Monday Morning Update (MMU) - Compass Charter Schools - September 21, 2026

Dear Compass families,

This year, we will be working with all of you to revisit our Scholar Profile.The Compass Profile defines the aspirational, whole-learner outcomes, centered on attending to the social, emotional, cognitive, and mental health needs of all Scholars. We want our scholars to be:

Community leaders who understand that they are members of a global society and feel a sense of responsibility to make a contribution both at the local level and in the wider world. 

Effective collaborators who participate in collaborative forums, to build understanding of concepts and to complete authentic tasks; communicating effectively (using active listening, striving to understand others, and seeking to be understood), thereby creating a safe environment in which everyone feels valued and inspired to achieve a common goal.

Confident learners who strive to be their best selves  and recognize their purpose and value both in and outside of school; thinking critically and skillfully to evaluate data and information as a guide to their beliefs and actions. 

Innovators who seek to create something new and better in service of achieving their goals; synthesizing information and exploring multiple perspectives to find creative and realistic solutions. 

This year we will be reflecting on these outcomes and how we measure them. We have a team of staff who have volunteered to take the lead on this project and everyone at Compass, from our scholars and families, to our Board of Directors will have a role in this work. 

I will be attending the Scaling Student Success Portrait of a Learner conference with a team from Compass, including our Parent Representative on the Board of Directors, Tamara Harvey, from September 27-29 to begin this important work. I look forward to embarking on this important journey with all of you. 

Kind regards,

Elizabeth Brenner

Superintendent & CEO

Friday, September 25 - Riverside County Field Trip - Astrocamp (Grades 4-7 ONLY) (April 5-7 Event)

REGISTRATION EXTENDED: Friday, September 25 ~ Orange County Field Trip - Community Meet-Up at Hurless Barton Park Adventure Playground  (October 6 Event)

Friday, September 25 - Virtual Scholar Workshop - National Hispanic Heritage Month  (October 2 Event)

Friday, September 25 - Virtual Scholar Workshop - Firebird Detectives: Who Stole Honey the Bunny?  (October 23 Event)

Friday, October 2  - San Diego County Field Trip - Pumpkin Patch at the Carlsbad Strawberry Farm (October 15 Event)

Friday, October 2  - Orange County Field Trip - Tanaka Farms (October 22 Event)

Friday, October 2  - San Bernardino County Field Trip - Greenspot Farms Pumpkin Patch (October 27 Event)

Friday, October 2  - Orange County Field Trip - Underwood Family Farms (October 29 Event)

Friday, October 2  - Virtual Scholar Workshop - Kindness Rocks (Grades TK-6) (October 16 Event)

DC/NEW YORK TRIP ~ Our Compass community is organizing an educational trip to Washington, D.C., New York in Spring 2028 for our scholars in grades 6 to 12 during the trip (scholars currently in grades 5 to 11) and enrollment is now open! Even if you weren't able to attend our interest meeting (Passcode: #j!8GEsA), you are still able to review the information and enroll. The deadline for early enrollment is this Friday, September 25th, 2026. There are two enrollment links depending on the airport you will be flying out of. Please be sure to enroll with the link that corresponds with your airport! Enroll now: Travelers out of LAX  or Travelers out of SFO **Space is limited, and is first-come, first-served! Still have questions? Feel free to reach out to our EF Explore America rep via email (rose.houlahan@ef.com) or at (617)-356-1847.

Learning Coaches, this is the final week of the first Learning Period (LP) of the school year! Thank you for partnering with us to make this year a success for your scholar! A few reminders:

The 2026 CA Dashboard will be released October 15, 2026. The California School Dashboard (Dashboard) is an online tool designed to help communities across the state access important information about kindergarten through grade twelve schools and districts. The Dashboard features easy-to-read reports on multiple measures of school success. In the coming weeks, we will be sharing more information about the Dashboard and the measures. Getting to Know the California State Dashboard and Getting to Know the Dashboard State Measures are a great place to begin. The Dashboard features seven state measures that provide important information on how schools are serving their students. Come back next week to learn more about the CA Dashboard.

Translated flyers are available on the Translations Tab of the Dashboard Resources web page. 

Providers can find the Pre-Application for Interested Businesses form* link on the Compass website (Community Providers Information). Please note the onboarding is a lengthy process that can be delayed during school breaks, and when there is a high volume of ordering. Thank you for your patience! 

EarthKind Learning (Services; all ages, Thousand Oaks)

LightBulb Learning (Services; In-person; k-8th; Pleasant Hill)

Apex Academy of Dance  (Services; all ages, Thousand Oaks)

What a wonderful way to kick off the new school year! Our Back-to-School Park Days were filled with smiles, laughter, and so many special moments together.

It was such a joy to see everyone reconnect after the summer, welcome new faces, and spend time simply playing and socializing. From running around and playing together to catching up with friends and families, the parks were buzzing with excitement and community spirit.

We also loved capturing photos of all the fun and seeing friendships—both new and familiar—come together. Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make our Park Days such a memorable start to the school year. We’re so excited for all the fun, connection, and memories still to come! 💛

Explore the fun of farm life with Underwood Family Farms’ Educational Farm Tour on Thursday, October 29 in Moorpark, CA! Scholars will enjoy an interactive experience featuring farm animals, fresh vegetables, and seasonal pumpkins. This hands-on tour offers a fun and educational way to learn about where our food comes from, how crops are grown, and life on a working farm. Explore the fun of farm life with Underwood Family Farms’ Educational Farm Tour! Scholars will enjoy an interactive experience featuring farm animals, fresh vegetables, and seasonal pumpkins. This hands-on tour offers a fun and educational way to learn about where our food comes from, how crops are grown, and life on a working farm. Registration for this field trip is open through next Friday, October 2. For more information, please visit ParentSquare.

We’re exploring the possibility of two exciting field trips to Cuyamaca Outdoor School (6th Grade only) and Pali Institute (Grades 4 and above)! These outdoor education experiences would give scholars the opportunity to learn, explore, build confidence, and connect with their peers in a fun, hands-on environment. At this stage, we’re simply gauging family interest to help us determine whether to move forward with planning. For more information, please visit the Cuyamaca Outdoor School Website or the Pali Institute Website.

Passionate about engagement? Have suggestions for how to improve the engagement experience? We’re looking for a group of learning coaches to help us create a more streamlined and enjoyable experience for our families and scholars. The group would meet quarterly to share feedback, ideas, and suggestions to help shape future processes.

Get ready to rock the world with kindness on Friday, October 16 at 1pm! We will meet via Zoom and scholars will explore how small acts of kindness can make a big difference—and how kindness makes both others and ourselves feel good. Together, they’ll brainstorm ways to spread kindness at school, at home, and in their community. Then, scholars will paint their own colorful “Kindness Rocks” with uplifting words, messages, and designs to help kindness ripple outward! Registration for this virtual event is open through next Friday, October 2. For more information, please visit ParentSquare.

Second Session of the Year! 🎉Calling all Learning Coaches! Today, Monday, September 21, marks the second Learning Coach Academy session of the 2026-27 school year. Please join us today, Monday, September 21, at 1pm for our session on Helping Scholars Build Independence & Motivation. Register here to attend for today and future live sessions. We look forward to seeing you there! If you missed our first LCA session - you can access our LCA Tracker to view the recording. 

We are so thrilled that today, Monday, September 21 is our first day of scholar clubs meetings for clubs that meet on the third Monday of the month! Today, our TK to 5th grade clubs that will be meeting include Book Club, Pen Pal & Letter Writing Club, and our Minecraft Club. We also have our 6th to 12th grade clubs that will be meeting which include our Journalism Club, Podcasting & Broadcasting Club, and Virtual Field Trips Club. 

Scholars in grades 6-8 are invited to join Mrs. Sara Abdelhadi and Mrs. Mandi Schwartzberg in the Counseling Learning Lab on Tuesday, September 22 at 12:00 noon for "Building a Trusted Space," an opportunity for scholars to develop self-management and social skills while building community with CCS peers. Trusted Spaces are places for joy to live, healing to happen, and learning to occur. They are spaces where individualism is celebrated and acceptance thrives. They are spaces where authority is maintained while relationships are cultivated. Trusted spaces help us all thrive. Flyer

Ms. Bateman, School Counselor, will be visiting the online middle school math learning labs (6th, 7th, & 8th) on Tuesday, September 22 for a lesson on  "Math Placement Matters," and all scholars (Options & Online) are invited to attend!  Understand the importance of math placement, pathways available at Compass Charter Schools, and how to do your best in challenging courses. Flyer

Parents/Guardians and 6-12th grade scholars are invited to join our team of counselors in the Counseling Learning Lab on Thursday, September 24 at 12:00 noon for "What I Wish You Knew." This is an opportunity for families to talk about  mental health, suicide, and build relationships in a safe, supported space. We will discuss cultural experiences, tools for connection and prevention, and hopefully open up conversations about what our scholars want us to know. Flyer

Your teachers cannot wait to connect with you during your scheduled connection meetings AND during Homeroom on Wednesday at 11:00am. This week’s Homeroom topic will focus on A.I.! Be there! 

Also, this is the last week of LP 1! Finish it out strong by staying on pace in all of your AE assignments. You got this! Need help? Email your ST today. 🤓