The WAVA Wave
September 9, 2016
Dear WAVA Middle School Students and Parents –
Welcome to the 2016-17 school year! I am so thankful to have been part of WAVA for the past 10 years. When WAVA opened in August of 2006, virtual education was brand new to Washington State and no one knew what online public school was, or that it even existed! So much has changed in just one decade, and I am honored to have been part of developing unique educational options for students in our state.
The WAVA faculty is constantly reviewing the performance of our school and our students’ achievement to determine how we can better serve the needs of our students and prepare them for the next stages of their education and lives.
We know that:
- Middle school students have more complex needs than elementary students.
- Middle school curriculum is more difficult and complex for students and those helping them.
- There is a narrow window of opportunity to identify students at risk and target instruction to meet their needs and help them be successful.
- Middle School students need to establish positive routines to be self-sufficient and ready for the rigor of high school classes.
WAVA teachers and administrators recognize the unique time of life for middle school students and happily work to meet the needs of all students. We have adjusted the structure of our school into a “teaming” model. Students are no longer assigned to a “homeroom teacher” as they were in elementary school. Instead, our middle school students are assigned to a team of 2 teachers – one who teaches math & science and one who teaches language arts & history to a single group of students. Some teams are also fortunate to have a 3rd teaming partner who works to provide the special services to students on the team who need them. We feel this is a great way to transition middle school students into experiencing working with multiple teachers before they attend a high school with 6 unique teachers for each content area. Our teacher teams will really have the opportunity to know each student, their strengths, and their educational needs extremely well.
We have been working hard all summer to prepare for this school year and make it the best year ever. If you are new to WAVA, you have been assigned a Family Support Liaison to help answer your questions and get started. If you are a returning student and have any questions about your courses or materials, please communicate with your team teachers the first week of school. All students need to watch their Class Connect schedule next week and attend their team’s welcome assembly on the first day of school. Team teachers will also be working with students to complete the MAP assessment in reading and math the first week of school so that we can jump into our regular content class schedule starting on Monday, September 12th!
WAVA Middle School is a nurturing online learning community where students, parents and teachers partner in a culture of achievement and where students can realize and capitalize on their abilities. I am so glad that you are part of our school and am very much looking forward to a wonderful school year working with all of you!
Catch the WAVA wave!
Tammy Alonzo
WAVA Middle School Principal
Office 365 - to Download or Not?
Only students who do not have an Office program need to download the free version of Office 365 that is provided to students. Follow this guide for more information.
Required for 7th Graders: Hearing and Vision Screening
Washington law (WAC 246-760) requires that vision and hearing screening services be offered to students in grades K-3, 5 and 7. WAVA offers you 4 options to complete your child’s screening. Please take 2 minutes and fill out the registration survey and indicate your preference. All families will receive follow up communications from the Assessment Team to ensure you can complete this screening requirement. Contact Jazmine McCoy at jamccoy@k12.com if you have any questions, thank you!
Join WAVA's Facebook Group for Middle School Learning Coaches
If you have requested to join but have not heard anything please check your alternate folders on Facebook. We send private messages to learning coaches if we cannot verify their student is enrolled in WAVA.
If your income has changed, you will need to fill out this form.
Learning Coaches: Please update your email address.
National Online Learning Day Assembly
Click here to login or you can access the session from your student's account.
Thursday, Sep 15, 2016, 08:00 AM
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RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Seattle Mini Maker Faire
We invite you to join K12 Insight School of Washington and Washington Virtual Academy at the EMP on September 17-18 for the Seattle Mini Maker Faire to experience the latest and greatest inventions from across the region. This family-friendly festival offers tech enthusiasts, crafters, homesteaders, scientists, and garage tinkerers of all ages and backgrounds a public platform to show off their passion projects. #MakerFaireSEA
http://www.empmuseum.org/makerfaire
https://store.empmuseum.org/single/eventlisting.aspx?k=54&promo=k12
Saturday, Sep 17, 2016, 09:00 AM
325 5th Avenue North, Seattle, WA, United States
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Class Connect Information Session for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon
Field Trip to Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon
JUNE 2017
K-8 Washington Virtual Academy is offering an out-of-state field trip opportunity to sixth through eighth grade WAVA students We have requested performances on Tuesday, June 13 & Wednesday, June 14, but we are waiting for confirmation from the Shakespeare Festival.
What: Field trip to Ashland, Oregon to attend Oregon Shakespeare Festival plays “Julius Caesar” by Shakespeare and “The Odyssey” by Homer, 1 acting workshop, 2 prologues and 1 discussion group
Who: A total of 50-75 sixth through eighth (6-8) grade WAVA students and their learning coaches, plus two WAVA teachers will attend this field trip. Families will meet as a WAVA group to attend the Shakespeare activities. The rest of the time, families will be on their own to tour the city and attend other educational opportunities.
Where: Oregon Shakespeare Festival Ashland, Oregon
When: 2 days in Ashland, hopefully June 13 & 14, 2017
Cost: WAVA is covering the cost of the workshop and discussion group.
Families will cover the costs of the admission to 2 plays and 2 prologues at $75 per person.
Accommodations, travel and meals: WAVA families are responsible to provide transportation to and from Ashland, to secure lodging in Ashland, and to provide their own meals.
Come to an informational meeting in class connect on Thursday, September 22 at 2 p.m. to learn about this amazing opportunity.
Questions can be directed to Mrs. Lynes, Mrs. Roth, and Mrs. Whitener
Thursday, Sep 22, 2016, 02:00 PM
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RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Free Tickets to the Washington State Fair for WAVA Students!
WAVA students get free tickets to the Washington State Fair!
110 9th Ave SW, Puyallup, WA 98371
If you're in the Tacoma area, stop by our office and get your free ticket(s). 1 per student. Our office is open Monday - Friday from 8am - 5pm.
If you prefer, you can send a self addressed, stamped envelope to our WAVA office:
Please include your student's name and student ID.
Washington Virtual Academies
2601 S. 35th St Suite 100
Tacoma, WA 98409
Learning Coach University
K12 Learning Coach University™ was created to support the Learning Coaches who guide the schooling of their children at home. Click here to view the September sessions.
K12 Student Clubs
Get your student involved in their favorite online clubs. Click here to sign up today.
Using Texting/SMS for Communication
We are excited to announce a change to our new WAVA text messaging feature.
Beginning on August 8th, you will receive a welcome text message, letting you know that you have been opted into receiving text message notifications from WAVA. These messages will allow you to receive important, urgent updates regarding school deadlines, events, outages, and other pertinent informatio.
Standard text messaging and data rates will apply and WAVA is not responsible for these charges.
With this change, please note that all messages from WAVA will be sent from numbers 23177 or 63709. We encourage you to save these numbers in your contact list, so you can easily identify messages from WAVA in the future.
Though you have the ability to respond to text messages, WAVA does not have the ability to read the content of your replies. We simply receive notification that you have responded. If you would like to receive a response back regarding a question, please respond by emailing info@wava.org.
Should you choose to opt out of receiving text messages from WAVA, simply reply STOP to the welcome message. As WAVA is not responsible for text messaging and data rates, be sure to reply STOP if you do not wish to receive text messages.
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Join our WAVA Facebook group for Learning Coaches
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Washington Virtual Academies
Email: info@wava.org
Website: wava.k12start.com
Location: 2601 S 35th St Suite 100 Tacoma, WA
Phone: 2539641068
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WAVAMSLC/
Twitter: @K12_WAVA