Monday Message for November 11, 2019
Message from the Director
Dear Families,
Please make sure you’re checking your learner’s progress for their online classes and their on-site workshops. You can access these through Google Classroom and through iLEAD PowerSchool. If you need help accessing these sites, you can reach out to your learner’s advisor.
Mr. Rob’s workshop will be demonstrating their learning through their first Presentation of Learning (POL) — “What’s Wrong with Kareem?” — this Tuesday. We hope you can stop on by and see the work they’ve done!
We also hope you join us for the annual Multicultural Feast on November 22! This is a wonderful time for everyone to come together and share their cultures and traditions. Please see the information below.
With gratitude,
Malaka Donovan
Upcoming Events
11/11: Veterans Day – Site Closed
11/12: Mr. Rob’s Medical Board POL (Presentation of Learning)
11/15: End of Learning Period 3
11/22: Family Multicultural Feast
11/25-29: Fall Break – Site Closed
12/7: Lancaster Parade
12/19: Giving Celebration
12/20: End of First Semester
12/23-1/14: Winter Break
You Are Invited to Our Multicultural Feast!
Families, please join us for our annual Multicultural Feast on Friday, November 22, from 10:00 a.m. to noon. It is a tradition at iLEAD Schools to gather and celebrate our diversity and family culture. This favorite tradition is a wonderful way for all of our families to share a meal and learn more about other cultures in our school!
- We are asking each family to bring in a dish that represents their heritage, culture, or favorite Thanksgiving tradition.
- We ask that you bring the food in disposable containers if possible.
- Please note the food preparation guidelines below. The suggested amount for each dish is enough to serve 15-20 people.
Food Safety Guidelines:
- Wash your hands before handling food, after using the restroom, and whenever changing tasks. Use gloves when in direct contact with foods.
- Keep foods either below 41°F or at or above 135°F to prevent bacteria reproduction and growth.
- Clean and sanitize utensils and food contact surfaces, such as cutting boards. Do not cut raw meat (poultry, pork, meat, game, fish) on the same cutting boards as fresh fruit and vegetables.
- Avoid handling food when you are sick.
- Cook food thoroughly. (Poultry 165°F, ground meat 155°F, pork and eggs 145°F.)
Create a Multicultural Feast & Celebration Card for Your Food Item:
- Name of the food:___________________________________
- Chosen culture/country: ______________________________
- Your recipe/ingredients (important for learners with allergies)
Empower Generations to Perform in Lancaster City Christmas Parade
We are participating in our first community event! On December 7, we will be part of the Lancaster City Christmas Parade! We will be teaming up with iSPIRIT from iLEAD Lancaster in a cheer/dance routine. Practices will start next week at iLEAD Lancaster, Monday and Wednesday from 3:00 to 4:30. Please arrange to pick up your cheerleader from iLEAD Lancaster at 4:30 p.m. on those days. The parade theme is ‘Twas the Moon Landing Before Christmas, so our girls will be dressing as Buzz Lightyear. We’re asking if the girls can come in with plain to mildly designed large boxes to create their flight wings by November 18.
Foodie Friday
Last Friday was Teriyaki Chicken Bowls! Thank you, Kristopher Yu, for bringing in Korean Rice. Our learners diced chicken, chopped veggies, and cooked the rice to mix with some delicious teriyaki and orange chicken sauces to make a delicious meal!
Have a culinary talent you would like to share with our learners? Reach out to stephanie.vasquez@empowergenerations.org.
Workshops
Ms. Jeanette
Driving Question: How do we step up to become better stewards of our environment?
Competencies: Scientific Investigation & Persuasion
In this project cycle, learners will be exploring what it means to be stewards of their environment and pushing for change in their communities. We began the cycle by investigating which sorbents are best at cleaning up oil spills and how density plays a role in the process. Learners compared aquatic oil spills to desert spills and began theorizing what threats are greatest to their personal urban ecosystem. As the cycle progresses learners will search for scientific solutions to local problems which strike chords within their hearts and create calls to action for their community.
Mr. Rob
PRESENTATION OF LEARNING: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12
Diagnose Me: What’s Wrong With Kareem?
Driving Question: How can I improve my employment and problem solving skills by studying the path to success in a medical or fitness profession?
Competencies: Authentic Problem Solving, Divergent Thinking, & Scientific Analysis and Investigation
For my second project cycle, the learners will be working on exploring the body system through professional life situations. Learners will then step into a profession that works with the human body, which will give them the opportunity to research and diagnose problems within the human body. We will be targeting Authentic Problem Solving, Divergent Thinking, and Scientific Analysis/Investigation as our competencies. The learners will showcase what they learned by presenting a diagnostic of a chosen human body part, in which I chose. They will then present to a medical board comprised of parents.
Ms. Tanya
Illuminated Journals
Driving Question: How can I increase my writing stamina to find the good within myself?
Competencies: Literary Analysis & Self Expression through Various Mediums
DONATIONS NEEDED!: 8 x 10 canvases, acrylic paints, various size paint brushes. Thank you!
Over the course of our second project cycle, learners will be working toward increasing their writing stamina through the art of journaling. Writing stamina is the ability to focus and write independently for extended periods of time without becoming distracted or giving up. Building writing stamina is a foundational piece that lays the groundwork for communicating ideas. Journal writing broadens the bandwidth between learners’ thoughts and their more formal writing. The Illuminated Journals project also links writing with original art. Their “Illuminated Journals” will provide them with the foundation to express themselves through art and create designs to bring their ideas to life. Learners will learn to express themselves through original art sketches, creative “Wreck This Journal” entries, and painting. Our workshop will attend the “LA Painting” exhibit at the Museum of Art and History to create art appreciation journal entries and begin exploring how they can use art for self-expression.
Ms. Jenna
Historical Video Scripts
Driving Question: How can I use research to create a high quality YouTube video that teaches, entertains, and informs?
Competencies: Global Research & Analysis & Generating Meaningful Questions
During this second workshop learners will be working on furthering their research skills. They will be achieving this by reviewing the content of their sources, watching historical videos to glean information, and learning to determine which information is necessary to answer a historical question as well as to teach the details to someone else. By the end of this workshop they will have completed their research and review of their historical question and will then have created a script, which they will use as the basis of their video, which will be created and completed by the end of the final workshop.
Empowered Babies
Driving Question: How can we use our senses to explore, learn, and grow while we play?
We will continue exploring the different types of play with our babies in addition to a new writing project in our Advisory.
Morning Mindfulness
Each morning from 8:30 to 9:00 a.m., our site offers a time of mindfulness for the whole school community. Some of the options include yoga, coloring, quiet spaces for meditation, making rain, and more.
8 Things to Know About Mindfulness:
- Mindfulness is not obscure or exotic. It’s familiar to us because it’s what we already do, how we already are. It takes many shapes and goes by many names.
- Mindfulness is not a special added thing we do. We already have the capacity to be present, and it doesn’t require us to change who we are. But we can cultivate these innate qualities with simple practices that are scientifically demonstrated to benefit ourselves, our loved ones, our friends and neighbors, the people we work with, and the institutions and organizations we take part in
- You don’t need to change. Solutions that ask us to change who we are or become something we’re not have failed us over and over again. Mindfulness recognizes and cultivates the best of who we are as human beings.
- Mindfulness has the potential to become a transformative social phenomenon. Here’s why:
- Anyone can do it. Mindfulness practice cultivates universal human qualities and does not require anyone to change their beliefs. Everyone can benefit and it’s easy to learn.
- It’s a way of living. Mindfulness is more than just a practice. It brings awareness and caring into everything we do—and it cuts down needless stress. Even a little makes our lives better.
- It’s evidence-based. We don’t have to take mindfulness on faith. Both science and experience demonstrate its positive benefits for our health, happiness, work, and relationships.
- It sparks innovation. As we deal with our world’s increasing complexity and uncertainty, mindfulness can lead us to effective, resilient, low-cost responses to seemingly intransigent problems.
Empowered Families Need Donations
Donated items keeps our curriculum fresh and innovative.
Current needs include:
- Different-colored sheer fabric
- Sandpaper
- Tape (duct, painter’s, masking, scotch); we’re open to colored or patterned, too
- Sprinkles
- Glycerin
- Baby oil
- Rice
- Craft pom-poms
- Whisk
- Ribbon
Advisory: Why, Who, and How
WHY
Advisory is the hub of who we are and provides an opportunity to support personal growth and build relationships. This year, we will build upon FOUR PILLARS: Learn to Learn, Learn to Love, Learn to Collaborate, and Learn to Live. Each month we will focus on one pillar with a variety of activities. Last week, Advisories spent time together learning about self, learning about one another and learning about their communities through games, team building activities and creating a “common space piece” that is now displayed in our Village.
WHO
Here are our seven advisory groups!
- Mr. Rob and Campfire Clout
- Ms. Tanya and La Familia
- Ms. Jeanette and The Soul Catchers
- Ms. Steph/Ms.Tori/Ms. Elayne and the Strong Unique Moms
- Ms. Sheba/Ms. Danielle and The Successful Learners
- Ms. Jenna and The Little Rascals
- Ms. Rachael Hustle Headquarters
HOW
Every learner has their advisor and advisory that meets Monday through Thursday from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. You learner’s advisor will be their academic accountability partner for all classes, be their advocate if they need anything, and help them reach their goals for the year. We hope to see them there as much as possible.
California Healthy Youth Curriculum Survey
iLEAD Schools needs your input! Please view the attached letter to provide us with important feedback regarding the curriculum selection to comply with the California Healthy Youth Act.
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