our new families with navigating the new world of homeschooling and all that comes along with it - quarterly reports, reimbursements, finding extracurricular options, and ways to connect with other homeschooling families.
Our families have been enjoying our ongoing virtual activities, to include book clubs for littles, middles, and teens, geography club, and Lego club. Our in-person/off-site offerings include outdoor club and recess club. February will see a writing workshop led by advisory teacher Cortney Fogarty and a Valentine’s Day card exchange for our students. Our goal is keep our families as connected as we can until the day they are allowed to meet up in person for workshops, field trips, and holiday activities.
Aside from the “fun stuff”, advisory teacher Megan Rosendall has been hard at work helping our families with MAPs testing and working with our high school students to keep them on track for graduation. When advisory teacher Kayla Guerrero isn’t assisting her many families, she heads up the outdoor club with Megan and is the go-to person for Scholastic book orders.
Student Spotlight:
Jackson is a kindergartener with Raven Homeschool. When he isn’t working on school you can find him exploring the natural world where he is passionate about the health of our planet. Jackson wrote Dr. Jon Jon Saves the Moon when he was four years old, as a way to inspire kids all over the world to help save our planet. Before it was written Jackson would tell his story to everyone he met; trying to convince them to pick up garbage and recycle. Jackson moved to Alaska over a year ago and has enjoyed learning about his new state and exploring everything Alaska has to offer.
Lee Family:
Christine is relatively new to Raven - she joined our program last year - but she has really taken the reins on homeschooling her 8th grade son and 2nd grade daughter. Her son started with us last year and through Christine’s constant encouragement, he has become active in our teen group and has participated in many of its activities. Due to uncertainties at the local school, she decided to add her daughter this school year. When Christine started with Raven she had her son using our online curriculum, Acellus, but over the course of the summer she did extensive research and consulted with seasoned families to make the switch to a curriculum that perfectly fits her family.
In addition to being a full-time homeschooling parent, she has become very active with our Eagle River office. She organized and leads Show & Tell (summer months only) and Recess Club, the entire Lee family are active participants of Outdoor Club, and Christine actively connects with other Raven families by sharing information and posting regularly on our facebook page.
Lilly G:
Lilly has been enjoying learning all about science this year! Below is a photo of her in her lab coat doing her "show me science" slime experiment.
Rattliff Family:
Jax and Journey sort and plan meals for Children’s Lunchbox, a program of Beans Cafe to help feed kids and teens this holiday season.
Fairbanks Office:
Lego Leagues Have Kicked Off!
Our junior group is amazing and they jumped right in. Shown here are some pictures of our PK-1st grade future architects. All the students in Lego League are super talented and eager to demonstrate their skills.
Battle of the Books Champions:
The Fairbanks Raven High School Team was the District Battle Winner under the leadership of their coach, Chuck Backe, they will represent us at State Competitions in February. The Fairbanks Middle School Team was also the District Battle Winner. Heidi Wright will be leading the team to State Competitions.
Fairbanks Family Highlight: Hubbard Family Builds Amazing Igloo
About the project: This started out as a family project that was to be completed in one week. But, it grew bigger and better and better. The family froze ice blocks in shoebox size containers for about 4 to 6 weeks before starting the process of assembly. The kids carried the blocks to a staging area. There were close to 300 blocks that were used. Their dad made a mortar with fresh snow and a spray bottle of water. Thank you Hubbard family for sharing your amazing project!
If your Fairbanks family would like to be highlighted in the next Raven’s Call, please send your submissions to fairbanks@yksd.com.
Hubbard Family Igloo Project:
Lego League Photos:
Juneau Office:
Here in the Juneau Office, we haven’t let the pandemic slow us down at all. Through Nov, Dec, and Jan, we have continued to host weekly virtual activities including Show and Tell/Story Time on Mondays, Teen Chat on Tuesdays, Quarantweenies on Thursdays, and Morning Mug for parents on Fridays. Students have also been encouraged to join in Mr. Rocky’s Art Classes throughout the week for all grade levels. We have enjoyed some friendly competition with the Turkey in Disguise contest and the Holiday Door Decorating contest, and we encourage students to get to know each other better through our monthly FlipGrid conversation topics. Our Facebook Group is a very active forum for parents to connect with each other, share ideas, and get info/updates about fun activities and events to participate in practically every day of the week, plus monthly PAC meetings give parents an avenue for hearing about upcoming news and sharing feedback.
Our Battle of the Books teams read and practiced diligently, and their hard work has paid off in the district battles at the end of January. Students from all across the state were invited to join our office in some virtual animal encounters with the Alaska Zoo, and they enjoyed learning about polar bears in Nov and river otters in Dec. As we prepared for holiday celebrations, we were able to have some fun with a virtual clay ornament-making class and a stocking stuffer gift exchange, both of which were a huge success. PreK students also received their special Christmas packages from our Early Childhood Department which included a book and special “Christmoose” shirt. In January, we got to dive deeper into some animal encounters with the Alaska SeaLife Center who hosted three different virtual activities for us about marine mammal adaptations, eat or be eaten in Alaska, and sea lion monitoring. Middle and high school students got the opportunity to get a glimpse into being a college student by attending a “mock lecture” hosted by the UAA engineering department about how buildings shake. January finished off in a jam-packed way with National School Choice Week, the Great Kindness Challenge, families picking up student t-shirts, joining in the Links of Love challenge, and more.
Somewhere in the mix of all this fun, much learning has been accomplished this quarter as well, and we are excited to highlight an assortment of student achievements that parents have shared with us. We have a host of activities, contests, and events planned for this spring, so be sure to watch weekly newsletters, Facebook, and the online calendar so you don’t miss out on all the excitement. Please enjoy this collection of photos from our Raven events as well as submissions from families and consider submitting your photos and achievements for our next quarterly newsletter!
Raven Activity Photos:
Clay Ornament Making
Stocking Stuffer Gift Exchange
PreK Christmas Shirt
Student Spotlight:
Ethan & Levi Archery
Kalani Cooking
Ryan's Lego Kremlin
Bontadelli Christmas Family Fun
Zoe & Elsie Creating Projects
Tait & Zoe Dissection
Wasilla Office:
"You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."
--Martin Luther King, Jr.
This quote is true for the Wasilla office this school year. We take one step at a time- and keep moving forward! We are sure that this is true for you -as you are navigating homeschool as a “newbie” or as a seasoned veteran. To you who are newer to homeschooling, as Muhammad Ali said, “Even the greatest was once a beginner...”. Just like your students, you are navigating in a new world; you’ve got this! To you who have been homeschooling awhile, as Kevin Eubanks said, “Inspiration is one thing and you can’t control it, but hard work is what keeps the ship moving. Good luck means, work hard. Keep up the good work.”
Many thanks to those of you who are trying! Thank you for your monthly contact with your advisory teacher, submitting reimbursements before the deadline, turning in the pre-approvals for second semester, and completing progress reports to include work samples, comments, and summaries! If you aren’t quite there yet, reach out to your advisory teacher for help; they are happy to assist you.
One of our students, Brailea, received a microscope for a birthday gift! She checked out atoms of sugar and salt. She is delighted in learning more about the world around her!
Raven Pen Pals is launching this month! For those of you who already signed up, watch for a letter with details about your pen pal. For those of you who would still like to participate, contact the Wasilla office right away!
Students and families are really enjoying Art with Rocky. Be on the lookout in the weekly S’more flyer with the details. If your students haven’t participated, have them give it a try; it just might be a highlight of their week!
Please be on the lookout for more information on our upcoming Bionics Club and Sign Language Workshops!
Have you joined the Wasilla Office Facebook group yet? Our group is a place where currently enrolled Raven Homeschool families can connect with one another safely and securely. This group is private and limited to families enrolled with the Wasills office only.