Dear Compass Families,

Thank you all for welcoming me to the Compass Family. I am honored to serve as your Superintendent and CEO. I look forward to working with all of you on our mission to inspire and develop innovative, creative, self-directed learners, one scholar at a time.

I am so excited about the work being done at every level of this organization. Our commitment to providing a truly personalized learning environment for our scholars is evident in all we do. I realize that this can be challenging in many ways, and I appreciate the solution-oriented response that I have heard from staff when challenges arise.

I truly believe that personalized learning is the future of education. It is evident that a “one size fits all” approach does not work for many scholars and their families. The more I learn about the options that Compass offers, the more impressed I am about how truly unique this school is.

I had the opportunity to visit the Orange County Learning Center (OCLC) and to talk to the parents, scholars, and staff there about their Compass experience. This center provides a hybrid Options Program where scholars attend classes two days a week and work with their learning coaches at home the other three days. The parents I met with told me how well this model works for them. Their scholars complete their work in Science, Social Studies, and enrichment at the site and focus on Math and English language arts at home. This allows learning coaches to focus on two areas and to go deeper into learning and understanding those subjects without being overwhelmed. The scholars love being with their peers and have formed long-lasting bonds with them over the years.

One parent shared with me her experience with two of her scholars transitioning from Compass to a traditional high school. She told me they are both doing great and did not have any issues accessing the high school curriculum. She felt that the skills that they learned at Compass, to be self-directed, independent learners, gave them the confidence to adapt to their new education setting and to thrive. It struck me that these scholars are excellent examples of our Scholar Profile. Our goal is for all scholars to be effective collaborators, innovators, community leaders, and confident learners so they will be successful in whatever path they choose.

Thank you for being a part of this amazing Compass Family!

Kind regards,

Liz Brenner

Superintendent and CEO

In January, we have been focused on finishing the semester strong and organizing our tasks and priorities. The scholars have been working hard to manage their e-Binders with notes, goals, and scholar portfolios. In addition, we are utilizing Google Calendar to schedule meetings with teachers and making to-do lists to help us efficiently complete assignments and end the first semester strong.

- Andrea Lomeli, AVID Coordinator/Elective Teacher

Please see the Jamboard of comments from our Socratic Seminar Reflection. After we read an article together, we held a seminar to discuss the importance of Teen Creativity. During this activity, some scholars took to the mic and share their thoughts and feelings on their viewpoints on the importance of the topic. Other scholars listened and added to their classmates' ideas in the chat. Overall, all scholars enjoyed the activity and are looking forward to the next time we have our Socratic Seminar and share our ideas.

Check out the Scholar Vision Boards Below!

National School Counseling Week 2023 (#NSCW23) is Feb. 6-10, 2023, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems. The 2023 theme is School Counselors: Helping Students Dream Big. Be sure to follow Compass on social media as we celebrate #NSCW23 starting February 6th!

The Counseling team continues to release new podcast episodes monthly! Our latest release is January’s episode: 2023 New Year, Same You? Building sustainable change.

Additional vlogs and resources are added to the CCS Counseling Virtual Office. These short videos provide information in the areas of academic, social-emotional, and college/career support. We encourage you to check them out if you have not already done so!

What is your job title, and what are a couple of the things you do at Compass Charter Schools? How long have you worked for this organization?

I am in my fifth year as the College Career Readiness Counselor at Compass Charter Schools. In this role, I support scholars in college and career planning, obtaining work permits, and concurrent enrollment.

Tell us your “why” for doing what you do here at Compass.

I love the aspects of college and career and how it is always evolving. It is especially rewarding to help scholars plan for what is next after high school. There are so many possibilities, and it is amazing to see each scholar’s unique passions and interests.

As an educator, is there a piece of advice you’d like to share with learning coaches or scholars?

It is never too early to start thinking about college and career! There are many great opportunities available to middle and high school scholars. The earlier you start planning, the more aware and prepared you will be.

What do you and your family like to do during your free time?

I love spending free time with my dog and cat (Penny and Noodle), outdoor activities, yoga, and painting.

The counseling team is thrilled to highlight the following 20 scholars who have attended 10 or more direct counseling sessions so far during the 2022-23 school year! Direct counseling sessions include attendance in 1-on-1 meetings, small groups, and counseling learning labs. Involvement in ten or more direct counseling sessions qualifies scholars for the ‘Finding Your Compass’ award! Information on upcoming small group and learning lab sessions can be found here.

CCS of Los Angeles

Matthew Barragan

Mya Mendoza

Audrey Hernandez

Sanaa Velyutina

Aly Velasco

Tania Torres Esparza

CCS of San Diego

Anthony Ahumada

Emilia Barrios-Martin

Jhatziri Gonzalez

Gabriella Marin

Logan Pena

Caleb Ramos

Axes Reed

Danna Rubert

Kendra Sanchez-Morineau

Jack Taylor

Lani Sandoval

CCS of Yolo

Jana AbuHamdeh

Madison Cruz

Justin Daniel-Sanchez

Scholars have visited the Sacramento Zoo, Discovery Cube Los Angeles and Orange County, the Charles Schulz Museum, Petco Park, the La Brea Tar Pits, California Academy of Sciences, Amy’s Farm, iFly Ontario and Sacramento, and have even enjoyed a performance of “The Nutcracker” with the Inland Pacific Ballet! Check out the Monday Morning Update (MMU) weekly for our latest field trip offerings!

The fun continues with our virtual scholar workshops and heritage month assemblies! We’ve celebrated Veteran’s Day and First Nations Heritage Month, hosted a Fall Talent Show, Active Kids Monthly, Self-Portrait Art, Sneezy the Snowman, Immigration, Culture, and Community virtual field trips. Check out the Monday Morning Update (MMU) weekly for our latest virtual scholar workshop releases!

Our amazing scholar club advisors have been having a blast with our scholars during their scholar club meetings! Clubs have chosen their officers and had a great start to the school year! Each club meets one Monday a month for a club meeting that is full of fun and exciting content tailored to each club!

Our Learning Coaches have been connecting each Monday during our live Learning Coach Academy (LCA) sessions, where we’ve discussed ParentSquare, Learning Coach Responsibilities, IT Tips/Tricks, Utilizing Subscriptions, Individualizing Learning at Home, and creating SMART goals! In addition, the LCA social sessions have been incredible opportunities to build relationships within our learning coach community and share wonderful ideas to create successful home learning environments!

As the first semester is coming to a close, the Compass educational specialists will be sending home progress reports to all scholars with Special Education Services.

Compass works with the El Dorado SELPA to support special education staff and families. And the Community Advisory Committee has developed a Parent Handbook.

Thank you to our Special Education team for your diligence and dedication to our scholars!

Check out the Parent Handbook here.

Compass Charter Schools is a non-profit charter school. Your donation helps enhance and expand the Compass Experience for our scholars, learning coaches, and staff.

The easiest way to give is online at https://www.compasscharters.org/giving/.

If you can make a gift, the Compass family will benefit greatly.

Do not forget to check if your company will match your donation to Compass. It is an excellent way to SUPER-SIZE your donation! Thank you!

Are you enjoying the educational experience at Compass? Tell us! We want to hear from you. Why did you decide to join the Compass family? Or, what do you love most about being part of our community? Share you comments and all of your wonderful experiences at Compass with us! Click here to share.

Visit our website for more information about our academic programs. Want to get connected? Give us a shoutout on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram: @CompassCS #CompassExperience

Email: info@compasscharters.org
Website: www.compasscharters.org
Location: 850 Hampshire Road, Suite P, Thousand Oaks, CA, United States
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CompassCS/
Twitter: @CompassCS