Good afternoon, Blackhawks! We have made it through our first two weeks of the 2022/2023 school year. At this point, all courses should be active and you should begin to be in a routine. If at any time you are struggling with doing so or having difficulties with content, please be sure to reach out. Do not wait until last minute.

Tonight is the 4th annual First Responders' Football Game in honor of Deputy Eric Overall and all first responders. The game will begin at 7pm tonight at Blackhawk Stadium. I encourage you to attend and to consider athletics for those in secondary. Remember, all Summit Virtual Academy students in good standing are eligible to sports, clubs, and extracurriculars, and these are a great way to stay actively involved in the school.

Be sure to read below for additional details regarding testing, supports, upcoming events, etc.. Have a great weekend!

As we continue to progress through the year, here is what you can continue to expect:

• Expect your student to work for roughly 45-60 minutes per day, per course
• By now, you should have been reached out to by a counselor regarding your course progress. These will happen once a week. It is extremely important that you respond to communication. Please note that the student needs to respond and be in communication, not just the parent(s).
• Your main point of contact for contact specific questions is your course instructor. If you need help doing so, don't hesitate to reach out to us at 248-627-1820.

Just like last year, all students are required to come into the building to complete NWEA testing. This year, we will test in the Fall, Winter, and Spring. Keep a look out for additional information. But here is what to expect:

• Middle school will test at BMS
• High School will test at the high school. Testing dates will be September 28th and 29th. This is for all ninth and tenth grade students. More details on times will come out next week.

MDE has mandated that ALL students must begin progress on their EDPs by fall each year and complete the year's expected progress in EDPs by then end of the school year. By the end of the month, your student should begin work on this year's EDP. For this, we use Xello. Students returning to Brandon School District should already be very familiar with this program, as it is the same program that has been used in years past. Students who are new to the program my need help getting started. If your student already remembers how to access this, they are welcome to begin work on their own. Beginning next week, you may be contacted regarding a Zoom meeting for your student to attend in which our EDP coordinator walks students through the process to begin work. As always, contact the office with any questions at 248-627-1820.

Given the nature of the online program, there will not be a set conference day for online students at this time. At any time, you are able to setup a time to talk with your student's instructors. You can find their contact information on Edmentum's website once you are logged in. Again, if you need assistance in doing so, please contact the office at 248-627-1820.

Here you will find links to resources to help parents and students. Those of you who worked with Edmentum last year may have noticed some subtle changes to the system, as courses are now listed as being Apex courses. An overview of these changes and how to use the system as a parent can be found using the link to parent orientation presentations that is listed below.

Link for elementary overview: https://e.edmentum.com/eoa-getting-started-students-parents-caregivers/

Instructional Model overview for online learning (last page has links embedded to parent orientation presentations):

https://www.edmentum.com/resources/brochures/edoptions-academy-instructional-engagement-model-glance

• First Responders/Never Quit Football game - Friday, September 16 at 7:00pm
• Homecoming Parade - Friday, September 30, 5:30pm, downtown Ortonville
• BHS Homecoming Football game vs Goodrich - Friday, September 30, 7:00pm
• BHS Homecoming Dance - Saturday, October 01, BHS Cafeteria
• Picture Retake Day - October 04, all day (High School students)

Here you will find links to counselor contact information, information for students, etc. as the year progresses.

• Mrs. Hickey - jhickey@brandon.k12.mi.us
• Mr. Belluomo - rbelluomo@brandon.k12.mi.us
• Mrs. Dietiker - cdietiker@brandon.k12.mi.us