The Raven's Call
Raven Homeschool
November 2019 Edition
Dear Raven Families,
Welcome to Raven's Call, your digital newsletter to keep you up to date on all things Raven. This monthly 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 by clicking on links within each section.
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 would like a printed copy, please contact your local office.
If you have questions, please contact Maegan mmascagno@yksd.com
- Raven Homeschool
From the Director's Desk:
Enrollment Season
Raven’s busy enrollment season is officially over, and I want to sincerely THANK each and every one of you for enrolling with Raven this school year! It truly is an honor to serve your family. We look forward to partnering with you throughout the school year to ensure your students are receiving the best educational opportunities in the state.
We’ve put together a brief survey asking for your feedback on how we are doing. If you haven’t filled it out already, Raven would greatly appreciate you completing it. This will help us continue providing superior services, supports, and educational opportunities for your children.
Anchorage: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LYPNW53
Delta: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/L2X62C5
Eagle River: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LCLHTHB
Fairbanks: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LDH3ZNX
Juneau: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LJFQJTQ
Wasilla: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LQPBVYR
Congratulations!
I’d like to congratulate Julie Szidloski, our amazing administrative assistant in our Delta office for being recognized by YKSD’s regional school board for outstanding service. Julie’s served with Raven for over 14 years and exudes what it means to be a dedicated, caring, and quality employee. I can’t think of a better choice for this session’s recognition!
Congratulations to Natasha Anderson, for being elected to the Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals (AASSP) Board of Directors as the AP at Large. Natasha provides outstanding leadership for our Raven offices and will now be able to make a greater impact on a statewide level. We are fortunate to have Natasha as a part of our Raven family!
Counselor's Corner:
When was the last time you spoke to your Career Counselor or Graduation Coach? Remember we are here to help!
In November students should be thinking about:
9th and 10th Grade: What do I want to be when I grow-up? Ryan and Megan have many tools available to help you start thinking about the future such as Career Interest Surveys, Learning Style Surveys, Get Real Surveys (what kind of salary do you really need as an adult). We can also help you plan a course of action to make sure you graduate high school on time!
11th Grade: Have you started thinking about what educational path you want to take after high school? Have you visited any of the many options in the state of Alaska? What can you do this year to ensure that you get into the program you want? Have you taken your ACT, SAT or WorkKeys test yet?
12th Grade: Are you on track to Graduate this coming May? Make an appointment with Ryan or Megan to go over your transcript. Have you completed the FAFSA? Have you taken your ACT, SAT or WorkKeys test yet?
Some Hard Facts:
2006 – Average Salary/Year
High School Dropout - $21,000
High School Diploma - $30,000
Advance Degree/Certificate - $49,000 and up
50% of High School Dropouts are unemployed
HS Dropouts are often labeled as people who don’t finish things
You have a better chance of winning the lottery than being successful in life if you dropout of High School.
A College or Career School Education = More $$$, More Job Options and more Freedom! A College or Career School Education is a long-term investment. With careful planning you can find the school and funding options that work best for your situation and put you on the path to success!
Remember the State of Alaska and Raven Homeschool Require the following minimum credits for Graduation:
Math: 3 Credits
English: 4 Credits
Science: 2 Credits
Social Studies: 3 Credits (including 0.5 – AK Studies/History)
Physical Ed: 0.5 Credits
Health: 0.5 Credits
Electives: 8 Credits
Total 21 Credits – Remember this is MINIMUM all students are encourage to explore and earn additional credits.
PLEASE CALL YOUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR WITH QUESTIONS!
Megan Rosendall | Anchorage, Eagle River, Wasilla | mrosendall@yksd.com | 907.622.6631
Ryan Tilbury | Delta, Fairbanks, Juneau | rtilbury@yksd.com | 907.374.9432
Anchorage Office:
October Recap:
October flew by in a fury of activities and workshops! Terri’s FLL Robotics, Jr FLL Robotics, Book Club, Quilting Club, STEAM and Jr. STEAM workshops continue to meet monthly. Deb Fancher was back and taught hands-on workshops about Environmental Science in Alaska’s oceans. Students dissected sea stars and clams, looked under microscopes are living organisms and made clam chowder to snack on. Carmen was busy with Elementary Spanish I & II workshops, as well as preparing for the Spelling Bee. Our graduation coach, Megan, was also in the office for two different graduation workshops. Her students learned how to use the AKCIS system and all about important study skills and tricks. Danae held Battle of the Books practice meetings, Art workshops with Rocky Near and Civil Air Patrol. Our office also hosted a Scholastic Book Fair. It was incredible to see all the different books and supplies available to shop from. Jamie, our Family Liaison, led an interesting field trip to the Alaska Public Lands Information Center. During the field trip, students learned about what the department does, watched a video about Alaskan animals, and participated in two different craft activities. We wrapped the month up with Malloween, an evening of trick-or-treating in the mall!
Office Closures:
Our office will be closing at 1:30pm on Wednesday, November 27th. We will be closed Thursday, November 28th-Friday, November 29th.
We will re-open on Monday, December 2nd, at 8am.Happy Thanksgiving!
November Activities:
November 1st - Jr. FLL Team 2 meeting
November 1st - Field Trip: Soul Street Dance Co.
November 4th - Quilting Club
November 4th - FLL Robotics
November 4th - 25 Days of Giving: Reverse Advent Food Drive begins
November 5th - PAC Meeting Luncheon
November 5th - Elementary Spanish I & II workshops
November 6th - Science: The Science of Oil
November 6th - Jr. FLL Team 1 meeting
November 6th - Spelling Bee
November 6th - Jr. FLL Team 3 meeting
November 7th - Science: The Science of Oil
November 7th - Graduation Workshop with Megan
November 8th - Jr. FLL Team 2 meeting
November 8th - Girls Who Code
November 11th - Quilting Club
November 11th - FLL Robotics
November 12th - Elementary Spanish I & II workshops
November 12th - Art with Rocky: grades K-3
November 13th - Jr. FLL Team 1 meeting
November 13th - Art with Rocky: grades 4-8
November 13th - Jr. FLL Team 3 meeting
November 14th - Book Club: The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street
November 15th - Jr. FLL Team 2 meeting
November 18th - Quilting Club
November 18th - FLL Robotics
November 19th - Elementary Spanish I & II workshops
November 19th - Battle of the Books: K-2 and 3/4 meetings
November 20th - Jr. FLL Team 1 meeting
November 20th - Spelling Bee
November 20th - Jr. FLL Team 3 meeting
November 21st - Civil Air Patrol
November 22nd - Jr. FLL Team 2 meeting
November 27th - Office Closing at 1:30pm
November 28th-29th - Office Closed
Staff Schedules:
Carmen will be out of the office on November 1st, 15th, 22nd, and 28th-29
Danae will be out of the office on November 4th, 11th, 18th, 22nd and 28th-29th.
Terri will be out of the office on November 5th, 12th, 19th and 25th-29th.
For more details about our events and to RSVP, please click on our SMORE below!
Environmental Science workshop
Book Club: The Horse and His Boy
Environmental Science Workshop
Field Trip: Alaska Public Land Information Center
Jr. STEAM: Ozobots
Quilting Club
Delta Office:
October Recap:
Scholastic Book Fair: The Book fair was a popular event in our office. We enjoyed shopping for books and visiting with our families. Thank you to our wonderful volunteers: Sally, Andrea, Tim Z. and the Moskalenko family, we could not have done it without you.
Honey: Thank you Dorshorst family for the sweetest field trip ever. Larry taught our students about what bees need to make honey, then students helped process the honey.
Fire House Tour: Thank you Ft. Greely firefighters! We enjoyed learning about all the equipment used to put out fires. Our students loved crawling through the fire truck and turning on the sirens. We want students to know what fire fighters look like when they are all dressed up and ready to rescue us.
Alaska Flour Company: Bryce Wrigley owns the only flour mill in Alaska. He invited us to his farm where he has grown Barley since 1981. A concern for “food security’”, is why he started milling his Barley. Each student took home a sample of Cream of Barley cereal, Couscous, Brownie or Pancake mix. Thank you Bryce and Leah! Leah made us warm fresh pancakes to snack on while Bryce spoke.
Heidi’s Corner:
Students should be 1/4 or 25% done with all of their classes before November 1st. Please make an appointment with me, if you want to put grades in together. If you have Acellus classes or AK Grad, I will put those grades in for you. If you have any questions please call us, we can help.
November:
In November we are looking forward to terrific Tuesdays and a field trip to the Silver Fox Roadhouse. Please check our calendar and join us for our fun activities.
At our next Parent Advisory Committee we will be discussing our Boy’s Night Out, The Cookie Bake Off and the Girl’s Tea Party. Please come and share your ideas. We provide the snacks.
Staff Schedule:
Heidi will be out of the office November 25th-29th.
The office will close at 1:30 pm on November 27th and will be closed November 28th and 29th. We wish you a wonderful time with family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving!
Eagle River Office:
October Recap:
October has been a month to remember. The scholastic book fair saw amazing sales of lots of books. Classes and clubs continued steadily and the Eagle River office added a few new pets to our office collection. In November we look forward to Battle of the Books practices meeting every week, exciting field trips, and the beginning of the holiday season.
November Events:
November 1st - Field Trip: Soul Street Dance Company
November 4th - Battle of the Books All Team Meetings (K-2, 3-4, 5-6, High School)
November 4th - Teen Leadership Club
November 5th - Art with Rocky: K-3
November 6th - Art with Rocky 4th-8th
November 7th - CAP STEM Meeting
November 8th - Science Workshop: The Science of Oil
November 12th - The 6 Most Important Decisions
November 13th - Eagle River PAC Meeting followed by the Book Organization Party!
November 14th - STEM Club K-3rd and STEM Club 4th-12th
November 15th - Field Trip: Wasilla Museum
November 18th - Battle of the Books All Team Meetings
November 19th - STEM Club K-3 and STEM Club 4-12th
November 20th - Geography Club: Europe
November 27th - Office Closes Early for Thanksgiving
November 28th-29th - Office Closed for Thanksgiving
Staff Schedules:
Steve will be off November 1st, 22nd, and 25th-27th.
Megan will be off November 22nd-29th.
For more details about our events and to RSVP, please click on our SMORE below!
Fairbanks Office:
October Recap:
GO ICE DOGS: Throughout the month of October, the Fairbanks Raven office has been giving away hockey tickets to the Ice Dogs games. The Fairbanks Ice Dogs are a Tier II Junior A ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League's Midwest Division. The Ice Dogs play home games at the 2,200-seat Big Dipper Ice Arena. The office has randomly posted opportunities to win in SMOREs and on the Facebook page. Several excited families have participated. The final drawing for the month is Oct 31st, families will have opportunities to win tickets monthly. Families who come in wearing costumes receive an additional chance to win tickets and a goodie bag. We love our home team! Featured in the photo is one of our winning families, the DeGroots.
Northland Wood Company Field Trip: A few of our students attended a field trip at Northland Wood in Fairbanks. Northland Wood has been in business since 1965. In 1982, Northland Wood moved to its current location on South Cushman Street. The company has over 30 employees. The kids were fascinated with the giant saw blades and were amazed that they need to be sharpened 3 times a day. The tour guide was very engaging, and they were enthralled for hours at the operation and giant equipment needed to process and haul wood products.
High School Students Tour UAF Fire Department: Ryan Tilbury took a few of our high schoolers on a tour of the University of Fairbanks fire department. The fire department employs and trains students in firefighting and emergency services. Of the crew, 90% move on to successful full-time employment. Pictured are John George, Fire Science Degree Program Coordinator, and Fire Chief Doug Shrage discussing the Fire Science Degree program and what it is like to live and work, as a student, at the UAF University Fire Department.
November Activities:
November 4th - Sewing Club
November 5th - Running Club
November 6th - Family Liaison Meeting
November 6th - PAC Meeting
November 6th - Sprangler Science
November 7th - Lego League
November 7th - Office Staff Meeting
November 11th - Sewing Club
November 11th - Yearbook
November 12th - Battle of the Books
November 12th - Running Club
November 12th - Senior Graduation Meeting
November 13th - Junior Lego League
November 14th - Lego League
November 14th - Office Staff Meeting
November 18th - Sewing Club
November 19th - Running Club
November 20th - STEM Day
November 21st - Lego League
November 21st - Office Staff Meeting
November 25th - Sewing Club
November 25th - Yearbook
November 26th - Battler of the Books
November 26th - Running Club
November 27th - Junior Lego League
Staff Schedules:
Ryan Tilbury will be out of the office on November 4th- 8th. He will be in Delta Junction November 26th-27th.
Cathy Walker will be out of the office on November 1st, 8th, and 15th. Cathy has Jury Duty November 5th.
Chuck Backe will be out of the office on November 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th-27th.
Heidi Wright will be in the Manley Office on November 19th. She will be out of the office on November 1st, 4th-5th, 8th, 11th, 14th-15th, 18th, 22nd, and 25th.
For more details about our events and to RSVP, please click on our SMORE below!
DeGroot Family - winners of Ice Dog tickets!
UAF Fire Dept Field Trip
Northland Wood
Juneau Office:
October in Review:
October brought on fall in full force. We started the month with a visit from High School Academic Counselor Ryan Tilbury who got to meet with many students one-on-one to help with their current and future educational plans. During his visit we also hosted an Intro to High School Workshop as well as a Senior Lunch Meeting, plus getting to tour the Juneau Job Center and learn about how they can benefit students. The Yearbook Committee made another advertisement to continue to promote early ordering and submitting artwork for the Cover Design Contest. Our JrFLL and FLL teams continued to meet weekly to work on the challenge for this year, Officer Cryderman kept teaching D.A.R.E. classes for 5th-6th graders, and Theresa started meeting weekly with this year’s Battle of the Books teams. During our PAC meeting luncheon, we worked together to plan upcoming activities in Nov and Dec, and we had another opportunity for a fun shared meal during our special “Night at the Museum” event at the Alaska State Museum which had a great turnout of around 75 people. A definite highlight as usual for October was the Arctic Adventure Scholastic Book Fair where we sold 470 books and earned $892 cash to put into our student activities fund for more fun activities this school year. Another annual October favorite is the Salmon Education Program that DIPAC hosts and the families who attended even got to do some brand new activities this year. Art teacher Rocky led some fantastic art workshops for our students by videoconference and the kids produced some incredible birch forest artwork. As usual, the police station tour had great attendance and the kids loved getting to see what the officers do there. A special event for the 7th-12th graders was a Sip and Paint activity where they got to enjoy each other’s company while sipping hot beverages and being creative on their canvases. The final hurrah this month was our Fall Costume and Craft Party. One could definitely say that there was never a dull moment in October!
Office Closures:
November 27th from 1:30-4:30pm.
November 28th-29th all day.
November Important Dates:
November 1st-30th - Healthy Futures Fall Challenge
November 1st - Battle of the Books Teams Meeting
November 1st - Yearbook Committee Meeting
November 4th - D.A.R.E.
November 5th - FLL
November 5th - “I Know I Can” for 1st-3rd grades
November 7th - DIPAC Marine Life Adaptations Program for 3rd-5th grades
November 7th - JrFLL
November 8th - Battle of the Books Teams Meeting
November 11th - Scavenger Hunt Activity for 5th-12th Grades
November 12th - FLL
November 12th - PAC Meeting Luncheon & Thanksgiving Cards Student Activity
November 12th - Parent Night at Joan’s house
November 13th - Teacher Inservice Day – no appointments
November 13th - Fire Station Tour
November 14th - JrFLL
November 15th - Battle of the Books Teams Meeting
November 18th - D.A.R.E.
November 19th - FLL
November 20th - Art with Rocky 4th-8th grades
November 21st - JrFLL
November 21st - Art with Rocky K-3rd grades
November 22nd - Scholastic Book Club Nov Orders Due
November 22nd - Turkey in Disguise Drop Off Day
November 22nd - Battle of the Books Teams Meeting
November 25th - D.A.R.E.
November 26th - FLL
November 27th - Office Closes early at 1:30pm
November 28th-29th - Office Closed for Thanksgiving
November 30th - Yearbook Pre-purchase 5% off Discount Deadline
Staff Schedules:
Theresa Off - November 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th-29th.
Joan Off - November 1st, 8th, 15th, and 25th-29th.
For more details about our events and to RSVP, please click on our SMORE below!
Wasilla Office:
October Summary:
Wasilla Ravens evaded winter snow this October - how in character with the trickster bird! Our office has been busily chugging along to the end of the first quarter. October has been safety emphasis month at Raven. This month, our students participated in First Aid/CPR Class, Babysitter's Class, Red Cross Pillowcase Project, Red Cross Prepare with Pedro, and a field trip to the Central Mat-Su Fire Department. Many of our students participated in a Writing Workshop Facilitated by Turning Leaf Literacy Center. In LEGO Club, Raven kids were challenged to build a working maze out of LEGOs and navigate a ball through the exit door - check out the videos below! Raven's budding chefs brought in homemade pizza creations for our monthly Culinary Cook-Off. Our friendly Army National Guard recruiters who usually serve as Culinary Cook-Off judges weren't available this month, so a couple Air Guard recruiters came and helped us choose the winners. Our Parent Rep, Miss Daphne, led a Friday Crafternoon and our monthly Project ARTiculate. She helped students build fall cornstalks, made of craft pipe cleaners and beads; taught students about Alaskan Artist Kesler "Kes" Woodward; and led them in creating their own birch masterpieces. Wasilla students also had the opportunity to do their second Art with Rocky workshops with our district art instructor, Rocky Near. The subject this time was moose among the birch trees. The weather is sure to bring snow next month, and Raven Wasilla has a bunch of activities and events to keep you busy and out of the cold - Scroll down to the November Outline to check out what's coming up!
November Activities & Events:
November 1st - Crafternoon
November 3rd - Daylight Savings Time Fall Back
November 4th - Mighty Mite Math (2nd & 3rd)
November 4th - Mighty Midget Math Games (K & 1st)
November 4th - Mrs. Horning's Marvelous Math (4th - 12th)
November 5th - Rocket Readers (K & 1st)
November 5th - Rocket Readers (2nd - 4th)
November 5th - 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Make (for Teens)
November 5th - Middle School Battle of the Books
November 5th - High School Battle of the Books
November 6th - LEGO Club
November 6th - 3rd & 4th Grade Battle of the Books
November 6th - PAC Meeting
November 7th - 5th & 6th Grade Battle of Books
November 11th - Mighty Mite Math (2nd & 3rd)
November 11th - Mighty Midget Math Games (K & 1st)
November 11th - Mrs. Horning's Marvelous Math (4th - 12th)
November 11th - Games Club
November 11th - Share Your Story Workshop (for High School)
November 12th - Rocket Readers (K & 1st)
November 12th - Rocket Readers (2nd - 4th)
November 12th - 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make (for Teens)
November 12th - Middle School Battle of the Books
November 12th - High School Battle of the Books
November 12th - High School Leadership Club
November 13th - Culinary Cook-Off: Baking Pies!
November 13th - 3rd & 4th Grade Battle of the Books
November 14th - Bowling Club
November 14th - Quilter's Club
November 14th - 5th & 6th Grade Battle of Books
November 14th - Art with Rocky (K-3rd)
November 15th - Crafternoon
November 15th - High School Social
November 18th - Mighty Mite Math (2nd & 3rd)
November 18th - Mighty Midget Math Games (K & 1st)
November 18th - Mrs. Horning's Marvelous Math (4th - 12th)
November 19th - Rocket Readers (K & 1st)
November 19th - Rocket Readers (2nd - 4th)
November 19th - Middle School Battle of the Books
November 19th - High School Battle of the Books
November 19th - Art with Rocky (4th-8th)
November 20th - Lion's Club Vision Screening
November 20th - LEGO Club
November 20th - 3rd & 4th Grade Battle of the Books
November 21st - 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make (for Teens)
November 21st - Graduation Workshop
November 21st - 5th & 6th Grade Battle of Books
November 25th - Mighty Mite Math (2nd & 3rd)
November 25th - Mighty Midget Math Games (K & 1st)
November 25th - Mrs. Horning's Marvelous Math (4th - 12th)
November 26th - Rocket Readers (K & 1st)
November 26th - Rocket Readers (2nd - 4th)
November 26th - Middle School Battle of the Books
November 26th - High School Battle of the Books
November 27th - 3rd & 4th Grade Battle of the Books
November 28th - Happy Thanksgiving! Office Closed
November 29th - Black Friday/Thanksgiving Holiday Office Closed
November Staff Schedule – Out of Office:
The Office will be CLOSED Thursday & Friday, November 28th & 29th in observance of Thanksgiving Holidays
Regular Office Hours
Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm
November Staff Schedules:
Cynthia will be off: November 4th, 11th, 25th, 28th & 29th
Joy will be off: November 1st, 6th, 8th, 11th, 15th, 22nd, 28th & 29th
Ruth will be off: November 1st, 28th & 29th
Kim will be off: November 28th & 29th
For more details about our events and to RSVP, please click on our SMORE below!