Rockford Virtual News

The staff of Rockford Virtual is excited to learn and grow with you this year!

Rockford Virtual was created in 2020 to meet the needs of students and families due to the pandemic, and as we begin our 5th year, Rockford Virtual continues to evolve to meet the needs of Rockford students and families. Many thanks to Dr. Kelly Amshey and the Rockford Virtual staff for their hard work and diligence!

This year, Rockford Virtual will be housed in River Valley Academy. Be sure to check out the Staff Spotlight section in upcoming newsletters to meet our amazing staff! We look forward to partnering with you this year!!

On behalf of the Rockford Virtual staff,

Jenny Thompson

Director of Adult/Alternative Education

Rockford Public Schools

Come meet teachers and staff on Wednesday, September 4, from 5:30-6:30! We hope to see you there! River Valley Academy is located in the back of the Administration Building. Use the Lewis St. entrance, across from Parkside. Come all the way to the end of the drive to door #3!

Click the picture for more information on the six attributes of a successful online learner.

Rockford Virtual follows the Rockford Public School calendar. Classes begin on August 26 and end on June 6. Virtual students should plan to spend a minimum of one hour a day per class on their coursework, as they would if they were attending in person. In addition, students can expect extra time for assignments and studying will be required.

Trimester 1 ends on November 15. All courses must be complete. In addition, final exams will be scheduled in person during exam week, November 11-15. Please mark your calendars now, to avoid conflicts!

Rockford Virtual staff will be checking in regularly with students and parents. A continuum of supports will be implemented including goal setting, session logs, and required attendance sessions, to insure student success.

Mrs. Becky Caterino - Math, business, and electives

Ms. Deb Edwards - Speech and electives

Mr. Jacob Grasley- Science, co-op, and electives

Mr. Lance Johnson - Social Studies, PE, and electives

Mrs. Leeann Randall Anderson - English and electives

Virtual students will attend introductory meetings with their teachers on Monday, August 26. Students may find meeting times and Google Meet codes by checking the Schoology Group on Monday morning.

If you are unable to attend a meeting, please contact your teacher via Schoology message. Apex will only be available on August 27 to those who attend the introductory meetings or make other arrangements.

Mrs. Kelly Fischer, Rockford Virtual Coordinator, Mrs. Ann MacDubhain, Social Worker, and Mrs. Jenny Thompson, Director, will support students and families.

Please check Student Access to view your student's trimester 1 schedule. If you believe your student is assigned to courses in error, please contact the appropriate school counselor to resolve.

If the student's schedule is incomplete, please contact the school counselor. Thank you!

Students sign-in to Schoology to view Group Updates. The 9-12 Virtual Schoology Group will include orientation details as they are finalized and will be an essential tool for communicating with virtual students during the trimester.

Rockford Virtual students at all grades will benefit from an adult in the home to monitor progress, support a daily routine and provide extrinsic motivation. Apex Learning sends a weekly "coaching report" to parents via e-mail. Please look at the "Grade to Date" as the best measure of your student's progress.

• Monitor weekly coaching reports from Apex Learning.
• Contact school staff with concerns about your student.

Rockford Virtual teachers, like their in-person counterparts, have developed an approach to grading, due dates and penalties that is best for that course based on their knowledge and professional experience. Due to the nature of the program, all virtual teachers provide some flexibility with due dates, but some have established firm due dates within the course to support student success.

Please read the syllabus for each course and discuss with your student to make sure you know what to expect and how to track assignments for the best outcomes. Thank you!

Students access Apex through Schoology and will learn how to do this during orientation. Please know that courses are not available at this time. Students will have access to Apex courses on Tuesday, August 27.

High school students who are taking a Speech course to fulfill a graduation requirement will utilize Edgenuity, as this course is not offered through Apex. Students will need to login in Edgenuity to access this course using the details that were emailed to parent e-mail addresses. If you do not receive this information by August 27 or cannot find it, please reach out to Kelly Fischer (kfischer@rockfordschools.org).

Apex Learning and Edgenuity can be accessed from any computer with the internet. Rockford Public Schools are one-to-one for devices at the secondary level.

Any student may check out a school-issued Chromebook for school. If you didn't do this at orientation, please call your home school building. Also, please note the Student Device Management information below regarding fees for damaged devices. The district does not provide internet.

Using phones is not recommended due to the small size of the screen and the amount of reading required.