VAR November 2022 Newsletter

November 2022

The Rochester Board of Education and the Office of Parent Engagement hosted their annual family and community engagement forum on Saturday, November 19, 2022.

The forum was an opportunity to discuss important topics that are currently impacting the district and the community. Some of the Virtual Academy's top scholars had the opportunity to address these issues. The ACA Advocates were on-hand to provide information about the Virtual Academy of Rochester courses.

⭐Students of the Month⭐

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Emaya Roldan (ALL CITY)

Emaya is a very mature and motivated student who stays after school and works hard while in class. She also communicates well with what she needs help with or any questions she has. Emaya is currently taking P.E and Health OCR. Emaya was nominated by Mike Screen.

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Lexani Bonilla (ALL CITY)

Lexani has been an absolute pleasure as a Virtual Global History student. She works very hard in class to gain an understanding of the material to learn it, not just complete assignments. She even stays for the after-school program to quickly work through the course. Keep up the great work, Lexi! Nominated by Mr. Sickles.

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Sara Niyoyankunze (EDISON)

Sara has made a tremendous effort to get herself to class and be a good student. She has developed a laser-like focus on doing her work with high quality. She has also begun to help other students to be successful. I fully expect Sara to continue to be a great student leader. Sara is taking AP US History in person at Edison. Nominated by Mrs. Diane Watkins.

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Vanessa Colon (EDISON)

Vanessa is a mature and conscientious young lady. I have had the pleasure of working with her for the past two years, as she completed three science courses in OCR. Our time working together was always cooperative and full of laughter. She was always a pleasure to see in the lab and never greeted us without a smile. Vanessa has completed a multitude of OCR courses with us at Edison and All City. She approached each course with the motivation and integrity needed to complete various tasks while truly expanding her knowledge and understanding. We are all very proud of Vanessa and happily celebrated her success with impromptu dance parties. Congratulations Vanessa, come back and visit with us soon. Vanessa was nominated by Mr. Wise & Leigh Trifeletti

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Nazyah Wearen (EDISON)

Nazyah is highly motivated in this in-depth course. She works hard every day, has a positive attitude, asks questions, and is very thoughtful in her coursework. Her work is typically clear, concise, and well-written. Currently, Nazyah is enrolled in English IV Mosaics (virtually) and was nominated by Mr. Ryan Wise

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Daniel Campbell (FRANKLIN)

Daniel has worked so hard on his Art History and was able to complete the entire course in the month of October! Daniel is a pleasure to have in the lab and exemplifies everything our program wants to achieve. Daniel was nominated by Mr. Sickles.

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Jellenis Villanueva (FRANKLIN)

Currently, Jellenis is taking an OCR Health course. She works extremely diligently and turns in high-quality work. Jellenis doesn't waste a minute of her time in the lab. She is a very motivated student. Jellenis was nominated by Mr. Mike Screen

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Eniyah Peart (SOTA)

Eniyah is hard-working and beyond dedicated to being the best version of herself. She has worked hard to maintain her heavy course load and puts in the extra effort. Eniyah is beyond kind and caring to her peers and respectful to her teachers. Eniyah is taking AP Physics 1 course in-person and was nominated by Katharine Kays.

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Joel Maldonado (SOTA)

Joel is taking AP Psychology virtually. Joel is self-motivated and exceeds expectations with high-quality work. He is also a pleasure to have in class. Keep up the great work Joel! Joel was nominated by Mr. Sacco.

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Taialise Davila (SOTA)

Taialise has been an absolute pleasure to work with this year! She has approached her coursework with diligence and determination. She advocates and asks for help when needed and utilizes her time in OCR lab to finish her Algebra 1 course before the end of MP#1. Well done! Taialise was nominated by Mr. Bonawitz.

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Hazel Roberts (WILSON)

Hazel is always on top of her work. She presents a very positive attitude. Hazel is currently taking AP Language and was nominated by Theresa Sarkis-Kruse

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Sir Sirus Steward (WILSON)

Sir diligently completed his PE1 Course in 8 weeks. He works very hard daily and does quality work. Sir Sirus is very open to suggestions and often asks for help when needed. He is a great example of a student who is successful in taking VAR courses for credit recovery. Sir Sirus was nominated by Mr. Priel.

🍎Teacher Feature🍎

I have been a teacher with the RCSD for the last 15 years. I began my career as an 8th-grade ELA teacher at Dr. Freddie Thomas and Integrated Arts and Technology. For the last 10 years, I've been working with Instructional Technology as a Teacher on Assignment. In the beginning, I supported schools, staff, and students, with the use of technology in classrooms and taught AP English Literature through the Virtual Academy of Rochester. In 2018, I wrote the VAR course, Literature to Film, and it was added to the Virtual Academy as another ELA option for English IV. My role has evolved over time as I have become a coordinator and registrar for the Virtual Academy of Rochester. I organize and manage the AP courses and exams for VAR, help to develop and oversee the development of new VAR courses, work as a liaison between VAR and the schools, recruit students for courses, and manage all facets of VAR in PowerSchool. For the last few years, I have focused on the Advanced Course Access grant which I wrote and we were awarded in 2020. This has allowed VAR to create partnerships with local universities to offer dual enrollment courses, as well as add many additional supports for students in advanced courses. Although I am not in schools regularly, I miss that interaction with students. I enjoy seeing students successfully complete their online courses and get one step closer to graduation!

🍎Teacher Feature🍎

Currently, I teach the early schools Physical Education and Health for VAR. I received my Bachelor's degree in Physical Education and Health and my Master's degree in Physical Education and Sports Administration from Canisius College. I received Educational Administration Degree from SUNY Brockport.

I began my career teaching P.E. and Health at Amherst Middle School and Desales Catholic School in the Buffalo area before moving back to Rochester in 2010 to teach in the RCSD. I've taught P.E. and Health in several buildings, but most recently at World of Inquiry for the past seven years until transitioning to the Virtual Academy this year. I was the head Varsity baseball coach for Eastridge High School for six years and the Head Varsity Tennis coach for the past seven years at World of Inquiry. I was also the RCSD Tennis coordinator. I've also coached football, basketball, and track in the RCSD. With the PE & Health OCR courses, students are able to remain physically active through a virtual course as well as gain knowledge on physical education that they otherwise may not have learned in the classroom/gymnasium setting.

November 2022: VAR Students and Staff in Action!!!

VAR Dual Credit (Enrollment) Courses

🚩NEW DUAL CREDIT 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 for 2022-2023! 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.