Phones on Campus

As smartphones have become a necessity in our modern life, our learners have been bringing them to school at younger and younger grade levels. We understand our families make this choice so they can communicate with their learners should there be an emergency. Here are a few guidelines:

• As a society, we use phones for a variety of reasons. We want to support our learners with creating healthy habits with technology.  
• In grades TK/1-5, we ask that phones are kept in backpacks throughout the school day, including during lunch and break, which are times for the social interaction and physical activity learners need to be successful in school.  
• Beginning in middle school, and depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• In Upper School, learners may use their phones for school work. Again, depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• Should any learner need assistance in using a phone more responsibly, we will do our best to help them by limiting their phone usage, asking that it be turned in at the beginning of class, keeping their phone in a safe place, and/or meeting with the family to create a plan to help the learner use their phone more responsibly.  
• Finally, families, if you need to contact your learner during class hours, we ask that for younger learners, you contact the front desk, and for middle and upper school learners, you wait until their recess or break. Phone calls and texts in the middle of class distract your learner from being engaged in class.

Online Safety

We live in an age where technology is changing, it seems, minute to minute. Our learners are digital natives; they pick up a device, program or technology with ease and in a matter of moments they are able to navigate and operate it with ease and panache. For some of us who came to this technology later in life, we are digital immigrants; we have to reteach our brain to think differently, and it may take us longer to learn how to operate a program/technology, and/or figure out whether it’s going to be in the best interest of our child.  This is particularly true of internet sites. Sometimes, seemingly innocuous sites geared for our kids may not be all they claim to be.

Roblox Gaming App

One such site that we’ve discovered that our learners may be using is Roblox. At first glance, the site may seem to be what it purports to be — a place where your learner can play games.  The problem with the site is that the gamers can communicate with each other, and not all those playing are the same age as your learner. Predators take advantage of sites like this to groom young people.  Here’s an article to better understand how predators use sites like this.  You may want to check the gaming sites your learner is playing to see if they can be accessed by outside people, and perhaps get an account with your learner and play as well, to better understand the application. Again, if your learner has Roblox, it is not a safe site.

YouTube and Unrated Videos

So, you’ve set your learner’s YouTube account to only play a certain rating video. Your learner loves to watch videos of their favorite cartoon character. Settings, check. Cartoon character you know about and love, check. Safe, right? Not necessarily. Unfortunately, some of your child’s favorite cartoon characters may be well loved by adults, and they may have created “fanfiction” adaptations that may not be G-rated. How would your child get a hold of these types of videos?  If they’re non-rated, your learner may be able to access them. Check your child’s account cache to see if they have, by accident, watched a video that was intended for a more mature audience.

The Pod Challenge

Every generation has some crazy fad that drives the adults crazy. Why would they do something so foolish, and in some cases so dangerous? The latest teen challenge is not only dangerous, it could be deadly. The Tide Pod challenge dares kids to eat a laundry detergent gel pod.  

“The laundry detergent packets pose two potential problems… Children and teens can aspirate on the liquid by inhaling it into their lungs, or they can become ill by ingesting it — experiencing a change in blood pressure and heart rate, losing consciousness or having seizures. . . some may not know they have underlying medical conditions, such as asthma, that could put them at a higher risk for complications.” (Jan. 17, Washington Post)

We try our best to protect our learners from the world. With a world changing as fast as it is, we may need help to ensure their safety, particularly on the internet. Luckily there are online resources to help us. Check out sites like Common Sense Media or Family Zone (a subscription site). Both keep their information up to date to help us keep our children safe. Also, here are some tips for phone safety as well:  Top 5 Kids Cell Phone Safety Tips for Parents.

One last note — in all the articles we’ve read about online and phone safety, there is one thing we all can do that works well: Continue to have an open dialogue about their choices and experiences. Continued open dialogue assures that your child will come to you when they need you most. Please reach out to the leadership team if you have any questions or concerns.

Phones on Campus

As smartphones have become a necessity in our modern life, our learners have been bringing them to school at younger and younger grade levels. We understand our families make this choice so they can communicate with their learners should there be an emergency. Here are a few guidelines:

• As a society, we use phones for a variety of reasons. We want to support our learners with creating healthy habits with technology.  
• In grades TK/1-5, we ask that phones are kept in backpacks throughout the school day, including during lunch and break, which are times for the social interaction and physical activity learners need to be successful in school.  
• Beginning in middle school, and depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• In Upper School, learners may use their phones for school work. Again, depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• Should any learner need assistance in using a phone more responsibly, we will do our best to help them by limiting their phone usage, asking that it be turned in at the beginning of class, keeping their phone in a safe place, and/or meeting with the family to create a plan to help the learner use their phone more responsibly.  
• Finally, families, if you need to contact your learner during class hours, we ask that for younger learners, you contact the front desk, and for middle and upper school learners, you wait until their recess or break. Phone calls and texts in the middle of class distract your learner from being engaged in class.

Online Safety

We live in an age where technology is changing, it seems, minute to minute. Our learners are digital natives; they pick up a device, program or technology with ease and in a matter of moments they are able to navigate and operate it with ease and panache. For some of us who came to this technology later in life, we are digital immigrants; we have to reteach our brain to think differently, and it may take us longer to learn how to operate a program/technology, and/or figure out whether it’s going to be in the best interest of our child.  This is particularly true of internet sites. Sometimes, seemingly innocuous sites geared for our kids may not be all they claim to be.

Roblox Gaming App

One such site that we’ve discovered that our learners may be using is Roblox. At first glance, the site may seem to be what it purports to be — a place where your learner can play games.  The problem with the site is that the gamers can communicate with each other, and not all those playing are the same age as your learner. Predators take advantage of sites like this to groom young people.  Here’s an article to better understand how predators use sites like this.  You may want to check the gaming sites your learner is playing to see if they can be accessed by outside people, and perhaps get an account with your learner and play as well, to better understand the application. Again, if your learner has Roblox, it is not a safe site.

YouTube and Unrated Videos

So, you’ve set your learner’s YouTube account to only play a certain rating video. Your learner loves to watch videos of their favorite cartoon character. Settings, check. Cartoon character you know about and love, check. Safe, right? Not necessarily. Unfortunately, some of your child’s favorite cartoon characters may be well loved by adults, and they may have created “fanfiction” adaptations that may not be G-rated. How would your child get a hold of these types of videos?  If they’re non-rated, your learner may be able to access them. Check your child’s account cache to see if they have, by accident, watched a video that was intended for a more mature audience.

The Pod Challenge

Every generation has some crazy fad that drives the adults crazy. Why would they do something so foolish, and in some cases so dangerous? The latest teen challenge is not only dangerous, it could be deadly. The Tide Pod challenge dares kids to eat a laundry detergent gel pod.  

“The laundry detergent packets pose two potential problems… Children and teens can aspirate on the liquid by inhaling it into their lungs, or they can become ill by ingesting it — experiencing a change in blood pressure and heart rate, losing consciousness or having seizures. . . some may not know they have underlying medical conditions, such as asthma, that could put them at a higher risk for complications.” (Jan. 17, Washington Post)

We try our best to protect our learners from the world. With a world changing as fast as it is, we may need help to ensure their safety, particularly on the internet. Luckily there are online resources to help us. Check out sites like Common Sense Media or Family Zone (a subscription site). Both keep their information up to date to help us keep our children safe. Also, here are some tips for phone safety as well:  Top 5 Kids Cell Phone Safety Tips for Parents.

One last note — in all the articles we’ve read about online and phone safety, there is one thing we all can do that works well: Continue to have an open dialogue about their choices and experiences. Continued open dialogue assures that your child will come to you when they need you most. Please reach out to the leadership team if you have any questions or concerns.

Phones on Campus

As smartphones have become a necessity in our modern life, our learners have been bringing them to school at younger and younger grade levels. We understand our families make this choice so they can communicate with their learners should there be an emergency. Here are a few guidelines:

• As a society, we use phones for a variety of reasons. We want to support our learners with creating healthy habits with technology.  
• In grades TK/1-5, we ask that phones are kept in backpacks throughout the school day, including during lunch and break, which are times for the social interaction and physical activity learners need to be successful in school.  
• Beginning in middle school, and depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• In Upper School, learners may use their phones for school work. Again, depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• Should any learner need assistance in using a phone more responsibly, we will do our best to help them by limiting their phone usage, asking that it be turned in at the beginning of class, keeping their phone in a safe place, and/or meeting with the family to create a plan to help the learner use their phone more responsibly.  
• Finally, families, if you need to contact your learner during class hours, we ask that for younger learners, you contact the front desk, and for middle and upper school learners, you wait until their recess or break. Phone calls and texts in the middle of class distract your learner from being engaged in class.

Online Safety

We live in an age where technology is changing, it seems, minute to minute. Our learners are digital natives; they pick up a device, program or technology with ease and in a matter of moments they are able to navigate and operate it with ease and panache. For some of us who came to this technology later in life, we are digital immigrants; we have to reteach our brain to think differently, and it may take us longer to learn how to operate a program/technology, and/or figure out whether it’s going to be in the best interest of our child.  This is particularly true of internet sites. Sometimes, seemingly innocuous sites geared for our kids may not be all they claim to be.

Roblox Gaming App

One such site that we’ve discovered that our learners may be using is Roblox. At first glance, the site may seem to be what it purports to be — a place where your learner can play games.  The problem with the site is that the gamers can communicate with each other, and not all those playing are the same age as your learner. Predators take advantage of sites like this to groom young people.  Here’s an article to better understand how predators use sites like this.  You may want to check the gaming sites your learner is playing to see if they can be accessed by outside people, and perhaps get an account with your learner and play as well, to better understand the application. Again, if your learner has Roblox, it is not a safe site.

YouTube and Unrated Videos

So, you’ve set your learner’s YouTube account to only play a certain rating video. Your learner loves to watch videos of their favorite cartoon character. Settings, check. Cartoon character you know about and love, check. Safe, right? Not necessarily. Unfortunately, some of your child’s favorite cartoon characters may be well loved by adults, and they may have created “fanfiction” adaptations that may not be G-rated. How would your child get a hold of these types of videos?  If they’re non-rated, your learner may be able to access them. Check your child’s account cache to see if they have, by accident, watched a video that was intended for a more mature audience.

The Pod Challenge

Every generation has some crazy fad that drives the adults crazy. Why would they do something so foolish, and in some cases so dangerous? The latest teen challenge is not only dangerous, it could be deadly. The Tide Pod challenge dares kids to eat a laundry detergent gel pod.  

“The laundry detergent packets pose two potential problems… Children and teens can aspirate on the liquid by inhaling it into their lungs, or they can become ill by ingesting it — experiencing a change in blood pressure and heart rate, losing consciousness or having seizures. . . some may not know they have underlying medical conditions, such as asthma, that could put them at a higher risk for complications.” (Jan. 17, Washington Post)

We try our best to protect our learners from the world. With a world changing as fast as it is, we may need help to ensure their safety, particularly on the internet. Luckily there are online resources to help us. Check out sites like Common Sense Media or Family Zone (a subscription site). Both keep their information up to date to help us keep our children safe. Also, here are some tips for phone safety as well:  Top 5 Kids Cell Phone Safety Tips for Parents.

One last note — in all the articles we’ve read about online and phone safety, there is one thing we all can do that works well: Continue to have an open dialogue about their choices and experiences. Continued open dialogue assures that your child will come to you when they need you most. Please reach out to the leadership team if you have any questions or concerns.

Phones on Campus

As smartphones have become a necessity in our modern life, our learners have been bringing them to school at younger and younger grade levels. We understand our families make this choice so they can communicate with their learners should there be an emergency. Here are a few guidelines:

• As a society, we use phones for a variety of reasons. We want to support our learners with creating healthy habits with technology.  
• In grades TK/1-5, we ask that phones are kept in backpacks throughout the school day, including during lunch and break, which are times for the social interaction and physical activity learners need to be successful in school.  
• Beginning in middle school, and depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• In Upper School, learners may use their phones for school work. Again, depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• Should any learner need assistance in using a phone more responsibly, we will do our best to help them by limiting their phone usage, asking that it be turned in at the beginning of class, keeping their phone in a safe place, and/or meeting with the family to create a plan to help the learner use their phone more responsibly.  
• Finally, families, if you need to contact your learner during class hours, we ask that for younger learners, you contact the front desk, and for middle and upper school learners, you wait until their recess or break. Phone calls and texts in the middle of class distract your learner from being engaged in class.

Online Safety

We live in an age where technology is changing, it seems, minute to minute. Our learners are digital natives; they pick up a device, program or technology with ease and in a matter of moments they are able to navigate and operate it with ease and panache. For some of us who came to this technology later in life, we are digital immigrants; we have to reteach our brain to think differently, and it may take us longer to learn how to operate a program/technology, and/or figure out whether it’s going to be in the best interest of our child.  This is particularly true of internet sites. Sometimes, seemingly innocuous sites geared for our kids may not be all they claim to be.

Roblox Gaming App

One such site that we’ve discovered that our learners may be using is Roblox. At first glance, the site may seem to be what it purports to be — a place where your learner can play games.  The problem with the site is that the gamers can communicate with each other, and not all those playing are the same age as your learner. Predators take advantage of sites like this to groom young people.  Here’s an article to better understand how predators use sites like this.  You may want to check the gaming sites your learner is playing to see if they can be accessed by outside people, and perhaps get an account with your learner and play as well, to better understand the application. Again, if your learner has Roblox, it is not a safe site.

YouTube and Unrated Videos

So, you’ve set your learner’s YouTube account to only play a certain rating video. Your learner loves to watch videos of their favorite cartoon character. Settings, check. Cartoon character you know about and love, check. Safe, right? Not necessarily. Unfortunately, some of your child’s favorite cartoon characters may be well loved by adults, and they may have created “fanfiction” adaptations that may not be G-rated. How would your child get a hold of these types of videos?  If they’re non-rated, your learner may be able to access them. Check your child’s account cache to see if they have, by accident, watched a video that was intended for a more mature audience.

The Pod Challenge

Every generation has some crazy fad that drives the adults crazy. Why would they do something so foolish, and in some cases so dangerous? The latest teen challenge is not only dangerous, it could be deadly. The Tide Pod challenge dares kids to eat a laundry detergent gel pod.  

“The laundry detergent packets pose two potential problems… Children and teens can aspirate on the liquid by inhaling it into their lungs, or they can become ill by ingesting it — experiencing a change in blood pressure and heart rate, losing consciousness or having seizures. . . some may not know they have underlying medical conditions, such as asthma, that could put them at a higher risk for complications.” (Jan. 17, Washington Post)

We try our best to protect our learners from the world. With a world changing as fast as it is, we may need help to ensure their safety, particularly on the internet. Luckily there are online resources to help us. Check out sites like Common Sense Media or Family Zone (a subscription site). Both keep their information up to date to help us keep our children safe. Also, here are some tips for phone safety as well:  Top 5 Kids Cell Phone Safety Tips for Parents.

One last note — in all the articles we’ve read about online and phone safety, there is one thing we all can do that works well: Continue to have an open dialogue about their choices and experiences. Continued open dialogue assures that your child will come to you when they need you most. Please reach out to the leadership team if you have any questions or concerns.

Phones on Campus

As smartphones have become a necessity in our modern life, our learners have been bringing them to school at younger and younger grade levels. We understand our families make this choice so they can communicate with their learners should there be an emergency. Here are a few guidelines:

• As a society, we use phones for a variety of reasons. We want to support our learners with creating healthy habits with technology.  
• In grades TK/1-5, we ask that phones are kept in backpacks throughout the school day, including during lunch and break, which are times for the social interaction and physical activity learners need to be successful in school.  
• Beginning in middle school, and depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• In Upper School, learners may use their phones for school work. Again, depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• Should any learner need assistance in using a phone more responsibly, we will do our best to help them by limiting their phone usage, asking that it be turned in at the beginning of class, keeping their phone in a safe place, and/or meeting with the family to create a plan to help the learner use their phone more responsibly.  
• Finally, families, if you need to contact your learner during class hours, we ask that for younger learners, you contact the front desk, and for middle and upper school learners, you wait until their recess or break. Phone calls and texts in the middle of class distract your learner from being engaged in class.

Online Safety

We live in an age where technology is changing, it seems, minute to minute. Our learners are digital natives; they pick up a device, program or technology with ease and in a matter of moments they are able to navigate and operate it with ease and panache. For some of us who came to this technology later in life, we are digital immigrants; we have to reteach our brain to think differently, and it may take us longer to learn how to operate a program/technology, and/or figure out whether it’s going to be in the best interest of our child.  This is particularly true of internet sites. Sometimes, seemingly innocuous sites geared for our kids may not be all they claim to be.

Roblox Gaming App

One such site that we’ve discovered that our learners may be using is Roblox. At first glance, the site may seem to be what it purports to be — a place where your learner can play games.  The problem with the site is that the gamers can communicate with each other, and not all those playing are the same age as your learner. Predators take advantage of sites like this to groom young people.  Here’s an article to better understand how predators use sites like this.  You may want to check the gaming sites your learner is playing to see if they can be accessed by outside people, and perhaps get an account with your learner and play as well, to better understand the application. Again, if your learner has Roblox, it is not a safe site.

YouTube and Unrated Videos

So, you’ve set your learner’s YouTube account to only play a certain rating video. Your learner loves to watch videos of their favorite cartoon character. Settings, check. Cartoon character you know about and love, check. Safe, right? Not necessarily. Unfortunately, some of your child’s favorite cartoon characters may be well loved by adults, and they may have created “fanfiction” adaptations that may not be G-rated. How would your child get a hold of these types of videos?  If they’re non-rated, your learner may be able to access them. Check your child’s account cache to see if they have, by accident, watched a video that was intended for a more mature audience.

The Pod Challenge

Every generation has some crazy fad that drives the adults crazy. Why would they do something so foolish, and in some cases so dangerous? The latest teen challenge is not only dangerous, it could be deadly. The Tide Pod challenge dares kids to eat a laundry detergent gel pod.  

“The laundry detergent packets pose two potential problems… Children and teens can aspirate on the liquid by inhaling it into their lungs, or they can become ill by ingesting it — experiencing a change in blood pressure and heart rate, losing consciousness or having seizures. . . some may not know they have underlying medical conditions, such as asthma, that could put them at a higher risk for complications.” (Jan. 17, Washington Post)

We try our best to protect our learners from the world. With a world changing as fast as it is, we may need help to ensure their safety, particularly on the internet. Luckily there are online resources to help us. Check out sites like Common Sense Media or Family Zone (a subscription site). Both keep their information up to date to help us keep our children safe. Also, here are some tips for phone safety as well:  Top 5 Kids Cell Phone Safety Tips for Parents.

One last note — in all the articles we’ve read about online and phone safety, there is one thing we all can do that works well: Continue to have an open dialogue about their choices and experiences. Continued open dialogue assures that your child will come to you when they need you most. Please reach out to the leadership team if you have any questions or concerns.

Phones on Campus

As smartphones have become a necessity in our modern life, our learners have been bringing them to school at younger and younger grade levels. We understand our families make this choice so they can communicate with their learners should there be an emergency. Here are a few guidelines:

• As a society, we use phones for a variety of reasons. We want to support our learners with creating healthy habits with technology.  
• In grades TK/1-5, we ask that phones are kept in backpacks throughout the school day, including during lunch and break, which are times for the social interaction and physical activity learners need to be successful in school.  
• Beginning in middle school, and depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• In Upper School, learners may use their phones for school work. Again, depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• Should any learner need assistance in using a phone more responsibly, we will do our best to help them by limiting their phone usage, asking that it be turned in at the beginning of class, keeping their phone in a safe place, and/or meeting with the family to create a plan to help the learner use their phone more responsibly.  
• Finally, families, if you need to contact your learner during class hours, we ask that for younger learners, you contact the front desk, and for middle and upper school learners, you wait until their recess or break. Phone calls and texts in the middle of class distract your learner from being engaged in class.

Online Safety

We live in an age where technology is changing, it seems, minute to minute. Our learners are digital natives; they pick up a device, program or technology with ease and in a matter of moments they are able to navigate and operate it with ease and panache. For some of us who came to this technology later in life, we are digital immigrants; we have to reteach our brain to think differently, and it may take us longer to learn how to operate a program/technology, and/or figure out whether it’s going to be in the best interest of our child.  This is particularly true of internet sites. Sometimes, seemingly innocuous sites geared for our kids may not be all they claim to be.

Roblox Gaming App

One such site that we’ve discovered that our learners may be using is Roblox. At first glance, the site may seem to be what it purports to be — a place where your learner can play games.  The problem with the site is that the gamers can communicate with each other, and not all those playing are the same age as your learner. Predators take advantage of sites like this to groom young people.  Here’s an article to better understand how predators use sites like this.  You may want to check the gaming sites your learner is playing to see if they can be accessed by outside people, and perhaps get an account with your learner and play as well, to better understand the application. Again, if your learner has Roblox, it is not a safe site.

YouTube and Unrated Videos

So, you’ve set your learner’s YouTube account to only play a certain rating video. Your learner loves to watch videos of their favorite cartoon character. Settings, check. Cartoon character you know about and love, check. Safe, right? Not necessarily. Unfortunately, some of your child’s favorite cartoon characters may be well loved by adults, and they may have created “fanfiction” adaptations that may not be G-rated. How would your child get a hold of these types of videos?  If they’re non-rated, your learner may be able to access them. Check your child’s account cache to see if they have, by accident, watched a video that was intended for a more mature audience.

The Pod Challenge

Every generation has some crazy fad that drives the adults crazy. Why would they do something so foolish, and in some cases so dangerous? The latest teen challenge is not only dangerous, it could be deadly. The Tide Pod challenge dares kids to eat a laundry detergent gel pod.  

“The laundry detergent packets pose two potential problems… Children and teens can aspirate on the liquid by inhaling it into their lungs, or they can become ill by ingesting it — experiencing a change in blood pressure and heart rate, losing consciousness or having seizures. . . some may not know they have underlying medical conditions, such as asthma, that could put them at a higher risk for complications.” (Jan. 17, Washington Post)

We try our best to protect our learners from the world. With a world changing as fast as it is, we may need help to ensure their safety, particularly on the internet. Luckily there are online resources to help us. Check out sites like Common Sense Media or Family Zone (a subscription site). Both keep their information up to date to help us keep our children safe. Also, here are some tips for phone safety as well:  Top 5 Kids Cell Phone Safety Tips for Parents.

One last note — in all the articles we’ve read about online and phone safety, there is one thing we all can do that works well: Continue to have an open dialogue about their choices and experiences. Continued open dialogue assures that your child will come to you when they need you most. Please reach out to the leadership team if you have any questions or concerns.

Phones on Campus

As smartphones have become a necessity in our modern life, our learners have been bringing them to school at younger and younger grade levels. We understand our families make this choice so they can communicate with their learners should there be an emergency. Here are a few guidelines:

• As a society, we use phones for a variety of reasons. We want to support our learners with creating healthy habits with technology.  
• In grades TK/1-5, we ask that phones are kept in backpacks throughout the school day, including during lunch and break, which are times for the social interaction and physical activity learners need to be successful in school.  
• Beginning in middle school, and depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• In Upper School, learners may use their phones for school work. Again, depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• Should any learner need assistance in using a phone more responsibly, we will do our best to help them by limiting their phone usage, asking that it be turned in at the beginning of class, keeping their phone in a safe place, and/or meeting with the family to create a plan to help the learner use their phone more responsibly.  
• Finally, families, if you need to contact your learner during class hours, we ask that for younger learners, you contact the front desk, and for middle and upper school learners, you wait until their recess or break. Phone calls and texts in the middle of class distract your learner from being engaged in class.

Online Safety

We live in an age where technology is changing, it seems, minute to minute. Our learners are digital natives; they pick up a device, program or technology with ease and in a matter of moments they are able to navigate and operate it with ease and panache. For some of us who came to this technology later in life, we are digital immigrants; we have to reteach our brain to think differently, and it may take us longer to learn how to operate a program/technology, and/or figure out whether it’s going to be in the best interest of our child.  This is particularly true of internet sites. Sometimes, seemingly innocuous sites geared for our kids may not be all they claim to be.

Roblox Gaming App

One such site that we’ve discovered that our learners may be using is Roblox. At first glance, the site may seem to be what it purports to be — a place where your learner can play games.  The problem with the site is that the gamers can communicate with each other, and not all those playing are the same age as your learner. Predators take advantage of sites like this to groom young people.  Here’s an article to better understand how predators use sites like this.  You may want to check the gaming sites your learner is playing to see if they can be accessed by outside people, and perhaps get an account with your learner and play as well, to better understand the application. Again, if your learner has Roblox, it is not a safe site.

YouTube and Unrated Videos

So, you’ve set your learner’s YouTube account to only play a certain rating video. Your learner loves to watch videos of their favorite cartoon character. Settings, check. Cartoon character you know about and love, check. Safe, right? Not necessarily. Unfortunately, some of your child’s favorite cartoon characters may be well loved by adults, and they may have created “fanfiction” adaptations that may not be G-rated. How would your child get a hold of these types of videos?  If they’re non-rated, your learner may be able to access them. Check your child’s account cache to see if they have, by accident, watched a video that was intended for a more mature audience.

The Pod Challenge

Every generation has some crazy fad that drives the adults crazy. Why would they do something so foolish, and in some cases so dangerous? The latest teen challenge is not only dangerous, it could be deadly. The Tide Pod challenge dares kids to eat a laundry detergent gel pod.  

“The laundry detergent packets pose two potential problems… Children and teens can aspirate on the liquid by inhaling it into their lungs, or they can become ill by ingesting it — experiencing a change in blood pressure and heart rate, losing consciousness or having seizures. . . some may not know they have underlying medical conditions, such as asthma, that could put them at a higher risk for complications.” (Jan. 17, Washington Post)

We try our best to protect our learners from the world. With a world changing as fast as it is, we may need help to ensure their safety, particularly on the internet. Luckily there are online resources to help us. Check out sites like Common Sense Media or Family Zone (a subscription site). Both keep their information up to date to help us keep our children safe. Also, here are some tips for phone safety as well:  Top 5 Kids Cell Phone Safety Tips for Parents.

One last note — in all the articles we’ve read about online and phone safety, there is one thing we all can do that works well: Continue to have an open dialogue about their choices and experiences. Continued open dialogue assures that your child will come to you when they need you most. Please reach out to the leadership team if you have any questions or concerns.

Phones on Campus

As smartphones have become a necessity in our modern life, our learners have been bringing them to school at younger and younger grade levels. We understand our families make this choice so they can communicate with their learners should there be an emergency. Here are a few guidelines:

• As a society, we use phones for a variety of reasons. We want to support our learners with creating healthy habits with technology.  
• In grades TK/1-5, we ask that phones are kept in backpacks throughout the school day, including during lunch and break, which are times for the social interaction and physical activity learners need to be successful in school.  
• Beginning in middle school, and depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• In Upper School, learners may use their phones for school work. Again, depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• Should any learner need assistance in using a phone more responsibly, we will do our best to help them by limiting their phone usage, asking that it be turned in at the beginning of class, keeping their phone in a safe place, and/or meeting with the family to create a plan to help the learner use their phone more responsibly.  
• Finally, families, if you need to contact your learner during class hours, we ask that for younger learners, you contact the front desk, and for middle and upper school learners, you wait until their recess or break. Phone calls and texts in the middle of class distract your learner from being engaged in class.

Online Safety

We live in an age where technology is changing, it seems, minute to minute. Our learners are digital natives; they pick up a device, program or technology with ease and in a matter of moments they are able to navigate and operate it with ease and panache. For some of us who came to this technology later in life, we are digital immigrants; we have to reteach our brain to think differently, and it may take us longer to learn how to operate a program/technology, and/or figure out whether it’s going to be in the best interest of our child.  This is particularly true of internet sites. Sometimes, seemingly innocuous sites geared for our kids may not be all they claim to be.

Roblox Gaming App

One such site that we’ve discovered that our learners may be using is Roblox. At first glance, the site may seem to be what it purports to be — a place where your learner can play games.  The problem with the site is that the gamers can communicate with each other, and not all those playing are the same age as your learner. Predators take advantage of sites like this to groom young people.  Here’s an article to better understand how predators use sites like this.  You may want to check the gaming sites your learner is playing to see if they can be accessed by outside people, and perhaps get an account with your learner and play as well, to better understand the application. Again, if your learner has Roblox, it is not a safe site.

YouTube and Unrated Videos

So, you’ve set your learner’s YouTube account to only play a certain rating video. Your learner loves to watch videos of their favorite cartoon character. Settings, check. Cartoon character you know about and love, check. Safe, right? Not necessarily. Unfortunately, some of your child’s favorite cartoon characters may be well loved by adults, and they may have created “fanfiction” adaptations that may not be G-rated. How would your child get a hold of these types of videos?  If they’re non-rated, your learner may be able to access them. Check your child’s account cache to see if they have, by accident, watched a video that was intended for a more mature audience.

The Pod Challenge

Every generation has some crazy fad that drives the adults crazy. Why would they do something so foolish, and in some cases so dangerous? The latest teen challenge is not only dangerous, it could be deadly. The Tide Pod challenge dares kids to eat a laundry detergent gel pod.  

“The laundry detergent packets pose two potential problems… Children and teens can aspirate on the liquid by inhaling it into their lungs, or they can become ill by ingesting it — experiencing a change in blood pressure and heart rate, losing consciousness or having seizures. . . some may not know they have underlying medical conditions, such as asthma, that could put them at a higher risk for complications.” (Jan. 17, Washington Post)

We try our best to protect our learners from the world. With a world changing as fast as it is, we may need help to ensure their safety, particularly on the internet. Luckily there are online resources to help us. Check out sites like Common Sense Media or Family Zone (a subscription site). Both keep their information up to date to help us keep our children safe. Also, here are some tips for phone safety as well:  Top 5 Kids Cell Phone Safety Tips for Parents.

One last note — in all the articles we’ve read about online and phone safety, there is one thing we all can do that works well: Continue to have an open dialogue about their choices and experiences. Continued open dialogue assures that your child will come to you when they need you most. Please reach out to the leadership team if you have any questions or concerns.

Phones on Campus

As smartphones have become a necessity in our modern life, our learners have been bringing them to school at younger and younger grade levels. We understand our families make this choice so they can communicate with their learners should there be an emergency. Here are a few guidelines:

• As a society, we use phones for a variety of reasons. We want to support our learners with creating healthy habits with technology.  
• In grades TK/1-5, we ask that phones are kept in backpacks throughout the school day, including during lunch and break, which are times for the social interaction and physical activity learners need to be successful in school.  
• Beginning in middle school, and depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• In Upper School, learners may use their phones for school work. Again, depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• Should any learner need assistance in using a phone more responsibly, we will do our best to help them by limiting their phone usage, asking that it be turned in at the beginning of class, keeping their phone in a safe place, and/or meeting with the family to create a plan to help the learner use their phone more responsibly.  
• Finally, families, if you need to contact your learner during class hours, we ask that for younger learners, you contact the front desk, and for middle and upper school learners, you wait until their recess or break. Phone calls and texts in the middle of class distract your learner from being engaged in class.

Online Safety

We live in an age where technology is changing, it seems, minute to minute. Our learners are digital natives; they pick up a device, program or technology with ease and in a matter of moments they are able to navigate and operate it with ease and panache. For some of us who came to this technology later in life, we are digital immigrants; we have to reteach our brain to think differently, and it may take us longer to learn how to operate a program/technology, and/or figure out whether it’s going to be in the best interest of our child.  This is particularly true of internet sites. Sometimes, seemingly innocuous sites geared for our kids may not be all they claim to be.

Roblox Gaming App

One such site that we’ve discovered that our learners may be using is Roblox. At first glance, the site may seem to be what it purports to be — a place where your learner can play games.  The problem with the site is that the gamers can communicate with each other, and not all those playing are the same age as your learner. Predators take advantage of sites like this to groom young people.  Here’s an article to better understand how predators use sites like this.  You may want to check the gaming sites your learner is playing to see if they can be accessed by outside people, and perhaps get an account with your learner and play as well, to better understand the application. Again, if your learner has Roblox, it is not a safe site.

YouTube and Unrated Videos

So, you’ve set your learner’s YouTube account to only play a certain rating video. Your learner loves to watch videos of their favorite cartoon character. Settings, check. Cartoon character you know about and love, check. Safe, right? Not necessarily. Unfortunately, some of your child’s favorite cartoon characters may be well loved by adults, and they may have created “fanfiction” adaptations that may not be G-rated. How would your child get a hold of these types of videos?  If they’re non-rated, your learner may be able to access them. Check your child’s account cache to see if they have, by accident, watched a video that was intended for a more mature audience.

The Pod Challenge

Every generation has some crazy fad that drives the adults crazy. Why would they do something so foolish, and in some cases so dangerous? The latest teen challenge is not only dangerous, it could be deadly. The Tide Pod challenge dares kids to eat a laundry detergent gel pod.  

“The laundry detergent packets pose two potential problems… Children and teens can aspirate on the liquid by inhaling it into their lungs, or they can become ill by ingesting it — experiencing a change in blood pressure and heart rate, losing consciousness or having seizures. . . some may not know they have underlying medical conditions, such as asthma, that could put them at a higher risk for complications.” (Jan. 17, Washington Post)

We try our best to protect our learners from the world. With a world changing as fast as it is, we may need help to ensure their safety, particularly on the internet. Luckily there are online resources to help us. Check out sites like Common Sense Media or Family Zone (a subscription site). Both keep their information up to date to help us keep our children safe. Also, here are some tips for phone safety as well:  Top 5 Kids Cell Phone Safety Tips for Parents.

One last note — in all the articles we’ve read about online and phone safety, there is one thing we all can do that works well: Continue to have an open dialogue about their choices and experiences. Continued open dialogue assures that your child will come to you when they need you most. Please reach out to the leadership team if you have any questions or concerns.

Phones on Campus

As smartphones have become a necessity in our modern life, our learners have been bringing them to school at younger and younger grade levels. We understand our families make this choice so they can communicate with their learners should there be an emergency. Here are a few guidelines:

• As a society, we use phones for a variety of reasons. We want to support our learners with creating healthy habits with technology.  
• In grades TK/1-5, we ask that phones are kept in backpacks throughout the school day, including during lunch and break, which are times for the social interaction and physical activity learners need to be successful in school.  
• Beginning in middle school, and depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• In Upper School, learners may use their phones for school work. Again, depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• Should any learner need assistance in using a phone more responsibly, we will do our best to help them by limiting their phone usage, asking that it be turned in at the beginning of class, keeping their phone in a safe place, and/or meeting with the family to create a plan to help the learner use their phone more responsibly.  
• Finally, families, if you need to contact your learner during class hours, we ask that for younger learners, you contact the front desk, and for middle and upper school learners, you wait until their recess or break. Phone calls and texts in the middle of class distract your learner from being engaged in class.

Online Safety

We live in an age where technology is changing, it seems, minute to minute. Our learners are digital natives; they pick up a device, program or technology with ease and in a matter of moments they are able to navigate and operate it with ease and panache. For some of us who came to this technology later in life, we are digital immigrants; we have to reteach our brain to think differently, and it may take us longer to learn how to operate a program/technology, and/or figure out whether it’s going to be in the best interest of our child.  This is particularly true of internet sites. Sometimes, seemingly innocuous sites geared for our kids may not be all they claim to be.

Roblox Gaming App

One such site that we’ve discovered that our learners may be using is Roblox. At first glance, the site may seem to be what it purports to be — a place where your learner can play games.  The problem with the site is that the gamers can communicate with each other, and not all those playing are the same age as your learner. Predators take advantage of sites like this to groom young people.  Here’s an article to better understand how predators use sites like this.  You may want to check the gaming sites your learner is playing to see if they can be accessed by outside people, and perhaps get an account with your learner and play as well, to better understand the application. Again, if your learner has Roblox, it is not a safe site.

YouTube and Unrated Videos

So, you’ve set your learner’s YouTube account to only play a certain rating video. Your learner loves to watch videos of their favorite cartoon character. Settings, check. Cartoon character you know about and love, check. Safe, right? Not necessarily. Unfortunately, some of your child’s favorite cartoon characters may be well loved by adults, and they may have created “fanfiction” adaptations that may not be G-rated. How would your child get a hold of these types of videos?  If they’re non-rated, your learner may be able to access them. Check your child’s account cache to see if they have, by accident, watched a video that was intended for a more mature audience.

The Pod Challenge

Every generation has some crazy fad that drives the adults crazy. Why would they do something so foolish, and in some cases so dangerous? The latest teen challenge is not only dangerous, it could be deadly. The Tide Pod challenge dares kids to eat a laundry detergent gel pod.  

“The laundry detergent packets pose two potential problems… Children and teens can aspirate on the liquid by inhaling it into their lungs, or they can become ill by ingesting it — experiencing a change in blood pressure and heart rate, losing consciousness or having seizures. . . some may not know they have underlying medical conditions, such as asthma, that could put them at a higher risk for complications.” (Jan. 17, Washington Post)

We try our best to protect our learners from the world. With a world changing as fast as it is, we may need help to ensure their safety, particularly on the internet. Luckily there are online resources to help us. Check out sites like Common Sense Media or Family Zone (a subscription site). Both keep their information up to date to help us keep our children safe. Also, here are some tips for phone safety as well:  Top 5 Kids Cell Phone Safety Tips for Parents.

One last note — in all the articles we’ve read about online and phone safety, there is one thing we all can do that works well: Continue to have an open dialogue about their choices and experiences. Continued open dialogue assures that your child will come to you when they need you most. Please reach out to the leadership team if you have any questions or concerns.

Phones on Campus

As smartphones have become a necessity in our modern life, our learners have been bringing them to school at younger and younger grade levels. We understand our families make this choice so they can communicate with their learners should there be an emergency. Here are a few guidelines:

• As a society, we use phones for a variety of reasons. We want to support our learners with creating healthy habits with technology.  
• In grades TK/1-5, we ask that phones are kept in backpacks throughout the school day, including during lunch and break, which are times for the social interaction and physical activity learners need to be successful in school.  
• Beginning in middle school, and depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• In Upper School, learners may use their phones for school work. Again, depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• Should any learner need assistance in using a phone more responsibly, we will do our best to help them by limiting their phone usage, asking that it be turned in at the beginning of class, keeping their phone in a safe place, and/or meeting with the family to create a plan to help the learner use their phone more responsibly.  
• Finally, families, if you need to contact your learner during class hours, we ask that for younger learners, you contact the front desk, and for middle and upper school learners, you wait until their recess or break. Phone calls and texts in the middle of class distract your learner from being engaged in class.

Online Safety

We live in an age where technology is changing, it seems, minute to minute. Our learners are digital natives; they pick up a device, program or technology with ease and in a matter of moments they are able to navigate and operate it with ease and panache. For some of us who came to this technology later in life, we are digital immigrants; we have to reteach our brain to think differently, and it may take us longer to learn how to operate a program/technology, and/or figure out whether it’s going to be in the best interest of our child.  This is particularly true of internet sites. Sometimes, seemingly innocuous sites geared for our kids may not be all they claim to be.

Roblox Gaming App

One such site that we’ve discovered that our learners may be using is Roblox. At first glance, the site may seem to be what it purports to be — a place where your learner can play games.  The problem with the site is that the gamers can communicate with each other, and not all those playing are the same age as your learner. Predators take advantage of sites like this to groom young people.  Here’s an article to better understand how predators use sites like this.  You may want to check the gaming sites your learner is playing to see if they can be accessed by outside people, and perhaps get an account with your learner and play as well, to better understand the application. Again, if your learner has Roblox, it is not a safe site.

YouTube and Unrated Videos

So, you’ve set your learner’s YouTube account to only play a certain rating video. Your learner loves to watch videos of their favorite cartoon character. Settings, check. Cartoon character you know about and love, check. Safe, right? Not necessarily. Unfortunately, some of your child’s favorite cartoon characters may be well loved by adults, and they may have created “fanfiction” adaptations that may not be G-rated. How would your child get a hold of these types of videos?  If they’re non-rated, your learner may be able to access them. Check your child’s account cache to see if they have, by accident, watched a video that was intended for a more mature audience.

The Pod Challenge

Every generation has some crazy fad that drives the adults crazy. Why would they do something so foolish, and in some cases so dangerous? The latest teen challenge is not only dangerous, it could be deadly. The Tide Pod challenge dares kids to eat a laundry detergent gel pod.  

“The laundry detergent packets pose two potential problems… Children and teens can aspirate on the liquid by inhaling it into their lungs, or they can become ill by ingesting it — experiencing a change in blood pressure and heart rate, losing consciousness or having seizures. . . some may not know they have underlying medical conditions, such as asthma, that could put them at a higher risk for complications.” (Jan. 17, Washington Post)

We try our best to protect our learners from the world. With a world changing as fast as it is, we may need help to ensure their safety, particularly on the internet. Luckily there are online resources to help us. Check out sites like Common Sense Media or Family Zone (a subscription site). Both keep their information up to date to help us keep our children safe. Also, here are some tips for phone safety as well:  Top 5 Kids Cell Phone Safety Tips for Parents.

One last note — in all the articles we’ve read about online and phone safety, there is one thing we all can do that works well: Continue to have an open dialogue about their choices and experiences. Continued open dialogue assures that your child will come to you when they need you most. Please reach out to the leadership team if you have any questions or concerns.

Phones on Campus

As smartphones have become a necessity in our modern life, our learners have been bringing them to school at younger and younger grade levels. We understand our families make this choice so they can communicate with their learners should there be an emergency. Here are a few guidelines:

• As a society, we use phones for a variety of reasons. We want to support our learners with creating healthy habits with technology.  
• In grades TK/1-5, we ask that phones are kept in backpacks throughout the school day, including during lunch and break, which are times for the social interaction and physical activity learners need to be successful in school.  
• Beginning in middle school, and depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• In Upper School, learners may use their phones for school work. Again, depending on the guidelines of each particular class, your learner may have the privilege to use their phones to do classwork, and during break and lunch, if they use their privilege responsibly.  
• Should any learner need assistance in using a phone more responsibly, we will do our best to help them by limiting their phone usage, asking that it be turned in at the beginning of class, keeping their phone in a safe place, and/or meeting with the family to create a plan to help the learner use their phone more responsibly.  
• Finally, families, if you need to contact your learner during class hours, we ask that for younger learners, you contact the front desk, and for middle and upper school learners, you wait until their recess or break. Phone calls and texts in the middle of class distract your learner from being engaged in class.

Online Safety

We live in an age where technology is changing, it seems, minute to minute. Our learners are digital natives; they pick up a device, program or technology with ease and in a matter of moments they are able to navigate and operate it with ease and panache. For some of us who came to this technology later in life, we are digital immigrants; we have to reteach our brain to think differently, and it may take us longer to learn how to operate a program/technology, and/or figure out whether it’s going to be in the best interest of our child.  This is particularly true of internet sites. Sometimes, seemingly innocuous sites geared for our kids may not be all they claim to be.

Roblox Gaming App

One such site that we’ve discovered that our learners may be using is Roblox. At first glance, the site may seem to be what it purports to be — a place where your learner can play games.  The problem with the site is that the gamers can communicate with each other, and not all those playing are the same age as your learner. Predators take advantage of sites like this to groom young people.  Here’s an article to better understand how predators use sites like this.  You may want to check the gaming sites your learner is playing to see if they can be accessed by outside people, and perhaps get an account with your learner and play as well, to better understand the application. Again, if your learner has Roblox, it is not a safe site.

YouTube and Unrated Videos

So, you’ve set your learner’s YouTube account to only play a certain rating video. Your learner loves to watch videos of their favorite cartoon character. Settings, check. Cartoon character you know about and love, check. Safe, right? Not necessarily. Unfortunately, some of your child’s favorite cartoon characters may be well loved by adults, and they may have created “fanfiction” adaptations that may not be G-rated. How would your child get a hold of these types of videos?  If they’re non-rated, your learner may be able to access them. Check your child’s account cache to see if they have, by accident, watched a video that was intended for a more mature audience.

The Pod Challenge

Every generation has some crazy fad that drives the adults crazy. Why would they do something so foolish, and in some cases so dangerous? The latest teen challenge is not only dangerous, it could be deadly. The Tide Pod challenge dares kids to eat a laundry detergent gel pod.  

“The laundry detergent packets pose two potential problems… Children and teens can aspirate on the liquid by inhaling it into their lungs, or they can become ill by ingesting it — experiencing a change in blood pressure and heart rate, losing consciousness or having seizures. . . some may not know they have underlying medical conditions, such as asthma, that could put them at a higher risk for complications.” (Jan. 17, Washington Post)

We try our best to protect our learners from the world. With a world changing as fast as it is, we may need help to ensure their safety, particularly on the internet. Luckily there are online resources to help us. Check out sites like Common Sense Media or Family Zone (a subscription site). Both keep their information up to date to help us keep our children safe. Also, here are some tips for phone safety as well:  Top 5 Kids Cell Phone Safety Tips for Parents.

One last note — in all the articles we’ve read about online and phone safety, there is one thing we all can do that works well: Continue to have an open dialogue about their choices and experiences. Continued open dialogue assures that your child will come to you when they need you most. Please reach out to the leadership team if you have any questions or concerns.

Hello families,

I have been sharing Innovation Studios folders with you and your learners during weekly check-ins. As an independent study program we need to collect work samples for each learning period. Please check in with your child to see what they have collected so far. We have just finished our second learning period.

In advisory (Mondays from 1 to 1:50), we are still exploring the book “Ignite Your Spark.” Right now we are reading Chapter 7, which is about defining dreams. We are watching the documentary (in pieces) “The Dream Share Project.” I have attached the link to the trailer here. I have asked the learners to bring a photo of themselves next Monday. The photo needs to be from preschool years-middle school and preferably showing them doing something they love, showing imagination, playing, etc. We will be using them as a conversation starter about personal stories and dreams. I am not keeping the photos. Those who missed advisory yesterday need to check in with me.

Tenth graders need to have chosen their topic for their personal project and began logging their journals.  Please let me know if you need help.

Some driving questions for our independent study classes:

• How does surrealism represent the Latino struggles around the world?
• How does the mind inhibit or enhance sports performance?
• How does Nancy Rourke use art to help the deaf community speak?
• How can I design, test, and build a dirt bike trailer with a budget?

Alex Urbina offers an amazing two-day teen leadership training. This only happens twice a year!  See info below.

Our Last Teen Training for 2017

Alex Urbina is hosting his last Transformational Teen Training of the year on Nov. 11-12 in Santa Clarita.

Do you want to give your teenager a once-in-a-lifetime gift of empowerment?

Do you want to spark the passion to take on life’s challenges with confidence and purpose?

Do you want your teen to learn how to choose to take responsibility for their own life and their own results?

If you have answered yes to any of those questions, you might want your teen to attend The Teen Life Leadership Training to discover their inner champion.

Here are a few important dates:

Nov. 6: Bring childhood photo for Dream Project

Nov. 6: Mr. Collin Haynes will be available in our studio for grade check-in and science support from 10:30 to 11:30

Nov. 8:  10th grade personal project workshop 9 to 9:30

Nov. 10: No school/Veterans Day

Nov. 11-12: Alex Urbina Leadership Training

Nov. 20-24: Thanksgiving break

With gratitude,

Malaka Donovan
malaka.donovan@scvi-k12.org
Innovation Studios

By Michael Niehoff
Education Content Coordinator, iLEAD Schools

In the professional world, there is often a common means of establishing someone’s presence in any particular field: Google it. That’s right. If you Google someone’s name, you can quickly see if they are an influencer in their chosen area of public professional endeavors. Well, if you Google 16-year-old iLEAD SCVi Exploration learner Jax Malcolm, this holds true. 

iLEAD Schools are proud of their learners in so many ways. And it’s especially exciting when learners not only live up to expectations and the mission — such as leadership, entrepreneurship, and the arts — but surpass them beyond all imagination. Sixteen-year-old iLEAD SCVi Explorer Jax Malcolm has done just that and then some.

Jax, who will be graduating this June one year early, is one busy young man on all fronts of academic, social, cultural and community life. He is an actor, director, writer, business owner, activist, advocate, philanthropist, athlete and YouTuber. And that’s not the complete résumé by any means.

Focused, First & Foremost

After graduation, Jax plans to continue his already successful acting and directing career. He has launched his own business, is deeply involved in his community and always loves to learn. 

The Entrepreneur

In addition to being an artist, a learner and a community supporter, Jax is also a business owner and innovator. He launched his own clothing company — TRIDENT — in October 2019 at the Gen Z Social Summit in Los Angeles.

As a competitive swimmer (Jr. Olympics, varsity), Jax says he named his company Trident after the infamous weapon of Poseidon. “I have always been inspired by water, so this seemed like an appropriate name,” he said. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Day 2 JO’s ????????????‍♂️

A post shared by Jax Malcolm (@thejaxmalcolm) on Jul 26, 2019 at 7:46pm PDT

Catalyst for the Community

Known in Hollywood for performing, Jax is motivated to lend his star power to so many worthwhile causes. 

To start, he’s a founding member of Heal the Bay’s Hollywood Ambassador Board. He is a certified speaker for the organization and works at Heal the Bay Aquarium, focusing on their children’s initiatives and clean water legislation.

Jax, who had multiple kidney surgeries in his early months of life and had active kidney care until age five, is also a speaker and ambassador for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. On behalf of the hospital, he hosted an event called DreamNight at the Los Angeles Zoo, has spoken at press conferences and works with corporate donors.

Jax loves animals and works with the Spay Neuter Project Los Angeles. Three years ago, he got involved with them when his family fostered and adopted three kittens who received their lifesaving spay and neuter surgeries through the organization. Now he’s an active member of the organization who volunteers with their kitten nursery project. He’s also just completed a successful campaign for SNPLA on their Instagram account, @snpla. Jax features his own rescue kittens on his Instagram account, @thejaxmalcolm.

 

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Such a great time playing #videogames & #virtualreality, @starlightchildrensfoundation all while bringing happiness to seriously ill kids at @uclamch and all across the US. Join me in making a difference by signing up or donating at #StreamForStarlight now >> bit.ly/S4STiltify @lrmpublicity @gettyimages @micheal_tullberg

A post shared by Jax Malcolm (@thejaxmalcolm) on Sep 12, 2019 at 7:29pm PDT

Finally, Jax takes his performance background to the Starlight Children’s Foundation by supporting their annual Dream Halloween event. This includes visiting young patients at the hospital and delivering presents, singing telegrams and more. He also hosts an annual star student movie event in partnership with the Vista Theatre and Nerds Like Us to raise money for these organizations.

For many of us, this would be a lifetime or more of service or community-based work. But for Jax, it’s simply what he does. 

“I am driven by the need to do good and try to make a positive impact in my community every day,” he said. 

Activism, Advocacy

Conservation Invasion is the award-winning educational web series from Jax on YouTube that has 1.83K subscribers. Jax created Conservation Invasion to engage, educate and promote lifelong environmental stewardships to children and their families.

According to Jax, since most people first encounter the natural world of animal and plant life as children, he hosts his web series on location at zoos, aquariums, animal sanctuaries, museums, and children’s educational centers. Jax shoots his series using an iPhone and a GoPro 10 and aims to include an expert interview at each location.

“I really want to bring the experience to the viewer at home,” he said. “Additionally, we aim to spotlight the critical role these institutions play in the fight to save endangered or threatened species and promote the importance of planet conservation.”

When Jax first got connected to Heal the Bay, he was a summer lifeguard at the beach. “I was seeing firsthand the devastation that we are inflicting on our waterways and the animal inhabitants,” he said. “It gave me a platform to make change.”

And now, Jax sees his mission is not only to advocate environmental protection through organizations like Heal the Bay, but to get his peers and others to do the same. 

“I really use my speaking engagements and conservation invasion as a way to enact change from those who are interested in joining the cause,” said Jax. “We always include tips to make immediate changes in the world.”

Lifelong Learner, Digital Citizen

Jax says that due to his diverse interests, passions and projects that iLEAD SCVi has been the perfect place for him. “SCVi offers me the flexibility that my schedule demands, as well as the opportunity to pursue educational opportunities through outside sources as well,” he said. 

For example, Jax takes online classes through Outschool and develops mentoring networks that support his pursuits in business, entertainment and even manufacturing. 

“This would just not work in traditional school,” he said. “Academically, I’m able to tailor my learning experience to my interests and career. I love being able to take classes that help me right now with the work I’m doing.”

It Might Surprise You

Jax acknowledges that most people he meets don’t know he has a learning disability.

“It’s similar to dyslexia,” he said. “When I read, my processing time takes longer than most other learners.” 

Learning lines from scripts for his acting work can be challenging, according to Jax. However, he says it’s only made him work harder and want to be more successful. 

“I have a really strong support system,” said Jax. “With my parents, my Exploration Facilitator Emily Strickland and my entire iLEAD family behind me,  I am always determined to accomplish my goals.”

 

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A post shared by Jax Malcolm (@thejaxmalcolm) on Jan 4, 2020 at 10:04pm PST

Going Forward

As you can see, Jax is a unique young man with a multitude of skills, talents, passions, pursuits and goals. That being said, it’s probably safe to say that Jax Malcolm is just getting started. 

In the spirit of iLEAD’s high-quality project-based learning, Jax continually showcases, exhibits and shares his work publicly. Learn more about Jax and see his work at the following:

• His website
• Feature interview on YouTube
• His two YouTube Channels: Conservation Invasion and TheJaxMalcolm
• Instagram @thejaxmalcolm 
• Twitter @thejaxmalcolm
• His hashtags: #tridentbyjaxmalcolm #jaxmalcolm 
• Or just Google him!

Ultimately, Jax has a strong message that he uses internally and is happy to share with others: “My mantra remains the same,” said Jax. “Go for what you want and don’t let anyone or anything stand in the way of your dream.”

By Michael Niehoff
Education Content Coordinator, iLEAD Schools

SCVi Exploration’s Griffin Loch is our latest iLEAD Legacy Maker.  The successful young filmmaker is completing his third full-length feature film, A Spark in Nothing. This spring, Loch will graduate from SCVi after having completed all of the high school requirements in only two years. 

With limited production staff and funding, Loch writes, directs, edits, and produces each of his films. He even acted in his two feature films, The Adventure of T.P. Man and Flusher and Calling the Shots. “Once I had finished those, I was afforded the opportunity to step behind the camera as a full-time director.” 

With his parents’ guidance and support, Loch’s feature films have been fully insured and also permitted by the cities that served as film locations. “My parents were firm from the beginning that if I was going to do this, I had to be as professional as I could,” he said. 

Loch also depends on his family and facilitators to be cast and crew. “I knew no one would take a 13-year-old kid seriously, except those who knew me well,” he said. 

“Since our crew has primarily consisted of me and my parents, we all do a little of everything,” Loch said. “In fact, I do everything besides make the coffee.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I am so very proud to announce the wrap on filming in Humboldt County. It was an experience like nothing ever before that I will always cherish. Thank you to everyone that helped not only me but the entire production of “A Spark In Nothing” in the beautiful land of Humboldt. #asparkinnothing #beautiful #film #filmmaking #independentfilm #redwoods #movie #griffinloch #nature #humboldtcounty #amazing #dreamteam

A post shared by Griffin Loch (@griffin_loch) on Aug 27, 2019 at 12:29pm PDT

Loch remembers being interested in movies and filmmaking at a very young age and admiring directors and creatives including Buster Keaton, Wes Anderson, Stanley Kubrick and Federico Fellini. 

“As long as I can remember, I watched films with a director’s eye,” Loch said. “I never got too caught up in whether things were real but rather in how they were made. I wanted to tell stories through this medium.”

Loch is part of the iLEAD Innovation Studios program, which allows learners to incorporate their individual passions into their learning. It is a personalized approach to project-based learning. 

Facilitated by Emilie Evenson at iLEAD Innovation Studios, Loch’s personalized education plan has been a perfect fit. “Because this approach allowed me to make films, each subject became deeply important to me. I wanted to learn,” he said. “Taking leadership in my education encouraged me to excel at both school and filmmaking.”

Loch said that SCVi was supportive of his passion right from the start. “My first shorts were screened at the junior high level with all the learners,” Loch said. “To see my film flicker across the faces of every class was intoxicating.”

As he began his filmmaking career, Loch said everything opened up for him through the iLEAD community. “Facilitators and staff I had not even officially met volunteered to act or help on the weekends by chaperoning my shoots. The SCVi grounds were open to me for any filming,” Loch said. “Because of this, you will see several locations in all my films that are on SCVi grounds.”

Both of Loch’s first two films were screened in the SCVi Shakespeare Theater as fundraisers for his film projects. He asked supporters to be extras in his films. Key iLEAD staff are extras in his latest film.

“There has never been a moment of my filmmaking when I have not found encouragement from SCVi,” Loch said.

Loch’s latest film — A Spark in Nothing — is about a reluctant guardian angel in search of redemption. Loch said the audience will identify with both of the two main characters. He said the villain is not one of the characters but the concept of time. 

In addition to initial local screenings, Loch plans to make this film available in digital formats as well as the film festival circuit. “I want as many people as possible to see what we have created,” Loch said. “We are following every specification of quality to apply to platforms like Netflix.”

Loch said his ultimate excitement comes from audience reactions. “I want them to be entertained, moved with emotions,” Loch said. “Perhaps they walk away knowing something more about themselves by seeing my character flaws and trials.”

Loch’s first film, Calling the Shots, placed at the Independent Filmmakers Showcase in Los Angeles. His second, The Adventure of T.P. Man and Flusher, garnered Loch the IFS Best Director Award and a nomination for Best Film and placed at the Indy Film Fest. Loch’s film work has also attracted recognition from the Roundtable Global Youth Awards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I am so honored of having the great achievement of winning Best Director at IFS Film Fest for my film “The Adventure of T.P. Man and Flusher”. The journey has been something that words can not explain and I was so happy we could all be there to experience the celebration of our film. #bestdirector #filmmaking #tpmanandflushermovie #ifs #ifsfilmfestival #cast #celebration #excitedforthefuture #thejourney #thankful #honored #award

A post shared by Griffin Loch (@griffin_loch) on May 22, 2019 at 12:14pm PDT

The power of story and emotion attracted Loch to the medium.  “Humans are fascinating. We crave interaction,” he said. “Film allows us to look into the eye, see the souls of others sharing a journey with us. A good film allows you to connect and ask yourself what you would do in that situation.” 

Loch credited iLEAD and SCVi for nurturing his vision. “None of this would be possible without the incredible support of my parents and my entire iLEAD-SCVi family.” 

After his early graduation from high school, Loch plans to complete his fourth feature film before he turns 18.

Loch said he’s aware the film industry is changing quickly, with Amazon and Netflix contending with movie studios. He’s part of a new generation of filmmakers, some who are making entire films on their smartphones. 

“I will absolutely make films for the rest of my life, if possible. This is my passion, my love, my calling,” Loch said. “I will continue to try to create the stories I know I was meant to tell. How these stories will be viewed is still unknown.”

A Spark In Nothing is scheduled to release soon. Loch’s previous films are both available at Amazon Prime. For more information and updates, visit GriffinLoch.com. You can also find him on social media: @GriffinLoch on Twitter, @griffin_loch on Instagram and Griffin Loch on Facebook.