March 1

3/1/17

The Idaho Legislature will close out the first month of their expected 3 month 2017 Session this week. There have been multiple bills dealing with education put forward. There will be more.

The Coalition has been busy working with schools that are up for Renewal this year. See below for the schools that are already in the process of Renewal. There are 12 schools that are in that process now. If your students are in a school in the list below, it could potentially be closed.

RENEWAL SCHEDULE FOR PCSC-AUTHORIZED SCHOOLS

Statute requires that the performance certificates for existing schools ensure all schools will be evaluated for renewal or nonrenewal between March 2016 and March 2019.

The PCSC will schedule initial renewal considerations for the existing schools it authorizes based on their 2013 Star ratings. All schools will receive at least two,

annual reports from the PCSC prior to the year in which they will be considered for renewal or non-renewal, permitting ample time to correct any shortcomings. In accordance with statute, new schools will receive performance certificates with an initial term of three years, and will be added to this schedule accordingly.

March 2017

Heritage Academy

Succeed Virtual High School

Kootenai Bridge Academy

Wings Charter Middle School

Idaho Connects Online (ICON)

Another Choice Virtual School

Richard McKenna Charter High School

American Heritage Charter School

Chief Tarhgee Elementary Academy

Odyssey Charter School

Syringa Mountain School

Bingham Academy

The Coalition of Idaho Charter School Families believes that the current “process” should be changed and will work with families and schools to prevent Charters from closing.

We will be providing additional information this week on another issue-Removing Term limits for Charter Commissioners. The reason: with constant “churning” of Charter Commissioners, there is a lack of knowledge of charters by new Commissioners. It takes time to understand how the Charter law works and how to implement the process.

We will be sending more information later this week on Legislation to remove term limits of Charter School Commissioners.

2/28/17

The Idaho Legislature will close out the first month of their expected 3 month 2017 Session this week. There have been multiple bills dealing with education put forward. There will be more.

The Coalition has been busy working with schools that are up for Renewal this year. See below for the schools that are already in the process of Renewal. There are 12 schools that are in that process now. If your students are in a school in the list below, it could potentially be closed.

RENEWAL SCHEDULE FOR PCSC-AUTHORIZED SCHOOLS

Statute requires that the performance certificates for existing schools ensure all schools will be evaluated for renewal or nonrenewal between March 2016 and March 2019.

The PCSC will schedule initial renewal considerations for the existing schools it authorizes based on their 2013 Star ratings. All schools will receive at least two,

annual reports from the PCSC prior to the year in which they will be considered for renewal or non-renewal, permitting ample time to correct any shortcomings. In accordance with statute, new schools will receive performance certificates with an initial term of three years, and will be added to this schedule accordingly.

March 2017

Heritage Academy

Succeed Virtual High School

Kootenai Bridge Academy

Wings Charter Middle School

Idaho Connects Online (ICON)

Another Choice Virtual School

Richard McKenna Charter High School

American Heritage Charter School

Chief Tarhgee Elementary Academy

Odyssey Charter School

Syringa Mountain School

Bingham Academy

The Coalition of Idaho Charter School Families believes that the current “process” should be changed and will work with families and schools to prevent Charters from closing.

We will be providing additional information this week on another issue-Removing Term limits for Charter Commissioners. The reason: with constant “churning” of Charter Commissioners, there is a lack of knowledge of charters by new Commissioners. It takes time to understand how the Charter law works and how to implement the process.

We will be sending more information later this week on Legislation to remove term limits of Charter School Commissioners.

Celebrate National School Choice Week

January 25, 2017

Celebrate National School Choice Week

This week is the time to celebrate National School Choice week with your own celebrations. Just below is the Idaho Rally and March to the Capitol from the Idaho Basque Block from last year! This year several hundred School Choice supporters came to the Capitol to celebrate together and to talk to Legislators in support of School Choice!

 

Idaho Leadership Makes It Official
January 22-28 2017 is School Choice Week

The Governorofficially proclaimed January 22-28 2017 as "School Choice Week" in Idaho. You still have time tohost your own celebration!

When you do—take a picture and send it to us at jane@wittmeyerassociates.com

We will run in the next Coalition Newsletter!

DeVos receives praise at ‘National School Choice Week’ rally

The Washington Post |  By Emma Brown, January 24, 2017
Betsy DeVos, President Trump’s nominee for education secretary, has come under increasing fire since stumbling over basic education policy at her confirmation hearing last week. Democrats and civil rights groups are calling her unfit for the job, while late-night comics ridicule her statement that schools might need guns to protect against “potential grizzlies.” And so National School Choice Week, a celebration of charter schools, private schools, home schooling and other education options, could not have fallen at a more opportune time for DeVos. The annual effort, held this year between Jan. 22 and Jan. 28, includes thousands of events around the country that bring together people who largely see DeVos not as a threat to public education, as her critics have framed her, but as a champion of extending more choices to more parents. 

Celebrate Choice: January 22-28, 2017

January 13, 2017

Coalition Blog

Celebrate Choice: January 22-28, 2017

Held every January, National School Choice Week is an independent public awareness effort designed to shine a positive spotlight on effective education options for every child. Supporters of school choice will come together for a breakfast at the Idaho State Capitol to kick off School Choice Week in the state on Monday, January 23.

At 9:00 am, parents, students, teachers, principals from nearly every school option will come together to celebrate school choice. Leaders in the school choice movement will come together to forecast goals for next year and celebrate the opportunities already available to Idaho students.

The goal of the event is to demonstrate unprecedented support school choice in the Gem State. The Idaho kick-off is timed to coincide with National School Choice Week (January 22-28, 2017), which will feature more than 20,000 events across the country.

“Our kick-off breakfast at the capitol will spotlight school choice as we begin a new year full of new opportunities,” said  Briana LeClaire of the Idaho Federation of Independent Schools. “We expect a great dialogue between those who support and advocate for greater access to opportunity for every student to take place.”
 

The Coalition of Idaho Charter School Families, the which created the event over 13 yearsand largest organized group supporting school choice in Idaho will be supporting this event. Event planners consist of a large coalition of school choice supporters including The Coalition, Bluum, Idaho Charter School Network, Northwest Professional Educators, Idaho Federation of Independent Schools, and many public and private schools across the state.

 If you or your students would like to be involved in our Capitol Day Celebration, you can contact Suzanne at 208-336-8400 or SIGN UP ONLINE

CAPITOL CELEBRATION EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

January 23 – Highlight of Events
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM – School Choice Table Top Displays (snacks provided)
9:00 AM – Kickoff Breakfast, Opening Remarks from Lisa Graham Keegan, ICSN Facebook Live – Interviews with Teachers, Students & Parents
12:30-1:30 PM – National School Choice Week Tweet Up (via Twitter)
1:00-1:30 PM – Facebook Live of School Choice Celebration at an Idaho School
3:30 PM –  Facebook Live -Pre-Screening footage of the film Most Likely To Succeed

CAPITOL CELEBRATION FAQS

SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLKIT

Schedule a Capitol Tour

We’d love to see schools of choice fill the Capitol tour docket for the week of January 23-27th. Capitol tours are a great way to engage your students in learning about the processes of government. Make sure to reach out to your local legislator to arrange a meeting for your students to get their own questions answered while you’re at the Capitol. And don’t forget to bring your yellow School Choice Week scarves! Scheduling information can be found here.

Plan a Celebration at Your School

Schools have a great set of resources for celebrating School Choice Week in their schools. Schools can host an event, organize writing letters to the editor, share school choice success stories, or show off their dance moves with the 2017 Offical School Choice Week Dance! Watch the video to start learning the moves here.

In whatever way you decide to celebrate School Choice Week, we’d love to hear about it, so send us an email with your plans! Contact Jane at 208-859-9656 or jane@wittmeyerassociates.com

Celebrate School Choice: January 22-28, 2017

Celebrate School Choice: January 22-28, 2017
 
Held every January, National School Choice Week is an independent public awareness effort designed to shine a positive spotlight on effective education options for every child. Supporters of school choice will come together for a breakfast at the Idaho State Capitol to kick off School Choice Week in the state on Monday, January 23.
 
At 9:00 am, parents, students, teachers, principals from nearly every school option will come together to celebrate school choice. Leaders in the school choice movement will come together to forecast goals for next year and celebrate the opportunities already available to Idaho students.
The goal of the event is to demonstrate unprecedented support school choice in the Gem State. The Idaho kick-off is timed to coincide with National School Choice Week (January 22-28, 2017), which will feature more than 20,000 events across the country.
 
“Our kick-off breakfast at the capitol will spotlight school choice as we begin a new year full of new opportunities,” said Briana LeClaire of the Idaho Federation of Independent Schools. “We expect a great dialogue between those who support and advocate for greater access to opportunity for every student to take place.”

The Coalition of Idaho Charter School Families, the organization which created the event over 13 years and largest organized group supporting school choice in Idaho will be supporting this event. Event planners consist of a large coalition of school choice supporters including The Coalition, Bluum, Idaho Charter School Network, Northwest Professional Educators, Idaho Federation of Independent Schools, and many public and private schools across the state.
 
If you or your students would like to be involved in our Capitol Day Celebration, you can contact Suzanne at 208-336-8400 or SIGN UP ONLINE

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Coalition of Idaho Charter School Families wishes you all the best over the Holiday’s.

We hope that you enjoy your family time and prepare for the upcoming year of 2017!!!!

This edition will be short –part one will be holiday focused  (fun activities to keep your students active) and the second part is a look at the first quarter of 2017 which all Idaho Charter school parents need to be aware of as it will shortly be in the news.

First we will focus on the fun part!  The list below has 11 Fun Winter Break Activities that will keep kids engaged and learning.  You will all have fun and learning---so have fun!!

11 Fun Winter Break Activities

 Ashley MacQuarrie

 December 11, 2014

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The holiday season is in full swing, and with it, comes winter vacation, a welcome break in the school year for students and parents. While a few weeks off from the day-to-day schoolwork is important (and well-deserved!) there are lots of fun ways to incorporate learning during the break. Try these fun winter break activities to keep kids engaged and learning throughout the break, without it seeming like a chore.

1. Read holiday books together.

Incorporate reading time into your holiday plans. Try reading favorite holiday books together, or these holiday-themed stories from classic literary characters. If you’re traveling, take some audiobooks along to keep kids engaged on the plane or in the car.

2. Practice writing skills with seasonal writing projects.

Many favorite holiday activities are perfect opportunities to practice writing skills. Have kids write letters to Santa or try these Christmas journaling prompts. If you send a family Christmas letter, invite kids to help write it or have kids express gratitude and get some practice in too, by writing thank you notes for gifts received. Use these activities to brainstorm, practice the writing process, and learn to address letters.

3. Explore your family heritage.

Many families spend the holiday season with extended family near and far. If you’ll be visiting grandparents and other older relatives, it’s a great opportunity to encourage kids to take an interest in learning about their family heritage. Try having kids interview relatives about what life was like when they were growing up and about your family’s cultural heritage. Kids could even create a family history book or family tree with what they learn.

4. Discover the history of winter holidays.

Did you know that many favorite Christmas traditions, from caroling and Christmas trees to decorating with poinsettias, have very long histories? Spend some time learning about the traditions you incorporate into your holidays and about the origins of winter holidays and traditions around the world. Or discover the history of Santa Claus and the Santa Tracker.

5. Create art.

Practice art skills by spending time doing crafts, making ornaments or holiday cards, creating handmade gifts and decorations, or decorating wrapping paper. Find more fun art activities on our Arts Education and Crafts Pinterest boards.

6. Explore science, engineering, technology, and math.

Discover the science of snowflakes, the history of winter inventions, or try a science experiment like this crystal snowflake. With time off from the busy school year, you may also find you have more time for fun activities like LEGO learning activities or home science experiments.

7. Cook up a lesson.

There’s a lot to learn in the kitchen! Try baking Christmas cookies or have kids help prepare your holiday feast.

8. Play educational games.

Turn family game night into a learning opportunity by choosing one of these fun educational board games. You can also keep skills sharp and have fun with free educational games, activities, worksheets, and coloring pages. While kids shouldn’t spend the whole break being couch potatoes, they could do worse than to spend some time playing an educational game like Minecraft.

9. Get outside and play.

Even if it’s cold, staying active year-round is important, and as long as you’re properly bundled up, it can be lots of fun too! Try these easy ways to keep kids active in the winter.

10. Learn a new skill or supplement learning.

Explore robotics or learning to code, or try learning a new language with Duolingo.

Finally, winter break is the perfect time to supplement learning with an online program. Check out our EmbarK12 preschool program, Noodleverse Language Arts, or a World Language course for grades 3–12. The opportunity to learn something new is a perfect holiday gift, as well as a fun winter break activity.

The Second part of this Newsletter is much more serious—because is it advises you as a parent of an Idaho charter school student that the State of Idaho’s Charter School Commission will, in January 2017, begin the first ever Charter School Renewal Process.  Eventually each Charter School will be reviewed and, if found deficient, will be closed. (The March 2017 Renewal schedule.)

Coalition members will need to be actively engaged in this process as it is expected that the Commission staff will suggest that up to 10% of all current Idaho Charters will be shuttered.

***NEW NATIONAL EDUCATION POLL***

“If this year has taught us nothing else, it's that Americans have had just about enough of their betters deciding what's best for them and expecting them to play gratefully along. Reformers might have to start accepting that our greatest point of leverage is to help parents choose wisely, rather than trying to police their choices by means of aggressive accountability schemes.” -Robert Pondiscio, Contributor, U.S. News & World Report, 12/2/16

Dear School Choice Champions-

After last month’s election we commissioned a national poll to gather voter attitudes about high-stakes, standardized testing and what the results of those tests are used for. The results are pretty striking.

Voters are speaking loud and clear: DO NOT CLOSE SCHOOLS BASED PRIMARILY ON TEST SCORES

• Voters overwhelmingly oppose closing schools based primarily on low standardized test scores

• Voters don’t view high-stakes, standardized testing to be the best measure of school and student success

Yet the education establishment is doubling down on high-stakes testing and using those results to judge your schools and your students. They're wrong. SEND A MESSAGE WITH YOUR DONATION TODAY: Let parents be the judge!

We need accountability systems that focus on individual student growth and improvement. Students shouldn’t be punished just because others in their school may be underperforming.

HELP US KEEP STUDENTS IN THE SCHOOLS THAT WORK BEST FOR THEM!

We will fight for you to have every school choice option available so your child can access the education that works best for them.

Check out all the survey results in this infographic!

 #ITrustParents

Thank you,

Tillie Elvrum

President, PublicSchoolOptions.org

PublicSchoolOptions.org is a national alliance of over 60,000 parents that supports and defends parents’ rights to access the best public school options for their children. The Coalition supports the creation of public school options, including charter schools, online schools, magnet schools, open enrollment policies and other innovative education programs.  Additionally, we advocate for equal access without restrictions to the school that best suits the individual student’s learning needs.

You are receiving this email because the Coalition of Idaho Charter School Families forwarded it to you.