Downingtown Cyber Academy Update

September 1, 2023

Dear DCA Students and Families,

We hope you had a wonderful first week of school. We were so excited to meet the students and get to know one another. Please remember that all work for Week 1 is due this Sunday.

As we approach Labor Day, we want to extend our warmest wishes to each and every one of you. This day serves as a poignant reminder of the contributions of all workers that shape our society. It is a celebration of diligence, dedication, and the collective effort that propels progress. Just as our virtual learning environment relies on the collaborative endeavors of students, parents, and educators, Labor Day underscores the value of unity in achieving common goals. We wish you a restful and joyful Labor Day.

Fondly,

Dr. Kecia Nesmith, Principal and Curriculum Supervisor

Dr. Kristie Burk, Coordinator for Online & Blended Learning

Week 2 starts on Tuesday, September 5th.

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Calendar items

9/4 - No School - Labor Day
9/5 - DEast Picture Day
9/6 - Downingtown & Lionville Middle Picture Day
9/7 - STEM Picture Day
9/10 - DCA Spiritwear Fundraiser Ends
9/12 - Marsh Creek Picture Day
9/14 - Spread the Word to End the Word Football game 7:00 pm
9/21 - Culture Fest 5:00-8:00 pm @ MC6GC
9/25 - No School - Yom Kippur
9/27 - Night of Rememberance 6 pm @ DHSW

Grades 6-8 Picture Days

Marsh Creek Sixth Grade Center:

MC6 Picture Day is Tuesday, September 12, 2023.
Full-time DCA students can arrive at the MC main office between 8:00am and 1:30pm. Part-time students should get their picture taken within the time they are in-person on Picture Day.
Students can preorder their photography package at http://www.mylifetouch.com with school code: EVTPHQ4CK
Students must know their student ID number. If you do not know yours, please reach out to your advisory teacher.

Downingtown Middle School:

DMS Picture Day is Wednesday, September 6, 2023.
Full-time DCA students can arrive at the DMS main office between 8:00am and 9:00am. Part-time students should get their picture taken within the time they are in-person on Picture Day.
Students can preorder their photography package at http://www.mylifetouch.com with school code: EVTR6KSZR
Students must know their student ID number. If you do not know yours, please reach out to your advisory teacher.

Lionville Middle School:

LMS Picture Day is Wednesday, September 6, 2023.
Full-time DCA students can arrive at the LMS main office between 8:00am and 1:30pm. Part-time students should get their picture taken within the time they are in-person on Picture Day.
Students can preorder their photography package at http://www.mylifetouch.com with school code: EVTFH9R92
Students must know their student ID number. If you do not know yours, please reach out to your advisory teacher.

Please note that Downingtown Cyber Academy creates a digital yearbook that is separate from the DASD brick-and-mortar schools' yearbooks. Students, if you are unable to visit your DASD home school to participate in Picture Day, you'll still be in the DCA digital yearbook.

DCA Spiritwear Fundraiser

Do you have any or enough DCA Swag? Now is the time to order DCA items while helping us raise funds to host student activities. Check out our DCA Spiritwear information in the links below and order your DCA gear today!

Sales - Now until September 10th!

Items will be available for pick up at the District office when they are ready.

Click Here to Order DCA Spiritwear

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Events

Back-To-School Night

Thank you to all the families who joined us for Back-to-School Night last Wednesday. If you missed the event, please watch the recordings below. We will be sending home individual welcome videos from teachers next week!

Back-to-School Night 6th-8th grade

Back-to-School Night 9th-12th grade

Also, the cyber teachers have created Back-to-School videos to introduce themselves and to give course overviews. Please take a moment to view them!

Click the images below to learn more and register!

Downingtown Area School District’s (DASD) Best Buddies Program has partnered with the Philadelphia Eagles Autism Foundation to celebrate its 11th annual “Spread The Word To End The Word Event.” Best Buddies is a program in Downingtown that builds one-to-one friendships between people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), offering social interactions while improving the quality of life and level of inclusion for a population that is often isolated and excluded. The mission of the program directly aligns with the mission of the Philadelphia Eagles Autism Foundation which is to support the highest quality and most impactful Autism research and care to improve the lives of affected individuals and families now, as well as foster the acquisition of knowledge, technologies and discoveries that will bring new opportunities in the future. The program will begin at 7pm on Sept 14, 2023.

Entertainment will be provided from a number of talented student musicians, singers and dancers who represent a number of different countries. Food will be available for purchase from a variety of food trucks featuring cuisine from around the world. This event is FREE and sponsored by the Downingtown Community Education Foundation and the Downingtown Area School District's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative. We want to create a community culture of inclusivity and empathy that can grow and flourish. All proceeds from this event benefit the Marsh Creek 6th Grade Center Library.

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Holocaust survivor Peter Stern will share his personal story of survival during a special event hosted by the Downingtown Area School District (DASD) Department of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). The evening presentation will take place on Sept 27th at 6 p.m. in the Downingtown High School West auditorium (445 Manor Ave., Downingtown).

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Important Information

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.

Drop In Help Center (Virtual)

For high school students who are unable to attend their teachers' scheduled office hours, we have a virtual Drop-in Help Center on C and E days throughout the day. Please check your Schoology calendar for days and times!

ZOOM SCHEDULES

Students' Zoom schedules can be found on our website. Click on the tab at the bottom of the page to find your child's grade!

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.

Student Opportunities

Military Service Academy Night

Military Service Academy Night will be held on Wednesday, September 6th, from 6-8 p.m. at Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, PA. Representatives from the Navy, West Point, Air Force, Merchant Marine, and Coast Guard will be available to answer questions students may have about the schools. Please use this link to sign up if you are interested.

Girls Exploring Tomorrow's Technology

Junior & Senior Girls!! Volunteers are needed for the Girls Exploring Tomorrow’s Technology (GETT) Expo to be held on Saturday, October 28th, 2023, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center from noon to 5 p.m. This is an awesome opportunity to connect with women in STEM careers! Contact Leigh Craig at lcraig@ccedcpa.com if you are interested.

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