PLA Virtual News
Phalen Virtual Leadership Academy
"Bytes" From Your School Leader
Greetings Phalen Virtual Leadership Academy Families,
Happy Friday! I hope your week has been great.
As we enter into a season of Gratitude (One of Our PLA Core Values) and Thankfulness, I would like to give you a special reminder of how grateful and thankful we are for YOU! As we embarked on a brand new school model, you trusted us with your most precious gift, your child(ren). We never take that lightly and will continue to build trust, develop stronger relationships and continue to partner with you for your scholars academic and character development.
Thank you for ALL you do to ensure your scholar is up and ready each day to log-in and engage LIVE with our teachers, complete their offline work, organize an effective at home school work schedule, completing offline work assignments together, finding ways to include 30 minutes of physical activity into their day for PE, ensuring they have meals prepared, and much more. We couldn't do this without you and we are beyond blessed to have you as a family in our community.
Have you liked us on Facebook? If not, please consider. As we continue to partner with you for the success of your scholar(s), we would love to expand our PLA Virtual family to help other scholars also find academic success in a fully virtual model. PLA Virtual is currently accepting scholars, and we would love to grow our community with people you know and love.
If you have specific questions or would like support in a specific area, please remember we are only a phone call or e-mail away. Have a wonderful weekend!
Warmly,
Dr. Townsend
YES, We have School Next Week!!!
REMINDER: Thanksgiving Support on November 24th
12th GRADE ONLY: ISTEP+ Retest November 24, 2020
With the recent mandate to close ALL school buildings on or before November 30, 2020, we have pushed up the ISTEP+ Retest Date. Scholars are mandated by the State of Indiana to take this test every time it is offered and this testing date is not negotiable in order for your scholar to qualify for a waiver, unless they pass the exam. If your scholar is not on track to graduate on time, it is still mandatory if the test has not been passed.
Mandatory ISTEP+ ReTesting Location:
George and Veronica Phalen Leadership Academy
2323 N. Illinois Street
Indianapolis, IN 46208
9:00am (Doors will open at 8:45am)
Masks are mandatory.
Temperature checks will be conducted prior to entry.
There is NO eating or drinking allowed in the testing room.
Masks MUST remain on at ALL times covering the mouth and nose the entire time.
We will practice social distancing and will not shake hands or make any contact with scholars for the safety and well being of scholars and teachers.
Cell phones will be collected by Dr. Townsend at the door and must be turned on silent. Scholars will be permitted to call their ride during the last break with an anticipated pick-up time. Parents will not be allowed in the building and only designated persons will be permitted in the testing room.
Additional details are provided in the email from Dr. Townsend and reminders will be sent each day prior to testing.
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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. On Friday, September 18, 2020, you should have received personalized access links for your scholar(s). If you did not, please e-mail Dr. Townsend (ttownsend@phalencacademies.org)
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.
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 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 317-939-3787. 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.
Mark Your Calendars
Teacher Professional Development/E-Learning Day
Tuesday, November 24, 2020
- 1/2 day LIVE Courses (8:30am-11:35am)
- Scholars will have online curriculum and offline assignments to complete the entire school day
SCHOLAR SCHEDULE
8:30-8:50am—Homeroom
9:00-9:45am—Period 1
9:55-10:40am—Period 2
10:50-11:35am—Period 3
11:45am-4:00pm--E-Learning (completing lesson assignments for Periods 4,5,6,7 )
Thanksgiving Break
Wednesday, November 25-27, 2020
Teacher Professional Development/E-Learning Day
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
- 1/2 day LIVE Courses (8:30am-11:35am)
- Scholars will have online curriculum and offline assignments to complete the entire school day
SCHOLAR SCHEDULE
8:30-8:50am—Homeroom
9:00-9:45am—NWEA
9:55-10:40am—NWEA
10:50-11:35am—NWEA
11:45am-4:00pm--E-Learning (completing lesson assignments for Periods 1,2,3 )
ISTEP+ Retesters (12th Grade ONLY)
November 24, 2020
NWEA Middle of Year (MOY) Testing
December 1-3, 2020
FINALS WEEK
December 14-17, 2020
Teacher Professional Development/End of Semester 1/No School for Scholars
December 18, 2020
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: 888.655.0777
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhalenLeadershipAcademies
Twitter: @AcademiesPhalen