eCampus Academy
News and Notes - October/November 2021
Innovative Online, Blended and Real-World Learning
Welcome Back, Mrs. Houchin!
Greetings eCampus Families! Here we are in the waning days of October and headed toward the Holidays. We thank each one of our students and families for their continued effort and hard work in making eCampus a successful place to grow and learn. Every day is a new day and with it comes new opportunities for becoming better - whether students, staff or parents.
Speaking of new opportunities, it is our great pleasure to welcome back Mrs. Cathy Houchin to the eCampus team. Many of you worked with Mrs. Houchin in the past as she had been a member of the WUSD's music department for many years. Mrs. Houchin's creative energy and innovative mind will be at your service as she arranges several fun and engaging learning opportunities for our 4K-12 students. These include:
- Learning to play the recorder or ukulele (Tiptoe Through the Tulips, anyone?)
- Nature walks at Brandt-Quirk Park
- Special field trips
- Brain breaks via Zoom
- Fun games and challenges like pumpkin decorating, photography and coding
- Supporting student coursework in Music at all levels
We encourage our students to take advantage of the many enriching options that Mrs. Houchin makes possible. Participating is also a great way to interact with classmates and make new friends. Look for regular updates throughout the year!
Elementary Classroom Updates from Mrs. Hail and Mrs. Retzlaff
- Timberdoodle families have done a wonderful job showcasing their students work in September. We would like to spotlight the Butson family (Hennepen, Kirby, Brooklyn) for creating a walking robot! Together they followed multi-step procedures for performing technical tasks to create the robot. Wonderful teamwork!
- Images from two field trips: A Look Inside Your Brain (UW-Madison Scientists) and Finding Buried Treasure. Thanks to those students who attended and got their questions answered by local scientists.
- Stay tuned for upcoming November field trips. Also, we are going to be featuring a poster contest which will be discussed during morning meeting.
- Just a reminder, all families are able to purchase books for their own personal library at home through Scholastic Book Orders. To do so, please visit https://orders.scholastic.com/QBR6Z. For further information reference the email sent out earlier in an October email.
The Butson Family Robot
Scientists and eCampus Students Study the Brain
Finding Buried Treasure
Courses, of Course!
Enhance the eCampus Learning Experience with Extra Apps For Learning
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
Spring Street Workspace
Picture Day Greetings!
A Fun Place to Learn
Talking Algebra on the Smart Board with Mr. Logan
Cap & Gown and Yearbook Orders
Graduation information of course pertains to our eCampus Academy seniors, however, students in grades 9-12 have the option to purchase a yearbook. See below for more information.
Senior Cap & Gown Orders
Students may order online at www.jostens.com. If you prefer to have a Jostens packet to order from, please contact Lynn Linskens and she will make arrangements to get you a packet. eCampus graduates have the option to participate in the WUSD regular graduation ceremony scheduled for Saturday, June 11, 2022, at Watertown High School.
Yearbook Orders
If you would like to order a yearbook for the 2021-22 school year, please go to Yearbookordercenter.com. The order number is 3818. The deadline to order a yearbook is in April. If you wish to not have your picture in the yearbook contact Lynn Linskens.
We Want to Hear From You!
Helpful tips and reminders for accessing Schools PLP
Because we continue to have new families each month, we'll 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 - November 3 and 10
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.
Contact Information
Email: info@ecampusacademy.org
Website: ecampusacademy.org
Location: 111 Dodge Street, Watertown, WI, USA
Phone: (920) 262-1420