Article written by Julia Campbell

 YES Charter Academy’s 8th grade class is assigned an ePortfolio project each year that captures the work being done in their grade and the aspirations they have for their future careers. As YES adds a high school grade each year, they will continue contributing to their ePortfolios providing them with a comprehensive portfolio by graduation to use in higher education and the workforce. A US study done by Pebble Pad’s Gail I. Ring and Clemson University’s Chelsea Waugman and Bob Brackett, “The Value of Career ePortfolios on Job Applicant Performance: Using Data to Determine Effectiveness,” found that “…engaging students in purposeful and iterative dialogue centered on the evidence collected in their ePortfolios positively influences their ability to communicate their accomplishments to a potential employer,” making this a fruitful requirement for students (2017, p. 233). This year, Principal Louise Miller recruited members from the community to judge and score ePortfolios assigned to them. Some of these judges come from the Yuba Watershed Protection & Fire Safe Council, a local journalist that writes for YES, Yuba Water, and more. Each ePortfolio is required to contain the following sections: About Me, Resume, Goals, Aptitude (self-assessment), Social Good/Community Service, Interests: Clubs, Athletics, Organizations, Hobbies, Achieve: Distinctions, Honors, Industry Certifications, Project Based Learning, and a page for each academic and elective class they take. ePortfolio Judge Katie Keith remarked “Your portfolio is a record of who you are now and who you hope to be in the future. I truly enjoyed learning about your education, hobbies, and goals.”. This year, the top three winners received cash prizes kindly provided by Foundation 4 Innovation ranging from $100 to $25. Congratulations to first place winner Mateja McCarter, 2nd place Cecilia Roa Baumler, and Daria Usova for 3rd place. 

🌍💚 Calling all eco-warriors and nature lovers! 💚🌍

Join us for an inspiring day of fun, food, and learning at the Earth Day 2024 celebration at YES Charter Academy! 🎉

✨ What’s in store?

• Exciting games and toe-tapping music
• A mouth-watering Loaded Taco Bar 🌮
• Innovative Student Environmental Science Projects
• A host of environmentally friendly vendors
• Community agency booths with valuable info
• YES High School registration and information

Admission is FREE and everyone is welcome! 🤗

📢 Vendors & Agencies:
We’re still open for applications. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to showcase your eco-friendly products and services.

For more details, give us a ring at 530-692-2210 📞

Can’t wait to see you there! Let’s celebrate our Earth together and make a difference!

3/14/24

ABC Sprout’s Nature Explore Classroom Certification

By Julia Campbell

Spring semester is shaping up to be a great one: our ABC Sprout outdoor classroom,
instructed by Brigett Diemer, has received the privileged certification as a Nature Explore
Classroom! Nature Explore is a non-profit program made with the intention of bringing nature
into the lives of children in a more integral and educational way. Diemer’s ABC Sprout outdoor
classroom has taken off with nine centers each dedicated to a specific nature based activity.
Some of these activities include a climbing area, sand and dirt stations, a soon-to-be flourishing garden, a wet and dry side of the outdoor space, and even a porch!

Diemer has found that the children in the program are building more social skills and are “all over the place” enjoying their new and improved outdoor classroom together. Some of their favorite components, according to
Diemer, are the kitchen playsets in both the wet and dry sides of the space and the music and
instruments they get to play with. The extra enrichment that nature based education and activities
provide in a learning space is proving itself to be invaluable and we are so grateful to have had
the opportunity to become certified.

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