PLA Virtual News
Phalen Virtual Leadership Academy
"Bytes" From Your School Leader, Dr. Townsend
January 27, 2023
Greetings Phalen Virtual Leadership Academy Families,
Happy Friday! What an amazing week! This week we experienced yet another amazing experience of being enrolled with a fully virtual school! Many schools closed due to a winter snow storm and they will have to make-up that missed school day at the end of the year, but we were able to continue teaching and learning as usual! Just another great day at Phalen Virtual Leadership Academy!
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!
How much fun did you and your scholar have shopping at our LiveSchool Virtual Scholar Dollar Store? Our PBIS Committee put a lot of time, thought and love into ensuring they connected with scholars to survey their interests and ensure there were items and activities that were appealing to all scholars in grades K-12. This week scholars were able to shop or window shop and save for next time! For scholars who selected to window shop, the opportunity to shop will come again next month!
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 and we look forward to seeing you on Monday, January 30, 2023 for a full week of teaching and learning!
With Gratitude,
Dr. Townsend, Principal
Phalen Virtual Television---Episode 14
Thank you to those that participated in the Flipgrid the past few weeks. We have been using some of these comments on our Social Media pages and will continue to use them for the remainder of the year. Take a look at why your staff and other scholars love PLA Virtual.
1/30/23 - 2/3/23 Daily Family Talk Questions
Monday- What's the most interesting thing you can see out of your kitchen window?
Tuesday-On a scale of 1-10 how funny would you say you are?
Wednesday- If you could join any past or current music group which would you want to join?
Thursday-Who is the most intelligent person you know?
Friday-What is one thing you will never do again?
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.**
DID YOU KNOW?
• Starting in preschool and kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.
• Missing 10%, or about 2 days each month over the course of a school year, can make it harder to learn to read.
• Students can still fall behind if they miss just 1 or 2 days every few weeks. • Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.
• Absences and tardiness can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.
Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Start building this habit in preschool so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Eventually good attendance will be a skill that will help them succeed in high school and college.
Do you need to speak with the school social worker?
WIDA ACCESS
Thank you to all those who came out for WIDA ACCESS testing! Results will be available in the spring.
Too cold to get to a library?
Avoiding the crowds but still want to read to your scholar? CHECK OUT the Digital Book Library for December
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
Semester 2 New Family Open House Night
Tuesday, January 31, 2023
3:00-4:15
Blackboard Link will be shared via email
IREAD Kick Off Party (2nd and 3rd Grade)
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
11:00am-1:00pm
2 Library Branches (Based on Scholar RSVP Location--See Flier Above)
Virtual Coffee and Conversation with Social Worker
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
9:30am
See Flier Above for more details
Staff Professional Development Day (No School for Scholars Only)
Friday, February 10, 2023
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
Click to Follow Us On Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
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