Tag Archives: Lancaster charter school

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iSUPPORT Dates to Add to Your Calendar

It really does take a village to raise our kids, and we are so happy to have our families in our tribe!

Join our parent volunteer group: iSUPPORT!

Our school community and children need us, their families, volunteering. Our participation makes a huge impact. We are heroes to our children, and the staff members are grateful for the help.

Upcoming Meetings:

October 1
November 5
December 3

We will be meeting by video conference on Zoom. Please check your ParentSquare messages for the times, links, and meeting IDs! Looking forward to seeing you there!

Want to join us? Email info@ileadav.org to get connected!

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Reminders: Fall 2020 Distance Learning Instructions

Below you will find information about tech tools necessary for this year: Student Email, PowerSchool, and Zoom. If you need any support, please submit a Tech Ticket.

1. Student Email

If you are a returning learner, your school email and password from last year has not changed, and you can log into your email at https://mail.google.com/.

If you are a new learner, your facilitator will be able to provide you with your new email address, or you may submit a Tech Ticket and our technology team can assist you.

An email is not required to log into Zoom.

2. PowerSchool Account Instructions

Click HERE for PowerSchool learner and family training.

You should now have access to your courses. Your facilitator will contact you through PowerSchool with a welcome announcement and instructions on how to get started.

  • Your courses are located here: ilead online.learning.powerschool.com.
  • Please bookmark this page on your child’s browser. You can access PowerSchool Learning on a desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone. To download the learning app for Apple, click HERE.
  • Please log into your new account and bookmark this domain to access your courses.

Your username:  Firstname.Lastname or firstname.lastname

Your temporary password: changeme (for new learners only)

Note: if you are a returning learner, your password has not changed.

If you need any assistance logging in, please submit a Tech Ticket.

Do not use the Google log-in option. Scroll down to see the example below.
. 

3. Zoom
Zoom Cheat-Sheet for Parents and Caregivers
Zoom Camera Tips for Learners

Please click HERE to visit our Knowledge Base of tips and tutorials.

Please click HERE for technical support.

Lunch, Studio

Free Breakfast and Lunch for All Children

Based on the recent announcement from the USDA, we are excited to announce the return of the Summer Seamless Program, free meals to all. Starting Monday, September 14, we will be providing meals to all children up to 18 years of age at no charge. You do not need to be an enrolled learner in order to receive free meals. Each child will receive one grab-and-go breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday except on school holidays. Children need not be present to pick up.

While our site is closed, school meals will be grab-and-go with minimal contact and may not be consumed on-site. Breakfast and lunch will be picked up together at the front gate (2110 W. Avenue K, Lancaster, CA) Monday through Friday, 9:00 to 11:00 AM. For your protection and ours, please wear a cloth face covering when picking up meals.

Please make sure to continue to fill out the Multipurpose Income Form, as this will help to establish your eligibility for when this program stops, and will also help our school in many other ways. This form needs to be filled out for every learner and submitted each year by October 1. It can be submitted in a variety of ways. You can fill it out via a fillable PDF (attached) and email it to betty.lara@ileadav.org, fill out a paper form (attached in English, attached in Spanish) and drop it off at the front office, or — in our newest, completely digital way — you can complete it via the My Mealtime online platform. This new option ensures the confidentiality of your form and can be done from home. Please see the attached instructions (here and here) on how to access this option. Please email all forms (by October 1) and any questions to betty.lara@ileadav.org.

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The Multipurpose Family Income Form Is Due October 1

If you haven’t had a chance yet, please read on. Thank you for your time!

The start of school means getting to know new friends, facilitators, and routines, adjusting to a new way of learning, and, of course, filling out lots of paperwork!

One form that is especially important for schools to receive from families is called the Multipurpose Family Income Form. This form needs to be filled out for every learner and submitted each year by October 1. It can be submitted in a variety of ways. You can fill it out via a fillable PDF (attached) and email it to betty.lara@ileadav.org, fill out a paper form (attached in English, attached in Spanish) and drop it off at the front office, or — in our newest, completely digital way — you can complete it via the My Mealtime online platform. This new option ensures the confidentiality of your form and can be done from home. Please see the attached instructions (here and here) on how to access this option. Please email all forms (by October 1) and any questions to betty.lara@ileadav.org.

Some people have heard that it is necessary to fill out this form only if you want your child to qualify for free or reduced-price school breakfast and/or lunch. The truth is that it is important for EVERY family to fill out this form because doing so helps bring much-needed additional money and services directly to our school!

Our school receives funding from the state and federal governments to support the needs of low-income learners. For each learner who qualifies for free or reduced price breakfast/lunch, our school receives thousands of additional dollars in funding. Studies show that many eligible students, in particular middle school and high school students, do not complete this form each year, leaving hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding for our school on the table. Even a small increase in eligible forms collected results in significantly more money to support our learners and school.

What is the Multipurpose Family Income Form?

This form collects basic information about your learner so our school can determine their eligibility for free or reduced-price breakfast/lunch, and also so that our school can qualify to receive extra money and programs. You may have heard this form referred to in the past as the School Meal Application Form or School Lunch Form. The name has changed because it is really about more than school breakfast/lunch.

What if my child doesn’t want to eat school breakfast/lunch? Why should I fill out the form?
Even if your child chooses to bring their own breakfast/lunch or snack or if they eat lunch at home, filling out the form is very important! It ensures that our school gets all of the funding and benefits available to support facilitators and learners.

How does filling out the Multipurpose Family Income Form help our school?

Schools get more money in their budgets to support learners. Our school qualifies to receive more money per learner from the state and federal government, which they can pass on to our school.

Help! The form is confusing!

Income information: Some parents have asked whether they need to provide this information if they know that they are not eligible for free or reduced-price meals. The form does require that families enter income. This information is not shared and is required for those seeking free or reduced-price meal eligibility. However, a family that does not wish to be considered for eligibility may fill out a form, complete learner information in step 1, write “do not qualify” in the first box in step 3, and then complete the name, signature, and date lines in step 4.

Last 4 digits of Social Security Number: If you don’t have a social security number or don’t want to submit the last 4 digits of your social, you can check the box that says “don’t have one” and still be eligible for free or reduced-price breakfast/lunch.

Is the Information I submit confidential?

The information you submit on the Multipurpose Family Income Form cannot be shared by our school.

Personal information submitted on the form is not shared with the state or federal government; only the number of learners who qualify for free or reduced breakfast/lunch is shared.

Facilitators are not told which learners qualify for free or reduced breakfast/lunch benefits.
Our school does not share information with other organizations that provide benefits. But if your child does qualify for free or reduced-price breakfast/lunch, you may use the eligibility form provided by our school to qualify for other benefits through providers.

If your child qualifies and chooses to eat breakfast/lunch at school, the process is the same as it is for a learner who is paying full price.

Why is the payment system different?

Our school allows families to deposit funds and fill out applications online via My Mealtime. If you don’t already have an account, please visit https://ileadav.org/school-lunch-program/mealtime-parent-directions for directions.

What if I still have questions?

If you run into any problems, you can always contact the staff at our school for individual assistance. You can reach them by calling (661) 494-7442 or emailing betty.lara@ileadav.org.

We thank you for your continued support of iLEAD Antelope Valley!

Dawn Roberson
Director

Helpful Links
Online application for Free/Reduced Meals
Parent Guide to MealTime Apply Online
Fillable PDF Application for Free/Reduced Meals
Printable Application for Free/Reduced Meals (English)
Printable Application for Free/Reduced Meals (Spanish)
iLEAD Antelope Valley Meal Charge Policy
Letter to Households (English and Spanish)

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iLEAD Antelope Valley’s 2nd Grade STEM Projects

Ms. Basty’s learners were given a challenge for STEM last week. Because iLEAD Antelope Valley is a school that values voice and choice, learners chose which challenge they would like to participate in. These challenges included creating a device that could float in water, creating a fairy garden, making a marble maze, creating objects that could balance in their hands, etc. Our learners did an amazing job as engineers to create amazing works of art! We are very proud of our iLEADers!
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Apply to Join a DreamUp to Space Launch Team!

iLEAD Antelope Valley’s learners in grades 5 and up are invited to apply to join one of two DreamUp to Space Launch Teams, featuring experiments designed by learners at SCVi and iLEAD Exploration!

Selected team members will run experiments in preparation for the actual experiments that will launch to space to be run by astronauts on the International Space Station with a target date of March 2021.

Team members will collaborate with facilitators and mentors at each stage. They’ll also be involved in promoting their mission, including creating videos and writing blogs. They’ll fund-raise for experiment-related expenses as well as the chance to travel with their families to Kennedy Space Center, where they could present their experiment and watch it blast to space!

Watch our DreamUp to Space Launch Teams’ videos to understand more about the experiments:

If you would like to apply to join a DreamUp to Space Launch Team, please click below:

Or feel free to apply for both! 

Deadline to apply: September 25, 2020.

For more information, please contact the Director of STEAM Initiatives Kathleen Fredette at kathleen.fredette@ileadschools.org.

To learn more about iLEAD Student Aerospace Projects, please visit ileadaerospace.org.

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Together Tuesdays: Share Your Photos and Stories!

Greetings, iLEAD community,

Last spring, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced our learning community to physically distance, we launched a weekly campaign with the goal to reunite our facilitators and families and lift their spirits. Every week, a new Together Tuesday video featured photos of families, learners, and staff throughout the iLEAD nation — a reminder that we’re all in this together.

Now, as we begin a new school year with distance learning, Together Tuesdays will be making a comeback, now twice monthly. We’d love to see your contributions.

The first video of the 2020-21 school year will go live on September 15. To ensure your submissions are included, please click here to submit your photos. Photos received by the Friday before each Together Tuesday are eligible to be included.

We’re all in this together, and we can’t wait to see your photos!

If you have any questions, simply reply to stories@ileadschools.org.

Sincerely,
The iLEAD Team

*If you send us a photo or video, we will consider this approval for use on our school websites and social media accounts. Please do not include images of video conference screens showing learners. 

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iLEAD Antelope Valley Culture: Building 21st-Century Skills

At iLEAD Antelope Valley, what’s important is not only ensuring learners are receiving an academically well-rounded education but also that they have the tools they need to succeed in an ever-changing world. That’s why we place a high priority on 21st-century skills.

These skills are essential in a worldwide market that’s moving faster by the day, and they funnel to a key focus: a person’s ability to enact and/or adapt to change. 

Why? Because we live in a world where long-established industries are now regularly disrupted with new ideas and methodologies. Kids are preparing for work in an era when nothing is guaranteed, and it’s important to be adaptable.

When we speak about 21st-century skills, we’re talking about those things that help learners adapt and thrive in a world that is increasingly more dependent on technology as well as a global economy and workplace. The 12 essential 21st-century skills include the following:

  • Critical thinking
  • Creativity
  • Collaboration
  • Communication
  • Information literacy
  • Media literacy
  • Technology literacy
  • Flexibility
  • Leadership
  • Initiative
  • Productivity
  • Social skills

Through individualized instruction and project-based learning, we celebrate and foster each child’s individuality and support them in discovering their highest potential. We believe each child will be equipped with the skills and knowledge to achieve their fullest potential in preparation for college and the demands of the 21st-century workplace.

Succeeding in the 21st century calls for skill sets that go beyond the basics mandated by densely packed education standards and what’s evaluated on standardized tests. Learners also need to build skills sets that will last a lifetime. To solve problems in our complex, fast-changing world, learners must become nimble, creative thinkers who can work well with others.

In line with the 12 skills identified above, there are four Cs iLEAD Antelope Valley focuses on instilling in learners, as identified by the Partnership for 21st-Century Skills: 

  • Collaboration: Learners are able to work effectively with diverse groups and exercise flexibility in making compromises to achieve common goals.
  • Creativity: Learners are able to generate and improve on original ideas and also work creatively with others.
  • Communication: Learners are able to communicate effectively across multiple media and for various purposes.
  • Critical thinking: Learners are able to analyze, evaluate, and understand complex systems and apply strategies to solve problems.

It is critical to keep in mind that those 4Cs don’t replace academic learning goals; rather, they complement and enhance them.

Since iLEAD Antelope Valley’s inception, we have been committed to helping develop well-rounded kids, those who are lifelong learners empowered to lead and succeed in a changing world. By incorporating 21st-century skills, we’re making sure they’re ready for anything they face in their journey.  

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iSUPPORT Dates to Add to Your Calendar

It really does take a village to raise our kids, and we are so happy to have our families in our tribe!

Join our parent volunteer group: iSUPPORT!

Our school community and children need us, their families, volunteering. Our participation makes a huge impact. We are heroes to our children, and the staff members are grateful for the help.

Upcoming Meetings:

October 1
November 5
December 3

We will be meeting by video conference on Zoom. Please check your ParentSquare messages for the times, links, and meeting IDs! Looking forward to seeing you there!