VPA-AZ Winter Newsletter
November 2024
Dr. Kayleen Marble, Superintendent & Principal 7-10
Dear Families,
As we enter the holiday season, a time filled with gratitude and togetherness, I want to express our sincere appreciation for your continued support and partnership in creating a positive learning environment at Vprep-AZ. We are incredibly thankful for the dedication of our students, staff, and families who contribute to our vibrant school community every day. This month, we will be focusing on several community events like our Thanksgiving feast on Nov 21st and our Cocoa with Santa event on Dec 18th. We hope that you will join us for these events meant to celebrate our school and students. We wish you a happy and healthy holiday season filled with moments of joy and reflection.
Ms. Karli Thompson, Principal K-6
The Thanksgiving break and holiday season is right around the corner! It is a wonderful time of year to think of all the blessings in our life vs. the things we don’t have. Numerous studies have demonstrated the incredible power of gratitude. It is shown to be a powerful tool in treating depression and a wonderful way to add quality years to your life. Research suggests, the more we practice expressing gratitude, the more our minds adapt to this mindset. You could even think of your brain as having a sort of gratitude 'muscle' that can be exercised and strengthened. The more of an effort you make to feel gratitude one day, the more the feeling will come to you spontaneously in the future. So that being said, I want to thank all of you families out there that have chosen to school with us! We care deeply about your students and their success in life. Something that we have been doing this year to help your students move forward in success, is focusing on standards-based teaching. I encourage you to sit, or listen in, on one of your student’s upcoming lessons with their teacher. You’ll see how hard teachers are working to help your student and how much they care. It is also equally important for parents, at home, to ensure students are being held accountable for completing their work, attending live classes, and staying up on their school attendance. As we partner together, we will see our students achieve excellence!
Fall Festival - October 2024
On November 18th, we hosted a Fall Festival in partnership with our sister school, Academy with Community Partners High School. It was a day filled with fun, food, games, and crafts, bringing together families and friends to celebrate the season!
We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who came out to support this event. Your participation made it truly special! A special shout-out to ACP for their unwavering support in making this event possible.
From exciting games to delicious food, and hands-on craft activities, there was something for everyone to enjoy. We can’t wait to do it all again next year!
Thank you again for making our Fall Festival a memorable success!
Forgot Your Password?
Contact the School Operations Manager, Taylor Sorensen at tsorensen@accelschools.com for assistance.
- 2 Absences Per Month X 9 Months of School = Less Likely to Graduate from High School.
- Did you know? People with a High School diploma make more than $1,000,000 in a lifetime over those without a High School diploma.
- A child who is 10 minutes late misses 32 hours a year of lost instruction.
- Poor attendance can influence whether children read proficiently by the end of third grade.
Science
7th - In Unit 3, 7th graders embark on an exciting journey to explore how changes in ecosystems affect plants and animals! We’re jumping in with hands-on activities and real-world examples to see how the environment shapes life all around us.
8th - In Unit 3, 8th graders dive into the exciting world of forces, motion, and collisions, discovering how objects crash, bounce, and interact! We’re kicking off with fun experiments to see the action firsthand and explore the science behind every impact.
9th & 10th grade are getting close to starting Unit 6, their last unit of this semester before preparing for final exams! These units will cover making connections between all of the content from previous units and relating it to real life scenarios.
Math
In 7th grade we are finishing our last unit covering proportional relationships and percentages. We are going to end this semester talking about one of my favorite things to teach, Tax and Tip, it has so many real-world applications.
In 8th grade we will finish out the semester with our last unit covering Linear Equations and Linear Systems, this is a key foundation to students going into Algebra, a lot will be learned and utilized next semester as well as next year!
In Algebra 1 we will finish out the semester, exploring the world of polynomials, master factoring techniques, and unraveling the mysteries of quadratic equations to solve real-world problems.
In Geometry we will finish out the semester by diving into the concepts of dilations and similarity, while also exploring the properties of right triangles and the relationships between their ratios.
English
7th and 8th Grade: We're diving into the world of fiction and uncovering key story elements through the thrilling read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde! Students are discovering how plot twists and character development shape the story.
9th Grade: Students are exploring literary fiction while connecting it to different cultures, all while mastering the art of figurative language to add depth to their writing.
10th Grade: Our 10th graders are sharpening their skills in crafting powerful argumentative essays, learning how to build strong cases and persuade their readers with confidence!
History
7th Wyoming History: This week we are wrapping up our unit studying Europe.
8th Arizona History: This week we are learning more about voting requirements and elections. We're talking about what types of offices are elected vs appointed.
7th AZ/8th WY : This week we continue our unit on what lead to the Civil War and will start learning more about the Civil War.
9th World History: This week we're diving more into exploration and discovery, especially looking at Africa.
10th US History: This week we will start our unit on division and conflict leading to the Civil War and will start learning more about the Civil War.
Elementary Update
We just had our first round of Parent Teacher Conferences and our first quarter progress reports have been sent out. Please remember that you will see a standards based grade for your student’s Math and ELA classes. This grade will be reported as:
A=Advanced
P=Proficient
B=Basic
BB=Below Basic
The goal is for all students to at least be Proficient in each standard. You may have noticed that you can also see a % grade in Canvas for Math and ELA. Teachers have been communicating with parents that this grade is based upon engagement. It is basically how engaged the student is with turning in their assignments and completing their work in Math and ELA. Both of these scores are important in giving parents a better peek into how well students are doing in the course. Please reach out to your child’s teacher though if you have any follow up questions!
Mr. Sorensen, Operations
Just a quick reminder from the School Operations Team:
🔄 Update Your Contact Information
It’s important to keep your contact details current! If you've recently changed your phone number, email, or emergency contact, please let the school office know ASAP so we can keep our records up to date.
Please email our school registrar, Ms. Michelle Martin at mmartin@accelschools.com to update your information as needed.
📅 Attendance Reminders
As we approach Thanksgiving and winter break, these upcoming breaks offer a great opportunity for students to catch up on any missed time and course work. With the end of the first semester quickly approaching, we encourage all students to stay on top of their assignments and use this time to finish strong.
Weekly Time Requirements
K-3: 20 Hours Per Week
4-10: 25 Hours Per Week
A Winter Treat from Our Teachers!
Christmas Tree Rice Krispies Treats
Ingredients:
- 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 package (10 oz) mini marshmallows
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Green food coloring (gel or liquid)
- Red and green sprinkles (for decoration)
- Star-shaped sprinkles or a star candy (for the top)
- Optional: small candies like M&Ms or chocolate chips (to make ornaments)
Instructions:
Make the Rice Krispies mixture:
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat.
- Add the mini marshmallows to the saucepan and stir constantly until completely melted and smooth.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Add food coloring:
- Stir in green food coloring until you reach the desired shade of green. Start with a few drops and mix well, adding more until you're happy with the color.
Combine with Rice Krispies:
- Add the Rice Krispies cereal to the marshmallow mixture and stir until evenly coated.
Shape the trees:
- Let the mixture cool for a few minutes until it's safe to handle.
- Lightly grease your hands with butter or non-stick spray, then scoop out portions of the mixture and form them into cone shapes resembling Christmas trees.
- You can also press the mixture into a large baking dish and then use a knife or cookie cutter to cut out tree shapes if you prefer more uniform shapes.
Decorate:
- Place the shaped trees onto a parchment-lined baking sheet or plate.
- Decorate each tree with sprinkles, small candies, or chocolate chips to resemble ornaments.
- Top each tree with a star-shaped sprinkle or candy for the tree topper.
Let them cool:
- Allow the Rice Krispies treats to cool and set for about 30 minutes before serving.
