VAR October 2022 Newsletter

October 2022

The Virtual Academy of Rochester is excited to share our NEW LOGO!

⭐Students of the Month⭐

zoom_out_map

Ana Fontan (EAST)

Ana is taking AP Spanish Literature in person at East Upper. She is hardworking with insightful participation in literary analysis. She is kind and respectful of others' values, beliefs, and practices when offering her responses regarding the topics of conversation. Dr. Rosa Mazurett-Boyle nominated Ana.

zoom_out_map

Phoebe King (EDISON)

Phoebe is taking AP World in person at Edison. Ms. King consistently comes to class well-prepared and eager to engage in classroom discussions. She asks thoughtful questions during class and is not afraid to ask for clarification on an assignment or proofread of her written work. Not only is she highly capable when working independently, but she is also comfortable working with her peers during small group activities. Her warm energy is always welcome in the classroom. Ms. King has a bright future here at Edison Tech and in her future professional endeavors. Phoebe was nominated by Mr. Young

zoom_out_map

Alexander Anderson (EDISON)

Alexander is taking AP U.S. History in person at Edison. Alexander is very dedicated to being a good student. He works very hard to make sure that the quality of his work is top-notch. His work ethic is to be admired. Alexander was nominated by Mrs. Watkins.

zoom_out_map

Jaraely's Felix (FRANKLIN)

Jaraely's is taking AP English Literature at Franklin Upper in person. She is hard-working and welcomes the challenge of the AP curriculum. Jaraely's was nominated by Reed-Mullen.

zoom_out_map

Jaime Hernandez (MONROE)

Jamie is taking AP World History in person at Monroe Upper. Jamie is a role model for his peers. He consistently shows great effort and a growth mindset. He not only completes his assignments but always works to challenge himself by revising and improving his work. Jamie was nominated by Ms. Emily Abate.

zoom_out_map

Ilaina Mahoney (NECP)

Ilaina is taking AP Literature and Composition in person at NECP. Ilaina is a gifted thinker, budding writer, and serious student. She is consistent, curious, and developing a critical lens that is more sophisticated than her peers. I am confident she will be a delight to her future college professors. Ilaina was nominated by Ms. Collen El-Bejjani.

zoom_out_map

Alana Phommany (NECP)

Alana is taking English OCR I virtually at NECP. Alana has been an absolute ROCK STAR in progressing through her English I OCR course. She has asked for clarification when I am at NECP on Wednesdays. She works with the other OCR teachers when I am not there, and follows up with me when I do get there the next week. She carefully reads through my feedback and makes any needed changes without complaint. Alana is set to complete her English I OCR course before the end of the semester and I couldn't be any prouder of her. Alana was nominated by Corrine Mundorff.

zoom_out_map

Randel Clarke (NECP)

Randel is taking ESF Global Environment, a dual credit course taught virtually at NECP. Randal works consistently every day, asks questions when needed, and turns in excellent work! Randel was nominated by Mrs. Spitzer-List.

zoom_out_map

Giovanni Santana (SWW)

Giovanni is taking AP Psychology virtually at SWW. Giovanni has made a great first impression thus far. He is a conscientious, hard-working student who works well independently. He puts forth his best effort and exceeds expectations with the quality of his work. Thank you and keep up the great work, Giovanni! Giovanni was nominated by Mr. Sacco.

🍎Teacher Feature

I am new to Virtual Academy this year, however, I am not new to blending and flipping my classroom. I have been blending and flipping since 2014. Currently, I'm teaching English I, II III, IV, College Prep, and Literature to Film. My favorite course this year is our English I course; because it was written by RCSD teachers specifically for our students. In addition to teaching for VAR, I am the lead teacher for rewriting the English OCR Curriculum and I am overseeing our new dual credit teachers and course writers for SUNY Potsdam and RIT.

I have been teaching in the RCSD for 17 years, beginning with middle school English and Read 180 at East High School. I then transferred to SOTA, where I taught 8th-grade English. For the past 8 years, I have taught at the Franklin Campus teaching a variety of English subjects including 9th grade English, ELA Lab, 9th Grade Honors English, Public Speaking, and Urban Poetry.

The English OCR courses give my students an opportunity to show their mastery of the English standards and priorities in a way that they may not have had available to them previously. Students are able to work at their own pace, our courses are less repetitive, and allow my students to quickly move on to the next unit of study once they have shown mastery. This is a huge benefit to my students, who, for whatever reason, find themselves needing to recover credits throughout the school year. When taking my Literature to Film or College Prep courses, my students find themselves in classes that truly will prepare them for life beyond high school. These courses focus on the skills necessary to become great written communicators, and critical thinkers, and give them the ability to hone their analysis skills.

AP US History is an introductory, college-level course. It includes the study of topics, events and concepts important to understanding US history. I enhance the course by deliberately including stories from the voices of traditionally underrepresented communities. People that have been marginalized by not only historic events but how their stories have been told in American history.

I have many degrees from local colleges in the Rochester, NY area. I have an Associate’s Degree from one of the top community colleges in the country, Monroe Community College. My Bachelor’s degree is from Nazareth College, what the Princeton Review called one of the nation’s best colleges for undergrad; two Master’s degrees, one from SUNY Brockport and one in Educational Leadership from New York’s famed Bank St College and I completed all of my coursework in the University of Rochester’s Teaching, Curriculum & Change EdD. Program.

A recent study showed that students who take APUSH are more likely to stay in college beyond their first year, even if they do not earn a 5 on the AP exam. My experience with my students has been that after taking my course, they show tremendous promise in that they become more socially conscious, politically astute and become better self-advocates, all characteristics necessary to be a productive American citizen.

November 2022 Photos📸

VAR Dual Credit(Enrollment) Courses

As we enter the 2022-2023 school year we are excited to introduce several new dual enrollment courses to the Virtual Academy of Rochester. Our RIT Intro to Digital Photography dual enrollment course is already at capacity, but we have room in our SUNY Potsdam and SUNY ESF courses for your students to join! If you have students that might be a good fit, consider enrolling them as soon as possible. The course descriptions are listed below. Feel free to reach out to the ACA Advocates for more information!

SUNY Potsdam Physical Activity for Health NEW! *NOW OPEN FOR SEMESTER 2 ENROLLMENT*

This SUNY Potsdam dual enrollment course is designed to provide students with an overview of health and fitness topics. Students who successfully complete the course can earn 1 college credit and 0.5 PE/Elective high school credit.

SUNY Potsdam Introduction to Sociology NEW! *NOW OPEN FOR SEMESTER 2 ENROLLMENT*

In this SUNY Potsdam dual enrollment course, you will be introduced to some of the key theories and methodological approaches of Sociology. Students who successfully complete the course can earn 3 college credits and 1 high school Social Studies elective credit.

SUNY Potsdam Introductory Studio Art NEW! *NOW OPEN FOR SEMESTER 2 ENROLLMENT*

Do you have a student interested in drawing, painting, and the arts? This is a SUNY Potsdam studio course with an emphasis on art making as a teachable skill based on learning fundamental components and developing these components through practice. Students who successfully complete the course can earn 4 college credits and 1 high school Art credit.

RIT Intro to Digital Photography NEW!

Currently AT CAPACITY! This RIT course will introduce students to the creation of imagery using a digital camera. Students who successfully complete the course can earn 3 college credits and 1 high school Art credit.

SUNY ESF Research Writing Humanities

Intended for students who have had an introductory writing course (ESF 190), students will examine different views of nature and the environment as they are expressed by selected writers, poets, and essayists. Students who successfully complete the course can earn 3 college credits and 1 high school English credit.

SUNY ESF Writing and The Environment *NOW OPEN FOR SEMESTER 2 ENROLLMENT*

This course provides an introduction to academic reading and writing at the college level, with an emphasis on science, the environment, and nature. Students who successfully complete the course can earn 3 college credits and 1 high school English credit.

SUNY ESF Global Environment

The Global Environment will help you to gain the knowledge and tools to make informed decisions regarding the environment and the earth’s future and to be able to understand the connections between such varied topics as pollution, deforestation, climate change, acid rain, soil depletion, economics, evolution, history, and social justice. The course stresses science-based systems approach in evaluating problems and potential solutions as well as the critical role of energy in many of the environmental challenges facing the world.