Science Times with Ms. Aufderheide
A biweekly newsletter for students and parents
October 30, 2015 Volume 6, Issue 6
Grades are Updated!
How Much Time Should I Be Spending on My Course?
This is a question I often hear from parents, students, and facilitators. The answer is not an easy one. All year long (AB) GaVS courses are designed to require 150 hours of seat time. This means that in a traditional classroom, the student would be in class with a teacher for 150 hours. A or B courses would expect to have 75 hours of seat time. Of course, homework and study time is in addition to this.
We generally recommend that students spend 1-1 ½ hours per school day on an A or B course, and twice that on an AB course. Your student may not require that much time. Your student may require more time than that. Think about the course schedule that your student is using. Are they completing the course in 18 weeks or 12 weeks?
The key indicator is to look at the grade that your student is earning in the course. Are you happy with this grade? Are they satisfied? Do you think your student can perform better? If so, think about the time he or she is investing in the course.
The assignments that are submitted for a grade alone will not require the recommended time. But, the content, videos, supplemental websites, inline learning activities, practice exercises that are not graded, and synchronous learning sessions are all resources that are in place to help your student learn and master the content. Those activities are what accounts for the additional time. I can always offer additional resources if your student still has not mastered a concept with the available resources within the course. Just ask!
As always, please contact me if you have any questions or comments!
Upcoming Dates
Now - Registration is open for Spring 2016 courses
November 5 - ADD
November 19 - ADD
November 23-27 - Thanksgiving Holidays
December 2-3 - Final Exams
December 4 - All Classes End
December 10 - Final Grades Released
January 4 - Spring Semester 18 Week Students begin
Daylight Saving Time
Plans for Fall Break?
GaVS does NOT have a fall break. If you are making plans for a trip or just a break from school, students must work ahead in their GaVS courses to ensure that work is not submitted late. Our next holiday is Thanksgiving week, November 23 - 27.
Final Exams
Final exams will be available for students December 2 and 3. Students will need a ninety minute block of uninterrupted time during this period to complete the exam. Please plan ahead for this important exam. Final exam preparation will officially begin mid-November. If your student would like to begin preparing now, reviewing tests and quizzes is a great place to start. Final exams count for 20% of the final grade. Look for more information in an upcoming issue of the newsletter.
Physical Science AB is a Georgia Milestones course. Please see more information about this important assessment for all public school students in the Classroom Bulletin Board. Private and home school students will take the final exam.
Weekly Office Hours
Wednesday, Nov 4, 2015, 04:00 PM
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Contact Me!
Email: angie.aufderheide@gavirtualschool.org
Website: www.gavirtualschool.org
Phone: 404-480-3477