About Ellie Fazzi

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Entries by Ellie Fazzi

Instruction Gets to Work at PLC Institute

November 7, 2023/in News

Instruction Gets to Work at PLC Institute

Over 250 Visionaries gathered at the Citrus Heights Community Center to participate in the PLC at Work Institute hosted by Visions In Education. At this two day event, teachers, administrators, counselors, social workers and other instructional staff learned new strategies for delivering quality education to our students by working collaboratively in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).

The PLC Institute featured three outstanding speakers (pictured right) from Solution Tree who provided hands-on sessions tailored to meet the needs of our school. These speakers included Dr. Regina Stephens Owens (center), Taylor Barton (right) and Jayne Holck (left).

Over the past two years, almost every Visions teacher, counselor, and instructional Administrator has attended a PLC event as an opportunity to continue to unify Visions’ instructional processes and goals.

“This was my third time attending PLC training with Visions,” says Danielle Giese, Case Manager in the Special Education Department. “It was exciting to finally start digging in and doing the foundational work. Becoming a PLC will take some creativity and innovation in our unique setting, but it will have profound and lasting effects on our learning and teaching, and ultimately in the lives of our students.”

The PLC model will continue to be applied to Visions’ instructional systems moving forward, benefitting students and families by bettering systems of support, transforming school culture and sustaining school improvement. Visions looks forward to continuing this work with Solution Tree throughout the 2023-24 school year to ensure all staff are trained on the strategies that Visionaries will be using to become a PLC.

Click below to check out some photos of Visions staff hard at work!

Solution Tree is an organization dedicated to transforming education through empowering educational leaders. You can read more about Solution Tree’s mission and initiatives here.

Visions Kicks Off Its Club Soccer Season 1-0!

November 7, 2023/in News

Visions Kicks Off Its Club Soccer Season 1-0!

Last Friday, Visions had its first club soccer game against Sacramento Academic and Vocational Academy, kicking off the official beginning of the season. Led by Independent Study teacher Kyle Novak, the team played its way to an 11-7 victory and clinched its first win of the regular season!

“In the three years I’ve been at Visions, something that consistently comes up with students is ‘How do I play sports while being a Visions student?’ It is so great to be able to let students know that now they can compete with Visions in an indoor soccer league against other charter schools,” Kyle shares. “We have fourteen athletes on our team who practice 1-2 times each week and play games on Fridays. I have been so impressed with our students for coming to practice ready to push each other to get better. It was also a treat to win our first game 11-7 with four different players getting on the scoreboard. The atmosphere at Le Five is fun and competitive, and I’m very grateful to be a part of it.”

Over the next few weeks, Visions will play a handful of other local charter schools, competing in five more matches before moving on to the playoffs. We encourage friends, family and Visions staff to come out to the games and cheer our team on! Check out the schedule here!

Click through the photos below to check out some shots from the game! All photos are on our Facebook page.

Student Spotlight: Grabbing Life by the Horns

November 7, 2023/in Student Spotlight

Student Spotlight: Grabbing Life by the Horns

16 year old Justin M. says rodeo is in his blood. From an early age, he felt the thrill of being a cowboy – riding bulls, ranching and cattle herding. Now an 11th grader, Justin is part of Visions’ Independent Study Academy and hopes to one day make “cowboy” more than just a name.

“Bull riding is a sport and way of life like no other,” explains Justin. “I work hard to be the best and hopefully make it my official career at 18 when I can join the PBR and PRCA.”

Between his cowboy lifestyle, Justin prioritizes his education, not only completing his regular high school assignments, but also taking extra classes and planning to do early college. With the help of his credentialed teacher, Stephanie Kyles, Justin will be graduating early, and is already thinking about what he’d like to do in the future.

“I’d like to keep the ranching and the cowboy life and pursue bulling even more when I’m able to travel the states from rodeo to rodeo,” says Justin.

Also a small business owner and construction foreman, Justin knows that the flexibility of Visions is truly what has allowed him to succeed. With the ability to set his own schedule, complete his assignments on his own time and make space for work, Justin has been able to keep up with the things that matter most to him.

“I ride and work,” explains Justin. “When I’m not doing that, I do assignments ahead of time so I don’t fall behind.”

Click through the photos below to see Justin in action!

Inside the Chute

“There is no way to describe the feeling of getting on a 2,400 pound bull and riding him for eight seconds.”

That’s the best way that Justin can detail what the experience of bull riding is like. As someone who has had his fair share of eight second journeys, he has seen the ups and downs of the sport.

“There’s a lot of good from it, such as the little kids wanting your help behind the chutes as they get on their calves and steers,” he explains. “[But] there’s been hurt as well. Since March of 2023, I’ve been in the ER about 10-15 times.”

For Justin, the thrill of the ride outweighs the danger, and as with so many other things in his life, he will surely continue to take his future head on.

Visions Honored by the APLUS+ Network Conference for our 25th Anniversary

November 1, 2023/in News

Visions Honored by the APLUS+ Network Conference for our 25th Anniversary

Visions’ 25th Anniversary officially kicks off next July, but the celebration is already getting started! At the 20th APLUS+ Network Conference hosted in Sacramento, Visions In Education was honored with a 25th Anniversary Award!

Visions, which was founded in July of 1999, is charter school #248 in the State of California (for reference, there are currently 1,336 charter schools serving more than 600,000 students). This award recognizes Visions’ longevity and place in the history of the charter movement in California.

Visions staff (Alyssa Lambert and Carl Sorenson) were on hand at the event to graciously accept the award (Left) at the APLUS+ Network Conference ceremony honoring charters that have been active for more than twenty years. Visions is proud to accept this award and proud of our 25 year history of serving students.

Let’s Talk Numbers: A Spotlight on The Fiscal Services Department

October 26, 2023/in News

Let’s Talk Numbers: A Spotlight on The Fiscal Services Department

The Fiscal Services team makes the Visions world go ‘round. As the managers of the organization’s money and spending, this group not only makes sure that everyone who works at Visions gets paid, but consistently ensures the fiscal health and longevity of the organization.

“We set up our department from scratch, designing our systems to work as efficiently as possible,” says Larry Falcon, Director of Fiscal Services. “Our goal is to operate well so that others can focus on their work without worrying about getting paid.”

Marko Mosunic, Fiscal Services Manager, has been at the organization for three years and works closely with Larry to oversee the department and the team. With responsibility for both members of staff and the organization as a whole, the team is no stranger to embodying our “1% Better Every Day” motto.

“Our team is constantly looking to continually improve. We are constantly trying to keep up with new trends and laws and bouncing ideas off of each other. In our role, you almost have to in order to be successful and to keep [up] with the changes in school finance,” explains Marko.

As the newest addition to the team, Analyst Anita Bowers (read her spotlight here!) has had the opportunity to acclimate to an already well-functioning unit, providing new skills and a fresh perspective to the group.

“The team is cohesive and focused on getting the work done,” she states. “I was pleasantly surprised how the group shares humor almost every day.”

Checks and Balances

Every year, the state of California examines Visions’ financial statements for appropriate and accurate spend in accordance with the law. This includes checking things like controls, policies and procedures, and pulling supporting documents to verify that everything recorded is reasonably accurate. With so much money flow in and out of the organization, as well as several different types of funds each governed by different spending laws, it’s imperative that the team maintains a keen adherence to state requirements.

“The Fiscal Services team does a lot of behind the scenes work to make sure the school is in compliance with applicable reporting and regulations,” explains Marko.

Kate McMinn, Accounting/Payroll Analyst, adds, “Visions is known for doing things a little differently and operating more like a district office rather than an individual school. Working with the Fiscal team at Visions is like no other fiscal department I have ever worked in.”

A testament to the team’s hard work and dedication, Visions is able to say that we’ve had clean audits since going independent in 2018.

“I am glad to say that Visions staff and leaders do an excellent job at being supportive of these [audit] efforts, and therefore we get good grades from our auditors,” shares Larry.

Compound Interest

As individuals, the members of the group are able to accomplish a multitude of small tasks on a day-to-day basis. As a team, they are able to come together to achieve larger departmental objectives and keep Visions financially strong and stable.

“I enjoy the go do’ers of all the Fiscal team members. I like that we all put our heads down and do our best to complete our daily tasks and support each other, whether it is indirectly or directly amongst us, as our individual work is tied all together in the grand scheme of the Fiscal Department,” shares Thomas Thao, Accounting/Payroll Specialist.

“Everyone on our team has a strong sense of responsibility,” explains Noy Chanthavongsa, Accounting/Payroll Analyst. “We generally are able to pivot from individually focused work to team work if support is needed. I feel we truly care about each other, so leaning on each other is not something that is outside of our norm.”

Team Talk

Hear what the team has to say about one another!

“[My favorite thing is] definitely the people. We have a great team, good communication, talented individuals and strong leadership.” – Faye Jensen, Student Accounts Technician

“[We] trust and support each other. We usually put away our duties if someone asks for help.” – Dmitriy Karchmit, Student Accounts Technician

“Noy and Thomas do amazing work and I am so grateful to have such competent coworkers. Anita and Kate have taken on a lot of important bodies of work and I appreciate their zone ownership.” – Noreen Snyder, Business Analyst

“First and foremost, Noreen and I have known each other since we worked at SJUSD together and she has been a rock for our department, ensuring we meet all deadlines with a clear audit and continue to get our WASC accreditations. I’d also like to thank Larry and Marko for being supportive, as I broke my wrist earlier this past year and they emphasized my healing and gave me the support to heal and accommodations needed.” – Kate McMinn

“Working with the Fiscal Services team is being a part of something wonderful. It is great to be able to pick the brains from staff who have a myriad of background expertise that can shine light on a topic that one would not normally see.” – Marko Mosunic

Celebrating Our Classified Staff: Connecting to Purpose with Armoni Easley

October 25, 2023/in News

Celebrating Our Classified Staff: Connecting to Purpose with Armoni Easley

On October 13th, our classified staff had the opportunity to engage in a personal and professional development session led by Armoni Easley, co-founder of Project Optimism and author of LifeWork, an interactive self-development book designed to inspire readers to find and connect to their purpose. In the few hours spent with Armoni, staff got the chance to connect to the students they’re serving, one another and themselves.

The Good Work

As a group, Armoni led staff through a number of prompts in LifeWork, including “sending flowers” to someone special that they wanted to recognize, listing things that they’re proud of and reflecting on three things that they want to do within their lifetime. These prompts not only helped them get better in touch with themselves, but also helped connect their desires to their mission and purpose. Thank you to the many individuals who stood up to share their stories. Click below to see some photos from the day!

Head, Heart and Feet

Armoni closed the day by leading the group through a “Head, Heart and Feet” exercise, inviting them to share something they were thinking, something they were feeling or something they were taking away from the session. Many shared their appreciation for this self-devoted time and for the opportunity to shift their thinking.

“For me, the Project Optimism workshop showed me that when we look for the good, when we look for the positive in every situation, we are bound to find it,” shares Kristin Shumaker, Vendor Analyst. “Optimism is a choice, and sometimes purposefully reframing our experiences to reflect that will flip a negative situation into a positive learning moment and an opportunity for growth.”

In addition to LifeWork, staff got to leave with tools to help them connect to their purpose, their life goals and their legacy. Thank you to Armoni and the team at Project Optimism for inviting and guiding our classified staff through this space.

Student Spotlight: How One Student is Crafting His Own World

October 17, 2023/in Student Spotlight

Student Spotlight: How One Student is Crafting His Own World

Independent Study student Dante M. came to Visions in 2019, wanting a more fluid educational experience compared to his brick and mortar middle school. With rigorous learning opportunities, an open schedule and a smoother workflow, Dante found that the freedom and flexibility of Visions perfectly suited his work style.

“Independent study helps keep my schedule open,” says Dante. “Having the freedom to do the work and get it done whenever I need to get it done sets lots of motivation for me.”

Dante has also received continuous support from his teachers, who have helped him manage his assignments and simplify his course load. His counselor, Jen Nino, has also supported Dante by ensuring he stays on track to graduate.

“My teachers and counselors have been all wonderfully supportive and helpful along the way,” shares Dante. “Jen…was also a big help in figuring out what I needed to graduate, all my extracurriculars classes [and] even my Directed Project.”

A Blueprint for Success

Speaking of Directed Projects, Dante was able to use his project to explore one of his favorite hobbies – 3D printing. Something that he’s been interested in for the last few years, Dante has made everything from anatomical hearts to dragon skulls to robots.

“My first big project was a life size model of a Five Nights at Freddy’s character, which I fully put together and custom painted,” explains Dante. “My second biggest finished project [was] a sword from Elden Ring. It took one day to print for the blade and was almost $50 worth in resources all together. It being done in resin [3D printing] made it sturdy and have a beautiful crimson red translucent blade with a custom painted and traditional wrapped hilt by me. Definitely one of the more stunning and large prints I have done.”

With the flexibility in his schedule, Dante is able to dedicate his time to researching and perfecting the art of 3D printing. With so many different machines, printers and programs, figuring out how to best create his pieces is no easy task.

“I have been mainly teaching myself the 3D printing parts…or searching up ideas [and] solutions to parts of the machine or programs I deal with when making the files and prepping the prints,” explains Dante. “Where it actually gets tricky is the modeling after printing and the gluing, sanding, painting, heating [and] adhering. All of those skills either I find out on my own or I get mentorship from my mother who…has done many ‘from scratch’ projects that are considered on a professional level.”

Click through the photos below to see some of Dante’s work! From left to right: Plushtrap from the video game series Five Nights at Freddy’s, a miniature dragon skull model, a replica of a drone from the video game Rainbow 6 Siege, a replica of The Dragon Handle from the anime series Seven Deadly Sins

The Future Landscape

After high school, Dante plans to attend community college. Although he’s not quite sure what he wants to do, he has experienced firsthand how school can meld work and play.

“Visions has been one of the best school experiences I have been in,” Dante exclaims. “I’m interested to find out what careers I can take and explore different classes that can shape what I’m interested in.”

With the 3D world at his fingertips, there’s no doubt that Dante will continue to mold his future into something beautiful.

Full Circle Moments: A Spotlight on Office Staff Member Michael Miller

October 10, 2023/in News

Full Circle Moments: A Spotlight on Office Staff Member Michael Miller

In April of 2009, Michael Miller started working at Visions as a Programmer I. Three years later, he left Visions to take a job in Silicon Valley, working for a gaming company called PlayForge.

“I was a back-end server engineer and worked on a few different games like Zombie Farm, Eat Eat Hooray, Tree World and Zombie Farm Battles,” shares Michael.

Saban Brands, an intellectual property company known for The Power Rangers, had bought PlayForge, but subsequently shut down the studio and sold off its assets. Michael spent another six months with the company, then went to work for a women’s apparel company called Tobi.

Working in order fulfillment and warehousing, Michael found that he didn’t particularly care for that type of work, or the people he was working for. So, after getting back in touch with some former colleagues, he returned to Visions as a Programmer II and worked his way up to his current role of Technology Services Manager.

Having worked in two different industries during his few years away, Michael saw some stark differences between companies like PlayForge and Tobi and organizations like Visions.

“At a game company, it’s about money. With the women’s apparel company, I said, ‘What am I here for?’” shares Michael. “It’s not like there’s anything wrong with those companies, I just didn’t find fulfillment in the work itself.”

Now, almost 10 years after coming back to Visions, Michael sees how impactful and important the work that we do is.

“Who and what we’re serving is much more localized,” he says. “My favorite part about working here is the mission, the projects, and the team.”

“The great irony of my life is that I’m working here.”

Believe it or not, Michael was not a good student. In his junior year of high school, he got sent to a continuation school, and, because it was framed so negatively back then, he did everything he could to return to his old school. What he didn’t realize at the time was that the continuation school perfectly fit his needs.

“I thrived at the continuation school,” states Michael. “They let me do a lot of independent work. I felt much more engaged and well-suited to that type of learning style, but, because of how the whole thing was presented, and my own 16 year-old immaturity, I couldn’t see how good it was for me.”

One year after Michael graduated from high school, Visions opened. Now, as someone who has worked at the organization for over 12 years, Michael sees how a school like Visions, and a program like our Independent Study Academy, was exactly what he needed in high school.

“I can see what we’re offering to kids and going, ‘That is what I needed’,” shares Michael. “Students can come here without the stigma of an ‘independent study’ program. I can still feel the shame I felt during that time, and I want to make sure the kids have the opportunity to experience this without those feelings.”

After high school, Michael joined the Marines and spent three years in Okinawa as a telephone switchboard technician. Then, he returned home to pursue a degree in Computer Programming, first at American River College and then at UC Davis. Despite his efforts however, he struggled to pass the, as Michael put it, “non-technical” classes, necessary to graduate and did not receive his degree.

“I’m actually really bad at school. The great irony of my life is that I’m working here,” he jokes.

But eventually, with the support of his manager and Visions’ HR Department, Michael returned to UC Davis and completed his degree while still working full-time at Visions. Now, he uses his “technical” expertise to lead our amazing IT team.

Projects, PCs & Pastries

Michael is most proud of two projects that he’s worked on here at Visions, the LPAD rewrite that took place in 2018 and the transferring of LPAD to Amazon Web Services over the summer.

“Our team looked at every aspect of LPAD and either rewrote it or got rid of it. We redid the entire system to be a more modern platform,” explains Michael. “We also transferred LPAD to AWS, [which was] taking the server infrastructure and putting it into Amazon’s cloud. This allows us to scale it a lot more and handle a larger load of users.”

Aside from his work projects, Michael likes to spend his time gaming on his PC – Starfield, Fallout, MMO, Skyrim and Subnautica specifically. He also loves cooking and is venturing more into baking, recently taking a five day pastry class in the South of France on an anniversary trip with his wife. He would also love to get back into an older hobby of his, scuba diving.

Whether it’s playing on computers at home or at work, Michael has found fulfillment again in what he’s doing, and credits his team and the organization for helping him get back to that.

“I’ve been here long enough that I’ve seen so much organizational growth and how much we’ve not just grown, but improved,” says Michael. “I want to call out the team. I can’t do it all by myself.

Home School Family Spotlight: Making Space for Exploration

October 3, 2023/in Student Spotlight

Home School Family Spotlight: Making Space for Exploration

The Lau family loves traveling and being outdoors. Among many other things, they hike, bike, camp, ski, golf and ride go-karts. The Home School Academy at Visions offers families like the Laus flexibility and choice in their children’s education, granting them the freedom to learn around the world.

“We enjoy exploring the Bay Area and beyond,” says mom, Gina. “We have traveled domestically and internationally over the years. More importantly, we find time to get outdoors as much as our schedule allows.”

Spending this time together is made possible thanks to the ability for students and families to set their own schedules. With good planning and continuous communication, Gina helps manage the family calendar and, along with staff and support services, ensures that students Julian and Justin stay ahead academically.

“Visions was recommended for its structured support. I met several other home school families who gave me insight into what homeschooling entails and how personalized learning can help children study at their own pace,” shares Gina. “Students are the master of their learning. I provide them with the tools that best fit their learning needs.”

Shooting for the Stars

Gina’s approach to homeschooling along with the support received from their credentialed teacher, Kira Lewallen, have expanded Julian and Justin’s academic ventures beyond what they could have achieved in a traditional public school. Both boasting 4.38 GPAs, Julian and Justin have had incredible academic, professional and personal opportunities made possible by the unique structure of Visions.

“By attending Visions In Education, in addition to my academic pursuits both in high school work and community college courses, I can participate in extracurricular activities such as my volunteer activities at Chabot Space & Science Center, being an active member of the Alameda Junior Golf Association and winning third place at ‘The Chinese Language Teachers Association of California’,” shares Julian.

“I have achieved [a lot] academically and personally in my time with Visions. By attending Visions In Education, I can volunteer at the Chabot Space & Science Center, [where I’ve] logged 260 plus hours, earn the Certificate of Merit Level 4 for piano with high scores, participate in ‘The Chinese Language Teachers Association of California’ Mandarin speech contest and [be] an active member of [the] Alameda Junior Golf Association,” adds Justin.

In addition, both Julian and Justin are members of the California Scholarship Federation, participate in dual enrollment at Diablo Valley College and will both finish their senior year with 38 college credits. To top it all off, Julian and Justin both completed summer internships at NASA.

“I was in an internship program at NASA Moffett Field this summer and I really enjoyed the experience working with my mentor,” shares Justin.

Julian adds, “I was amazed at the experience gained by working with my mentor and fellow interns.”

Sharing their Skills

As mentioned, Julian and Justin both volunteer at the Chabot Space & Science Center. Discovering that they had a knack for working with visitors and leading demonstrations, both boys found a niche sharing their world with others.

“The program required me to conduct floor demonstrations for visitors and, at the same time, join teams to learn more about STEM and building science demonstrations,” explains Justin. “The floor demonstrations allowed me to help the visitors at the center. I give science demonstrations and also guide visitors around the observatories.”

“I enjoyed working with the visitors at the demonstration tables. I have a skill I could share with others, and they could gain something from it, even if it was just a quick look at a device or a science experiment,” explains Julian.

For their dedicated service to others, Julian and Justin have been awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award the past two years in a row.

“I enjoy giving back or helping others,” exclaims Julian. “Receiving The President’s Volunteer Service Award wasn’t my intent when I joined [the] Chabot Space & Science Center, as I am happy to go to the center and help out.”

Justin agrees, stating, “It is good helping people of all ages and backgrounds. Winning The President’s Volunteer Service Award was the icing on the cake because I enjoy volunteering and giving back to the community.”

Julian with his President’s Volunteer Service Awards

Julian’s Favorite Things

Subject – Biology

Activities – Swimming, automobiles, golfing, hiking, biking, gaming and hanging out with his dogs

Justin with his President’s Volunteer Service Awards

Justin’s Favorite Things

Subject – Physics

Activities – Golfing, hiking, biking, 3D modeling, constructing go-karts, playing piano and reading novels by his favorite author, Rick Riordan

Student Spotlight: How One Student is Championing Public School Choice

September 26, 2023/in Student Spotlight

Student Spotlight: How One Student is Championing Public School Choice

Tori B. has been a Visions student since first grade. Beginning in the Home School Academy, she worked closely with her parents to pursue her education. Now, Tori is working more independently in the University Prep Academy, experiencing firsthand how public school choice, and the flexibility of a school like Visions, allows students like her to succeed.

“Everyone has to understand their own journey,” explains Tori. “University Prep is an individual plan for each student, so it’s great for unique people like me, or students who want to do more than a standard, one-size-fits-all school. The flexibility has helped me overcome my challenges and grow.”

Tori especially credits her current and former teachers, Sarah Grassinger and Hilary Ducharme, for helping her find her way through school. Now in the 11th grade, Tori is nervous about being a junior, but knows that she has people in her corner who will support and encourage her every step of the way.

“My teachers have been amazing. I really appreciate how they help me navigate school and stay on track,” shares Tori. “All of the Visions staff on my IEP team actually listened to me and what I felt when helping me plan my high school career. That helped me have more confidence.”

With one-on-one relationships with her teachers, the flexibility to create her own learning environment and the opportunity to receive an individualized education, Tori understands and appreciates what non-classroom based charter schools have to offer students like herself. Recently, Tori got to celebrate the value of public school choice by presenting an award to one of our local senators.

“I presented the Golden Apple Award to Senator Roger Niello on behalf of California Parents for Public Virtual Education, which advocates for schools like Visions,” shares Tori. “I was able to talk with Senator Niello about how school choice was important to students like me and many other families, and thanked him for his work to support children and school choice.”

The Golden Apple Award is presented to a policy maker who has demonstrated dedication to ensuring students have options to attend a school that works for them. Tori was joined by Folsom Mayor Rosario Rodriguez, who also has a student at Visions (check out her post!), and got to spend some time at the Legislative Office Building advocating for alternative education.

Tori presenting the 2023 Golden Apple Award to Senator Roger Niello.

From left to right: Mayor Rosario Rodriguez (Folsom), Tab Berg (Tori’s father), Tori and Senator Niello.

Get to Know Tori

When she’s not championing public school choice, you can find Tori at meetings or on field trips with the Champions Club at Visions. Outside of school, Tori loves reading, going to the movies with her family and playing at the lake with her dog, Wallie. She also loves spending time with her twin sister Melissa, listening to music, playing video games or just talking about life. She wants to do volunteer work with animals or support NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) babies when she’s older, already setting her sights on further service to her community.

“Although being ‘independent’ is challenging, I learned to take responsibility for my time, but still have support to encourage my learning experience,” shares Tori. “A lot of that has to do with my parents who helped with home school, and my teachers like Mrs. Grassinger and Mrs. Ducharme, who helped me overcome my disabilities to learn and succeed. I really adore all of my teachers and therapists and hope that I take advantage of their support and they can be proud of what I accomplish.”