PLA Virtual News
Phalen Virtual Leadership Academy
"Bytes" From Your School Leader
April 23, 2021
Greetings Phalen Virtual Leadership Academy Families,
Happy Friday! Can you believe it snowed this week? I was in disbelief, until I saw it falling down from my home office window. I don't know about you, but I got up from my chair, took a picture and sent it to a friend with a funny caption. I was glad that it did not last too long. What were your thoughts about the snow?
Much like the snow, it will seem different coming into a building as part of learning next week, but it is only one time per year, and it will not last long. We appreciate your commitment and understanding that state testing does not provide us with a virtual option and we must complete it in person. One of the many positives is that scholars will be able to meet their teachers and peers face to face and support and encourage one another to to their very best on state testing, which can sometimes be scary or intimidating for some, but we never want it to be!
ILearn Testing begins Monday, April 26, 2021. All families have received a personal email and reminder email from Dr. Townsend with your testing days, dates, times, and location. You will also receive a few more standard reminder emails. We are excited for this time of year, as it is a chance for us (including YOU )to see where are our scholars are, celebrate their gains and support them their future growth. As we partner to reach our goal of 100% participation (we have achieved this with all other state testing windows so far), please continue to ensure your scholar is in class, asking questions and participating to give them the confidence to succeed not just for a test score, but in everything they pursue in life. For scholars testing next week, school is still in session! You have received communications regarding LIVE class session and asynchronous work plans.
Are you talking about us? We surely hope so! As you continue to practice social distancing while connecting with friends and family during Spring Break (small groups, Zoom, FaceTime, Google Duo, phone calls, text messages, etc.) don't forget to share our school with others. Please be sure to tell the families you talk to about our school, to mention your name when they complete the official online enrollment form. We want to acknowledge you for telling others about our school and community.
With Gratitude,
Dr. Townsend
ILearn Testing for Grades 3-8 Scholars Begins Monday April 26, 2021
April 26-30, 2021
Indianapolis Site
George and Veronica Phalen Main Campus (2323 N Illinois Street, Indianapolis, IN 46208)
9:30am EST
Bloomington Site
Springhill Suites Meeting Rm 1 (501 N College Bloomington, IN 47401)
2:00pm EST
North Indy Site
Elwood Public Library (1600 Main Street, Elwood, IN 46036)
9:45am EST
NWI Site
Hebron Public Library 201 W Sigler Street, Hebron, IN 46341)
10:15am CT
Fort Wayne Site
Timothy L Johnson Academies (4625 Werling Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46806)
9:30am EST
May 3-7, 2021
Columbus Site
Bartholomew County Public Library Columbus (536 Fifth Street, Columbus, IN 47201)
10:15am EST
Elkhart Site
Elkhart Public Library (300 S. Second St, Elkhart, IN 46516)
10:00am EST
What is ILearn?
ILEARN is Indiana’s online computer-adaptive assessment designed to measure your child’s proficiency of the Indiana Academic Standards for Grades 3-8. ILEARN fulfills both state and federal accountability requirements and is Indiana’s summative accountability assessment. The graphic below shows ILEARN content areas and grade levels.
Where will my scholar take this required assessment?
ILearn MUST be administered in person and cannot be administered online under any circumstances. As a fully virtual school we will provide a safe secure testing location within 50 miles or your home.
Detailed information and testing location assignments has been or will be shared with families this week or next Monday once all sites have been confirmed.
Click the link below for more information from the Indiana Department of Education specifically for families.
K-2 Spirit Week Highlight: Wacky Wednesday!
Mrs. Semon's iXL ELA Challenge Winner!!! Way to GO!!!
NWEA Testing Coming Soon!
High School:
April 28-May 7, 2021
K-8:
May 10-19, 2021
Follow Us On Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
Mark Your Calendars
School Spirit Week
April 12-16, 2021
ILearn Testing Window--Mandatory for ALL Scholars in Grades 3-8
April 26-May 7, 2021
NWEA Assessment Window--Grades K-11 Scholars
April 28 - May 19, 2021
End of Year PLA Virtual Family Gathering
Monday, May 17, 2021
12:0pm-3:00pm
High School Commencement Ceremony
Friday, May 21, 2021
6:00pm
Last Day of School for Scholars
Friday, May 21, 2021
Scholar Attendance
Scholar attendance is critical for academic success and we must partner together to ensure it is completed daily.
You should have received an email from Dr. Townsend with your Infinite Campus Student Portal Log-in Information, a video tutorial, a written guide to logging daily attendance and our school attendance policy. If you have not received the email or are experiencing difficulties logging in, please contact us and we will support you.
Learning Coaches/Parents, please remember that you must log in to count your scholar as present by 9:00am daily. In addition, teachers will take attendance during all live sessions, and scholars are expected to remain in class the entire time to ensure they receive the full lesson.
If you need to report an absence, please call our school at 317-829-6065 . All excused absence documentation should be e-mailed directly to Dr. Townsend, email: ttownsend@phalenacademies.org.
Please review the PLA-Virtual attendance policy for more specific details.
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 success journey at PLA Virtual. ). If you did not receive a personalized access link within one week of enrollment, please e-mail Dr. Townsend (ttownsend@phalencacademies.org) to ensure you have full access.
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 district-wide student information system designed to manage attendance, grades, schedules, assessments, and other information about our scholars.
Parents/Learning Coaches have access to Campus Portal, 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.
Download our APP!
The latest news and information from schools in the Phalen Leadership Academies Network are now available on smartphones and mobile devices with a new mobile app launching today. PLA is working to expand its communications outreach with a mobile app that is now available in the online iTunes® and Google Play® app stores for free.
The mobile app will offer a constantly updated feed of school and network news and events with photos and links to PLA school websites. The app can also be customized by the user by selecting the schools they are most interested in for news and updates. Users can also choose to receive push notifications to get breaking news, updates about school closures, calendar changes, or even sports updates.
Have Questions? Contact Us Today!
Phalen Virtual Leadership Academy (PLA Virtual) is a tuition-free online learning academy for Indiana families in grades K-12. We are backed by an accredited university to help empower our scholars and families to accelerate academic success with high-quality curriculum taught in their own environment. We use technology to provide interactive and rigorous online classes that allow our scholars to learn and thrive. Our scholars excel not just in academics, but also socially and emotionally with a blend of online coursework and options to engage in sports and enrichment at a local PLA campus.
Email: ttownsend@phalenacademies.org
Website: PLAVirtual.org
Location: Indiana, USA
Phone: 317.939.3787
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhalenLeadershipAcademies
Twitter: @AcademiesPhalen