Update

Good Evening, Innovations Families!

I hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend. To all those who celebrate Easter , I hope you enjoyed the holiday. Tonight we have 6 messages.
-If your students have cooking for an Explorations class, please be sure to check with them early in the week for items needed the following Monday.
-Don't forget to wear appropriate shoes and clothing for those students in PE and Cross Country Fitness classes on Mondays.
-Final week for Yearbook sales. The cost is $15. Please bring money to Donna.
-While you are out shopping, if you are able, please pick up an extra roll of paper towels for the school. It can be left at Donna’s desk. Thank you for your support.
-We have begun the state testing and all is going well. The California Department of Education (CDE) created a website to help parents gain a clearer understanding of the STAR Program. The website is located at http://www.starsamplequestions.org/ .
-May 2nd - 6th is Teacher Appreciation Week. Students will be bringing home important information about the activities planned and how families can help celebrate the special teachers we have at Innovations. If you are interested in helping organize this week's activities, please contact Michelle@innovationsacademy.org. A committee has been formed and more help is needed.
What is your child’s absolute most favorite activity? Have you participated in this activity with them lately? Take some time this week to do whatever you can to show your child that they inspire you with their interests and skills.
Have a great week!!

Spring Break Update

Good Evening and Welcome Back from Spring Break!

The reason for this call on a Saturday instead of Sunday is that we have a special need to have some foods brought to school on Monday for the cooking class. Getting the message out today will help you understand the need and respond if you can. A special email and call went out to the families of the students in those classes, too . If you can provide any of these ingredients, please email Michelle@innovationsacademy.org to tell her what you can bring. Here is the list:

* Tomatoes ( Vine ripe or roma or from the garden ~ 6 nice size)
* Tomatoe juice (2 small cans)
* eggplants ( 2 nice size or 4 small)
* Zucchinis ( 2 bags of 5 each)
* Yellow Squash (2 bags of 5 each)
* Onions ( 2 nice size or 4 small one)
* Garlic ( 1 clove)
* Kalamata Olives (1 jar)
* Chicken broth ( 4 cans or 1 plastic container)
* Skinless Chicken tender strips (2 packets of 8 to 10 small chicken tender)
* herbs from Provence 1 jar (mixed herbs of rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc..)
* Olive Oil
* Rainbow Peppercorns (mixed peppercorns)
* Cooked Baby potatoes

Thank you for your help.

Yearbooks are on sale now. Cost is $15 each. Please buy early. Absolute last day to purchase a yearbook is April 29th.

At Parent Night a FACILITIES survey was distributed. I only received 44 surveys so I decided to make an online survey. Please follow this link to respond to our facility survey.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NNKLXYD

The last session of the year of B.B.I.A.(Lego Builders Club) will start on April 20th and end on May 25. It will be a 6 week session and will cost $30 per student. It will continue to run from 12:30 to 2:30 on Wednesdays. The website again is www.bbia.shutterfly.com.

A Science EDUCATION EcoFair will be held on Saturday, April 16th. 10 am - 3 pm, at NU's Spectrum Campus, 9393 Lightwave Ave, SD 92123 (near intersection of Clairemont Mesa Blvd & Ruffin Road). This is an effort by National University to educate and demonstrate concepts about environmental and economic sustainability and stewardship. This year's theme is Save Green by Going Green, which promotes household solutions that are earth-friendly and ultimately wallet-friendly. The Fair will have informational booths and demonstrations from companies, government agencies, NGOs, plus activities for kids and families.
More info: http://www.nu.edu/Calendar/Eco-Fair-2011.html

And finally, I have some thoughts on how to help your children love reading. The most wonderful thing about these ideas are that they are easy. Helping your child be a self motivated learner does not have to be complicated. First you can read to them throughout their lives(even teenagers). Read any and everything: comics, poems, magazine articles, picture books, the news, signs on the road, biographies of people that fascinate you. Second, you can read with them. Take turns reading to each other. And lastly, you can read. If you are reading and excitedly share about the material you have chosen, that excitement and enthusiasm will model for them the benefits of reading.
Thank you for listening. Have a wonderful night.

Update

Hello, Innovations Community! I hope you had a beautiful weekend.

1. Enrichment Classes:
Fencing: First session of fencing is ending but another will begin. Mondays 3:30-4:30, Students in grades 3 and up who would like to join are welcome. Cost $120 for 10 classes from March 28-June 13.
Spanish: After school classes are starting a new session. If interested, see the flier at the front desk. Cost $125 for 8 one hour classes. Tuesdays for K-2 and Thursdays for 3-8.

2. There are two excellent web based resources that Innovations Academy will be using to improve the quality of our program. Both require the use of a FREE gmail account by the student. This message serves as a notice that I have given direction to our teachers to establish gmail accounts with the students in grades 3-8. We will manage these accounts carefully and have access to them for safety. Students will be using the gmail accounts only to access google documents for written work and the Khan Academy for Math/Science skills development. This is a requirement. If you have problems with this, please contact Christine Kuglen Christine@innovationsacademy.org

3. Patty from Canela Photography will be here on Thursday, March 24th to photograph new/absent students. Pictures will be available for review/purchase at the Canela website and Patty will provide the login information after the pictures are uploaded.

4. 7th and 8th graders remember to bring lunch and be warm for your Tuesday fieldtrip to see the Hovercraft. The group is leaving at 9:30 sharp, so please be on time and drivers arrive at 9:00.

5. And finally…some ideas about how you can help your child as they continue on their journey as a life long learner: Help them set one goal at the beginning of the week to be met by Friday. It can be the goal of doing something new: learning something new, saying hi to one new person, finding a new book to read, asking a question aloud or it can be a goal of not doing something; refraining from complaining, hanging up their jacket every day…. Let them choose the goal and follow through on Friday.

Another idea is to find something to do in the car. Those minutes add up and can be fun and productive. How about looking for names of states on license plates? Listening to an audiobook? Learning the lyrics to a song? Finding the alphabet in order on the signs along the road? Most important is to have fun with it.

And for yourself. Look up the movie Race To Nowhere on the internet. You might want to see it.
Enjoy your week! Spring break is coming…

Update

Hello, Innovations Community! I hope you had a beautiful weekend.

1. Spanish After school classes are starting a new session:
Spanish Kids Beginning A (K-2) Tuesdays 3:15-4:15pm
March 22,29 April 12,19,28 May 3,10,17
$124.80 (minimum 5 students)
Spanish Kids Beginning A (3-8) Thursdays 3:45-4:45
March 22,29 April 12,19,28 May 3,10,17
$124.80 (minimum 5 students)

2. Panda Express will be offered for lunch next Friday instead of Pizza The cost will be approximately $4.50.
3. 4th, 5th and HLC students need to be at school early this Thursday to attend Biztown. Those classes will be leaving campus at 8:45 a.m.
4. Negotiations for a new facility resume this week. I will keep you posted.
5. Our new Explorations classes will be starting next Monday. We will spend this week addressing the concept of treating our guest teachers as we do guests in our home. Please support this conversation by helping your child understand that when they are with guest teachers they are representing themselves and our school.
Thank you for listening and have a great week.

Weekly Update

Good Evening, Innovations Community! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I appreciate this moment of time to communicate with everyone.

1) Perhaps the most important message this week is about the active role we all can take this Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. I know we all want a school facility for our children where they can have both outdoor and indoor space to learn, live and grow. Innovations Academy is in the middle of negotiations with the district for a facility. They need to hear how important it is to us that our children receive a workable solution RIGHT NOW. Our community can be heard at their board meeting at 5 on Tuesday at the district ed center 4100 Normal St. in North Park. Children are welcome. Fliers went home on Friday and you will receive a reminder phone call and another flier this week. This is where we can stand up as one and be heard.

2) There is a continuing parent class. The next class will take place this Wednesday. See the front office for more information.

3) 7th and 8th graders are building Hovercrafts as part of their Math/Science project. They need drivers for a Field trip on March 8th to see a real hovercraft. Since drivers will need to have military clearance Lisa needs to have the names of drivers so she can get them cleared. Please contact her tomorrow if you can drive.

4) The Last Beach Bums Club fieldtrip needs drivers, too. The field trip to the LJ Children’s pool will be March 4th(this Friday) leaving school at 12:30. Please contact Lisa if you can drive.

5) And finally…some ideas about how you can support your child on their learning journey:
Find one thing to do next weekend that will be interesting and different. Put it on the family calendar; Watch a movie with your child and point out how setting has an effect on the story being told; Read a news article(on paper or the internet) or a magazine article aloud at the dinner table or before going to bed. And most of all, enjoy being with them, speaking with them and learning about them.

Have a wonderful week!

Update for January 19th

Good Evening, Innovations Community! There are 5 messages. But first an apology for having forgotten to send the message over the weekend.

1) There are flyers/info in the office for:
free vision screening on Jan 22nd
free pertussis vaccines being offered every weekend
free dental sealants/floride varnish on Feb 12th

2) An Innovations parent, Sandy Holmes, is offering a Technical Theater Production Workshop for ages 10-16 which will begin on January 20th. The cost is $225.00 and will run through the end of March. The program is in Scripps Ranch and fliers are available at the front desk.

3) Fencing to begin on Jan 24th for 3-6th graders. Get info at the front desk.

4) Friday Clubs started last week. Ask your child about their Friday Club.

5) Remember to send a reusable bottle/cup for water to school. Label it with your child's name.

Have a great week!

News from IA!

A message from INNOVATIONS ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL

Good Evening, Innovations Community! 1) Baby Food Jars: The Kindergarten class needs about 12-15 baby food jars with the labels off for their work. If you have any bring to front desk or K class. 2) This Wednesday is IA Fundraiser Night at Chilis (at the intersection of Mission Gorge and Camino del Rio N.) Families, friends and neighbors can join IA staff at Chili's anytime Wed from 11 am to 9 pm. Get a flier at the front desk. 3) Fencing: If you have a child in the 3rd through the 6th grade, ask them about fencing classes after school on Mondays. We need a minimum of 6 students registered to start the class and we are almost there. Classes will begin on Monday, January 24th. Your child got a flier today. 4) Two programs to help families in need. I hope an Innovations family can benefit from this or can help spread the word to appropriate neighbors and friends a. Free Computer through the public library( San Diego Public Libraries) b. REBUILDING TOGETHER SAN DIEGO’S HOME RENOVATION PROGRAM – NOW TAKING APPLICATIONS Do you know of a community resident who may be in special need of assistance with home repairs? That's all for tonight. Have a nice night!