Odyssey Academy of Virtual Learning
October 23rd, 2018
OAVL Opening Message
Our work to prepare for the opening of Odyssey Academy of Virtual Learning continues. This newsletter highlights the formation of our governance board and introduces you to each member that is here to serve you. The Governance Council is comprised of dedicated parents and community members working to make Odyssey Academy’s innovative learning option available to parents across the state.
When I was asked recently what makes Odyssey different from the dozens of other online schools in the state I noted, “This isn’t necessarily online like you would think because it can be a parent sitting next to their child, very face to face, warm and connected and then they link in virtually to share with the larger learning community."
The Odyssey model appeals to many home-school families because parents have voice and choice in the selection of curriculum materials for each child, parents provide much of the instruction, and parents receive a budget each year to purchase those materials with for their child.
Stay connected with us as we work to open Odyssey Academy of Virtual Learning in 2018-19
Dr. Mary Whitrock
Superintendent of Schools
Introducing....
Odyssey Academy of Virtual Learning
The virtual school team and Governance Council Members voted unanimously on this name for our school. We are very excited to have reached this milestone.
Governance Council Members
Congratulations to our Governance Board Members for Odyssey Academy of Virtual Learning:
President- Mariel Brown
OAVL Governance Board President. I first became involved in the development of this school in early June of 2017 with the hope of creating a program that would be flexible enough to meet the needs of Ripon families that had open-enrolled their children to virtual academies outside of our district. I am very excited to be a part of the leadership team that will make this wonderful education option available to more families. I am the mother to three boys (ages 7, 5, and 3). My two older boys are currently enrolled in Bridges Virtual Academy and will eventually transition to OAVL. I live in Ripon and am a stay-at-home parent, homeschooling my boys through the Bridges Virtual Academy program. I have been busy with various governance board and charter school training seminars offered through WRCCS over the past few months, attending both virtual and in-person conferences.
Vice President- Megan Prellwitz
My husband Ryan and I live in Ripon and have 7 and 4 year old daughters and a baby on the way. I am a stay-at-home parent while also staying involved in our family business, Vines & Rushes Winery. My oldest daughter is currently enrolled through Bridges Virtual Academy in the Merrill School District.
It is an honor to serve on the board and be involved in the development of this new learning option. My hope is that Odyssey Academy will be a good fit for families throughout the state. I look forward to taking my experience as the parent of a student enrolled in a thriving virtual school and bringing that to Odyssey Academy in Ripon.
Secretary- Haley Julian
I am a mother of four children, currently in the RIPON district. Our four children range from Kindergarten to High School. As a proud alumnus of RIPON I’m honored to have the opportunity to work on this special movement for choice within our district and beyond. My children are or have been in all of the different schools, including, Barlow , Quest, Journey, RIPON Middle School, Catalyst, and RIPON High School. I believe all students have and will have a system that will work best for all needs, right within our own RIPON district and beyond. I’ve spent 16 years as a stay at home mom and currently working as a Design Planner. I’ve served on numerous boards and take the roll seriously. I’m excited for our district to have this opportunity.
Treasurer: Tami Schattschneider
I have always felt fortunate to live in a community in which the school system demonstrates a commitment to provide opportunities for learning through a variety of formats to meet the needs of students who may thrive outside of the traditional classroom setting. When I became aware that there was a growing need for virtual learning that would help meet the needs of even greater number of students, I was eager to become involved and help bring this to fruition. I am married and have four children. My daughter is 2017 graduate of Ripon High School and attends UW-Madison. My two sons are 17 and 16 and attend Ripon High School as a Senior and Junior, respectively. My step-son is also 17 and attends Ripon Lumen Charter School as a Senior. I am employed by Agnesian HealthCare and serve as the Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Services at St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac. I have a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a master’s degree in business administration. I have served on a number of governance boards and advisory councils in the Ripon and Green Lake communities including the Ripon Chamber of Commerce and Ripon Area United Way.
Governance Board Updates
In addition to naming the school and establishing our Governance Council Members, we also approved several required documents. These included approving the bylaws, conflict of interest and non-stock documents.
Next Governance Council Meeting
Ripon School District Office
1120 Metomen St.
Marketing- Logo & Website
Design is underway of the logo for Odyssey Academy of Virtual Learning. Stay tuned as we unveil our logo in the near future.
Odyssey Academy of Virtual Learning will soon have a website. Watch for information in a future newsletter for more details.
Professional Development for Staff
A team will be attending a facilitator certification training titled ‘Ready to Blend’. Heather Staker, founder of ‘Ready to Blend’ and author the the book, Blended will be facilitating this training. At this certification training, our staff will learn how to implement blended learning to meet the needs of our virtual school. Blended learning is, ‘the fusion of online learning and in-person school.’
Blended learning is used to:
- - Improve academic achievement
- -Give students agency and control
-Free up teachers to help individuals
-Eliminate wasteful screen time
-Design motivating, joyful classrooms
A team from our school will be immersed in the latest innovative practices and tools that will aide student learning and success. Topics of sessions include: personalized learning, blended learning, project based learning, student voice & choice, STEAM, flipped learning, google suite for education, digital citizenship, tech tools, future ready and much more.