PLA Virtual News
Phalen Virtual Leadership Academy
"Bytes" From Your School Leader
October 2, 2021
Greetings Phalen Virtual Leadership Academy Families,
Happy Saturday! Thank you to everyone who was able to join me for Coffee and Conversation on Friday! I know some families tried to access the link on our website and received a block message, we will make sure this is not the case next month. I appreciate everyone who messaged me and found a way to connect, and those who could not connect and tried. Our PLA Virtual families are so amazing!
Have you set-up your Infinite Campus Student Portal Account? If not, please do so, as Parents/Learning Coaches will begin taking home attendance on Monday, October 4, 2021, which requires an active account. Everyone should have received access information for the Student Portal via email. If for some reason, you did not receive an email, please let me know and I will ensure you have the information you need. Please email me at ttownsend@phalenacademies.org. In addition, I will be available on Wednesday, October 6, 2021 at Parents in Touch to support families with getting accounts set-up and also helping set up Parent Campus accounts, as that process has a longer identifier code that is unique to the main guardian for each family of scholars.
Infinite Campus Parent Portal access will be shared with everyone at Parents in Touch and families who are unable to attend will receive an email with activation information. In this edition of our newsletter, I have also included instructions on how to access your accounts, to further support you in gaining access to your scholars academic progress, grades, daily attendance, teacher contact access and more.
With Gratitude,
Dr. Townsend
We Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month September 15 -October 15, 2021
Indianapolis National Hispanic Heritage Month Family Events
- Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021: Fiesta La Plaza (virtual event due to COVID-19).
- Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with the Hon. Juan R. Sánchez. At 2 p.m., the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana and the Indiana State Bar Association Latino Affairs Committee will welcome the Hon. Juan R. Sánchez, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, as the keynote speaker at their fifth annual Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration. (There is also a virtual option).
Scholar Technology Device Pick-up Information
James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy
4352 North Mitthoeffer Road
Indianapolis, IN 46235
Tuesday, October 5, 2021
11:00am-2:00pm and 4:00-6:00pm
Thursday, October 7, 2021
11:00am-2:00pm and 4:00-6:00pm
If you registered after our school start date (August 12, 2021), please choose one of the following days to pick-up your device.
You must be fully enrolled with a status of "REGISTRATION VERIFIED" in SchoolMint, otherwise, you will not be issued a device. If you are not sure of your status, please log-in to your SchoolMInt account and check the status of your application. If you need to submit additional information, it must be completed before you are able to pick up a device.
Please note that you will pick up the Chromebook and sign the agreement on the designated day based on your scholars last name at the time that works best for you on the designated day.
Face Masks are REQUIRED for pick-up and social distancing will be enforced in alignment with the Marion County Health Department and CDC guidelines.
We are asking that all families please adhere to the guidelines for last names and times as parking is limited and we are sharing space with our sister school who is gracious enough to allow us to use their building to distribute Chromebooks and have the opportunity to meet you face-to-face.
ALL questions regarding technology will be answered on-site, as the IT team will be present and best equipped to support you.
Mark Your Calendars
Check our our Annual School Calendar from our School Website:
https://bit.ly/PLAV20212022Calendar
Parents in Touch Day
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
9:00am-5:00pm
Registration Information will be shared by Homeroom Teachers using Sign-Up Genius!
Additional Scholar Device Pick-Up Days
Tuesday, October 5, 2021
11:00am-2:00pm or 4:00pm-6:00pm
Thursday, October 7, 2021
11:00am-2:00pm or 4:00pm-6:00pm
K-5 Health & Fitness in the Park
Friday, October 15, 2021
12:00-3:00pm
Holliday Park (see flier above)
Fall Break (NO SCHOOL for Scholars or Teachers)
October 18-22, 2021 (Monday-Friday)
Classes will resume at 8:10am on Monday, October 25, 2021
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 Student Portal 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 EST 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 and press “2.” All excused absence documentation should be e-mailed directly to our Office Administrator Mrs. Jones, email: tijones@phalenacademies.org.
Please review the PLA Virtual attendance policy for more specific details.
PLA University Announces Its 2021 Training Start Dates, Expanding Free Job Training in Health and Information Technology
Indianapolis, IN - Phalen Leadership Academies is honored to announce the official launch of the upcoming 2021 cohort of PLA University, a tuition-free job training program for the adult family members of current PLA scholars.
Last year’s cohort launched with Health & Life Sciences training. The new cohort, beginning August 23rd, expands training to include Information Technology (IT). PLA families can now apply for training to become: IT support professionals, Forklift Operators, Certified Nursing Assistants, Veterinary Assistants, Pharmacy Technicians, Medical Billers and Coders, or Medical Assistants.
“We are excited to expand the offerings of PLA University to bring more training options and training partners for PLA families,” said PLA University Executive Director, James Swift. “We have been bolstered by the support of local businesses and institutions such as the Launch Hope Foundation, the Hardon Educational Institute and Penn Foster College. These partners are helping us to lay a strong foundation as we work to help our families secure jobs with competitive salaries and long range potential.”
Created in the wake of the murder of George Floyd to foster self-sufficiency and economic parity, PLA University is among the first career training institutions of its kind as it seeks to improve the outcomes of both PLA scholars and families. The program works to teach families life skills, provides certification training and job placement. The program is located at James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy on Indianapolis's Far Eastside.
The next PLA University cohort begins August 23rd. For more information or to apply to join this PLA Universitycohort, please visit PLAUniversity.org and apply or contact info@plauniversity.org.
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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: 317.939.3787
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhalenLeadershipAcademies
Twitter: @AcademiesPhalen