Middle School at OHVA
Supporting Your Middle School student as a Learning Coach
Daily Student Expectations for Middle School
Students will:
- Log in each school day
- Follow the Class Connect Schedule
- Work on lessons and Assignments
- Turn in work by due dates
- Complete at least 5 FULL hours of classwork each school day
- Check school emails daily
The Learning Coach Role for Middle School
In these grades, the Learning Coach role is less hands on, but you'll be supporting your student and monitoring them daily. Do not underestimate the importance of your role in their success!
Learning Coaches will:
- Make sure your student is logged in daily
- Make sure your student attends all required CC sessions daily
- Make sure student is progressing in classes
- Make sure student is turning in work and completing all assignments on time
- Monitor grades and support as needed
- Reach out to teachers with any concerns
- Check school emails daily & encourage students to check them daily as well
- Log attendance
Tools for the Learning Coach
As a Learning Coach you have a whole school at your fingertips! These tools will help you be the best LC possible for your student and will help you (and your student) succeed with OHVA.
- Your Learning Coach Account - You'll enter attendance through this account, but you can also monitor your student's progress and keep track of coursework. This is also where you will be able to see their grades and any overdue assignments. Help your student stay current on ALL assignments by checking this often. It's an organized look at the overall "Big Picture".
- Daily & Weekly Schedule (LC account > My Schedule) - Toggle between Daily and Weekly views to see how you schedule today fits into the whole week. Click ahead to see how each week fits into the month.
- OHVA Teachers & Staff - remember that you are not alone. Your student's teacher is always there to help you along the way. Your Advocate will help you navigate and stay on track with attendance. Additional staff is available for extra support as well. You + OHVA staff make an AMAZING team for your student's success!
- Facebook groups: Search for region specific FB groups to get connected to others in your area.
OHVA Newbies
OHVA NE Parents
OHVA NW Parents
OHVA C Parents
OHVA SE Parents
OHVA SC Parents
OHVA SW Parents
Pro Tips to Help You Get Started
- E-Schooling is NOT Homeschooling - This may seem like a strange thing to point out, but as a LC, my days became much easier when I grasped that concept. E-schools (online schools like OHVA) are comprised of students who school at home but are not considered Homeschool students. The biggest difference is that OHVA follows all state laws and requirements. OHVA students have attendance requirements and must meet curriculum expectations - just like their peers in brick and mortar schools. Know and understand those requirements and make sure your student meets them. Students who do not remain compliant can be removed from the school.
- Use a Planner - Even though the daily schedule is online, it's still very helpful to have a printed copy. Students should have a planner, printout, or notebook of some kind to keep track of their assignments. I also find it helpful to keep tabs on their schedule myself. This helps my daughters know that I am aware of what they are supposed to be doing daily as well. I check their grades/progress/overdue status daily to also hold them accountable. If they tell me they completed 1 hour in English, I want to know that they are accurate with that. My role as their LC is to make sure they are being responsible and independent.You may find it helpful to keep a planner for yourself, with their day to day schedule noted. This will also help with entering attendance.
- Keep Your Day Structured - There is something to be said for routine. Studies have found that students do better with learning when there is a structured timeline each day. The Daily Schedule will encourage that and it's a good idea to follow that order as much as possible.
- Be Consistent -Schooling daily is extremely important. Make sure your student is logged in at the correct time every school day. Make schooling the priority. The more you set the routine now, the smoother the year will go. I've seen a lot of families struggle when they try to adjust their school days and take days off, like every Friday. In theory that seems like a great idea, but the reality is that OHVA is a school with attendance requirements and every school day is needed.
- Be Kind & Patient with Yourself! - Online schooling is not the same as traditional schooling! There is a learning curve for YOU and for your student. Expect that you will both have good and bad days as you adjust to a different schedule, set of expectations, and processes. In general, it takes about 1 month to settle in with online schooling.
- Stick with the Daily Schedule - While you are acclimating to the online environment, it's a good idea to follow the Daily Schedule as closely as possible. After you've settled in, you'll start to see places where you can make modifications or adjustments to better fit your needs. But in order to make those changes, you'll need to understand the bigger picture of the requirements of Online Schooling first. Note that in the MS & HS platforms, students are required to attend more Class Connect sessions.
- We are all here to help! - When you have questions, reach out to your teachers and your Advocate. You are never "bothering" us - so please ask away! We expect you to have a lot of questions! I know WE all did when we were new to OHVA!
What to Expect the First Week of School
- Read school emails - I recommend creating an OHVA file in your inbox to keep these emails sorted.
- The week before school starts, turn on computer and make sure everything is working AND that the time zone is set correctly.
- Student schedules will show on Monday, August 24th at 8am.
- The first week of school is an Orientation week for New and Returning students. Students ARE expected to complete at least 5 hours of work each day. For MS & HS students who find their class work load light during this week, they can use the time to explore each class; look at the Class Home Pages and read through all available content, or work ahead if able. Setting up desktop folders for each class and folders in their inbox to sort emails is another excellent task during this week.
- Your student will be assigned a New Student (or Returning Student) orientation. You'll click the link and the session will launch.
- Learning Coaches, watch for helpful sessions for YOU as well.
- Elementary students will have Orientation sessions.
- MS and HS students will have Orientation sessions for each of their classes - Learning Coaches, this is a great time to "watch over their shoulder" while your student attends these because it's the perfect time for YOU to see how the classes will be set up as well.