April Highlights
- TLC La Mesa teacher, Travis Nixon, and students Isabelle Hinojosa and Micah Schwab, participated in a webinar for Sustainable Building Week San Diego hosted by SEI. Mr. Nixon, Isabelle, and Micah discussed the tiny home project that TLC La Mesa's Applied Sustainable Construction (ASC) class is undertaking. You can view a recording of the webinar here. (TLC's portion starts at 21:10).
- TLC La Mesa's ASC class also completed a fundraiser for their tiny home project, where they raised $440 - we can't wait to see the final result of this project!
- Spelling correction: Kandace Coronado was one of the TLC recipient's of the Carson Scholarship - congratulations Kandace!
- High school students at TLC Scripps Ranch completed 25,000 math questions as part of the IXL math challenge - more highlights are included below about our math progress.
- A team of TLC La Mesa staff and teachers formed an initial garden committee to start a school garden. More information coming soon about this exciting project and ways to be involved.
- TLC 4th-6th graders participated virtually in Junior Achievement BizTown's Simulation. Students engaged in nine weekly lessons over the past couple of months that were taught via Zoom by a Junior Achievement educator. The lessons and learning activities focused on basic economics, operating businesses, writing checks, entrepreneurship, and more. The program helps students connect the dots between what they learn in school and skills they need for the real world. After completing their weekly lessons, students were able to access a virtual simulation game where there are five different jobs to choose from: Treasurer/CFO, Police Officer, Doctor, Adoption Counselor, or Veterinarian, each one providing its own journey through the simulation. Students could choose and play through one or all five of the jobs during our BizTown day.
Social Emotional Learning
Social Emotional Competency of the Month
Optimistic Thinking:
Optimistic Thinking refers to an individual’s attitude of confidence, hopefulness, and positive thinking regarding themselves and their life situations in the past, present, and future
(Source: Aperture Education)
What is Optimistic Thinking?
The importance of having a sense of optimism and hope for the future is well established in the resilience literature as a key protective factor for individuals of all ages. These skills and mindsets help enable us to overcome the risk, adversity, or change we inevitably face throughout our lives.
Optimistic Thinking Looks Like:
- Speaking positively about yourself and those around you
- Looking forward to future events and activities
- Believing in yourself and your ability to attain future goals.
(Source: Aperture Education)
Watch the power of positive thoughts in this short video
Optimistic Thinking Practices
There are a number of ways to cultivate optimistic thinking in yourself and your student(s). Below are seven simple practices. You can find links and more details at biglifejournal.com
Advocacy & Action
Telling Our Story
As many of you know, there is a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding about charter schools and non-classroom based schools within the larger community. As members of this community, it is important to make our voices heard to dispel the false information and share our own positive experiences with this type of education.
To help you be engaged advocates for your students and school, we will utilize future newsletters to share information that can empower you to understand the issues at hand and take additional action when appropriate.
Next month, we will feature information about Assembly Bill 1316, which is currently moving through the California state legislature, and which will require significant action from charter school families and community members to stop.
This month we are highlighting the current lawsuit that TLC is participating in to fight for fair funding for our school.
Fight for Fair Funding
TLC is currently one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit Reyes vs. State of California. This lawsuit is advocating for fair public school funding. As YM&C, the Charter Law Firm, describes:
When the Charter Schools Act was enacted in 1992, the State called on educators to launch new innovative public schools that would rise to meet the needs of students in the 21st century. Since the 1800s, school has looked much the same – tens of children sitting in desks before teachers for hours a day, five days a week. Over the past few decades, educational leaders answered that call and built schools of the future that are completely different – schools where all learning is personalized to meet the needs and interests of each student, at the location and time that is right for each student. These public schools of the future provide families with a range of options from fully virtual to a hybrid of on-campus and at-home learning all done with the support of teachers, facilities, technology, curriculum, and extracurricular activities.
Contrary to the longstanding rule that funding follows the student to their new public school – the bargain on which these schools of the future have always operated – over summer 2020, the State decided that it would not fund new students at these kinds of public schools in the 2020-21 school year – students who these schools had already enrolled. In doing so, the State breached its constitutional, statutory, and contractual obligations to fund each student’s education at the public school that they choose. On September 24, 2020, a coalition of students and public charter schools filed a class-action lawsuit challenging the State’s decision to defund the educations of thousands of students, Reyes v. State of California. On March 11, 2021, the Court granted plaintiffs’ motion for class certification, affirming that 308 public schools operating innovative educational programs can litigate their funding claims against the State together as a united coalition. The merit of the case is set to be heard by the Court on July 2, 2021.
You can learn more about this current issue and why this is important for TLC here. And check out TLC student, Elijah, describe why he is passionate about engaging with this issue below!
How You Can Help
Review the Facts about Schools like TLC
This month you can help by doing some homework of your own! This document provides an overview of Fact vs Fiction about non-classroom based public charter schools like TLC.
Next month we will be asking you to take some direct action via calls and letters so this will be a great way to prepare yourself by learning about the issues at hand.
Thank you, as always, for being part of our community.
Math Momentum
Envision Math
In order to better support our K-8 students in their math education, we are piloting potential new instructional materials for next year. The first curriculum that was piloted was Envision Math.
Here is a summary of what students and teachers shared about this program:
Student Feedback
- 61 students completed the survey
- 34% of the students said the examples in the problems could happen in real life
- 32% of the students said the digital platform was easy to navigate
- 54% of the students said they felt the program had high expectations for students
- 28% of the students felt represented in the content through pictures or words
Additional Comments included:
I like this program except for when it asks some really really hard questions.
Out of 10 I would do an 8 1/2 because it was good and I liked how I got it wrong it would show me the why and how to do it and there weren't points that I would lose if I got it wrong. One thing I would change is that in the word problem it would use big words so it would be a little complicated.
I liked Interactive Practice Buddy.
Teacher Feedback
- A variety of options for practice
- Easy integration with Google Classroom
- Easy to use in the virtual classroom
- Easy to differentiate
There are still a few days left to complete our Mathematics Parent Survey if you would like to review and share feedback on these programs (deadline to complete is Friday, April 30).
Math Challenge Update
We have reached over 50,000 IXL math questions answered in the TLC math challenge! The challenge ends on Friday, May 7. We are close to meeting our goal of having 100,000 questions completed. Keep up the great work!
Students Collaborate on Full Length Screenplay
The Oscar season has come to TLC Chula Vista! 10th grade students in Mr. Marshall's English class recently collaborated to produce a full length motion picture screenplay. Students collaborated on brainstorming and outlining the story, then each student drafted a section on their own, before coming back together for revisions and a final table-read. The students enjoyed the process tremendously and should be incredibly proud of the 139-page screenplay they produced.
You can read the full screenplay for "Uncharted Waters" here.
If you are a student and you would like to submit work to be featured, email tlcstudentnews@learningchoice.org. Submissions can be videos, written pieces, photographs, or anything that highlights what you have learned at TLC.
Getting Fit With Your Family
As the weather warms up, this month we are talking about the benefits of exercise!
As OCAP describes, "Exercise not only improves health, but it also increases self-confidence and reduces anxiety in children. Families working out together can help strengthen family bonds and improve the overall mood of both parents and kids! We know many families have busy schedules and sometimes it can seem impossible to find time to exercise, but as little as 15 minutes can have a big impact on your health."
The Benefits of Exercising Together
"Exercise is important for the health and well-being of adults and children alike. Some health professionals believe exercising together as a family may just be the solution to rising obesity rates and increasing family instability. One such professional is Sylvia Rimm, a psychologist and director of the Family Achievement Clinic in Cleveland. As Dr. Rimm states,
Exercise not only improves health, but increases self-confidence and reduces anxiety in children.
Participating in physical activity as a family also strengthens family bonds and improves the overall mood of both the parents and the children. The benefits even go as far as a better night’s sleep and improved performance at work and school."
Activities to Get the Whole Family Moving
STAR Student Recognitions
April: Trustworthiness
TLC is excited to recognize STAR students each month based on a determined character trait. April's character trait was Trustworthiness. Students were nominated by their Educational Partners and School Site Administrators. Congratulations to this month's STAR students!
Natalie Aguilar
Grace Bojorquez
Evie Fierro-Reyes
Antonio Gonzalez
Claire Johnson
Ivy Miller
Emily Pate
Anneka Weinberg
Earth Day Activities
In celebration of Earth Day, TLC students took part in a variety of activities linked to celebrating and nurturing our natural world.
Students from TLC Scripps Ranch, for instance, re-used milk jugs to plant strawberries. While other students visited full fledged farms with their families (strawberries were in season there too)! If you're interested in learning more about Earth Day, or want to access some other fun ideas about ways to celebrate the earth as a family, you can browse these resources compiled by San Diego County.
Credits:
Created with images by Foundry - "up sky looking up" • MabelAmber - "tree tree top branch" • MabelAmber - "tree tree top rising up" • MabelAmber - "tree tops trees branches"