Monday Message for October 28, 2019
LCAP/WASC Committee Invitation
Empower Generations cordially invites our families, learners, and community stakeholders to our LCAP (Local Control and Accountability Plan) and WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) public meetings.
The purpose of these meetings are to collaboratively collect learner data and document the academic and social emotional growth plans for Empower Generations Charter School. Meaningful engagement from families, learners, and all stakeholders representing the Empower Generations community is critical to LCAP accountability and WASC accreditation.
The process consists of creating subgroups to address specific sections of the documents, attending scheduled work sessions, and to inform the community of our WASC Accreditation status. We value your input towards continuous school improvement and your understanding that this is a process and not an event. You can reach out to me at malaka.donovan@empowergenerations.org.
Thank you for your consideration
Workshops
We have begun our next set of workshops for the next 5 weeks:
September 30th-November 8th
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
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 Families Need Donations
Thank you to those who have made recent donations. Donated items keeps our curriculum fresh and innovative.
We are in need of donations to support our learner programs.
Current needs include:
- Different color sheer fabric
- Sand Paper
- Tape (Duct, Painters, Masking, Scotch); open to colored or patterned, too
- Sprinkles
- Glycerin
- Baby Oil
- Rice
- Craft Pom-Poms
- Wisk
- Ribbon
Morning Mindfulness
Each morning from 8:30-9 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.
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