FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK
OVCA High School ~ April 9th, 2021
Hello families!
Spring is here!! Which means - we are rounding the corner to the finish line of another school year. This year has certainly been challenging in many ways for everyone. However, we hope that your student has felt supported both academically and socio-emotionally. Our staff has spent several hours in various trainings on supporting and developing students' character, grit, growth mindset, physicality, and emotions. The implementation of The 7 Mindsets has been a focus this year, as well as allowing more student-to-student interaction in live CCs and through various clubs. We look forward to continuing these trends next school year and hope to be able to meet back in person very soon!
A couple of reminders:
Looking forward, please ask your student if they've completed the course elections survey for next year. This helps us plan for staffing and helps reduce schedule changes after the school year starts. We appreciate your attention to this matter. If you have questions are your student is not sure if they've completed it, please reach out to your student's counselor.
We are currently in the midst of state testing, so staff is intermittently out of office. We appreciate your patience as we work to answer emails and grade work in a timely manner. As a reminder, only 11th graders test this year plus a few 12th graders who were already notified. If you are unable to make it to your test site, please reach out to your CFA or call the school (405-259-9478) as soon as possible.
Also, there will not be an in-person prom this year. However, K12/Stride will host a virtual prom in May. We will send out more information as it becomes available. We are looking forward to having prom again in 2022!
And final reminder - please update your registration status in the LC Parent Portal, either through the K12 app or through the K12 website. This also helps us plan for next year and save you a spot! Our school does have enrollment caps, so we would have for a student to be placed on a waiting list for a spot to open.
Upcoming Dates:
- 5/10-5/14 End of year growth assessments in Star360 (math and reading)
- 5/22 Graduation 3pm @ First Baptist Church of Edmond (must register in advance and reserve no more than 6 tickets)
- 5/20-5/25 Final exams
- 5/25 End of Year Awards Assembly @10am
- 5/26 Last day of school!
Mrs. Allison Miller
OVCA High School Principal
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESOURCES
HIGH SCHOOL BEST PRACTICES AND TIPS FOR TESTING - DOWNLOAD BELOW
Yearbook Wants YOUR Take!
The following surveys are for students, families, and staff alike to get your opinion on items at our school. Your opinion could be featured in our Yearbook.
All yearbook questions or last-minute submissions can be emailed to Mrs. Brandy Brend at bbrend@okvirtual.org.
Newrow and Blackboard Opinion Survey
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScTIAmC3FvFUiF-eFFAj01BxU4UJ58qCIpAyOk2yz6zZZVmNw/viewform
City Survey
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdytvFgHPTCdPt12KENISwfIBQFZnIIRYo3bDSTOoxIiuA0gA/viewform
Wardrobe/Clothes Poll
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfhTDuPTmpi-2uGTphf72Ezj1ELrRZq-HgW5LcptHCbkJ6bhw/viewform
***
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
OVCA High School Students of the Month
9th Grade Student of the Month
Anthony P.
Notable achievements:
- Excelling in Algebra 1, English 9, Physical Educattion
- OVCA/ISOK Vortex Team Member (Esports)
- Valuable Classroom Contributor
What the teachers are saying:
- “Anthony comes to class early and always stays after. He is the first to offer help to his teacher and his classmates!”
- “Anthony consistently completes his work on time and keeps his grade up in class. He’ll ask for help when needed, too.”
- “He is so much fun in class and is a huge asset to our classroom!”
About Anthony:
Anthony’s first year at OVCA High School has been an engaging ride. His ability to both be the life of a CC and be there in the end to help or even ask questions for himself have served him well. Conversely, he has an appreciation of what CC’s are like for him. Anthony states, “ I enjoy being in class and participating, I also like how we are all treated the same.”
His “can do” attitude has him impressing teachers and classmates in class and beyond. Esports, help sessions, regularly scheduled CCs—he makes great use of them all in staying happy and successful. Outside of school, his strength of showing initiative also takes shape. He tells us, “My greatest accomplishment recently was renovating my office during spring break.” The building will continue, too. He states, “I really like building things, so I would like to learn more about construction and building houses.”
10th Grade Student of the Month
Ruba E.
Notable achievements:
- Excelling in Biology, Geometry, Oklahoma State History
- National Honor Society Nominee (2021)
- Classroom leader
What the teachers are saying:
- “Ruba attends and participates in class connects. She asks for further explanation when she has a question.”
- “Ruba always jumps in there when asked to explain her thoughts. She completes her work on time. She makes sure I know she is present.
- “Ruba comes to CC ready to learn. She is always involved in the discussions and has a wonderful sense of humor.”
About Ruba:
Ruba’s success had been so prolific that teachers who typically teach the 10th Grade nominated her several times for the award. Despite technically being a 9th Grader, she is on a track to graduate early. She is absorbing everything she can while she’s here, though. Ruba says, “I honestly really like the teachers and their different teaching techniques. I like the fact that it is easy to access and online, so I don't have to meet anyone face to face.”
Teachers, administrators, counselors, and classmates have all been unanimous in their praise and appreciation of Ruba’s exploits—namely, her enthusiasm for attending sessions, responding to emails, and making people smile. Yet, that same energy and observant nature has her excelling, too. Her insights and observations may make her a puzzle connoisseur, but the future is not exactly a mystery right now. She informs us, “I am new to Oklahoma; I was in Texas from 2nd grade to 7th grade so a goal of mine would be to go back to Texas for college.”
11th Grade Student of the Month
Tristan S.
Notable achievements:
- Computer Fundamentals, Family and Consumer Science, Physical Science
- OVCA Semester Award Winner
- High-Quality Live Session Participant
What the teachers are saying:
- “Tristan always participates positively and is willing to try multiple times to get it right and truly learn.”
- “Tristian works so very hard to master the material he is presented with. He attends every CC session and help sessions when necessary.”
- “His hard work and dedication are why I am nominating him for Student of the Month.”
About Tristan:
Tristan is known as someone who can be wise beyond his years, yet he remains one of the most affable and charming personalities at the school. Whether it’s sharing a story after class or reaching out to teachers and administration, Tristan’s bright demeanor is a hallmark of each class he attends.
His success may also be highly connected to both his awareness of what OVCA has to offer and his willingness to fearlessly pursue all of it. He will attend an SEL session one week, stay after class to converse with a teacher the next week, and even explore tutoring opportunities after that. Tristan proves, week in and week out, that they more you strive for, the more you do, the more you achieve.
12th Grade Student of the Month
Madeline K.
Notable achievements:
- Excelling in Sociology, Forensic Science, British and World Literature
- Excelling in the AP Calculus Progam
What the teachers are saying:
- “Madeline seems to both creatively and meticulous rise to the top and produce something truly memorable in each assignment.”
- “Madeline turns in high-quality work.”
- “Her positive attitude and responsible nature combine for an all-around great student.”
About Madeline:
Despite it being her first year at the school during her senior year of all years, Madeline is performing admirably in all of her classes. While her work ethic and attentiveness to all projects push to succeed, it is her creative talents continue to impress teachers and classmates alike. She has managed to overwhelmingly excel in what has been a trying, tumultuous year.
Staff Member of the Month Survey Link
Show Support, Give a Shout-Out, and Vote for Staff Member of the Month
***
OVCA Fun and Recreation
Esports: OVCA-ISOK Vortex Early Successes Mark the Beginning of the Season
Esports and the Stride-sponsored league's competition season in full swing, and the OVCA-ISOK (OK) Vortex are playing well. The Vortex's League of Legends unit continued their winning ways last night with a decisive victory over Narwhales.
The Vortex are in the playoff hunt in 25-team Rocket League competition, the Orange Team (J. Whitworth, H. Laubach, C. Kirkpatrick, and T. Williams) and the Blue Team (J. Phillips, K. Phillips, and D. Brown). Vortex Team Blue is firmly in control of landing a seed in the 14-team playoffs with a strong 8-4 record. They're sitting comfortably in 6th place. Vortex Team Orange is in 23rd place at the time this is published.
Plans currently include streaming the games live on the team's Twitch channel at the following link: https://twitch.tv/teamvortex_ok
College, Career, Scholarships
College and Career Tech Calendar
FAFSA Applications for students to apply for aid - https://studentaid.gov/
The General Tommy Franks Museum is accepting applications for students to apply to their leadership institute:
Applications for the Oklahoma Arts Institute are being accepted in various disciplines, students can apply and find out more information here:
https://oaiquartz.org/application-selection-process
April Sessions :
Friday April 23- Virtual College Session – Oklahoma State College – 10:00- 11:00 AM
Career Presentation – Tuesday April 27- 11:45-12:15 PM- Sean Lynch – Digital Cinema-
Career Presentation – Wednesday April 28- 11:45-12:15 PM- Bailey Trammell – Counseling/Human Services-
Career Presentation – Thursday April 29 – 11:45-12:15 PM- John Feary – Government/City Planning –
Friday, April 30- Virtual College Session – 10:00-11:00- University of Central Oklahoma –
Link to session :
https://lms.k12.com/lms/go/classConnect/PJ3JAJCJMJVJAJ0-5JMJGJCJ2JHJD-P-R-M9B9299-B9D9G9M9Q9UJIJ6JGJR-UJKJ3KQJJJF9K-4-A-Q-N-R92JGJSJIJQ-7KS-PJ7JTJ0JPJNJR-V-K-89H9K-9-I9--1-9-J-D9E9For more inquiries, contact our College and Career Readiness Coordinator, Katie McAskill at kmcaskill@okvirtual.org.
***
Newsletter Hub
COUNSELORS' CORNER
K12 Research Group Looking for your Stance on the 7 Mindsets
Beginning Monday, April 19th, you will receive an email from the K12 research group with a link to complete a survey for the 7 Mindsets. The survey should take you around 8 minutes to complete with 21 questions. K12 aims to continue to provide the highest quality education, and your responses help make that possible. Any information you give will be kept strictly confidential and will be reported in collection along with the feedback of others. Please take the time to answer honestly; there are no right or wrong answers.
If you need help with the survey, please don’t hesitate to ask your Learning Coach, a caring adult in your life, and/or OVCA Teachers and support staff (CFAs, Admin, School Counselors). We are here to assist you!
Also:
The User Research team at Stride will have a variety of research studies in the field for the month of April.
We want you to be aware of them and hopefully participate so we can better support you and your students.
In the event you are contacted by someone on your staff to confirm validity of outreach, below are recruitment efforts underway from our User Research team for April 2021 studies.
Not all studies may be listed below. If a school or family receives an email from Diane Hopkins at Engage In Depth (diane@engageindepth.com), the request is valid.
LCVIP STUDIES
Survey: get feedback on Newrow
StudentVIP Studies
Survey: Tentative - topic not defined
Student Studies
Survey: feedback from 6-12 students on OLS Themes
Ideation Session: Tentative - socialization ideas grades 9-12
Usability: Student Assignment Workflow
Survey: 6-12 students on new IOL curriculum
LC Studies
Survey: get feedback from K-1 LCs about new curriculum models.
Survey: K-1 New curriculum model feedback
Survey: 6-12 LCs on new IOL curriculum
Teacher Studies
Survey: Get feedback from teachers using new Math 7 & Algebra 1 curriculum materials from the Hub
E2E: OLS Gradebook Import UX
Interviews: k-1 teacher interviews about new curriculum model
PILOT STUDIES: Staff/Classes already assigned to participate in research
Interviews: Math 8 teachers to understand usage & pain points
Survey: Math 8 teachers to gain feedback on experience.
Interviews: Math 8 Control Teachers, to gain feedback on current course experienceProject Elevate
Check out Project Elevate stories about OVCA students and staff on our OVCA Facebook Page!
Project Elevate is a Stride initiative to share stories of successful students and staff, as well as school activities, events and more. These stories have allowed us to share this impact on a larger stage through media coverage, social media spotlights, and more! So far this school year, Stride has placed more than 1,000 positive stories about Stride-powered schools in all 50 states! We are proud to showcase the solution our schools provide to their communities in helping students unlock their full potential.
The K12 App - Do You Have It?
- Link to K12 App on iOS
• Getting Started Resources
• Track Student Progress
• Check Your Daily Schedule
• Contact Teachers & Support
• Get Timely Notifications
We are happy to see more Learning Coaches visiting and supporting one another in our new online community built for Learning Coaches. Our LC Community is a safe and caring online space where you can:
• Find, connect, and develop relationships with other Learning Coaches
• Find school specific information and resources
• Learn from and encourage other Learning Coaches
You can access our school’s LC Community from the K12 App by logging in with your Learning Coach credentials and clicking the Community tab at the bottom.
Don’t have the K12 App? Download the K12 App on your iOS or Android device today!
Join us today at www.learningcoachlife.com!
***
DID YOU KNOW?
Stride has a Spanish version of their website:
Stride has a Spanish version of the Parent Portal:
https://es.k12.com/sdk12parentportal/dforce/portal_sitelogin
Oklahoma Virtual Charter Academy
Email: almiller@okvirtual.org
Website: okvirtual.net
Location: 1160 South Douglas Boulevard, Midwest City, OK, USA
Phone: 405-259-9478
Ready, Set, Grow
The Oklahoma Virtual Charter Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities and provides equal access educational programs and activities. As required by Title IX, the Oklahoma Virtual Charter Academy does not discriminate on the basis of gender, in its educational programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the Title IX non-discrimination matters:
- Angie Foust, Title IX Coordinator, afoust@okvirtual.org, (405) 259-9478 ext 2069, 1160 S Douglas, Midwest City, OK 73130
- Additionally, you may contact the Office of Civil Rights by calling 1-800-421-3481.