Inspire Insider
Bringing families together, one newsletter at a time!
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Quote of the Week
School News and Important Dates
Vendor Fair Success!
Thank you to the families who came to our Vendor Fair and made it a huge success! We would also like to thank our amazing vendors who dedicated their time to our event, and generously donated incredible prizes!
If you attended the Vendor Fair, we'd love to hear your feedback! Please complete the three questions below.
Learning Period 5 Ends This Friday!
Great News For Readers!
As a result of many requests from families, Inspire is excited to announce that we now offer Accelerated Reader for TK-12th grade students! 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. For more information click here: Accelerated Reader flyer.
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.
The AR program keeps track of all the books your child takes quizzes on and provides motivators like points or filling a sunflower with color. Every book that has an AR Reading Practice Quiz is given a point value. AR points are based on the difficulty and length of the book (number of words). There are over 140,000 AR quizzes available. With the AR Program, you can create reading goals for your child.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Janell Gaertig by email janell@inspireschools.org or by phone (559) 376-0215.
If you are interested in signing up for Accelerated Reader, please let your HST know.
High School Info Session
When: Thursday, January 23rd
Time: 12pm
Topic: Financial Aid
Link: https://zoom.us/j/980194073
When: Friday, February 1st
Time: 9am
Topic: General information
Link: https://zoom.us/j/2433924197
If you can't make it, you can view past sessions here.
Use Funds To Buy Tickets For GameSchoolCon!
Inspire is so excited to be attending 2019's GameSchoolCon in Irvine! Board games, role playing games, active games, and video games are all fantastic ways to learn! GameSchoolCon is a full weekend of family fun and where you get to learn what GameSchooling is all about. You can borrow games from GameSchoolCon's extensive Board Game Library and a dedicated Gamerunner will join you at your table and teach you and your friends to play! Meet game designers at the demo tables, browse the vendor hall, step into a VR universe, support local artists at the Homegrown Artists Alley, or roll for initiative in the Role Playing Game Room... There's plenty to do for little kids, teens, and parents, too!
Our Enrichment Team will also be attending, so families can make purchases at the event!
When: February 1 to February 3, 2019 (Inspire will be attending on Saturday and Sunday only)
Where: Wyndham Irvine - OC Airport Hotel, 17941 Von Karman Avenue, Irvine, CA 92614
Tickets: Prices vary. You can view ticket prices here and use student funding to purchase tickets!
50 Reasons to Test with Inspire
January 2019 Special Education Newsletter
From our amazing Special Education Department:
"It is so hard to believe that winter break is over and 2019 is upon us! We truly hope that everyone had a safe, relaxing and joyful winter vacation. Once again, we are so grateful for all the students and parents that bring joy to us on a daily basis. We are excited to continue our learning journey with you and your students through the second part of the school year! Please stay in touch and let us know how we can improve the content to meet your students' needs."
Read the full newsletter here.
Inspire South's New Website
How To Cancel Field Trip Tickets
As long as the event is still open (the venue has not been paid) parents can cancel tickets through Inspiration Station!
Just log in to your account, and on the top right, you will see a small drop down arrow next to your email address. Click the arrow and select "My Account." There you will see all the field trips you have signed up for, and are able to cancel a single ticket, or all of your family's tickets. We have attached a screenshot below to show this.
Please note: once payment has been made to the venue, we are unable to cancel tickets and refund your account.
Field Trips
Park Days
Thursday, January 31: Sweet Shade Community Park, Irvine. Time: 1:30pm to 3:30pm.
Educational Tools
10 Board Games for Homeschoolers
With the wonderful rainy weather, it's a perfect time to make a warm cup of your favorite drink, and play some family board games!
This two to four player game has become a sneaky way to learn the general location of cities around the US and lower Canada. Players try to build railroad lines from one city to the next. The player who completes the most and/or longest routes by the end of the game wins."
Homeschooling Advice
How To Learn To Trust Your Homeschool Mom Instincts
"Thankfully, I’ve learned in the past two years how to trust my homeschool mom instincts.
I used to be an extremely insecure homeschool mom. I was easily swayed by:
the latest and most popular homeschool philosophy
a random photo of a hands-on project on Instagram
my parents’ overt suggestions that I implement a stricter homeschool schedule
I changed directions so often it made me dizzy. I can’t imagine what my kids were feeling during those years!
So how did my insecure homeschool mom self learn how to trust her instincts and become the relatively confident homeschool mom she is today? Here are the three steps I took to get here."
Read the rest of the article here.
Local Events
Celebrate the Creative Spirit of People with Disabilities
Join the Aquarium of the Pacific for its sixteenth annual Festival of Human Abilities, a celebration highlighting the creative talents and abilities of people with disabilities.
This event will feature wheelchair dance, live music, sign language choirs, art demonstrations, and accessible SCUBA diving demonstrations. Participate in free classes led by people who have disabilities. Sign language interpreters will be present at all major shows, and an audio tour and a visitor guide in Braille are available for those who are blind. For more information, click here.
Where: Aquarium of the Pacific
When: Saturday, January 26 to Sunday, January 27
Time: 9am to 5pm
Price: Included with general admission to guests. Free to Aquarium members; 20% off for their guests.
Tenth Annual Monarch Butterfly Day
OC Parks invites children and families to learn all about Monarch butterflies and their natural habitat with an up-close look at these magnificent creatures at the tenth annual Monarch Butterfly Day!
Activities will include interpretive presentations, children's crafts, face painting and a balloon artist. This event is recommended for ages 4 to 12. For more information, click here.
*Event and parking are free!
*Event will take place at the Forest Shelter.
*Remember to bring your cameras!
*Food trucks will be on site.
When: Saturday, February 2, 2019
Where: Mile Square Regional Park, 16801 Euclid St, Fountain Valley, CA 92708
Price: Free!
Laguna Beach Music Festival
The 17th annual Festival will be held February 6-10, 2019, in Laguna Beach featuring pianist Joyce Yang as Festival Artistic Director, in collaboration with other artists.
For tickets or more information:
Philharmonic Society of Orange County | (949) 553-2422 | PhilharmonicSociety.org
Laguna Playhouse | (949) 497-2787 | LagunaPlayhouse.com
Community and Connection
Facebook Page
Instagram Page
Orange County Parent Resource Site
Ladan Rashidi - OC Family Liaison
Shaemanique King - OC Family Liaison
Feedback
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