The Bison Bulletin
OVCA Middle School Newsletter ~ October 23, 2020
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From the Principal's Desk
It's hard to believe that October is nearly past us, and we have moved into the final half of first semester! I hope that your fall break was a relaxing and rejuvenating one. The Goodridges had a wonderful time vacationing in Indiana, and we got to visit some fun places! One place we visited was the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. The history and story behind these races is fascinating, and we got to see the evolution of motor racing from 1909 to today. We even had the opportunity to get a lap around the raceway track and got to walk the finish line and see the historic bricks. Our youngest, Evelyn, was the only one willing to "kiss the bricks" (a tradition for Indy 500 winners) for a picture.
It's fascinating to see the differences in my children's personalities. Madison, our oldest, is cautious and would rather do something easy perfectly than challenge herself and possibly make a mistake. Mason works hard to get whatever he's working on right. And our youngest is the adventurer--willing to try anything without a second thought. As I pondered this, it made me think about our students and why it's so important to make sure they have different ways of learning available to them. There are many avenues to success, and meeting the academic, social, and emotional needs of our diverse student body is one of the keys to their success at OVCA. Challenging each student where they are but also encouraging them to reach outside their comfort zones requires intentionality and planning. Some days are easy, and many days are just plain difficult. I want to encourage you and tell you that your efforts are most certainly not in vain. Many times on the very toughest days are when we grow and learn the most. As I tell my oldest: "If you're feeling a little bit of frustration, that's a sign that your brain is growing!" Productive struggle is not always comfortable, but it is an effective tool in becoming an independent learner.
So as you move through these next couple of weeks, don't be afraid to challenge your student in new ways. Soon enough they will be able to achieve that goal and cross the finish line into success. Just don't forget to "kiss the bricks" and celebrate!
Sincerely,
Erin Goodridge
OVCA Middle School Principal
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Important Upcoming Dates
October 28: All Regular CC's Canceled for All-Staff Professional Development Day; Mrs. Goodridge returns from vacation
October 30: RESCHEDULED--Honor Roll and Awards Assembly, 12:00pm
November 2: Parent-Teacher Conference night, 6-8pm
November 5: Parent-Teacher Conference night, 6-8pm
November 6: Parent-Teacher Conferences 8am-12pm, NO SCHOOL for students
November 25-27: Thanksgiving Vacation, NO SCHOOL
November 30-Dec 4: MID-YEAR NWEA MAP GROWTH ASSESSMENTS (math/reading)
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ALL FAMILIES MUST COMPLETE SURVEY BELOW
WEBCAM PERMISSION FORM
OVCA is focused on providing a safe virtual learning environment. With this in mind, we ask that a legal guardian complete the below survey for each student enrolled with OVCA. The media release form includes two sections: Photograph, Testimonial and Interview Release, and Face to Face Platform (webcam) Usage School-Guardian-Student Compact. You will be given the choice to accept or decline each opportunity.
Together we can help students reach their full potential through personalized learning this year! Thank you for taking the time to complete this form.
If you want your student to be able to use their webcam when we are in the whole group setting, be sure to fill out the permission form below!
Exact Path Information
**Make sure your student is working on their PATHWAY ONLY, and not on individual assignments**
MINDPLAY INFORMATION
MindPlay is a supplemental reading program that is adaptive to your student’s level and covers the six main components of literacy: phonemic awareness, phonics, comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, and grammar for meaning. For now, it is a course that has been given to all students and the course is optional at this time unless your teacher has specifically reached out with information. You may view this video that provides an overview of MindPlay.
If you are interested in having your student use it, please reach out to Rebecca Pittman at rpittman@okvirtual.org .
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OCTOBER is BULLYING PREVENTION Month!
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RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS & FAMILIES
OVCA Tutoring Initiative is HERE!
We are excited to announce our school’s new Tutoring Initiative! OVCA will offer personalized academic tutoring based on your child’s needs with an emphasis in the subjects of English Language Arts (Reading/Writing) and Mathematics.
At this time, our new tutoring program will be completely virtual through an online service called TutorMe. Through this program, your child will be able to access a tutor at any time of the day to work on any subject. While the emphasis will be in math and reading, tutors for all subjects are available. The tutor will work with your child’s curriculum to help them improve their grades and gain confidence. The focus of tutoring is to equip your child with different methods of learning so they can have life-long skills in how to best solve problems for assignments, homework and projects.
Tutoring Sign-Up Link
Please contact Allison McCartney, our OVCA Tutoring Manager for more information.
WHAT DO WE DO IF THE OMHS IS DOWN OR LAGGING?
- Take a deep breath and don't panic. It will be okay, and it won't last forever! If you're having trouble, most likely our staff is too, especially if the K12 software is lagging. We keep everyone up to date on social media with any known issues, and will keep the lines of communication open. Students are not penalized for software disruptions when the entire system is down.
- Find some hands-on, offline activities to accomplish! Many teachers have different suggested sites for their courses that students can go in and work. Offline activities are a fun break from a day in front of the computer!
- Your teachers will reach out with instructions via email if it is an extended outage, so always be checking your LC email for information, as this is the primary method of communication.
- Take a "snow" day if it's all just too overwhelming. You know we don't have those in virtual-land anyway, so take a break and catch up when you are fresh. Your teachers understand and if it's happened to you, it's happened to them! It will be okay, and you'll be back online eventually.
Most of all, remember to give yourself grace. Virtual learning isn't for the faint of heart. It's hard work! And sometimes, technology fails us. If and when that happens, you have a plan in place.
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K12 NATIONAL NEWS
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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.