Welcome to Economics Class
Summer 2019
Dear students, parents, and facilitators.
Welcome to Georgia Virtual School. I will be your student's teacher.
The student’s first task is to complete the Student Orientation Course (SOC).
· It is important to complete topics in order and complete all items on the checklist.
· Students must successfully finish student orientation and earn a 100% on the quiz prior to gaining access to class.
· This must be completed by 8:00 pm (EST) the day before your session begins.
· Following the completion of the SOC, the date on which students will gain access to the course is dependent upon which schedule was selected at the time of registration.
Student Orientation Course: Must be completed prior to gaining access to your GaVS Course.
Schedule Group Start Dates (Students select the schedule when they register.)
Regardless of the start date, the course ends July 12, 2019. Student work is due daily (by 11:59pm EST). Check course schedules for specific due dates. Work turned in after the deadline on the course schedule will be accepted within 1 school day with a 20% late penalty assessed. After 1 school day a grade of 0 will be given.
Summer Due Dates and Late Policy
Please be aware of the pacing guide and due dates for all assignments. Extensions past the last day of school will NOT be granted. All work for a summer school course is due the day assigned by midnight (11:59 pm) EST. Work turned in after the deadline on the course schedule will be accepted within 1 school day following due date with a 20% late penalty assessed. Assignments due on Friday, that are submitted Saturday, Sunday, or Monday will receive a 20% late penalty. After 1 school day, a grade of 0 will be given. The late work policy is enforced from the original assignment due date; therefore, if a student is granted an extension and the new assignment due date is after the original late work window has expired, work submitted after the new due date will result in a grade of zero. BEGINNING SUMMER 2019: If a request is approved during the final weeks of school the approved make-up work should be completed according to the amended due dates, but does not need to be submitted prior to the student completing the final exam in the course.
Important Parent Information
The Parent Account gives you information about your child’s grades and progress in their course. Each Tuesday and Thursday, beginning the first Thursday of the summer semester, you will receive an automated email with your child’s grade range in each of his/her classes. If your child’s grade drops below a 70, you will receive a phone call from me.
In order to view your child’s progress, you will need to have a parent account within our Student Information System and your account must be linked to your child’s GAVS account. If you already have a parent account, please do NOT create a new one. If you have never created a parent account or you have not linked to your student’s account, follow the steps listed below.
Parent Account Information
Parents should read the knowledgebase articles in the order listed below. The steps must be completed in this order.
During the parent account creation process, you will be required to visit http://www.gavirtualschool.org/ to begin the account creation process.
Steps/Process:
2. Link Child to Parent Account (Student's GTID is needed during this step.)
Brightspace Help Sessions
Georgia Virtual School will have Brightspace Help Sessions for students and parents on Jigsaw on the following dates:
Sunday, June 2 @ 3 PM
Monday, June 3 @ 7 PM
Sunday, June 9 @ 3 PM
Monday, June 10 @ 7 PM
NOTE: Students and parents may attend any of the above scheduled sessions
To participate in the Brightspace Help Session, you will
1. Join by entering the meeting as an attendee.
2. Enter your e-mail address as your username.
3. If you are a GAVS student, please use your GAVS email address username@gavirtualschool.org
4. Enter your first and last name.
5. Select continue.
6. Click the browser icon to enter the Brightspace Help Session.
Here is the link to join each Brightspace Help Session: Brightspace Help Classroom
The schoolwide Brightspace Help meetings are separate from individual Welcome Sessions held by each teacher. Please plan to attend my Welcome Session as well. I will notify you about the date of my Welcome Session meeting.
Attend Your Teachers Synchronous Classes
I will meet the students in synchronous classes twice a week. Students will receive information about upcoming lessons and assessments, be able to ask and answer questions, and take part in activities that can lead to bonus points.
The Welcome session will be held on Monday, June 3rd, at 9:00 a.m. Click here to access the meeting. Test your computer for required software by June 2nd. Click here for Jigsaw support. The support page includes information concerning the Mobile App for Tablets.
Review the Student Handbook
If you have questions or concerns, feel free to email me or call at the number below. You may also reference the Summer 2019 Student Handbook for additional information and answers to general questions.
How much time should I plan to spend on my course?
You are expected to login and participate in your online course on a DAILY basis. I check attendance.
Summer semester: Students completing the 6 week course should plan to spend at least three to five hours per weekday (15 to 25 hours per week) for a half unit (A or B) course or six to eight hours per weekday (30 to 40 hours per week) for a 1 unit (AB or block) course. Time required to complete work increases if the student enrolls in a 5 week course.
Please note: You may not be logged in to the course the entire time, but you need to plan on your work taking that much time. You may be able to complete some of your work offline, but you do need access to your computer and the internet every day Monday through Friday. Allow more time if you are not comfortable using a computer.
Teachers, facilitators, and parents can keep up with your attendance in class through the User Progress feature. It tracks the days and times you log in, as well as which sections you are working on and when you are working on them.
You are expected to follow your daily schedule and to read content, participate in discussions , do assignments, and take tests according to this schedule. Be sure to view resources in course news and in the links section for additional information and tutorials.
Academic Integrity (from Student Handbook)
Academic integrity is a fundamental component of teaching and learning. Maintaining high standards of academic integrity ensures the sustainability of the educational process. Therefore, students are expected to commit to and be responsible for demonstrating the five fundamental components, even in the face of adversity:
1· Honesty 2· Trust 3· Fairness 4· Respect 5· Responsibility
Unless your teacher or the specific assessment directions inform you of exceptions, all work must be original and entirely the student's own work without any outside help. While taking assessments or completing written assignments, students will not confer, either in person or through electronic communication, with other students, parents, family members, facilitators, tutors or acquaintances. While taking assessments or completing written assignments, students may not use any textbooks, references, or other materials/outside sources (printed or electronic) unless your teacher or the specific assessment directions inform you of exceptions. Assignments that require documentation and/or references must adhere to guidelines presented by the teacher. When in doubt, clarify with your teacher before beginning an assignment or submitting it.
Students are expected to complete and save their work for GaVS classes in a digitally secure environment that is password protected. GaVS provides a secure working area and storage in O365. Failure to secure and protect files/documents that become shared with other students will be considered an honor violation.
Acknowledgement Form
Contact Information
Freda Goodman, M.Ed
Social Studies Instructor
Master Teacher
(678) 249-0936
freda.goodman@gavirtualschool.org
Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m, or by appointment
Follow me on Twitter:
MsG_GAVS_SSTeacher@MsG_GAVS
Click here for my introduction.