LAVCA's October Pelican Press!
..Connecting our school family through virtual communication
Hello there! This is my favorite month! The weather is cooling and we're settled into a routine!
~Gina Warren, LAVCA Family Engagement Coordinator
Contact: Kmail (under teacher or admin) or email at: gwarren@lavirtual.org
In this issue you will discover:
2. Our October Featured Family
3. LAVCA Family Resources
4. Getting Involved at LAVCA-we need our families to support our school!
5. 7th and 8th Graders Heading to Washington, DC (information and ways to assist)
and other Cool Happenings with NJHS!
6. Outings and Events Information
Mrs. Dana DeHart, K - 5th Team Lead...
Fall is upon us and with fall comes change!! We have made a few small changes at LAVCA that will benefit our families.
Study Island topics, or weekly topics outlined by your teachers in the newsletters, will now be assigned on Fridays and due by the end of the day on the following Thursday. This gives your family a little more time to complete the required assignments. It also makes it possible for your teachers to plan and schedule your small groups before the weekend each week. Be sure to attend these small groups (designated by a 2 at the start of the session name) when scheduled as your students are scheduled based on your students success on the Study Island topics and OLS lessons.
Our students were expected to complete the Quarter 1 post tests in Study Island for all core courses due on October 9th. These will be graded based on their earned percentage with a maximum of 30 points. This week the students need to complete the Quarter 2 pre-tests in Study Island for all core courses. These will be graded a maximum of 10 points based on completion by the due date of October 16th.
You may have noticed that some class times have changed. We restructured our schedule to allow for more time for you students to work on OLS lessons and other school requirements. Live Help will be held twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays so please take advantage of these times when you need more assistance from your teachers! Remember, we are here to support you!!!
Contact Information: 504.322.7543 Ext. 3067 or via kmail
Mr. Anthony Rodrigue, 6th - 8th Grades Team Lead...
Middle school has also made some adjustments for fall so please take a look below:
6th and 7th Grade Families:
Study Island topics, will now be assigned on Fridays and due by the end of the day on the following Thursday. This gives your family a little more time to complete the required assignments. Be sure to attend any small groups (designated by a 2 at the start of the session name) as your students are scheduled for these when their teachers see a direct need for re-teaching. They are required sessions.
Our students were expected to complete the Quarter 1 post tests in Study Island for all core courses by October 9th. These will be graded based on their earned percentage with a maximum of 30 points being awarded for earning 70% or better mastery on the assessment. This week, (October 12-16), the students need to complete the Quarter 2 pretests in Study Island for all core courses. They will be graded a maximum of 10 points based on completion by the due date of October 16th.
Live Help will be held twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays so please take advantage of these times when you need more assistance from your teachers! Remember, we are here to support you!!!
8th Grade Families:
We are quickly entering into the second quarter of the fall semester. At this time, the Study Island Interim Checkpoints are open. These required assessments will be open for you to complete until Friday, October 16, so be sure that you are completing both tests.
Remember, if there is ever an NOHS or K12 outage, we will use our LAVCA Fire drill so that you can keep working on coursework. Live Help for 8th grade students will now be held twice a week instead of 4 days a week. Check your Class Connect Schedule for times and links.
Finally, be sure that you are planning your schedules around our gating dates. Specific assignments and their due dates can be found in your course content under the 'Calendar' section or in your plan. In general, any teacher-graded assignment due by the 20th of the month will close on the 30th of the month. If you have questions or need additional support, please feel free to reach out to me. I appreciate the opportunity to work with you! #LAVCApride
Contact Information: 504.322.7543 Ext. 3040 or via kmail
Mrs. Catherine Groven, 9th - 12th Grade Team Lead...
Remember, if there is ever an NOHS or K12 outage, we will use our LAVCA Firedrill so that you can keep working on coursework.
For our seniors, Mrs. Lucille Brown and myself have been holding senior meetings during MMM's. If you have missed one, Mr. Hawxhurst has the slides and links to those recordings. We will continue to have regular meetings with you over the course of the year. Be sure to check for information from Mrs. Brown regarding financial aid, scholarships, and college applications. As a reminder, caps and gowns can be ordered at jostens.com by searching for Louisiana Virtual.
Finally, be sure that you are planning your schedules around our gating dates. Specific assignments and their due dates can be found in your course content under the 'Calendar' section or in your plan. In general, any teacher-graded assignment due by the 20th of the month will close on the 30th of the month.
If you have any questions or need additional support, please feel free to reach out to me. I appreciate the opportunity to work with you and your students! #LAVCAPRIDE
Contact Information: 504.322.7543 Ext. 3029 or via kmail
James withHis Awards!
Proud Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Grimes
James celebrating his skills!
LAVCA's October Featured Family: Meet the Grimes
Hi, We are the Grimes family! Our son James is enrolled in kindergarten at LAVCA. My husband and I decided to try schooling from home because James needed flexibility in his schedule. James has been playing golf since he was a toddler at just 15 months old, and he has played ever since. He played in his first competitive golf tournament at the age of just 3 years old, He has played in a total of 16 competitive golfing events so far, including a world championship in San Diego this past summer. James will qualify this year to play in several regional championships as well as additional world championships this coming summer. He is a very busy little boy.
James is doing so well at LAVCA. He is very much ahead in all of his lessons. James works very hard and is a very dedicated little boy in everything that he does. My husband and I are very happy and pleased with LAVCA and the staff and teachers are wonderful! His teacher, Ms. Amanda, is a wonderful teacher and will do anything she can to help her LAVCA families. We are very happy to be part of the LAVCA family and it is so rewarding to be able to watch our child learn and receive an excellent education, I also believe it is very important for parents to be involved in their children's lives and education as much as possible and LAVCA makes that possible!
Sincerely, The Grimes Family
LAVCA Family Resources....
Recorded Sessions:
- Managing Long Days
- Strategic Scheduling
- NOHS: Checking Your Grades
- NOHS: Checking Student Progress
- NOHS: Taking Your Classes
- Using the Online School-The Tools
- 10/12 Managing the Rest of Your Life While Schooling at Home at 3 pm
- 10/13 Fractions, Part 1: Ordering, comparing, reducing, mixed numbers 11:30
- 10/14 Understanding and Preventing Bullying at 3 pm
Live Class Connects with Ms. Gina (invites in the OLS):
- 10/16 at 11 am Schooling with Multiple Children
- 10/20 at 8 am and 2 pm Motivating Through Praise
- 10/27 at 8 am Conquering Study Island Topics
- 10/28 at 2 pm Conquering Study Island Topics
http://goo.gl/forms/VN6mJnbVMp
Introducing LAVCA's first Blended Learning Site in Lafayette:
We are SUPER excited to mention our blended learning site in Lafayette that is now up and running for our middle and high school students! It is designed to give students a combination of online learning and face-to-face instruction and tutoring. They're planning some fun there, too, for those that attend regularly but if you are in the area, you'll have to attend to find out about that! To learn more, click here: Lafayette Blended Site Information
Meet LAVCA's Family Resource Coordinator, Mr. Tom Payne:
Mr. Payne is LAVCA’s FRC. He has been with our school for just over a year and previously worked with the Counseling Department. As a Social Worker, he has had years of experience working with families and connecting them with appropriate community resources.
The FRC role was created as a means to provide community support for students dealing with non-academic issues impacting their school success. Financial issues, including need for clothing and shelter; illnesses, both physical and emotional; family issues, like divorce, death of a loved one, etc.; and many others can impede a student’s grades. The FRC can help. Basically anything that you identify as impacting your student’s progress outside of the classroom is a subject in which the FRC can be of assistance. Feel free to contact Tom Payne at 504/322-7543, Ext. 3110
Proud to be a LAVCA Pelican? Get Involved and show it; there are so many ways!
- Mentor families that could learn from you! Register here: http://goo.gl/forms/VN6mJnbVMp
- Remember to wear your school shirts,tell others about our school, and post with permission!
- Show off your projects, photos, etc and use #LAVCApride (with parental permission)!
- Participate in K12s Art Contest or #ZeroBullying Campaign
- Send in Boxtops, Community Coffee POCs and now Labels for Education (including Bic, Campbell's, Pace, Pepperidge Farms, Spaghettios and V8) to help raise funds for our school to our school office (see address at bottom of newsletter).
- Attend our outings hosted by our staff monthly!
- Join a K12 National Club. Register here: www.k12.com/k12-student-clubs
- Like our school Facebook Page and one of our area pages (see below).
- Host a parent-led outing in your area to help kids connect (email Ms. Gina with details).
Middle School Students are busy!!!
- Seventh and eighth grade students have been offered a chance to visit our nation's capital this summer but they need your help! They are selling t-shirts and will be participating in other fundraising efforts this year so, as you can, please support these children. Tshirts can be purchased for $20 at http://www.booster.com/lavcapride16
- The National Junior Honor Society is also going to be taking time over the next months to do some community service within our virtual school! They will be reading "to" and "with" our lower elementary students so please be sure to keep an eye out of these invites on your child's plan! Remember that preschool students can join in the fun too!
November School-Sponsored Outings: all are on November 20th at varied times--check them out!
- Lake Charles Area: DeQuincy Railroad Museum (free admission but $2 donation requested) Learn more and make your reservation here: http://lakecharlesdequincyrrmuseumnovemberouting.eventbrite.com
- Lafayette Area: Join us for some bouncing fun at the Jump Zone! $6 per person over 3, under 3 is $3, adults are free (unless they jump). Learn more and make your reservation here: http://lafayettejumpzonenovemberouting.eventbrite.com
- Houma Area: We're heading to Greenwood Gator Farm to tour and feed the gators! Admission is from $7 to $9 and includes a bag of food! Need more details or want to register:
http://houma-greenwoodgatorfarm-novemberouting.eventbrite.com
- New Orleans Area: Register here for the New Orleans children's museum! $4 per person when we enter as a group! Registration and details are here: http://neworleans-neworleanschildrenmuseum-novouting.eventbrite.com
- Northshore Area: We are heading to Kids Family Arena for some bouncing and arcade games, if you choose! ($10) Learn more and register here: http://northshore-kidsfamilyarena-novemberouting.eventbrite.com
- Baton Rouge Area: Like to cook? Join us to learn how with your LAVCA friends at Young Chefs! ($18 per person). For times and other information as well as register, click here: http://batonrouge-youngchefs-novouting.eventbrite.com
- Alexandria Area: We are heading to the TREE House (12 and under) and you can add on designing and printing on a 3d printer and a picnic in the park! Here is more information: http://alexandria-treehouse-novouting.eventbrite.com
- Shreveport Area: We're going to a working farm--what I'd give to see Dr. Daniel milk a cow! :) Oh well, even if that doesn't happen, it will still be great fun! for more information, check it out here:
- Monroe Area: The IDEA Place and Planetarium at LA Tech ($4) is awesome and we're going! We may even get together for pizza afterwards! Need more information and to register? Click here: http://monroe-ideaplace-novouting.eventbrite.com
Additional Outing Opportunities Across the State in November:
The Louisiana Parent Coalition, PublicSchoolOptions.org, is excited to announce our Fall Family Outings! Come and meet other virtual school families, and to hear about the great things “PSO” is doing for your school! RSVP today by clicking here: http://www.publicschooloptions.org/louisianarsvp/
Please find the event information below. NOTE: There is NO COST in attending these events and FREE refreshments will be provided by PublicSchoolOptions.org. Space is limited, so please RSVP TODAY!!!
Click on the website and choose the event that works best for your family:
Friday November 6th, 2015 (11:30am – 1:30pm)
Parent Coalition Bowling Outing
Rock ‘n’ Bowl
3016 Carrollton Ave
New Orleans, LA 70118
Saturday November 7th, 2015 (12:00pm – 1:45pm)
Parent Coalition Outing
Leo’s Rollerland
1717 North Airway Dr.
Baton Rouge, LA 70815
Do not forget to RSVP at: http://www.publicschooloptions.org/louisianarsvp/
Parents across the country have joined our coalition to promote parent choice in education. They have donated their time by writing letters to the editor, speaking to their legislators, and also by attending social events and rallies at their state capitols. We would love to hear from you on how you’d like to get involved in Louisiana!
Please contact me at cwhitekaiser_lapso@att.net with any questions, or if you can’t attend and want to get involved with the parent coalition!
In Shreveport, Altitude Trampoline Park posted on Facebook that beginning next week, M-F from 2 to 4 kids that school from home can jump for $10 and parents can jump for $5!
- If you decide to go, post it on the local Facebook page and get others to join you for some LAVCA fun but only after that work is complete!
Check these out in Lake Charles:
Petro Bowl - 2nd Friday of every month from 12pm to 2pm $4.50 for 2 hours of bowling, shoes, pizza and a drink.
Skate City-4th Friday of every month from 2pm to 4pm $5.00 to skate
(If you plan to go, post to the local area Facebook pages and invite others to join you!)
About us...
Email: gwarren@lavirtual.org
Website: lavca.k12start.com
Location: 4962 Florida Boulevard, Baton Rouge, LA, United States
Phone: 504.322.7543
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LouisianaVirtualCharterAcademy
Twitter: @LAVCApelican