Entries by Justina Janas

Home School Family Spotlight: Building a Foundation for Lifelong Learning

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Smiling parent educator and her home school student read a book

Home School Family Spotlight: Building a Foundation for Lifelong Learning

Home school offers families the opportunity to tailor their student’s education to their interests and personality. The Napala family came to Visions this year to personalize their son Malakai’s (Kai) kindergarten education and to have the flexibility to focus on their family business.

“We love having the ability to cater to Kai’s specific learning style and emphasize our family’s values at the same time. Visions made it so simple for us as first time homeschoolers with the curriculum partners, support from teachers, and by providing funds,” said mom and parent educator, Keila.

Personalized and Organized 

Kai’s favorite subject is science and the family uses nature walks and journaling to track what they find in the wild. They also visit the library multiple times a week to work through their endless reading list. Keila keeps the family organized and on task by tracking their daily activities on her phone and on the family wall calendar. 

“Each day I write on our whiteboard what we have scheduled that day and any to-do’s we need to check off so we can stay on track.”

Teacher Supported

Kai and Keila also have a great relationship with their credentialed teacher, Dominique Asuncion, to support their journey. As a first-time home school family this partnership is incredibly helpful and Kai loves to spend his teacher meetings catching up with Ms. Dominique

“Ms. Dominique is our favorite! She’s so encouraging and shares her knowledge as a former classroom kindergarten teacher with me,” said Keila. “We’re in constant communication whether it’s through text or email.”

Enrichment Opportunities

Another benefit they love is the access to enrichment vendors. These are organizations, non-profits and companies families can engage to fill needs in their children’s education and are paid for with their yearly budget provided by Visions. Keila is especially happy to partner with the Vacaville Kumon. They visit this location twice a week as Kai has developed strong relationships with their supportive staff. 

“Mr. Chen is the director there and is personally invested in each student. He excitedly gives me progress updates on Kai each time we get to talk,” said Keila. “Kai has built strong bonds with the assistants he works with there and I think it’s important for him to have other mentors outside of home. He is advancing in both reading and math, and I know a great deal of it is because of the skills they’ve taught him at Kumon.”

Learning and Family

Homeschooling has allowed Keila to spend quality time with her son and help him learn the way that suits him best. By instilling this passion for education at a young age the Napala family is building the foundation for lifelong learning. 

“I have found that the best way to teach is by letting the student discover the answers on their own. I simply help guide him to the answers of his own questions, sometimes by referring him to a book or video, sometimes by asking him a follow-up question to get his wheels turning. It’s much more exciting when he discovers it himself versus being told.”

We love seeing our home school families thrive and we look forward to following Kai’s progress.

To learn more about the Napala family and their homeschool journey, follow their Instagram @napalaohana.






Thinking About Homeschooling?

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Homeschooling mom working with daughter on schoolwork at home

Thinking About Home School?

Knowing What it Means is a Good Place to Start

The phrase “home school” means lots of different things to different people. Basically home school is when the child learns from the safety of home. Not in the traditional brick-and-mortar school setting. Caregivers that home school have more responsibility and freedom over what and how a child learns. Moving beyond that basic understanding, however, is critical for caregivers who are seriously considering home school as an option.

YOU Are The Primary Educator

The first – and probably the most important – thing to understand is that all true home school options require the caregiver to be primarily responsible for a child’s education. Everything a traditional classroom teacher does (selecting curriculum, teaching, grading, etc.) is the responsibility of the caregiver. Of course, a caregiver may choose to engage tutors, private instructors, join homeschool collectives or “pods” to help inspire ideas or share the workload. However, the responsibility for ensuring the child is learning is on the caregiver.

Since education is a requirement in all 50 states, one must inform the state if they are educating a child at home. You can home school in California two different ways. One way is for the caregiver to fill out paperwork declaring that their home school is a private school. Caregivers choosing this model have the maximum amount of freedom in deciding what and how their child learns. Their responsibilities also include covering the entire cost of the education, certifying attendance, meeting academic requirements and preparing acceptable transcripts. Some private schools also offer to support homeschooled students and if a caregiver is willing to pay tuition, this is another option to explore.

Homeschooling With A Public Charter School

California also supports homeschooled students through the public school system. Visions In Education is one of the leading providers of free support for caregivers who choose to home school. Like the private system, caregivers who choose this option are still primarily responsible for educating their children, however there are some valuable benefits and a few limitations.

Starting with the benefits, a TK-8th grade Visions student in the home school program is provided up to $2,800 a year to pay for the educational costs associated with learning at home. This budget covers books, materials, software, extracurricular classes, laptops and more. Caregivers also have a credentialed teacher as an important resource to help with curriculum selection and monitoring the child’s progress. While caregivers are still responsible for grading students’ assignments, Visions tracks and accurately reports those grades to colleges and universities.

Is Visions Right For You?

There are some limitations if you home school through a public school, including a charter school like Visions. According to the California Constitution public funds can’t be used for religious curriculum. So if that is a priority, the public option may not be the best choice for you. As a public school, Visions is also accountable for the academic progress of its students – even those in home school. Our students must follow the same state testing requirements as traditional schools. It’s incredibly important to Visions that all students are prepared to progress through their academic journey and beyond.

If you are interested in homeschooling your child at Visions, please visit our TK-8 Grade Home School Program page for more information.

At Home High School Options

If taking on the responsibility of teaching a child is more than a caregiver is ready for but still wants or needs an option outside of the traditional school setting, Visions also has Independent Study and University Prep high school programs available.

Superintendent Appointed to State Advisory Commission on Charter Schools

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Portrait of Superintendent Olmos

Superintendent Appointed to State Advisory Commission on Charter Schools

This December, our own Superintendent, Dr. Steve Olmos, was appointed to the State Board of Education Advisory Commission on Charter Schools (ACCS). Dr. Olmos is joining ACCS as the representative of parents of charter school students.

ACCS plays a critical role in ensuring that charter schools are treated fairly in the authorizing and approval process. They also make sure that charter schools live up to their commitment to students by providing safe, high quality education programs that are managed responsibly. Dr. Olmos will serve a two-year term beginning January 1, 2023.

Dr. Olmos has been an educator for nearly thirty years, starting as a K-3 child guidance aid and teaching at all levels of primary education. Dr. Olmos received his Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from USC Rossier School of Education and an MS in Administration from Pepperdine University. Prior to becoming Visions In Education’s superintendent, Dr. Olmos served as the Chief Schools Officer for the Santa Clara County Office of Education, overseeing education programs serving underserved students. 

While his educational background and profession give him unique insight into how charter schools operate, Dr. Olmos will also be calling on his experience as a parent of a charter school student. Dr. Olmos’ child attends a charter school program in his home county, and he will call on that background to help him represent the parents of Californian charter school students. 

“I’m incredibly grateful and humbled by this opportunity to use my experience as a parent, teacher, and administrator to help protect and responsibly grow high-quality charter schools in California,” said Dr. Olmos.

Read the Association of California School Administrators article here…

Visions High School Students Make Memories at Winter Wonderland Dance

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Collage of student photos from the Winter Wonderland Dance

Visions High School Students Make Memories at Winter Wonderland Dance

On December 9, high school students from all academies got to attend our first dance since 2019! Over 130 students and their guests danced the night away, made new friends and took tons of photos at our Winter Wonderland themed event.

Find and download your photos from our Facebook album here!

The energy was great and we loved seeing your winter-themed outfits. We can’t wait for the next dance!

Collage of student photos from the Winter Wonderland Dance
Group photos of Visions staff at the Winter Wonderland dance

Farewell Letter From Board Member Katie McCleary

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Portrait of Katie McCleary

Farewell Letter From Board Member Katie McCleary

From Superintendent Olmos:

At our October board meeting it was announced that one of our original board members, Katie McCleary, would be stepping down at the end of this year.

Katie has served as a member of the Board of Directors since its inception on December 14, 2017 and was Chairperson in 2020-21. But she has been a Visionary for many years as Visions has been partnered with the nonprofit she founded, 916 Ink, to offer our students the popular Find Your Voice writing class for over ten years. During her tenure Katie played a pivotal role in helping Visions’ transition to an independent charter school and served as an inspiration to our students and a champion for underserved communities. Katie is a steadfast believer that the needs of our students always come first and her guidance has been incredibly valuable to me.

I want to take a moment to thank her for her support and service to our school community. Her perspective and creativity will be greatly missed and we wish Katie the best in her future endeavors.

Katie has shared the following farewell message for our students, families and staff.

Dear Visionaries,

Serving staff and students for the past 4.5 years has been an honor. In my tenure on the Board of Directors, I have been proud and grateful to witness and help shape the positive impacts Visions has had on the lives of thousands of young people. Through my time on the board, we have persevered through change, and strengthened not only our charter school, but this innovative field, too. As we say, “It’s great to be Visions!” and I truly feel honored and proud to have worked with such a phenomenal cadre of families and educational leaders.

I am stepping down because my career has exploded (in a good way). My book, Bridge the Gap, was named 1 of 3 business books to read in 2022 by Inc. Magazine, and my co-author and I have developed a practical curriculum that helps all kinds of professionals build more communicative and collaborative relationships. I work in the realm of education, finance, government, healthcare, and corrections—equipping people to have deeper, more meaningful, and impactful conversations. While I will miss my time at Visions, please know that I am still out there advocating for vulnerable students and school choice, innovations in education and the arts, and supporting the development of educational leaders and decision-makers. You can always count on me to show up and be a “Visionary,” even if it means I won’t be voting on board issues.

I am pleased to pass the torch to the next board member and to continue supporting the work of Visions’ next iteration as we seek to become more equitable, impactful, and innovative for our entire community.

Thank you. It’s been an honor to serve.

Katie McCleary
Board Member

Visions Students Show Inspiring Progress In State Assessments

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Assessment plan graphic

Visions Students Show Inspiring Progress In State Assessments

In the 21/22 school year students in grades 3 through 8 and 11 were once again required to take the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for English Language Arts (ELA) and Math. During the pandemic, assessments were put on hold and many schools were faced with the challenge of pivoting to virtual learning.

Our at-home learning model made it much easier to make adjustments due to the pandemic and we are proud to report that our students performed better compared to 18/19!

Great Work!

ELA: 49.4% of our students that took the 21/22 assessment Met or Exceeded the standard. San Juan Unified School District’s rate was 42.6%.

Math: 31.5% of our students that took the 21/22 assessment Met or Exceeded the standard. San Juan Unified School District’s rate was 29.2%.

See the comparative breakdown of results by year:

In 21/22, the statewide percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards in ELA was 47% (was 51% in 18/19) and 33% in Math (was 40% in 18/19). To see the change in test scores from 18/19 to 21/22 for other schools and districts use the tool found at the end of this article which draws from more detailed reports accessible on the California Department of Education’s Test Results at a Glance dashboard.

Why Are San Juan’s Results Important?

San Juan Unified School District is the authorizer for our charter. Every few years we need to petition to have our charter renewed and positive outcomes, like this year’s assessment results, help us keep our charter so we can continue to serve our students.

Thank You

Thank you to all the students and parents that participated. We appreciate your dedication to learning and growing despite the challenges of the last few years.

Kudos to our amazing teachers that supported these efforts by helping our students prepare and complete state assessments. Keep up the great work!

Visions Secures Copyright Protection for Information Management System

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Launchpad logo and Visions logo with navy blue background

Visions Secures Copyright Protection for Information Management System

Developed and refined for over a decade, Visions’ Launchpad Student Support System seamlessly integrates all technologies into one easy-to-use platform.

In September 2022, Visions In Education, a Sacramento-based charter school serving over 6,500 students throughout Northern California, applied for and received copyright protection for its Launchpad Student Support System. This unique system, built from the ground up by Visions, ensures that technology is an asset for the school, not a complicated patchwork of programs and systems that can often overwhelm and confuse users.   

“As a non-classroom-based charter school, the effective use of technology is critical to our core mission of serving students,” said Tom Tafoya, Visions’ Chief Operating Officer who has been with the school for 18 years. “About 15 years ago, we really started seeing an acceleration of different programs and platforms being launched to assist students, parents, teachers and administrators. It was great to see so much technology being developed for the education space but it quickly became clear that all those different products had the potential to overwhelm users.”

Faster, Better, Easier 

Visions began exploring how it could spend its own time and technology resources to better integrate these different products into a single ecosystem, minimizing the need for end users to organize and maintain the different products. 

“The Launchpad Student Support System creates a single point of entry for users regardless of the programs and platforms they are accessing,” continued Tafoya. “This was a significant investment for us considering the technological expertise involved and the responsibility to ensure that the data collected and shared through Launchpad was secure and protected. It’s amazing to look back years later and see how Launchpad has evolved as such an important part of how we serve students now.”  

The Launchpad Student Support System is the single point of entry for parents to access student records, order curricula and supplies, manage events and more. Visions has partnered with major curriculum and supply vendors including Amazon, Staples, BNC K-12 powered by MBS, Bookshark, Lakeshore Learning, Rainbow Resource Center and TextbookX to create custom integrations within Launchpad. Staff use Launchpad to track enrollment and attendance, manage vendors, monitor and track student requests and streamline communication between different school audiences. 

Launchpad was also critical in Visions winning a “Pivotal Practice Award” from the California Department of Education for its ability to quickly and effectively distribute technology to families and staff as the COVID-19 pandemic limited in-person interaction.

“We were incredibly proud of the fact that we were able to quickly adapt to meet the challenges of the pandemic with minimal disruption to our students and staff,” said Dr. Steve Olmos, Visions’ Superintendent. “Because Launchpad was already such an integral part of our work, we were able to avoid the struggles of maintaining student engagement and attendance that impacted so many other schools.”

After spending considerable time and resources building and refining Launchpad, it only made sense to seek copyright protection for this critical asset. As such, all versions of the software code have been copy written and the name of the software has been trademarked. This IP protects Visions significant investment in the system going back to 2011.

Press Releases

PR Newswire
Opus IP

Care Solace Now Available for Mental Health Support

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Care Solace logo

Care Solace Now Available for Mental Health Support

Visions In Education is now partnering with Care Solace, a free mental health coordination service, to provide access to care for all Visions students, families, and staff! The Care Solace professional team will help you find appropriate mental health services for you or someone in need.

How to Use Care Solace

Accessing Care Solace is as simple as accessing our customized website available to currently enrolled students/families and staff on the Wire. The page will direct you to a website where Care Solace’s team will ask a series of questions to help connect you with the help you need.

Visions Cares

Our partnership with Care Solace is one of many mental health tools and resources Visions provides to our students and staff. If you have any concerns or mental health questions, please reach out to your counselor or see our Counseling and Mental Health Resources available on the Wire. For more mental health resources please click here.

Congratulations to Our #VisionsFirstDay Gift Card Recipients!

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Collage of students first day of school pictures with text that says "Back to school celebration"

Congratulations to Our #VisionsFirstDay Gift Card Recipients

It has been an amazing start to the school year and we can’t thank our students and families enough for sharing their back to school photos! We were blown away by your creativity and eye for showcasing Visions’ mission to personalize learning.

See all the photos and videos in our Back to School Celebration album on Facebook!

Gift Card Recipients

Congratulations to our gift card recipients! Recipients will receive an email with a gift code to the Spirit Store.

 

Back to School Celebration

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Collage of Visions students with text that says "Back to School Celebration"

Back to School Celebration

It’s the start of the new school year, and we want to see what your first day looks like!

Currently enrolled Visions students and parents/guardians are invited to share your back to school photos on Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #VisionsFirstDay.

Use the hashtag for a chance to win a $75 gift code to the Spirit Store!

Don’t know where to start? Here’s some ideas:

  • Take a selfie or short video showing your back to school excitement.
  • Give us a tour of your study space/home classroom.
  • Model your favorite back to school outfit.
  • Have a study buddy? Take a selfie with your pet or whoever else keeps you company while studying.
  • Capture your first meeting with your teacher.
  • Organized? Show us your planner or whatever else you use to stay organized.

Need more inspiration? Check out last year’s photos on Facebook! See additional details below.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to get started. See full contest details below*.

*Photos and videos must be posted on your personal Facebook or Instagram account using the hashtag #VisionsFirstDay. To be eligible, participants must be enrolled at Visions and have a public Facebook and/or Instagram account so we can see the submissions (if your account is private we’re unable to see your posts). By using the hashtag (#VisionsFirstDay) you grant Visions permission to use and repost your photos/videos on our websites, social media accounts and for any other Visions marketing purposes. Winners will be chosen based on the creativity of their photo or video. Photos and videos must be submitted by October 2, 2022 to be eligible. If you have any questions, please email marketing@viedu.org.