eCampus Academy
News and Notes - September 2021
Innovative Online, Blended and Real-World Learning
The Year is Under Happily Way!
Greetings eCampus Families!
It's hard to believe we're wrapping up the first month of school. The staff is very pleased with the start to the new school year and remain eager to work with our new and returning families to ensure success throughout the year. We thank you for working with us as we establish routines and protocols for setting healthy work habits by introducing the tiered attendance system. Personal connections are also important and were a big part of the feedback we received last year as an area for growth. Please continue to communicate with your child's teachers about the needs and progress of your child(ren) so that we may continue to collaboratively work on a plan that meets collective learning goals. eCampus is so much more than an online school and we're thrilled to have our parents and students as partners as we grow!
Learning Enhancements Available to eCampus Students and Families
As many of you know, you have access to a handful of fun and engaging independent applications as part of eCampus. These voluntary programs offer support in math, reading/writing, science, language acquisition and more. We are working on some additional family-friendly courses that we'll be introducing soon, so stay tuned. For a quick review of what's currently available, please see the list below. Contact your child's teacher to learn how to get access if you don't already have it. The page that hosts the login for these applications is located here, but can also be found on the eCampus Student Page. Click on the Clever link. Students login with their school email and password.
- Epic - 40,000+ popular, high-quality digital books from 250+ of the world's best publishers
- Achieve 3000 - Differentiated instruction for non-fiction reading and writing
- Dreambox - Interactive, adaptive, self-paced math program that provides engaging practice activities
- Rosetta Stone - Learn a new language or reinforce your skills
- Discovery Education - Digital textbooks and education resources
- Freckle - Adapts at the “just-right” level, with student-friendly incentives in English and math
- BrainPop - Animated educational site covering science, social studies, English, math, arts & music, health, and technology
Grace Our Space
Welcome to the reading tent
Hard at work in math
Picture the eCampus logo here
Picture Day is Coming in October
Pizza, Pigs and Paperbacks
Mrs. Hail and Mrs. Retzlaff have all sorts of fun things planned for October!
- Stay tuned students are going to be visiting a local Watertown farm, via ZOOM!
- Students can get a free pizza from Pizza Hut for turning in their reading log to your teacher at the end of the month. If you need more details reach out to Mrs. Hail or Mrs. Retzlaff!
- Books arrived for Mrs. Retzlaff's students who are participating in book studies with their classmates. Interested? Reach out to Mrs. Retzlaff. The books look really fun and interesting!
Helpful tips and reminders for accessing Schools PLP
This content is a repeat from last month, but we have some new families on board and will continue to share videos and information that might be useful at anytime throughout the year. Returning students are familiar with the SchoolsPLP learning platform, but we encourage everyone to watch these short videos created by our own lead teacher, Tracy Poches, as a refresher. Who knows, you might learn something new.
Welcome to eCampus
Understanding SchoolsPLP Overview
Navigating an online course in SchoolsPLP
Parents are able to login to SchoolsPLP to check grades and see if their student is on pace. The short video below will show you how to do this. You will need your student's ID and school password to login. If you need login information, please call or email Keisha Logan.
Attention Seniors - Info on FAFSA
This fall 41 in-person and 6 virtual FAFSA events will be held for parents and students to receive free assistance to complete their FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) if college is in your future. This is a form that all colleges/universities require to be considered for federal and state financial aid which includes grants, loans, work-study, and various scholarships. The events begin at 6:00 p.m. and are staffed by volunteers from college/university financial aid offices. Visit www.collegegoalwi.org for more information and be sure to check out the attached flyer as well.
Virtual event dates:
Wednesday evenings, October 6, 13, 20, and 27 and November 3 and 10
Ensuring Success in eCampus
In our efforts to help our students experience success early and often, we introduced a tiered check-in/attendance system for new students in an effort to ensure that constructive work habits develop that lead to ongoing positive results in eCampus. Working in blended and online settings can be especially challenging if time management skills and focused effort are missing. We are here to help our students succeed. Below is a recap of the tiered attendance expectations.
Tier 1: Daily Check in
These students are at the early stages of demonstrating on-pace behavior and working at a
passing, but minimal level.
Tier 2: Weekly Check in
These students are showing a consistency over time and their work is above average and
approaching their potential.
Tier 3: Autonomy
These students have established a pattern of consistent and superior behavior in all subjects and are meeting or exceeding expectations.
It is very possible that students who have achieved Autonomy may wish to meet daily with teachers and/or peers. That certainly is possible and we will welcome and honor those wishes! Who wouldn't want to be in a morning meeting every day with Mrs. Retzlaff or Mrs. Hail like below?
Tips for Success
Career and Accelerated Degree Pathways
The eCampus Academy Pathways Program saves students time and money while accessing high quality, future-ready learning experiences and professional programs. We're really excited about this opportunity for students. Contact Dave Vitale with questions and/or visit our pathways page.
eCampus and WUSD Athletics/Co-curriculars
Did you know that eCampus students are eligible and encouraged to participate in athletics, clubs and other co-curricular activities? Even students who reside outside the WUSD boundaries may participate on WUSD teams and clubs.
Check out the Athletics Department page for more information or call our office.
Contact Information
Email: info@ecampusacademy.org
Website: ecampusacademy.org
Location: 111 Dodge Street, Watertown, WI, USA
Phone: (920) 262-1420