Entries by jpmktg

Math Revolution Inspires Parents and Students

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Banner depicting the Visions In Education logo, Math Revolution Logo, and an image of parent testimony

Math Revolution Inspires Parents and Students

53.8% of surveyed home school parents are optimistic about teaching math thanks to Math Revolution!

Last year, Visions created the Math Revolution program to help home school parents and students embrace mathematical thinking. Math has always been a difficult subject for students and parent educators and we wanted to help our families easily access new math tools and strategies.

The survey results are in and our revolution is a success!

  • Parent training webinars: 50.9% of teachers reported a positive mindset shift
  • Instructional strategies for teachers: 62.3% of teachers reported a positive mindset shift
  • Math resources on the Wire/Hub: 45.6% of teachers reported a positive mindset shift
  • Makerspace hands-on activities: 43.9% of teachers reported a positive mindset shift

Join the Revolution

Math Revolution is adding even more learning resources including:

  • New math resources posted on the Wire/Home School Hub (our internal website for families and students).
  • More parent training webinars.
  • Additional teaching strategies, activities and classes.
  • Three new instructional videos for parents.
  • Interim assessment opportunities.
  • Makerspace hands-on activities at home school events.

Did You Know?

Math Revolution helped increase the school wide average of SBAC math by four points! #VisionsProud

Graduate Spotlight: Visions Helps Student Prepare for a Bright Future

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Picture of Hailey Johnson, University Prep Academy, Class of 2014.

Graduate Spotlight: Visions Helps Student Prepare for a Bright Future

Hailey knew at a young age that she wanted to attend university after graduation. As she prepared to make the transition into high school she and her parents realized the traditional public school system didn’t offer the benefits they needed and they seemed disconnected from their students. Hailey was looking for a personalized education that would allow her to excel and work at a faster pace. While she was searching for an alternative she heard a radio ad for Visions.

When we came to Visions it was very apparent that the students came first and that I would be able to get personal schooling while moving just as fast, if not faster, than in [traditional] public school.

During her time at Visions, Hailey focused on her honors courses and learned the skills to self-teach and manage her time. The University Prep program gave her independence and taught her the responsibilities that she would need in college. She took advantage of the one-on-one relationship with her teacher and participated in various Visions activities, including the Find Your Voice writing class, that connected her with other students and helped her develop her leadership skills. While at Visions she also discovered her interest in neuroscience and prepared to apply to universities to study the science of the brain.

Where Is She Now?

Hailey just graduated in May 2018 from Roosevelt University in Chicago. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with a focus in Neuroscience. During her time at Roosevelt she participated in a community service program that helped serve the inner parts of Chicago. She also studied abroad in her junior year and visited the east coast of Australia.

She’s now considering her options. After focusing on her schooling for the past eight years she’s planning to either take a break for herself or continue her educational journey by pursuing her Master’s Degree. Her ultimate goal is to earn a Doctorate in Psychopathology.

Being in a school like Visions can push you to go off and have an incredible life. If you’re worried about not being able to grasp the information, it’s about finding out what you are capable of. I graduated high school on my own terms.

Who Won the #VisionsFirstDay Photo Contest? Find Out Here!

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Banner announcing the Visions First Day Video Contest winners

Who Won the #VisionsFirstDay Photo Contest? Find Out Here!

Congratulations to our #VisionsFirstDay photo contest winners! This year we had an astounding 276 entries!

We loved seeing all of our awesome students, families and teachers celebrating the first day of the new school year. Thank you to all that participated. Take a look at all of the submissions here on Facebook and take a peek at the winning photos below!

Without further ado, here are our gift card raffle winners:

Students posing for back to school photos

Students posing for back to school photos

Students posing for back to school photos

Students posing for back to school photos

Students posing for back to school photos

Three New Books Published by Visions Students!

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Image of three books published by Visions Students

Three New Books Published by Visions Students!

Students from our South Sacramento, Carmichael and Vallejo Find Your Voice classes are now published authors!

The Find Your Voice writing class is a partnership between Visions In Education and local nonprofit 916 Ink. This program is designed to foster a creative, but safe environment for teens to discover themselves as writers. Students have the opportunity to study and write fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction in the course. Each class culminates with the publication of a book in partnership with 916 Ink.

At the end of the year students and staff celebrate with a book reading and reception with teachers, friends and family.

2018 Book Releases

Lit(erature) – Vallejo high school class
Alphabet Soup – South Sacramento high school class
Anthem – Carmichael high school class

Photos & Videos

Check out our photo album of release party pictures on Facebook and click the links below to watch videos of our inspiring student authors reading their work!

These books will be available for purchase soon on 916 Ink’s website. Congratulations to all of our published student authors! #InkItUp #TaketheYes

Sign Up for Next Year’s Classes

Registration is still open for next year’s classes for middle and high school students. Sign up today before the classes fill up! Currently enrolled Visions students can sign up on the Wire.

Graduation 2018 Highlights – Photos, Videos and More!

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Banner featuring Class of 2018 Highlight Photos

Graduation 2018 Highlights – Photos, Videos and More!

Congratulations to the class of 2018! 569 of our students walked across the stage at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium on May 30 to accept their diplomas and celebrate their accomplishments.

Fun Fact

Although 569 students participated in the graduation ceremony, our total number of grads in the class of 2018 was 819!

Capture the Memories

  • Enjoy our Facebook album of over 300 photos from commencement
  • Watch videos of our student performers and the graduation slideshow on our YouTube channel
  • Check out photos from our students and families and share yours using our hashtags on Facebook and Instagram: #VisionsGrad, #VisionsGradCap, #VisionsSelfie and #LifeAfterVisions

Graduation Flair

Have you always wondered what all the cords and medals meant? Here’s what they mean at Visions!

  • Green cords represented students that participated in our Find Your Voice writing class offered in partnership with local nonprofit 916 Ink.
  • Our Success Through Education Mentoring (S.T.E.M.) students wore orange cords to symbolize their participation in our UC Davis mentoring program.
  • Yellow cords were worn by students with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or above and gold medals were also given to those with a GPA of 4.0 or higher.
  • Additional medals were given to students that had earned the Seal of Biliteracy for mastering more than one language.

Quotes from the Ceremony

“You create your narrative, only you get to tell your story. And I hope you do…because your story is inspiring. Many of you persevered through challenges that could have easily detoured you from today, but you didn’t give in and you didn’t give up and you made today happen,” said Visions In Education’s Executive Director, Jody Graf, at the ceremony. “Our teachers and counselors will say that it is YOU who inspires them. That there is scarcely anything more rewarding than seeing you achieve your goals. Because they know how hard you work, they see your promise and they know how strong and courageous you are.”

Thank you to the Board of Education, Visions office staff, teachers, advisory board, SJUSD administration, parents and students for making graduation day a fun and exciting celebration!

Congratulations to the “Why I Love Visions” Video Contest Winners!

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Congratulations Video Contest Winners!

Congratulations to the “Why I Love Visions” Video Contest Winners!

We’re excited to announce the winners of our video contest. Thank you to everyone that submitted entries, voted on YouTube and supported our talented finalists.

We received so many great entries this year and we want to celebrate all of our students’ great work. In the next few weeks, we’ll be posting all the video submissions on our YouTube channel for your viewing pleasure-stay tuned!

Without further ado here are the winners!

TK-5 Winners

6-8 Winners

9-12 Winners

Visions In Education-Graduation 2018

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Banner congratulating Class of 2018

Visions In Education - Graduation 2018

We can’t wait to celebrate with the Class of 2018 at graduation!

2018 Graduation Ceremony:

Wednesday, May 30
3:00 p.m. (doors open at 2:30 p.m.)
Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
1515 J Street, Sacramento
Admission by ticket only.

Grad Checkout Details:

All Visions graduating seniors must attend one of our Grad Checkout events to receive tickets and their cap and gown.

May 22
10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Christian Reformed Church
300 Marigold Drive, Fairfield

May 24, 25, 29
8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Visions Learning Center
2415 Walnut Avenue, Carmichael

CCSA Features Visions Teacher for Charter Schools Week

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Michelle Wiggans, Teacher honored by CCSA

CCSA Features Visions Teacher for Charter Schools Week

May 7-11 is National Charter Schools Week AND Teacher Appreciation Week! This year the California Charter Schools Association featured one of our amazing Independent Study teachers, Michelle Wiggans, for her inspiring work.

“Michelle is known by her colleagues as an educator who goes above and beyond to engage students in their learning and support their educational, social, and emotional well-being.”

Read more about Michelle’s great work here.

Get Involved

Celebrate this week by telling your teacher why they are a V.I.T.-Very Important Teacher! Share photos of you and your CT on social media using the hashtag #ThankATeacher or download these customizable certificates to show your appreciation.

Participate in National Charter Schools Week by sharing why you appreciate charter schools. Share your success stories and raise awareness about public charter schools on social media using #CharterSchoolsWeek. You can also find fun social media badges to share here.

Thank You

We want to thank all of our teachers for their excellent work. You make a great impact on the lives of our students and families and we appreciate you!

Graduate Spotlight: Flexible Schedule Allows Student to Pursue Acting

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Tarig Elsidigg, Visions Alumnus

Graduate Spotlight: Flexible Schedule Allows Student to Pursue Acting

Tarig Elsiddig has dreamed of being an actor since a young age. After moving from the Bay Area, he found that he was struggling to acclimate to life in a new town. His grades were slipping, he felt depressed, and he didn’t have time to attend auditions or play practice due to the time-consuming demands of his new public school. After speaking to his mother about his concerns they began researching alternative education options and found Visions.

“Visions allowed me to create my own schedule and feel a lot more at ease. Looking back this [choice] improved my mental health.”

At Visions Tarig was able to realize his potential and lift his grades. He had a flexible schedule that allowed him to attend auditions and participate in theater performances. He honed his time management skills and became more and more independent. Most importantly, he was able to learn and pursue his passion for acting at the same time, thanks to Visions’ supportive environment.

Where Is He Now?

After graduating from Visions Tarig briefly attended community college before taking time off due to his budding acting career. He has become a successful stage actor and recently starred in Chautauqua Playhouse’s “A Time To Kill” and the Sacramento Theatre Company’s production of “To Kill a Mockingbird” in a leading role as Tom Robinson. He’s always running to and from auditions and practices and hopes to eventually take his talents to the big screen.

Tarig also recently recorded a radio ad and video interview sharing his Visions story. He hopes to help other struggling students find Visions In Education. Hear his story on our YouTube channel or watch below.

“Visions prepared me for independence. It forced me to really lock in and focus, and now I use that same focus and apply it to any and everything that I study, including scripts for a stage play.”

Graduate Spotlight: Visions Helped Student Escape Bullying

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Picture of Angel Gonzales, Independent Study Academy, Class of 2016.

Graduate Spotlight: Visions Helped Student Escape Bullying

Angel Gonzales needed a change. She was struggling with bullying in her public school and life at home wasn’t easy. Despite all of these challenges she was determined to not let her circumstances affect her future.

When she found Visions she felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She wasn’t afraid to go to school anymore, she could work at her own pace and she finally felt understood. Angel found herself enjoying her school work thanks to her teacher, Brandon Kim. The work was an escape and Brandon gave her suggestions for additional outlets including karate and UFC fighting. These activities gave Angel a release and instilled the confidence in her to tackle life without fear.

“I was really scared of being judged. My teacher would talk to me about what I’ve been through which is something that no one ever did for me. That’s what opened up the gates for me to succeed.”

This confidence also helped her pursue her singing career. Since the age of three, Angel has been performing. She sings in the choir, plays many instruments including the guitar and piano and has performed for thousands on YouNow, an online broadcasting site. Angel also sang at our 2016 graduation ceremony at the Memorial Auditorium.

Where Is She Now?

After graduating from Visions, Angel traveled with her fiancé and found out that she was expecting a baby boy. She also trained to become a suicide text line counselor to help people that suffered from the same struggles she had faced. To further her career she is pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Cyber Security online at Grand Canyon University. She hopes to use her education and strong computer skills to eventually work for the CIA.

Angel is also actively pursuing her singing career. She is performing this summer at the California State Fair and plans to audition for the next season of America’s Got Talent.

“I’m thankful for Visions helping me escape bullying at my old high school and helping me graduate. I will forever appreciate you all!”

Advice for Students

We asked Angel what she would tell current and prospective Visions students. These are her words of wisdom:

  • Look at where you are right now … are you happy? If not, you should make a change.
  • Visions lets you work at your own pace and you can escape the peer pressure.
  • There are people out there that want to push you towards the good things in life.
  • Life will be hard if you don’t get the education you need.

Visions is proud to share Angel’s success story and we hope it inspires current and future students. Watch her spotlight video below!