GVP Family News
January 15, 2021
A Note From The Principal
Greeting Parents and Scholars,
Let’s Talk About this Week! Out the of abundance of caution, we learned this week our PLA Leadership team has decided to extend the virtual learning platform until at least February. They will have additional meetings to assess any return to in school learning as we get closer to that date. In addition to emailing and texting you this information earlier this week, we have attached a letter from our Regional Director, Nicole Fama regarding this matter.
I am extremely proud of our scholars for their commitment to learning. I am encouraged to learn scholar engagement has increase. It is important to continue our collective push to keep scholars engaged in the learning process. As I have said before, COVID changed our location of learning; not our commitment to learning. We are resilient!
State Assessments & Our Scholars. We have been preparing our scholars for academic success all year. We know they are capable of greatness. State assessments are used to determine if a scholar has learned basic concepts and have achieved academic growth. Scholars in grades 3-8 will be impacted. The state assessments IREAD and ILEARN will be administered this spring. Last year these tests were cancelled due to COVID. To this date we have not received any guidance that they will be cancelled these assessments this year. We are preparing to take the various test and will keep you updated if anything changes. In subsequent newsletters we will outline who takes what test and when. Please check you email for updates regarding study sessions.
How Can You Help? Parents, please continue to read with your scholar. Make sure they are still reading at least 20 minutes a day. Please ask them about their homework and encourage them to ask questions in class when they do not understand the materials. Working together is the best way we can help our scholars exceed and to remain engaged. Don’t forget scholars is grades K-3 are in a literacy challenge! There are some very cool prizes associated with this challenge. A Big Shout Out to the academic team lead by our Chief Academic Officer, Andrea Robinson for coming up with this idea. It supports our campus-wide reading initiatives. I am look forward to our scholars succeeding in this challenge. Let’s go Falcons!
What we Want you to Know! We want you know we are in this together. We are here to support each scholar. If there is a problem, we are here to assist you in resolving it. We take your comments and concerns seriously and are committed to excellence. Be safe and Stay Encouraged!
Scholars First,
Dr. Sue Starr
In Person Return Update
Updated Attendance Policy
High School Enrollment
PLA University
A new workforce development program is underway to respond to the growing economic challenges faced by Indy’s underserved communities. PLA University is a tuition-free training program created to provide PLA families with the access, skills, experience and job placement support to realize their full earning potential.
READ MORE HERE.
Virtual Learning Norms
- Be aware of your scholar's environment and work on providing the least distracting environment possible. (Sibling disruptions, talking, TVs and other electronics running in the background, etc.)
- Scholars may benefit from using earbuds or headphones during class.
- Virtual class is from 8am to 3pm each day. Please ensure your scholar working during the entire duration.
- If, as a parent, you are following along with your scholar and have a question, teachers are available to assist you from 1:00 to 3:00 during teacher on call hours.
- Do your best to provide a routine for your scholar. Having a set bedtime, a wake up time and breakfast are vital for your scholar's success.
We are incredibly grateful for all the support you have shown with your scholar the last few weeks. Virtual learning is impossible without you! Thank you!
Technology Troubleshooting Guide
Weekly Meal Distribution
Meal distribution will take place every Monday from 8am to 1pm in our parking lot. Scholars will receive 5 breakfasts, 5 lunches, and milk. If you are in need of meals for your scholar, please come to the school during this time. Remain in your vehicle and a member of Side Street will deliver the meals to your car. If you are unable to make it during this window, please contact the main office and we will work to make arrangements for you.
STEM Update
As we take on the new year, we will continue to learn how to program. Programming on the computer is a segue to the new chapter in our STEM class. We want to engage scholars with hands-on activities to keep them interested. Scholars need learning that keeps their minds wondering and with hands-on activities we believe that we can achieve the level of enthusiasm and engagement that we are looking for.
Having STEM gives our scholars the ability to learn about different professions that they might not be exposed to. As the school year continues, we will indulge in topics and terminology that will increase their mindset to change the world.
Mark Your Calendars
Teacher PD Day (Virtual Learning) - February 3
President's Day (No School) - February 15
Have Questions? Contact Us Today!
George and Veronica Phalen Leadership Academy is an A-rated, tuition free charter school serving grades K-8. Our scholars experience hands-on learning with high-quality teachers in small class sizes. We work to help our scholars master key academic skills, and demonstrate strong character, as exhibited by: honesty, service to others, a superior work ethic, and a strong vision for and belief in their futures.
Email: sstarr@phalenacademies.org
Website: gvp.phalenacademies.org
Location: 2323 North Illinois Street, Indianapolis, IN 46208, USA
Phone: 317.333.6980
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GVPhalen
Twitter: @GVPhalen
Return to E-Learning
Blackboard Information
Additional information on how to navigate the Blackboard platform can be found in the document below.
School-wide Academic Goals
- By the end of the 2020-2021 school year, scholars will achieve an IREAD 3 pass rate of 85%.
- By the end of the 2020-2021 school year, ILEARN ELA scores will increase 3-5%.
- By the end of the 2020-2021 school year, scholars will hit or be above the 55th percentile of growth in Math from BOY to EOY on NWEA.
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 journey at GVP. With your scholar's report card, you should have received a personalized link for your scholar(s).
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 network-wide student information system designed to manage attendance, grades, schedules, assessments, and other information about our scholars.
Parents and Learning Coaches have access to Campus Portal. It is 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.