As we gear up for our third week of school, it feels more and more like we're "dropping into the groove" of online learning, and of the school year in general. There is still a great deal of work to do as we continue to revisit and refine various aspects of the MVA -- restarting clubs and activities, completing round one of MAP testing, identifying student leadership, digging into SSL and graduation procedures, and much more -- but, we are getting up to speed and making sure we are engaging students in meaningful learning opportunities and support every period, every day. We are excited to see the results of all the hard work and flexibility of our staff, students, and families. This week specifically, we have some important events coming up (see further down for more):

• Tuesday 9/13 is Back to School Night for ELEMENTARY students and families
• Wednesday 9/14 is an early release day for all students
• Thursday 9/15 is Back to School Night for MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL students and families (ask you children about their Zoom link schedules for this event!)
• Friday 9/16 begins MAP-R testing for all high school students

I want to thank each of you on behalf of the MVA Crew -- we are so glad to be on this journey with you!

-Steve Orders

Dean (6-12)

Today marks a somber moment of remembrance: the 21 year anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. We join you in honoring those whose lives were forever touched by the events of that fateful day and all the weeks and years to follow. If you are engaging in conversations with your children about this important historical event, you may find the following resources useful:

• Talking to Children About Terrorism (911Memorial.org)
• How to talk to your kids about September 11: An Age-byAge Guide" (USAToday.com)

9-11-2022: First responders salute in a driving rain as a U.S. flag is unfurled at the Pentagon on Sunday, the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. (Photo Credit: NPR.org; The Associated Press)

Tuesday, September 13 - Lower School Back to School Night 6:30-8:00 PM

Wednesday, September 14 - Early Release Day

Thursday, September 15 - Upper School Back to School Night 6:30-8:30 PM

Thursday, September 15- October 15 - Hispanic Heritage Month

Friday, September 16- Thursday, September 29 - MAP Testing (High School)

Monday, September 26- No School for all MCPS Students and Teachers

Friday, September 30- Early Release Day

Friday, September 30- Picture Make-up Day (15 West Gude Drive)

Saturday, October 8- MVAPTC Craft Fair from 12:00 to 5:00 PM at Earl B Wood Middle School

BTSN is a great opportunity for parents, guardians, and families to meet their children's teachers and learn more about the MVA. This event is VIRTUAL, so please log in with your child's Chromebook. Families must log in using MCPS student logins to access teachers' Zoom links.

Our online event runs from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 15.

After a brief introduction and overview, families will follow their children's schedules to visit individual teachers' Zoom classroom spaces to learn about each course and teacher. Teachers are also preparing short clips for parents and families who are unable to attend live on Thursday night; look for more information about accessing those videos by Thursday, 9/15.

In advisory class this week, all students will receive a blank template/schedule for the evening to enter in their Zoom links. This will be the schedule you'll use to navigate the evening -- please check with your children to make sure they're able to provide you with this important resource!

Zoom Webinar Link

Webinar Passcode: 796607

We look forward to seeing you on Thursday -- and please let your children know they are welcome to attend, as well!

Research indicates that meaningful personal engagement with their teachers and peers is one of the most important predictors of student learning and achievement.

As a result of a review of the research, the Montgomery Virtual Academy (MVA) presents the following revisions to its policies and expectations around student engagement, participation, and attendance for the 2022-2023 school year and beyond.

1. All students are expected to appear on camera for the majority of every class
2. Students should actively demonstrate engagement throughout each lesson.
   
3. Students who demonstrate no engagement for the entire class period may be marked “Absent” for that class period.
   
4. The MVA continues to expand opportunities for students to engage meaningfully with teachers, staff, and each other outside of the classroom.
   

For more detailed information on these expectations, please see this document. Thank you for your support and encouragement as we work together to connect students with their teachers and each other!

If you missed our picture day last month, don't worry -- Barksdale will be back on September 30 for make-ups. Please see the information below and use this link to sign up for a slot. Photos will be taken at 15 West Gude Dr., Rockville MD 20850. If you have questions, please call us at 240-740-6060.

Did you know we have a separate newsletter for students, to help them keep up with all the important events and offerings in various areas of the MVA? Use this link to visit, and make sure your children are getting our updates each week.

Each school year, families are asked to communicate updates about contact information, health, directory withholdings, emergency contacts and more. These updates are now processed in ParentVUE using Online Registration to access MCPS Form 281-13 “Annual Notice for Directory Information and Student Privacy.”

Using this form, parents/guardians may also indicate that the student does not want to be recorded during virtual classroom sessions for future viewing by students in the same class. Completing this form does not exclude a child from having a camera on during non-recorded instruction. Parents/guardians who choose to complete this form should do so by September 12, 2022. Please use the following guide to support you in this process: https://montgomery.service-now.com/csm?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0010232

To kick off the school year, our media specialist, Tracy Jeffcott, and Lower School media assistant, Ellen Rahr will be visiting lower school classrooms to introduce students to our new MVA Library Media Center Website. Visits to our middle and high school students will be coming soon!

Click here to view the site! The Media Center Website is also linked at the top of the Montgomery Virtual Academy website.

See below for the calendar for this upcoming week. Please note that Monday, September 5 is a holiday; schools and offices are closed. Also, MAP-R takes place this week for grades 6 and 7. More testing information is coming via email and through classes. For the full May calendar, click the link below:

Virtual Academy Daily Calendar

Check out these important September 2022 SSL updates to learn more about SSL opportunities, forms, and information about staying up to date on their SSL records and activity. And, read on below for some special opportunities available countywide and specifically for Virtual Academy students!

SSL Updates:

The Student Global Ambassador Program is offering 4 SSL hours for students ages 12+ to help with our Fall Clean-up on Saturday, September 24, 2022. Please distribute the following flyer (attached). Do share the following message with students: Middle and high school students: Kick-off Back to School with the SGAP Leaders' FALL CLEAN-UP! Bags, gloves and grabbers provided. Meet us at one of the following parks from 9-12 on Saturday, September 24, 2022. We will provide light refreshments. Grab a friend and come! Earn 4SSL hours. Age 12+ ONLY 50 VOLUNTEERS PER PARK

@ Parklawn Park

@ East Norbeck Park @ Winding Creek Park

Latino Student Fund Tutoring

Four Seasons World Dance Auditions

Arise & Flourish:

Students will need to visit the Montgomery County Volunteer Center (https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/volunteercenter/) and in the red box “Find a Volunteer Opportunity”, type in Arise and Flourish. Students will find the volunteer opportunity for the cycle of addiction video review project. This SSL opportunity has been approved by the MCPS SSL department. Please let the students know NOT to use their MCPS email address as we will not be able to respond to them.

Once students respond for the volunteer opportunity on the site, we will send the student/parent permission slip and detailed volunteer information. Please make sure the students do NOT use their MCPS email address as we will not be able to respond to them. Students will watch two video presentations provided by our organization. One video is our speakers who are people in recovery who share their personal experience. The second video is the presentation on the cycle of addiction which has information on how addiction happens.

Students have the ability to earn the following for the quality completion of this project:

1) Earn 1 SSL hour for watching one speaker video and the video for the cycle of addiction and completing one paper or artwork or;

2) Earn up to 4 SSL hours for watching up to 4 speaker videos along with the one video for the cycle of addiction and completing 4 papers or 4 artworks.

Students can watch anywhere from 1 - 4 speaker videos and the video for the cycle of addiction and completing one paper or artwork for EACH speaker video watched.

You can now access many important resources for Student Service Learning (SSL) at our new website: ​​https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/mva-ssl-opportunities/home.

Here you'll find...

• Contact information for our SSL Coordinator (Dr. Simarjeet Sandhu) and our counseling team
• An introductory video about SLL hours and how to complete them
• The official submission form for reporting hours
• Timely updates on service opportunities within and outside of the Virtual Academy
• and more!

• Navigate to https://md-mcps-psv.edupoint.com/PXP2_Login.aspx.
• Select "I am a parent" or "I am a student."
• Enter your User Name and Password, then click "Login."
• Click "Course History" from the left-hand navigation.
• The Course History page shows the student's graduation progress, test requirements, and SLL hours earned. (Students need 75 hours for graduation.)
• Toggle on "Detail" to see full Service Learning details.

Attention families and students: More SSL opportunities are available through Project Linus, an organization that provides handmade blankets to children experiencing trauma in Montgomery County and surrounding areas.

Project Linus is a national organization with chapters across the country (www.projectlinus.org). Their Montgomery County Maryland chapter works with partner organizations like Holy Cross Hospital, Children's Hospital, A Wider Circle, and the Montgomery County Department of Social Services, to distribute blankets to children who are in the hospital, homeless, in foster care, in shelters, and in other situations where just a small comfort can make a major difference. All these blankets are made by volunteers.

Middle and high school students can earn SSL hours with Project Linus in 3 ways:

1. Attending one of their monthly meetings and helping to make blankets. They meet on the 4th Monday or every month (except December, where it’s the third Monday) from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of Richard Montgomery High School. They provide all the necessary supplies, and their adult volunteers supervise the blanket-making activities. No special skills or experience required. Meeting dates are listed on this flyer.

2. Students can also earn SSL hours remotely by making blankets at home. When they drop off the blankets, they also need to send a picture of them with the blanket(s) they made. We ask that students making blankets at home first attend one of their meetings, or contact the organization at projectlinus.mc@gmail.com, to make sure they are following the proper instructions. Project Linus does not provide supplies for blankets made at home.

3. Finally, they are always looking for volunteers to help with blanket pickup and delivery and other activities.

Virtual Academy students in grades 6-12 who need to speak with a counselor
can reach out to the counselor listed below (alphabetical by last name). Please note that during these first few weeks of the year, all counselors are inundated with schedule requests and questions -- thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to serve the needs of our 1,800 students and families! (Click the image of the list below for a web browser version, for easier viewing.)

Please use this link to access important information about connecting with school counselors.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/15JPCfPdlYMinomSC-JsT_F6kEHvoHABUk7oOMG3_qF0/edit?usp=sharing

Families of students who may qualify for free or reduced-price meals can now apply for assistance for school meals. Eligibility is based on family size and gross income. Students in Maryland who qualify for reduced-price meals will receive free breakfast and lunch meals.
Apply here. Learn more about the program.

If you have any questions about your child's attendance, or if you need to report an excused absence, please contact our Attendance Secretary, Ms. Hikeyya Falden:

• Hikeyya_A_Falden@mcpsmd.org
• 240-740-6060

Every student in the VA is scheduled for Advisory (indicated as "Homeroom" on their schedules).

Advisory meets every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Students are able to:

• connect with peers from their home school
• receive Virtual Academy updates and information
• participate in fun and interesting advisory lessons

It is important for students to log in each Advisory day for learning and attendance. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, asynchronous activities are provided for students; completion of these activities counts for Advisory attendance on these days.

Contact your advisory teacher for information and to answer questions.

Activate Your ParentVue Account

This important tool will provide near real-time access to information on assignments and scores, attendance, class schedules, transcripts, graduation status, and more. You may access ParentVUE online, but for the best mobile experience, we encourage you to download the ParentVUE App from the Google Play Store or Apple Store, as this app will replace the current myMCPS mobile application.

Contact Your Child's Administrator or Counselor for your activation letter

ParentVue Directions

Log in to ParentVue

In collaboration with MCPS, the Literacy Council of Montgomery County (LCMC) is offering free English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for MCPS parents. The classes will be held virtually and there will be options for all levels of English speakers. They are available to any MCPS parent for whom English is not their first language.

Please see this flyer for details:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CWxRzof4pPS95Fi7SjEadPgf3_w39orL/view?usp=sharing

Parents can complete this Interest form to receive a placement test.

When you submit your SSL forms, it’s really important that you complete all sections properly, so the form does not get returned to you. Check out this video from our SSL committee that demonstrates how to complete the SSL form in its entirety.

Thank you, Ms. Marks, for the helpful video!

https://www.loom.com/share/a9aafe11b7c7475caa166006528bf823

The Montgomery County government has received grant funding to provide a computer to residents who do not have one. All you need is a valid Montgomery County library card and a photo ID to register. Click here for more information: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/obp/computer-for-you.html

You can now easily review previous publications of this year's Weekly Navigators online:

SEMESTER ONE

• Week of September 11, 2022
• Week of September 5, 2022