NCVA Beacon Herald
April 2019
Our Mission
A MESSAGE FROM OUR HEAD OF SCHOOL
April is here! That means we are right at the end of the school year, and you know what is about to come – a historical nugget.
This is the month that the Apollo 13 mission occurred (made widely-known in modern times by a movie of the same name). A screenshot of the movie poster is to the left. It is hard to see in that poster, but there is a one-liner around the lunar space craft that is clearly damaged: “Houston, we have a problem!” Yes, this situation is what made that line famous.
For those of you that are not aware of what happened, this was the third attempt at a successful moon landing. Prior to the actual landing on the moon, this crew travelled the farthest from the earth than any other individuals. The ultimate goal of the mission – landing on the moon – did not occur; however, a major catastrophe was avoided. An oxygen tank exploded creating damage and other events made the matter worse – limited power, loss of heat in the capsule, water shortage, depleting oxygen supplies, and one crew member became sick. Why? Materials in the space craft were intended to support 2 people for 1.5 days instead of 3 people for 4 days. The situation was grim but the entire world watched and waited.
Through teamwork, collaboration, creativity, and determination, the crew in space and the ground team at Mission Control devised never-before-attempted plans to return the crew safely to earth. While things did not go as planned, much was learned.
What you do today, right now, prepares you for opportunities tomorrow. Simply put, there is still time to make strides for a successful outcome this school year. Never think that it is too late to grow and succeed in meeting your goals. I love this quote by leadership coach John Maxwell: “Growth today is the only guarantee that tomorrow will be better.”
~Dr. Medley
Important Dates
- April 2nd: LC Town Hall (Under LC Account at 9:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m.)
- April 5th: "Bonus" Adventure Day Event
- April 5th (Cont): K-2nd Town Hall
- April 8th-April 12th: SPIRIT WEEK!
- April 8th: 9th-12th Town Hall
- April 9th: LC Information Exchange (Under LC Account at 6:00 p.m.)
- April 11th: MS Dance and HS Prom
- April 12th: 3rd-5th Town Hall
- April 12th (Cont.): Lottery Application Window for new students CLOSES
- April 15th-April /22: SPRING BREAK (School Closed)
- April 23rd: Re-Registration deadline for current NCVA families.
- April 26th (for May): K-2nd Town Hall
- April 26th: 6th-8th Town Hall
COMING SOON!
EOG/EOC Testing Window May 24th-June 7th. Details TBA via E-mail.
EOG/EOC Testing SY 18-19
The testing window for our 2018-2019 Spring exams starts on May 24th and ends on June 7th. Families will receive an email from Testing Nirvana (donotreply@testingnirvana.com) the week of April 23rd with exact locations and schedules for all required testing sessions. Please click on the link provided in this email to confirm your student will be at testing. Keep in mind that per our handbook, all students are required to attend state testing sessions face to face; failure to do so could result in withdrawal from NCVA. Please reach out to your homeroom teacher if you have any questions.
UPDATE Your Contact Information
Please ensure your phone number and e-mail are up to date in the OLS under your LC Account.
- Change of Address: Proof of Residence (utility bill, lease, home owner's statement) is required to update your physical address. Please e-mail the information to the Registrar at ccameron@ncvacademy.org.
NCVA Re-Registration SY 19-20
NCVA Enrollment for 2019-20 (New Students)
Do you have a new student that you would like to enroll at NCVA? Please visit our website (https://ncva.k12.com/how-enroll) between March 13 and April 12 to submit a lottery application. This is the first opportunity available to enroll your new student for the 2019-2020 school year.
If your new student is a sibling of a currently enrolled student, you will have the opportunity to indicate that sibling preference on your lottery application.
*Current students DO NOT need to submit a lottery application. To re-register, see instructions above.
K12 Support 1-866-512-2273
K12 Customer support is open 24/7 to provide assistance to our families.
*NEW* Attendance Corner
Keys to Successful Attendance:
1. Attend all required Class Connect Sessions
2. Complete all lessons and assignments due for the day
3. Make up any over-due lessons
4. Manually log ALL attendance in the LC Account of OLS under the Attendance Tab
K12 Clubs
K12 offers a variety of student clubs where like-minded students can share their areas of interest. These clubs are offered typically two times a month and last one hour. K12 Clubs are available between September and May annually.
OPEN REGISTRATION!
To register, visit: http://www.k12.com/k12-student-clubs. Student and Family questions about national clubs & other national programming may be directed to clubs@k12.com .
Show your school pride and share your pictures and stories on the NCVA Facebook Page!
- TRACK your service hours here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/K12Cares
- SHARE your pictures: https://www.facebook.com/NorthCarolinaVirtualAcademy/
April Project: Autism Awareness Month
Our April Community Service Project is an educational opportunity to promote awareness and sensitivity. We invite you to show your support for our local youth by learning more about Autism and seeking healthy ways to support and communicate with others at home, school, and within your general community.
April is World Autism Awareness Month. Autism Speaks defines “Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), [as] a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism affects an estimated 1 in 59 children in the United States today.”
~Various Ways to participate~
LEARN more about Autism and resources at:
https://autism.sesamestreet.org/
- WATCH this short video from Autism Speaks: https://youtu.be/0idZghw97dc
- Make a window poster or sign to promote Autism Awareness in you community.
- Volunteer with a local organization in your community.
Tallo: Digital Resume
Elementary School Updates
Check out the K-5 Website!
Thank you Learning Coaches!
Daily Reminders...
2. Attend all class connect sessions.
3. Complete and log 6 hours of attendance per day.
4. Check your overdue tab often and complete any late assignments.
5. Go back and re-do any un-mastered lessons.
6. Check to make sure your progress is where it needs to be in all subjects.
7. Make sure your PE and Health hours are logged.
8. Look ahead in the OLS to see if there are any upcoming lessons you need to prep for (ex: Readers Choice lessons).
9. Utilize Razkids, Big Universe, and Stride.
What's Ahead...
- April 15th-22nd- No School
- April 23rd- End of Year DIBELS begins
- May 10th- Art show
- May 16th- Kindergarten graduation (in-person event)
- May 17th- Kindergarten graduation (on-line event)
- May 21st-22nd- Teachers at PD, no live classes
- May 24th- End of Year testing begins
3rd-5th Grade EOG Test Prep
It is never to early to start preparing for the End of Year Assessments. Check out these great resources...
Reading: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/testing/eog/sampleitems/reading
Math: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/testing/eog/sampleitems/math
Submission Deadline: May 8th at 5:00 p.m.
This year we are happy to announce that we will be launching an Annual Art Show for grades K-5! Please see the attached flyer for details and guidelines for participating. Students are allowed (2) submissions. The show will take place May 10th from 11-12pm. We look forward to your participation!
- Please direct any Art Show Questions to Ms. Katie Mabe Royal kmaberoyal@ncvacademy.org
Middle School Updates
We are nearing the home stretch! Some dates to take note of this month:
April 1st: Happy April Fool's Day!
April 11th: MS dance
April 15th- April 22nd: Spring Break
April 22nd: Earth Day
May 24th - June 11th: EOGs. YOUR specific dates will be coming to your email, so keep an eye out!
Want to get some EOG practice in now? Check out our Middle School Reading EOG Vocab at THIS QUIZLET LINK
NCVA MS Dance 2019: Durham, NC
NCVA 2019 Middle School Semi-formal dance tickets are now available on a FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE basis ONLY at the following link: https://www.universe.com/events/shine-bright-ncva-ms-semi-formal-tickets-durham-WCH24N
*Tickets will be sold online only, there will be no paper tickets issued and no refunds. Tickets are limited in number.
Any questions regarding this event may be sent to Jaimee Miller at jaimiller@ncvacademy.org
Which teachers can you expect to see at our Middle School Dance?
Whitney Cress
Deanna Brancaccio
Lindsay Davis
Margaret Murray
LaDonna Reynolds
Amber Thutt
Paige Adams
New & Noteworthy
Congratulations to our 2019 SPELLING BEE winner: Paige Cornelius. She will move on to the regional K12 Spelling Bee in April.
A huge thumbs up to our 1st runner-up Bronwen St. Roman and our 2nd runner-up Shawnda Keith
A special thank you also to all the teachers who volunteered their time to help: Jamie Forbes, Amy Morrison, Whitney Cress, Julie Meltzer, Melissa Cooper, Crystal Shepherd, Amber Thutt, and Sonimar Villegas
*****************************************************
Our very own Mrs. LaDonna Reynolds & Mrs. Melissa Cooper were both nominated by one of our NCVA students as a NC School Hero!
If selected as one of the 10 winners, they AND NCVA will each win $10,000!
Let's congratulate both of our wonderful teachers for the impact they've had. Round of applause!
It is that time again for NCVA's Spring Art and Talent Show for grades 6-12. Please see the attached flyer for details and guidelines for participating. Students are allowed (2) submissions. The show will take place May 10th from 12-2pm. We look forward to your participation!
- Please direct any Art Show questions to Ms. Katie Mabe Royal kmaberoyal@ncvacademy.org .
Reminders
- Check class announcements and your email DAILY. You should check your email more than once each day.
- Follow your lesson plan and schedule
- Follow the DUE dates on your Schedule and Class Plans.
- Make sure you're completing assignments in Go Formative as well - These are required.
- IMPORTANT: Log into individual courses to do work - Don't click assignments on your schedule. This will allow you to read announcements that may apply to that day and will show your teachers that you have logged in. The "Content Tab" is another resource to ensure you are seeing all the parts of your lessons daily.
- Remember that Class Connects are required! It's super important that you're on time and an active participant in any session that may be scheduled for you.
****8th grade****
8th grade co-teaching model has been implemented in Math and ELA for all students except Math 1 students. The class sizes will be larger, however, there will be two to three teachers in each class. Please make sure you check your schedule that your classes are not overlapping and reach out to your teachers ASAP if this is a problem.
For all technical errors, please call K12 Tech Support at 866-512-2273
High School Updates
Reminders
Please remember that certain high school courses have EOC's (End of Course Tests). Thus, if your student has an EOC course and has a scheduling conflict, they should attend the EOC course first and then watch the recording for the other course. Work still has to be completed in BOTH courses.
Just a reminder, if you have a scheduling conflict you need to let your teachers know if you have live CC sessions that overlap and an EOC course: (Math 1, Math 3, Eng 2 and Biology)
EOC courses have State Exams at the end of the semester that count for 20% of their grade!
The semester one courses are coming to a close quickly. Please make sure to check your email daily and keep up with the assignments on your plan as the semester comes to a close.
Other Resources:
Help raise money for your school!
Watch the video to find out how.
We are excited to have you as part of NCVA's High School! Please make sure to check your email daily and keep an eye out for important info coming your way.
NCVA HS Prom 2019: Durham, NC
NCVA 2019 Prom tickets are now available on a FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE basis ONLY at the following link: https://www.universe.com/events/shine-bright-ncva-ms-semi-formal-tickets-durham-WCH24N
*Tickets will be sold online only, there will be no paper tickets issued and no refunds. Tickets are limited in number.
Any questions regarding this event may be sent to Jaimee Miller at jaimiller@ncvacademy.org
Department of Exceptional Children
Counselor's Corner
Katie Beck
Nicole Hairston
Erin Farmer
High School
Attention: Rising Seniors
Counselors will be meeting with all rising Seniors to discuss plans for the upcoming school year. Watch your email for an invitation to attend a meeting from your counselor.
New Website!
Check out the new Student Services website! We will continue to add information to help students and families achieve success. Let us know if you have suggestions!
K-8 Counselor: Whitney Cress
Hello all! Please take note of our new student services website packed with a tremendous amount of helpful community, academic, social and emotional resources! See it here: https://ncvastudentservices.wixsite.com/ncva
Monthly Town Halls
Town Halls will show up on your class connect schedules. We look forward to seeing you there! The months topics will be:
K-2: April 5 @ 12:00; Problem Solving Skills
K-2: April 26 (for May) @ 12:00; TBA
3-5: April 12 @ 12:00; Problem Solving Skills
6-8: April 26 @ 1:30; Self Care
9-12: April 8 @ 1:00; Self Care
Learning Coach (NEW!): April 2 @ 9:00 and 2:00
FAST (Family Academic Support Team)
A "Strong Finish" for EVERYONE
The FAST Team would like to wish all of our families a "strong start" to the school year. Check out this S'more for resources you will use all year long!
Strong Start Newsletter: https://www.smore.com/ae15n
STUDENT AND PARENT OPPORTUNITIES
Social Media
Please take advantage of opportunities to connect with the K12 and NCVA communities online and social media, via:
If you have not already, take a few moments to review our school on the NCVA Facebook page. Share your experience with others by clicking on the "Review" tab. This is a great way to make friends and connect with other NCVA families.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ncva_k12
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ncva_k12/
K12 Learning Liftoff Newsletter
Register here: http://www.learningliftoff.com/
Regional Parent Groups
- Make new friends
- Attend informal social activities outside of school
- Share tips and tricks
How do I join? : E-mail the Regional Parent Group where you reside. Use the map below to find your Region by County. Include your name, county, student(s)' name(s), grade levels, and phone number.
Region 1 ncvaregion1@gmail.com
Region 2 ncvaregion2@gmail.com
Region 3 ncvaregion3@yahoo.com *NEW*
Region 4 ncvaregion4@googlegroups.com *NEW*
Region 5 ncvaregion5@gmail.com
Region 6 ncvaregion6@gmail.com
Region 7 ncvaregion7@yahoo.com
Region 8 ncvaregion8@gmail.com
*NEW* RPG Newsletter (Quarter 2 2018): https://www.smore.com/3hsnx
PLEASE NOTE: The Regional Parent Groups are comprised of Learning Coaches. They do NOT have access to student information. Please contact your student's Homeroom or Content Area Teacher(s) for academic questions.
Community Activities
Victory Junction: Located in Randleman, NC. Camp opportunities are available year round for children with special needs and various medical conditions at no cost to families. Contact Victory Junction at https://victoryjunction.org for more information.
Carolina Parent: The Carolina Parent website is an excellent resource for family friendly activities and resources throughout the state. Visit http://www.carolinaparent.com/ for more information.
Museums for All
Museums for All allows low income families (who can show proof of an EBT card) to enter specific museums across NC with an admission fee ranging from free to $3 depending on location.
Program Link
http://www.childrensmuseums.org/about/acm-initiatives/museums-for-all
List of museums that participate:
Bowling Opportunity
NCVA is unable to endorse any specific business or organization.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
K12 Customer Support Videos
https://www.help.k12.com/s/topic/0TO0B000000I2moWAC/technical-support-videos#?tabset-26361=2
- Audio Set-Up: https://www.help.k12.com/s/article/How-to-Setup-a-Headset-Microphone-and-Configure-Audio-for-Class-Connect
- Time Zone Configuration: https://www.help.k12.com/s/article/How-to-Update-the-Time-Zone-in-the-Online-School-and-on-Your-Computer
- Clear Cache and Cookies: https://www.help.k12.com/s/article/Internet-Browsers-Clear-Cache-and-Cookies
When to Clear Cache & Cookies
Having trouble logging in to the OLS? Try clearing your browser cache and cookies.
OLS continually loads or redirects – “Redirecting…Please wait”
OLS navigation between pages is slow
OLS pages load but missing information
Browser error messages
Getting booted out of the OLS or LMS
After a planned maintenance outage
After an unexpected outage
How To: https://www.help.k12.com/s/article/Internet-Browsers-Clear-Cache-and-Cookies
K12 is working diligently to eliminate and replace content that was built on Flash, as web browsers are ceasing support of it. However, you may still encounter some Flash content.
For the best user experience, we recommend accessing your online classes using the Mozilla Firefox browser. To download the most recent version of Firefox, please visit: http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/ .
If you are using a Chromebook or need to access your online classes using Chrome, we recommend not updating to the newest release (Chrome 69), which forces users to re-enable Flash every time they restart their browser. Please refer tohttp://www.help.k12.com/s/article/Enabling-Flash-in-Chrome-69 on help.k12.com for a step-by-step guide to enabling Flash in Chrome 69.
HELPING OUR SCHOOL
Box Tops for Education
As a public school, NCVA is able to participate in Box Tops for Education by General Mills and has signed up to create an account. As you shop and purchase normal, everyday products, you can cut those box tops off and get them to our school so that we can gain additional supplies. The products vary and include food, storage, paper products, and cleaning supplies.
When you cut them off, there are printable, fun sheets to be able to collect them. The link below will take you to those sheets:
http://www.boxtops4education.com/~/link.aspx?_id=CD4A2815C2894609BCBA7A1A3DB6E65F&_z=z
Once you have collected several, here are the ways to be able to get them to our coordinator – Carrie Daniel:
- Bring them with you at an outing and give to a teacher
- Bring them with you to a testing site and give to the Site Coordinator
- Mail them to the Office at the school address attention to Ms. Daniel.
- Use the Box Tops App: https://www.boxtops4education.com/bonusapp
"Together In Education Program"
Account # 3669
"Tools For Schools"
(Account # 31300)
Contact Information
North Carolina Virtual Academy
4220 NC HWY 55, Suite 130
Durham, NC 27713
Phone: 919-346-0121
Fax: 919-324-6597
Website: http://ncva.k12.com
K12 Customer Support: 1-866-512-2273
- TRACK your service hours here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/K12Cares
- SHARE your pictures: https://www.facebook.com/NorthCarolinaVirtualAcademy/