FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK
OVCA High School ~ March 26th, 2021
Hello families!
I hope you are enjoying the beautiful sunshine we've had today and will have this weekend. One of the privileges of working from home is the ability to work on my back patio. That's definitely in the plans for me!
Students in grades 9th-11th should have received a survey from their counselor with course options for next year. We cannot guarantee all requests, but we do utilize those surveys to assist in our staffing and planning for next year. Your prompt completion of this is very appreciated. If you have questions, please email your counselor. Students in 11th and 12th grades next year will have options to take concurrent enrollment (college in high school), TEL (online college courses), internships, and career tech programs. Katie McAskill is our college and career readiness coordinator and is happy discuss these topics with you at any time (kamcaskill@okvirtual.org).
State testing is starting up in April. Only 11th grade students are testing for high school. It is a requirement that all 11th graders this year take their state assessments in order to graduate in 2022. However since it's a pandemic year, students are eligible to not participate this year and instead test next year. Parents, please be sure you've indicated this in Testing Nirvana (through email) - 11th grade students only. We will also be holding boot camp sessions next week to help students with the last preparation before they test! Through state testing, teachers may be out of office traveling and administering tests intermittently. We appreciate your patience as we will do our best to respond to emails as quickly as possible. Please read below for tips and tidbits regarding testing. 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.
To our 2021 seniors, please be sure you are reading all communications with our graduation coach, Sandra Powell (spowell@okvirtual.org). It is crucial you are passing all of your classes this semester! If you are concerned about a course, reach out to your teacher for assistance. They are here to help you every step of the way.
And finally, we are looking forward to seeing many of you at state testing or graduation coming up!
Upcoming Dates:
- 3/29-4/1 - 11th Grade Only - ACT Bootcamp & modified CC schedule
- 4/2 No school
- 4/5 State testing begins - teachers may be out of office intermittently; only 11th graders test.
- 5/10-5/14 End of year growth assessments in Star360 (math and reading)
- 5/22 Graduation @ First Baptist Chuch Edmond (must register in advance and reserve no more than 6 tickets)
- 5/20-5/25 Final exams
- 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
SENIOR AND GRADUATION NEWS
All seniors should view the graduation session held on March 8th. It will be on your CC page. You should also have received an email from Mrs. Powell, Monday, March 22nd to RSVP for in-person graduation in Edmond on May 22nd and a link to register for the FREE tickets!
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AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Staff Member of the Month Survey Link
Show Support, Give a Shout-Out, and Vote for Staff Member of the Month
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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 has begun! The OVCA-ISOK (OK) Vortex had Fortnite competitions on March 22nd and March 23, and our Esports team had Rocket League and League of Legends events over Spring Break.
The Vortex are currently sporting two separate teams in a 25-team Rocket League competition, the Orange Team and the Blue Team. Rocket League results currently have the Vortex Team Blue (J. Phillips, K. Phillips, and D. Brown) standing tall in 4th Place and Vortex Team Blue coming up in 21st Place (J. Whitworth, H. Laubach, C. Kirkpatrick, and T. Williams) thus far.
In League of Legends play, the Vortex dominated and are in 1st Place as of the newsletter's publishing time.
Plans currently include streaming the games live on the team's Twitch channel at the following link: https://twitch.tv/teamvortex_ok
OVCA Calming Rooms
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
March Sessions:
Career Presentations- Tuesday March 30- 11:45-12:15 PM- Eric Scott- Oklahoma Highway Patrol
Career Presentation – Wednesday March 31- 11:45-12:15 PM- Yolanda Scott- Internships/Oklahoma Jobs-
April Sessions :
College/Career Tech/TEL Information Session – Thursday April 1 11:45-12:15 PM- students can attend and learn more about concurrent enrollment in college and career tech for school year 2021-2022.
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.
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Newsletter Hub
COUNSELORS' CORNER
PICK YOUR COURSES FOR NEXT YEAR!
The Course Selection Survey link is included within the Counselor newsletter, but this is also the direct link to the course survey itself: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=LUmWRm1kPE2UZWxaNvMaFh3RdLZvmsFFtKsBBrfV8KdURVExOTVMSURJUjVCWEY4U1lYQUc5WlFMSC4u
ACT FEE WAIVERS AVAILABLE FOR OVCA STUDENTS!
Any Junior or Senior that qualifies for the Free/Reduced Lunch Program is also eligible to receive an ACT Fee Waiver for up to 2 tests. This is separate from the above mentioned waivers. Students should email their school counselor for more information regarding the Free/Reduced Lunch ACT Waivers.
Any Native American student in grades 10, 11, or 12 may also qualify for an ACT fee waiver or reimbursement. Students should contact their specific tribal office for more information.
The ACT is offered nationally multiple times per year. The National ACT takes place on a Saturday, typically from 8am-12pm. There are various test locations around the state. To register for the National ACT, students need to visit www.act.org to create an account. During the registration process, you will be able to select the test date and test location of your choice. Fee Waiver Codes are entered on the payment screen during the registration process.
*The National ACT is separate from the State ACT that is required for all 11th graders in the State of Oklahoma for graduation. The State ACT is scheduled to happen in April 2021 pending any changes mandated by the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
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Young American Poetry Digest - Poetry Contest
Young American Poetry Digest has opened its annual poetry contest to OVCA students. All forms of poetry are encouraged, and haikus are especially highlighted. A $100 prize and free published copy will be given to the winner.
Visit https://www.youngpoets.org for submission details. The deadline is April 23, 2021.
Project 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
Safe and Healthy Schools - Spring 2021
Shake off the winter blues and enjoy some spring activities
- Plant a Garden
- Picnic at the Park
- Go for a Run
- Take a Hike
- Visit a Farm
- Ride a Bike
- Take a Nature Walk
- Play a Round of Golf
- Fly a Kite
- Break out the Chalk and work on your Sidewalk Art
- Open the Windows and enjoy the Spring Breeze
- Visit the Zoo
- Volunteer at an Animal Shelter
- Read Outside
- Play Disc Golf
- Go Fishing
- Enjoy the Spring Weather on the Patio of your Favorite Restaurant
- Chase a Rainbow
- Plant a Tree
- Celebrate Earth Day! April 22nd!
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.