The Bison Bulletin
OVCA Middle School Newsletter ~ January 11, 2021
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JANUARY MINDSET OF THE MONTH:
"Everything is Possible!"
From the Principal's Desk
Welcome back to a brand new year, and a fresh start for second semester! I hope that your winter break was relaxing and allowed time with family and friends and a respite from the demands of the school year.
The staff and I are excited to welcome your children to classes, and our Kickoff sessions last week went extremely well! It is good to get back into a routine. We had a contest for students last week to get at least 90% of the student body to log in by January 8th. We exceeded our goal on Friday morning with 93% of students logging into their accounts! As a reward for their diligence, teachers will be allowing a "free quiz pass" for their classes, or to drop the lowest quiz score in their course. Please check with the course teachers, as they are deciding what is best for their classes in implementing this student reward.
Schedules have been created, and all students should be seeing class connects appearing on their schedules for this week. Students should have Math, English, Geography(6/7) or History (8), and Science on their schedules Mon-Thurs. If your student is missing a class, please alert your course teacher so we can fix the issue as soon as possible. Electives classes and courses will begin the week of January 25th. If you see a conflict or issue with your schedule, please contact me at egoodridge@okvirtual.org. We will not make schedule changes unless there is a significant conflict or you were assigned the incorrect course. Your schedule may be slightly different than first semester if you were with us, as we worked very diligently to create conflict-free schedules for students. We cannot guarantee the exact same schedule each semester.
Thank you for your support and your help in guiding your child to educational success! We are so thrilled to be partnering with you on this journey, and please don't hesitate to reach out with questions if you need assistance or help.
Have a wonderful week!
Be well,
Erin Goodridge
OVCA Middle School Principal
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Important Upcoming Dates
January 6: First Day Back, "Welcome Back to School" Orientation week
January 11: Core Classes Begin (Math, English, Geography/History, Science)
January 15: Middle School Awards Assemblies/CCC Classes, 12pm
January 18: MLK Day, NO SCHOOL
January 25: Electives Classes Begin
February 10: OVCA Middle School Spelling Bee
February 15: President's Day, NO SCHOOL
February 25/26: OVCA Staff Professional Days, NO SCHOOL
March 8-12: Parent-Teacher Conferences week
March: 12: Last Day of First Quarter
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YOUR MID-YEAR GROWTH ASSESSMENT HEADQUARTERS
Check this section for what you need to know to get yourself and your OVCA Middle School student ready and in the right mindset for their mid-year growth assessments coming soon!
Getting Prepared for the Test
- All students must have Google Chrome downloaded to their computers. The NWEA site will only work properly with this browser. If you do not have Chrome installed, you can do that here!
- You must enable pop-up blockers for the NWEA Login Page for the assessment. You can go to https://test.mapnwea.org to do that ahead of time! If you're having trouble, teachers can help during live help time, or during class if there is time.
- Screen resolution MUST be set to 1024x768 or the assessment will not run (yeah, it's super picky like that....). Please be sure your screen resolution on your laptop/desktop is set to that resolution for your testing session, and then you can return it to your preferred or default setting after you are finished with both tests.
- The MAP Diagnostic Assessment is NOT a graded assessment. Students are not permitted to have assistance on the assessment, as we need to have a baseline of what students know/don't know in Math and Reading. This will help us place them in the classes that will help them GROW the MOST as readers and math problem solvers!
- It is recommended that students take no longer than 75 minutes on the test. We need to know what students already know quickly, not what they can figure out after a long period of time. Please prepare your student for this, and remind them that after 3 minutes, they should make their educated guess, and move to the next question.
Newrow Tips and Tricks
- Turn your computer off each night or restart in the morning.
- Clear your cache and cookies daily.
- Refresh is your friend! If something is glitchy, hit CTRL+R for a hard refresh, and that fixes lots of issues.
- Google Chrome is KING...if you don't use chrome, Newrow will not work.
- 3 or less tabs open on your browser when you are in a Newrow class session.
- Webcams are optional for students. Students who wish to use webcams in class must have a webcam permission slip on file. You can access using the link HERE.
- Remember: It is not perfect now--but our feedback is helping developers tailor-fit this product to our needs. It will only get better from here! :-)
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ALL FAMILIES MUST COMPLETE SURVEY BELOW
WEBCAM PERMISSION FORM
OVCA is focused on providing a safe virtual learning environment. With this in mind, we ask that a legal guardian complete the below survey for each student enrolled with OVCA. The media release form includes two sections: Photograph, Testimonial and Interview Release, and Face to Face Platform (webcam) Usage School-Guardian-Student Compact. You will be given the choice to accept or decline each opportunity.
Together we can help students reach their full potential through personalized learning this year! Thank you for taking the time to complete this form.
If you want your student to be able to use their webcam when we are in the whole group setting, be sure to fill out the permission form below!
OVCA Middle School Spelling Bee!
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RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS & FAMILIES
Virtual World Tours Club for MS!
Sign-up survey is here.
Safe and Healthy Schools Newlsetter
FREE TUTORING THROUGH OVCA!
We are excited to announce our school’s new Tutoring Initiative! OVCA will offer personalized academic tutoring based on your child’s needs with an emphasis in the subjects of English Language Arts (Reading/Writing) and Mathematics.
At this time, our new tutoring program will be completely virtual through an online service called TutorMe. Through this program, your child will be able to access a tutor at any time of the day to work on any subject. While the emphasis will be in math and reading, tutors for all subjects are available. The tutor will work with your child’s curriculum to help them improve their grades and gain confidence. The focus of tutoring is to equip your child with different methods of learning so they can have life-long skills in how to best solve problems for assignments, homework and projects.
Tutoring Sign-Up Link
Please contact Allison McCartney, our OVCA Tutoring Manager for more information.
Resources for College Readiness and Career Planning
8th Grade College Planning Check List:
https://www.ucango2.org/publications/student/8th_Grade_Checklist.pdf
Study Habits:
https://www.ucango2.org/publications/student/Perfect_10.pdf
Understanding School Types:
https://www.ucango2.org/publications/student/Understanding_School_Types1.pdf
7th Grade Planning:
https://www.ucango2.org/publications/student/7th_Grade_Checklist.pdf
6th Grade Planning:
https://www.ucango2.org/publications/student/6th_Grade_Checklist.pdf
Oklahoma Promise Link – applications start 8th grade year :
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K12 NATIONAL NEWS
K12 Rebrands to Stride, Inc.
The parent company of OVCA has recently changed its corporate name from K12 to Stride, Inc. As a learning company, the Stride Mission is to help learners of all ages reach their full potential through inspired teaching and personalized learning.
Learning never stops. It’s the best means of growth throughout your life. But learning simply cannot be one-size-fits-all. Our company is leading enormous and necessary change in a sector that’s left far too many behind. And it’s required us to challenge long-accepted beliefs and practices. With insight and input from learners, parents, school districts, boards of education, and policymakers, we continue to provide more effective ways to learn — focusing on building the skills and confidence learners need to make their way forward in life.
Whether you are just starting with us or have been around for many years, please know that this corporate name change does not affect any of the education or support OVCA provides for your students. Our school will continue to provide the same great education, curriculum and materials you have received from us since your OVCA journey began. Our support of lifelong learning enhances the strength of our high school curriculum which prepares students for colleges and careers and provides opportunities for learning beyond high school.
For now, there is nothing you need to do. Eventually, the brand and logo you see, as well as our email address, may change. Rest assured that we will communicate those changes to you as they occur.
Please enjoy a quick video which highlights these exciting changes, or click here to learn more about Stride!
WHAT DO WE DO IF THE OMHS IS DOWN OR LAGGING?
- Take a deep breath and don't panic. It will be okay, and it won't last forever! If you're having trouble, most likely our staff is too, especially if the K12 software is lagging. We keep everyone up to date on social media with any known issues, and will keep the lines of communication open. Students are not penalized for software disruptions when the entire system is down.
- Find some hands-on, offline activities to accomplish! Many teachers have different suggested sites for their courses that students can go in and work. Offline activities are a fun break from a day in front of the computer!
- Your teachers will reach out with instructions via email if it is an extended outage, so always be checking your LC email for information, as this is the primary method of communication.
- Take a "snow" day if it's all just too overwhelming. You know we don't have those in virtual-land anyway, so take a break and catch up when you are fresh. Your teachers understand and if it's happened to you, it's happened to them! It will be okay, and you'll be back online eventually.
Most of all, remember to give yourself grace. Virtual learning isn't for the faint of heart. It's hard work! And sometimes, technology fails us. If and when that happens, you have a plan in place.
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The Oklahoma Virtual Charter Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities and provides equal access educational programs and activities. As required by Title IX, the Oklahoma Virtual Charter Academy does not discriminate on the basis of gender, in its educational programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the Title IX non-discrimination matters:
- Angie Foust, Title IX Coordinator, afoust@okvirtual.org, (405) 259-9478 ext 2069, 1160 S Douglas, Midwest City, OK 73130
- Additionally, you may contact the Office of Civil Rights by calling 1-800-421-3481.