Claggett's Corner
OVCA Elementary ~ August 3, 2020
Preparing for the Upcoming School Year
Hello OVCA elementary families! We are so excited to see so many returning faces for the upcoming school year AND the new faces joining our school. The upcoming school year will be one to remember as we say Aloha to Learning for the 2020-21 school year.
Last Friday you should have received your first newsletter from your homeroom teacher. If you can't locate it, click here to access our school website where are newsletters are posted. Just looked under Elementary and choose your child's grade level to find both Friday's newsletter as well as those sent over the summer. Then be on the lookout for the next newsletter this Friday.
While the first official day of school is still a little over a week away, there are a few things you can be doing now to get ready.
- Begin your family's daily routine. What time will your child go to bed each night and what time will they wake up? What time will your family eat breakfast or begin schooling? Start practicing these things now and the first day will be easier.
- Practice schooling. Our children have been playing all summer - and this week's beautiful weather should keep them outdoors! But have them log in to the OLS and work on Brain Boost (if they haven't already). See if they can sit and work for 10-15 minutes for younger students, 30 minutes for older students. It can be hard to flip that switch so do a little every day.
- Online Learning. This course is open now in each student's OLS account but is designed for parents. There are 4 lessons - including a quiz - and all should be complete by Friday, August 14th. I encourage parents to take about 90 minutes, maybe 2 hours, to complete those now.
We are looking forward to seeing all of you for a great school year ahead!! Please continue reading for additional information for the upcoming school year. If you have any questions, please contact your child's homeroom teacher.
Upcoming Dates
August 7th: Virtual back to school bash Details and invitations send via email August 3rd
August 12th: Fist day of school
August 18th: NWEA screener begins in live classes
The 2020-21 school calendar is available for download below.
Introducing Newrow
For the 2020-21 school year, OVCA's new Class Connect collaboration platform Newrow is launching. When your student logs in for their first class connect session, they will still enter thru their OLS account but will experience our new collaborative platform integrated into all of our Class Connect Sessions.
Newrow will continue to allow teachers and students to engage with one another using microphones, tools, as well as the chat box. One of the enhanced features is that it is Web-based, meaning you can access Newrow thru any laptop, Chrome book, iPad, or even a smart phone. Simply log in to your OLS account and click on your scheduled class connect session to come join the fun!
Best practice tips: Note that we are recommending Chrome as the best browser to run Newrow so be sure to download this today to be ready for your first official day of class. Families should shut their computer fully down on a regular basis (at least every other day) as well as clear their cookies & cache weekly to help keep Newrow running smoothly.
Redesigned OLS for Students
Elementary students also have the opportunity to see an ALL NEW Online Learning System (or OLS) this school year. When students first log in to their account, it will look normal. Scroll down to the lower right-hand corner to find this guy, Knox the Fox, and he'll lead you to a whole new OLS!!
The new OLS has been redesigned with our youngest learners in mind. It's focused on making it easy to find out what required classes should be attended each day and what lessons should be completed. It will show students if they are on track with their lessons or if they have some lessons they need to try again, or what we call unmastered. As an added bonus, it shows up to the minute grades.
During the fall, students will have to choose to enter the ALL NEW OLS each time they log in. There will be an option coming later in the school year for students to make that their default option. This is a great learning opportunity for students to become more independent in navigating the OLS. Check out the attached PDF to see what all the fun is about!
Online Learning K-5 20-21 Open Now
One course assigned to all OVCA elementary students is called Online Learning. This four-lesson course is designed for our Learning Coaches to help you understand how to navigate the OLS as well as features within the lessons as you are supporting your student this year. Log in today to complete all four lessons - and the quiz! - so that it's one thing marked off your to-do list!
Media Release Form
OVCA is focused on providing a safe virtual learning environment. With this in mind, we ask that a legal guardian complete the below survey for each student enrolled with OVCA. The media release form includes two sections: Photograph, Testimonial and Interview Release, and Face to Face Platform (webcam) Usage School-Guardian-Student Compact. You will be given the choice to accept or decline each opportunity.
Together we can help students reach their full potential through personalized learning this year! Thank you for taking the time to complete this form.
Preparing for the Beginning of the Year Screener
At the beginning of each school year, all students participate in a screener. Think of it in terms of an eye screener - we want to see each student's "level" and adjust their instructional needs accordingly to create a personalized learning plan for your student. A prescription for their learning. Our goal for every student at OVCA is to make one year's academic growth.
Our students will participate in the NWEA screener. Because this is a web-based program, pop up blockers must be allowed for this safe site in order for the screener to work successfully. Please take a few minutes to log in to this practice site to make sure your computer is prepared. Chrome is a great tool for NWEA!
Practice website: https://practice.mapnwea.org
Username: grow
Password: grow
You will know you've successfully entered the NWEA practice site when you have the option to choose a grade level for the practice test. I encourage you to have your student sit down and explore this practice test. Kindergarten & 1st grade students will spend several days taking the reading screener (in about 10-15 minute increments) while 2nd - 5th grade students will take screens in both reading and math. Students are expected to complete this independently - we need to know what they know in order to provide the best "prescription" for their growth this year.