PLA Virtual News
Phalen Virtual Leadership Academy
"Bytes" From Your School Leader, Dr. Townsend
February 10, 2023
Greetings Phalen Virtual Leadership Academy Families,
Happy Friday! Happy Black History Month! Today our teachers and staff worked hard in professional development preparing and planning to end our year strong for all scholars! Depending on your grade level, you should have received reminder phone calls from our team sharing testing dates, locations and times.
We have completed WIDA and achieved our scholar participation rates and we know we will do the same for all other upcoming state assessments such as IREAD, ILEARN, IAM, SAT, Biology and more. We know that teaching and learning virtually is a wonderful school choice that we are afforded and we are grateful for the opportunity. We also know and share during orientation that there are a few times per year, that we MUST come together to assess scholar growth and achievement for the year during Indiana State Mandated Assessments. We must take these assessments in person and completing them virtually or opting out is not an option for us. We always look forward to seeing everyone in person and being able to use the data to help us see what has gone well and areas we need to modify to ensure all scholars are learning, growing, excelling and feeling great about school.
Please be sure to check your email as we have shared information with you regarding re-enrollment for next year and we want to make sure your spot is secured! Let's make sure you are signed, sealed and confirmed as a returning family with us for next year!
Have you liked AND followed us on Facebook and Instagram? If not, please do so, as we have lots of amazing things going on and have been sharing with our followers!
Have a wonderful weekend! I heard the groundhog saw his shadow on February 2, so it was predicted that we have a few more weeks of cold weather, but he has only been accurate 40% of the time, so we shall see. 😊
With Gratitude,
Dr. Townsend, Principal
Phalen Virtual Television---Episode 16
Intent to Return--Are you Registered?
Happy Friday! You all have been receiving emails regarding your Intent to Return. These emails will come out on a weekly basis to everyone. If you have already filled out the Intent to Return, thank you and you can ignore those emails. We are working on a solution so you won’t receive them moving forward after the completion of the form. If you have not filled out the form, please let us know what your plans are for next school year. We want to make sure we save your scholar a seat! If you have any questions regarding the Intent to Return please reach out to Angie Baker, School Enrollment Coordinator, abaker@phalenacademies.org.
Field Trip Opportunity
Who: All grades
Where: Newfields Art Museum
When: Friday, March 3, 2023 at 11 am
What: Tour of We. The Culture: Works by The Eighteen Art Collective and other Exhibits.
Why: Culminating activity for Black History Month to view exhibitions addressing various subjects such as joy, hip-hop culture, nature, and social justice.
Cost: Free for Students. Chaperones (at most $5). Teacher Chaperone $5.
2/13/23 - 2/17/23 Daily Family Talk Questions
Monday- What is your take on all the superhero movies that became so popular lately?
Tuesday- If you could magically learn one language, which one would you pick?
Wednesday- What is a movie that everyone seems to love which is just whatever for you?
Thursday-Sweet or savory?
Friday-Are you more of a doer or a thinker?
Helping Our Scholars Stay Logged in Every Day, All Day
Attendance is key to your scholar’s success!
If your scholar will be absent for any reason, please let our Attendance Clerk, Mrs. DeHaven, know as soon as possible. You can email her at tdehaven@phalenacademies.org or call the attendance line at 317-829-6065.
**Reminder--after 5 absences called in by the scholar's Learning Coach, we will require a doctor's note for further excused absences.**
“When students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects and chances for graduating.” – Attendance Works
Do you need to speak with the school social worker?
Celebrate Black History Month Reading and Learning More
Fall in Love with the Digital Book Library for February
The link for the meeting is listed below!
Please do not join until the time of the meeting.
https://us.bbcollab.com/guest/c070f13dc8124f029beb3f56fbd5f0fa
SENIOR HIGHLIGHTS!!!
As we move deeper into the second semester, our seniors are getting closer and closer to their graduation and the next phase of their lives. Please join me in celebrating our seniors who have already started receiving college acceptance letters!
Tellisa Ellis - Northern Illinois University
Teliyah Ellis - Northern Illinois University
Chanel Fletcher - Ivy Tech Community College
Kira Decker - Ivy Tech Community College Marion, and Marian University Ancilla
We will continue showcasing our seniors as the acceptance letters continue to roll in. We are so proud of the class of 2023 and all of their accomplishments so far!! #PLAStrong
How to Log-in for DAILY LIVE Classes
Chromebook Login
Username(Scholar email): __________@plavirtual.org
Password(Example): AWalker1180!
Blackboard Login (How to Login to Class)
(YES! This is different from last year. Please use this updated login format for 2022-2023)
https://elearning.phalenacademies.org/
Username (Scholar email): __________@plavirtual.org
Password: STN Number
Homeroom Teacher Contact Info by Grade Level
Kindergarten: Mrs. Beriault, tberiault@phalenacademies.org
1st Grade: Mrs. Lakin, dlakin@phalenacademies.org
2nd Grade: Mrs. Surface, ksurface@phalenacademies.org
3rd Grade: Mrs. Thomas, cthomas@phalenacademies.org
4th Grade: Mrs. Brady, mbrady@phalenacademies.org
5th Grade: Mr. White, rwhite@phalenacademies.org
6th Grade: Ms. Hawks, chawks@phalenacademies.org
7th Grade: Mrs. Groulik, mgroulik@phalenacademies.org
8th Grade: Mrs. Putt, eputt@phalenacademies.org
9th Grade: Mrs. Dunbar, cdunbar@phalenacademies.org
10th Grade: Mr. DeHaven, cdehaven@phalenacademies.org
11th Grade: Ms. Embry, sembry@phalenacademies.org
12th Grade: Ms. Stewart, alstewart@phalenacademies.org
Tech Support @PLA Virtual
2022-2023 School Events
21st Century Scholars Informational Meeting
Friday, February 17, 2023
5:00pm via Blackboard (see link and flier above)
President's Day Holiday--No School (School Closed)
Monday, February 20, 2023
SAT MANDATORY GRADUATION EXAM--REQUIRED FOR ALL JUNIORS (11TH GRADE CLASS OF 2024 SCHOLARS)
Wednesday, March 1-Friday, March 3, 2023
Assigned testing date and location will be emailed by Ms. Sepaniak, our State Testing Coordinator
Virtual Art Showcase
Thursday, March 2, 2023
3:00pm
Submissions due February 24, 2023
New Fields Art Museum
Friday, March 3, 2023
11:00am
IREAD--MANDATORY STATE TESTING--ALL 2ND, ALL 3RD AND SELECT 4TH GRADE SCHOLARS
March 6-17, 2023
Assigned testing date and location will be emailed by Ms. Sepaniak, our State Testing Coordinator
Staff Professional Development Day (No School for Scholars)
Friday, March 24, 2023
Spring Break (School Closed)
Monday, March 27-Friday, March 31, 2023
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PLA University Announces Its 2021 Training Start Dates, Expanding Free Job Training in Health and Information Technology
Indianapolis, IN - Phalen Leadership Academies is honored to announce the official launch of the upcoming 2021 cohort of PLA University, a tuition-free job training program for the adult family members of current PLA scholars.
Last year’s cohort launched with Health & Life Sciences training. The new cohort, beginning August 23rd, expands training to include Information Technology (IT). PLA families can now apply for training to become: IT support professionals, Forklift Operators, Certified Nursing Assistants, Veterinary Assistants, Pharmacy Technicians, Medical Billers and Coders, or Medical Assistants.
“We are excited to expand the offerings of PLA University to bring more training options and training partners for PLA families,” said PLA University Executive Director, James Swift. “We have been bolstered by the support of local businesses and institutions such as the Launch Hope Foundation, the Hardon Educational Institute and Penn Foster College. These partners are helping us to lay a strong foundation as we work to help our families secure jobs with competitive salaries and long range potential.”
Created in the wake of the murder of George Floyd to foster self-sufficiency and economic parity, PLA University is among the first career training institutions of its kind as it seeks to improve the outcomes of both PLA scholars and families. The program works to teach families life skills, provides certification training and job placement. The program is located at James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy on Indianapolis's Far Eastside.
The next PLA University cohort begins August 23rd. For more information or to apply to join this PLA Universitycohort, please visit PLAUniversity.org and apply or contact info@plauniversity.org.
Download our APP!
The latest news and information from schools in the Phalen Leadership Academies Network are now available on smartphones and mobile devices with a new mobile app launching today. PLA is working to expand its communications outreach with a mobile app that is now available in the online iTunes® and Google Play® app stores for free.
The mobile app will offer a constantly updated feed of school and network news and events with photos and links to PLA school websites. The app can also be customized by the user by selecting the schools they are most interested in for news and updates. Users can also choose to receive push notifications to get breaking news, updates about school closures, calendar changes, or even sports updates.
Have Questions? Contact Us Today!
Phalen Virtual Leadership Academy (PLA Virtual) is a tuition-free online learning academy for Indiana families in grades K-12. We are backed by an accredited university to help empower our scholars and families to accelerate academic success with high-quality curriculum taught in their own environment. We use technology to provide interactive and rigorous online classes that allow our scholars to learn and thrive. Our scholars excel not just in academics, but also socially and emotionally with a blend of online coursework and options to engage in sports and enrichment at a local PLA campus.
Email: ttownsend@phalenacademies.org
Website: PLAVirtual.org
Location: Indiana, USA
Phone: 317.939.3787
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhalenLeadershipAcademies
Twitter: @AcademiesPhalen