
DCA Back to School Update
August 25, 2023
Dear DCA Students and Families!
Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! The first day of school is on this Monday, August 28th! We are excited to welcome students back to school!
Please see important information for the first day below.
- Full-time DCA students MUST attend ADVISORY on Monday via Zoom with cameras on!
- All DCA students must complete the student orientation. It is posted in each course, but students only have to complete it once.
- Students need to complete their Attendance Check-Ins for DCA classes on any letter day with a scheduled course in Infinite Campus. Please make it a routine to do so.
We hope the first day of school is awesome for all! Enjoy the weekend, and see you online Monday!
Fondly,
Dr. Kecia Nesmith, Principal and Curriculum Supervisor
Dr. Kristie Burk, Coordinator for Online & Blended Learning
Calendar items
8/28 - First Day of School. Please check the Zoom schedule for class times.
8/29 - DWHS Picture Day
9/4 - No School - Labor Day
9/25 - No School - Rosh Hashanah
Links to School Calendars - Be sure to check the calendars for the home school and DCA!
K-12
Middle Schools
High Schools
Events
Back-To-School Night
DCA Spiritwear Fundraiser
Sales - Now until September 10th!
Items will be available for pick up at the District office when they are ready.
A-Z TOPICS
ATTENDANCE
DCA secondary students must log their own attendance in Infinite Campus. Students should visit our webpage: School Day-DCA Attendance Procedures for a tutorial on how to log daily attendance.
Forgetting to log attendance is not considered an acceptable excuse according to School Board Policy, so students must remember to log their attendance each school day for which they have a scheduled cyber class.
Please make a plan as a family to support the logging of attendance.
***Attendance in the cyber environment is critical. Students attend either live Zoom sessions, Office Hours, or Drop-In Help times. They also ATTEND to and ENGAGE in their daily and weekly asynchronous learning activities, assignments, and assessments.
Students who demonstrate a significant lack of engagement in their online learning courses may benefit best from in-person learning.
CALENDAR
CLASSWORK
Communication
Two-way communication among students, teachers, and families is critical to the success of students in the DCA. Please regularly use the following communication tools to ask questions, share information, and stay connected.
Schoology Messages
Drop In Help Center (Virtual)
HOME BUILDINGS
The Downingtown Cyber Academy is considered a program and not a school. Therefore, all full-time and part-time students are still considered students in their home buildings. They will retain the same counselors and are allowed to use the facilities during the school day, such as the library or counseling office. They are also encouraged to participate in any clubs, activities, sports, and events at their home high school.
All DCA parents will continue to receive newsletters from the home school for this reason!
INFINITE CAMPUS TOGGLING
Whether your child is enrolled in the Downingtown Cyber Academy full-time or part-time, they are dual-enrolled in their home school. To access schedules and information for each school/program, you will need to TOGGLE between the Enrollment Drop Down. See the image below.
Please note: If your child is a DCA Part-Time student, DCA courses will only show up under the 23-24 Downingtown Cyber 6-12 tab and courses in the home school will show up under that school's tab.
LOGGING INTO INFINITE CAMPUS, SCHOOLOGY, AND MORE
MATERIALS
If any materials are needed, your child's teacher will let you know when and where to pick them up. Most materials are in an online format for grades 6-12.
NEW DASD SERVICE DESK!
We are excited to announce that the new DASD Service Desk has been deployed!
As of now, all new service requests for Technology and Transportation should be submitted via https://servicedesk.dasd.org.
Any open service requests from the deprecated service desk will remain active until a DASD agent resolves them.
If needed, here are specific printable directions for students and parents. Video directions for parents and community members can be found here.
PERSONALIZED LEARNING PLAN AGREEMENT (PLPA) GRADES 6-8
At the Downingtown Cyber Academy, we believe in a personalized approach to learning versus a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. We offer personalized learning plans for students in grades 6-8 regarding synchronous learning (Zooms).
Zooms are required for all middle school students unless the parents have signed a Personalized Learning Plan Agreement.
6th to 8th-grade families can decide between the following:
No PLPA (default option): Zoom meetings are required, and students must attend. Students complete daily check-ins via Infinite Campus.
PLPA (requires approval): Zoom meetings are optional. Students are not required to attend as long as they maintain good standing in all classes and complete their work each week.
Families must have a valid reason for requesting a PLPA. These reasons could include, but are not limited to:
Part-time students who have a brick-and-mortar class scheduled at the same time as their DCA Zoom.
Part-time or full-time students who have internships or who are in work/study programs.
Athletes who have intensive training during school hours.
Full-time students in different time zones.
All Zoom meetings will be recorded and must be watched if they are not attended. Families who wish to apply for a PLPA should email cyberacademy@dasd.org.
Note: Families should assume that their application has been APPROVED unless you hear from us!
ROLE OF PARENTS, GUARDIANS, &/OR CARETAKERS
Whether your student is in the DCA part-time or full-time, the role of the parents/guardians/caretakers is very important. You can help their child be successful by
encouraging your student to create a calendar of Zoom/Office Hours/Drop-In Help times.
helping your student create a weekly to-do list.
verifying that lessons and assignments are completed in Schoology by Sunday.
communicating with the teachers if the student is struggling.
monitoring grades and attendance in Campus and Schoology.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
SPECIAL EDUCATION / SUPPORTS
TUTORIALS
WEEK ONE
Teachers will post all the material for your child's classes on Monday, August 28. For maximum flexibility, all work is due by the end of the day on Sunday, September 3rd.
WEEKLY UPDATES
Students and families will receive weekly updates from the DCA Admin Team. You can read past updates on our website.
WHAT DO I DO IF THERE IS A SCHEDULING CONFLICT WITH CLASSES?
Part-time students in grades 6-12 may have some scheduling conflicts concerning Zoom/Office Hour times due to classes in the brick-and-mortar buildings.
If this is the case, there are a few ways to address this problem:
Grades 6-8
Request a Personalized Learning Plan Agreement to opt out of Zooms.
Watch the recordings of the class.
Attend office hours to get support from DCA teachers.
Let your teachers know about this conflict so you can arrange another mutually agreeable time to meet if needed.
Grades 9-12
Attend the virtual Drop-In center on C and E days to get support from DCA teachers.
If neither the drop-in center times nor the office hour times work for your schedule, contact the teacher to set up an agreeable time to meet if needed.
ZOOM SCHEDULES
Zooms are required for 6th-8th graders. 9th-12th grade students will have office hours and Drop In Help Center times. Middle schoolers who cannot attend Zooms should visit our website to learn about a Personalized Learning Plan.
More Information
K-5 BVA First Day
K-5 DCA/BVA Student Devices
Device pick-up for K-5 DCA/VA students will begin on Wednesday, August 23rd at home school buildings.
- Students who currently have a DASD-issued Chromebook will not receive a new device.
- Students who have a DASD-issued iPad should return the iPad and charger in exchange for a Chromebook.
- New students will receive a Chromebook.
DOWNINGTOWN CYBER ACADEMY
Please visit our DCA website at dc.dasd.org for more information.
Email: cyberacademy@dasd.org
Website: dc.dasd.org
Location: 540 Trestle Place, Downingtown, PA, USA
Phone: 610-269-8460
Facebook: http://facebook.com/dca
Twitter: @dasd_dca