GVP Family News
January 29, 2021
A Note From The Principal
Greetings Parents & Scholars,
News and Updates! This week is full of updates for parents and scholars. Our newsletter is full of information to enhance scholar success and items for you as a parent to consider moving forward. Please take a moment and read all of the sections below. We have (2) Town Hall meetings scheduled for next week. We are hosting them at 1:00 and 6:00pm hoping to capture everyone. You only need to attend one session. This Town Hall is focused on our 3rd grade state assessment IREAD. We also have information regarding our NWEA assessment. This assessment is for every scholar in grades K-8. You should have received information via mail with instruction on how to help your scholar login to this assessment. This information will also be posted to our website and emailed to you. Please check out our NWEA section below to determine what dates and times your scholars will be participating in this test.
Parents Please Help! Our teachers have spent time with your scholars all year preparing them for success. They have taught standards, assessed them, evaluated the data and reassessed. We are close to taking the state assessments (IREAD & ILEARN). These assessments will determine how well our scholars have retained the information they were taught. The NWEA is the last assessment prior to the two state assessments. Please allow your scholar to take this assessment without your help. It is the only way we will know how close they are to passing the IREAD & ILEARN. I know as a parent we are tempted to help our scholar. We never want our children to fail. In this case, please help us by not assisting them on the NWEA. We need to know if there is any ‘little thing” they are missing we can flag it now and help. Thank you so much for understanding. We are in this together! Reach out to us if you need any help throughout the week. I look forward to seeing the parents of our 3rd grade scholars next week at our Town Hall.
Looking Ahead! Listed below is an information section for all of our 8th graders. It has been a pleasure having you this year. As you prepare for 9th grade please consider furthering your education at our very own James & Rosemary Phalen Academy (JRP). We have included contact information below. Families we have also included an informational segment about our PLA University. If you are interested in furthering your education or learning a new trade, this is for you! It will be a game changer for so many of our families.
Scholars First,
Dr. Sue Starr
NWEA MOY Assessments
Kindergarten scholars will have the option to take their assessment in person on Monday, February 1 and Tuesday, February 2. First grade scholars will have the option to take their assessment in person on Thursday, February 4 and Friday, February 5. Each day will have two testing windows (9:00am and 1:00pm). We ask that your scholar arrive on time with a mask and their charged device. Unfortunately, we cannot allow parents or families to wait in the building. Families may wait in their car or leave and we will contact you when your scholar is ready to be picked up.
Your scholars teacher should have already reached out to schedule a time for your scholar to come in and test. It is important that you are on time for your appointment as we have limited seats available and, due to social distancing restrictions, cannot accommodate additional scholars.
IREAD Town Hall
The state mandated IREAD-3 assessment is quickly approaching. We will be holding two town hall sessions on Zoom on February 3 at 1:00pm and 6:00pm to provide valuable information regarding this assessment. During this town hall, we will break down the assessment, discuss what we are doing to prepare your scholar and provide resources so you may assist your scholar in preparing for this important assessment. Please plan on attending one of these sessions.
To access this town hall, please go to the following link on Wednesday: http://bit.ly/ireadtownhall. We hope to see you there and work further on preparing your third grade scholars for this important assessment.
Enrollment
Tutoring Support
Updated Attendance Policy
High School Enrollment
PLA University
A new workforce development program is underway to respond to the growing economic challenges faced by Indy’s underserved communities. PLA University is a tuition-free training program created to provide PLA families with the access, skills, experience and job placement support to realize their full earning potential.
READ MORE HERE.
Virtual Learning Norms
- Be aware of your scholar's environment and work on providing the least distracting environment possible. (Sibling disruptions, talking, TVs and other electronics running in the background, etc.)
- Scholars may benefit from using earbuds or headphones during class.
- Virtual class is from 8am to 3pm each day. Please ensure your scholar working during the entire duration.
- If, as a parent, you are following along with your scholar and have a question, teachers are available to assist you from 1:00 to 3:00 during teacher on call hours.
- Do your best to provide a routine for your scholar. Having a set bedtime, a wake up time and breakfast are vital for your scholar's success.
We are incredibly grateful for all the support you have shown with your scholar the last few weeks. Virtual learning is impossible without you! Thank you!
Technology Troubleshooting Guide
Weekly Meal Distribution
Meal distribution will take place every Monday from 8am to 1pm in our parking lot. Scholars will receive 5 breakfasts, 5 lunches, and milk. If you are in need of meals for your scholar, please come to the school during this time. Remain in your vehicle and a member of Side Street will deliver the meals to your car. If you are unable to make it during this window, please contact the main office and we will work to make arrangements for you.
STEM Update
As we take on the new year, we will continue to learn how to program. Programming on the computer is a segue to the new chapter in our STEM class. We want to engage scholars with hands-on activities to keep them interested. Scholars need learning that keeps their minds wondering and with hands-on activities we believe that we can achieve the level of enthusiasm and engagement that we are looking for.
Having STEM gives our scholars the ability to learn about different professions that they might not be exposed to. As the school year continues, we will indulge in topics and terminology that will increase their mindset to change the world.
Mark Your Calendars
NWEA Assessment Window Opens - February 1
Teacher PD Day (Virtual Learning) - February 3
IREAD Townhall (Third Grade Families) - February 3
NWEA Assessment Window Closes - February 5
President's Day (No School) - February 15
Have Questions? Contact Us Today!
George and Veronica Phalen Leadership Academy is an A-rated, tuition free charter school serving grades K-8. Our scholars experience hands-on learning with high-quality teachers in small class sizes. We work to help our scholars master key academic skills, and demonstrate strong character, as exhibited by: honesty, service to others, a superior work ethic, and a strong vision for and belief in their futures.
Email: sstarr@phalenacademies.org
Website: gvp.phalenacademies.org
Location: 2323 North Illinois Street, Indianapolis, IN 46208, USA
Phone: 317.333.6980
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GVPhalen
Twitter: @GVPhalen
Return to E-Learning
Blackboard Information
Additional information on how to navigate the Blackboard platform can be found in the document below.
School-wide Academic Goals
- By the end of the 2020-2021 school year, scholars will achieve an IREAD 3 pass rate of 85%.
- By the end of the 2020-2021 school year, ILEARN ELA scores will increase 3-5%.
- By the end of the 2020-2021 school year, scholars will hit or be above the 55th percentile of growth in Math from BOY to EOY on NWEA.
Infinite Campus Parent Portal Access
As we partner together for our scholars success, we want to ensure you have real-time access to your scholar's academic journey at GVP. With your scholar's report card, you should have received a personalized link for your scholar(s).
Here is a short Getting Started video to check out:
https://kb.infinitecampus.com/help/getting-started-with-campus-parent-and-campus-student-video
Infinite Campus is a network-wide student information system designed to manage attendance, grades, schedules, assessments, and other information about our scholars.
Parents and Learning Coaches have access to Campus Portal. It is a confidential and secure website that allows you to log in and view your scholars' progress. There is also an app available for both iOS and Android devices on our website.
Logging into the Campus Portal will allow you to view the following
real-time information about your child: demographics, attendance, grades, and report cards.
If you have additional questions regarding Infinite Campus - Campus Portal, please email operations@phalenacademies.org.