Hello, 21st Century Cyber Charter School Students and Families,

The cold weather is here, and the holidays are upon us. In some parts of the state, we have even seen the first snow of the year. Amidst all of the excitement that the holidays may bring, we still want to encourage students to stay focused on their academics and finish strong this quarter. The mid-point of Quarter 2 is December 13th. As of the mid-point, students should be working on Week 7 in all of their classes.

Winter break begins with an early dismissal for students at 11:30 AM on December 23rd, 2021, and lasts until January 3rd, 2022. Teachers will not be available during the break. However, Moodle does remain open. This is an excellent time for students who may be behind to get caught up. Teachers will be helping students who are behind by sending out winter break plans to assist them. The plans will be emailed before the start of the break, so be on the lookout. This time can be used to resubmit assignments to reach mastery and improve grades. Remember a little rest and relaxation is always a good idea too.

Once winter break is over, we only have nine days of school left before the last day of the quarter. This time of year always flies and often catches students by surprise. We want students to be prepared and reach their goals for this quarter. Remember, your student’s academic advisor can be a great resource and support to assist your student.

Thank you all so much for being part of the 21CCCS family. We are happy you have entrusted us with your student’s education. We wish everyone a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season. We hope 2022 is an excellent year for you and your family.

Principal Laidlaw & Principal Frank

Have you ever read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein? If you have not, allow me to summarize it quickly for you. A boy and a tree are friends and as time passes their relationship changes. The boy begins to ask the tree for more and more resources until the boy, now an old man, is left to just sit on a stump. Take whatever message you want from it, but I want to be sure to focus on the giving aspect for a moment.

We talk frequently about giving to others and the importance of charity. In this giving season, I encourage everyone to seek out these opportunities. However, I do not believe we talk enough about also giving to ourselves. Sometimes we wear ourselves down to a stump, like the tree, constantly providing for those around us. When we finally give ourselves a moment to recover, a moment that should be peaceful, we actually find that we need support. This realization may be noticing something like increased negative thoughts, heightened anxiety, or a growing depression.


This holiday season I want you to practice giving, not only to others, but yourself. You are a gift and the only way to spread that to others is to feel whole yourself. Nobody wants to share from a half-eaten pie, so give yourself an opportunity to recover. Take some time to do something for yourself, or perhaps get yourself that gift you’ve been coveting for a bit. You’ve earned it! And know too that if you need help feeling this support, your School Counselors are always available during school hours in the Counselor & School Nurse VO.

Thanks and Happy Holidays!

Allison Thorne, Cory Faust, Sanna McCoy, Sean Galiczynski, Lisa Moynihan, & Ashley Cooke

This time of year always seems to get a little busier as we try to multitask to check off our to-do list! Your iPad can be a great tool in helping you work more efficiently since it is built to work with your MacBook. AirDrop is an awesome feature available on both your iPad and MacBook that makes it easy to send files and photos between devices and is a quicker alternative to emailing attachments. Check out the directions on how to AirDrop here! Don't forget that several of the programs you're using on a regular basis in your classes are available as apps on your iPad - have you tried using the Nearpod, Flipgrid, or EdPuzzle app on your iPad while working in Moodle or Jigsaw on your computer? Reach out to Mrs. Michener if you need more ideas on how to make these devices work for you! "App-y" Holidays!