Thank you for allowing A2 Virtual+ to be part of our students' educational journey and for your patience as we start the 2024-2025 school year. The start of each term for our team is always the most stressful as we transition from having no students enrolled in early August to now having 821 students enrolled in 1178 classes. We accomplish this through the intentional and tireless efforts of every team member. Our support of the A2 Virtual+ Mission guides our work.

The mission of Ann Arbor Virtual+ Academy is to provide students access to online and extended learning options that will help them develop a personalized learning path.

Every year, we implement changes to help support students' learning in our program. This year is no different, but we have targeted specific areas that have been brought to our attention based on the feedback we have received and the review of student outcomes. I will highlight these changes over the next few months but wil focus on two at this time. The first is the creation of a class in PowerSchool and Schoology called “A2V Proctoring and Building Support.” This classroom is designed to provide building-specific information about proctoring opportunities and connecting students with a school-based A2 Virtual+ teacher who can provide general A2 Virtual+ specific support during specific days. We refer to this A2 Virtual+ teacher as the building liaison. Our 5th-grade students' “A2V Proctoring and Building Support” will not be building-specific. With 5th graders from over 20 different schools, building-specific support is unavailable.

I am excited that our Meet Your Teacher event will allow students to meet their teachers synchronously over Zoom at the start of the term. First, I want to apologize for this information not being shared earlier, but I still wanted to offer this opportunity to interested and available students. There are a couple of factors that have made organizing this event challenging. All Ann Arbor Public schools have their own curriculum nights starting September 10th. We had to schedule earlier than the 10th or after the 17th to avoid conflicts. We also needed multiple nights because we offer around 100 different classes. The sessions are designed for students, but parents are welcome to attend with their students. If a student cannot attend, the presentation slides and resources are available in the Orientation Folder in their Schoology classroom.

I look forward to a great school and will send my next update the first week of October.

Your partner in online learning,

Principal Lauer

New this year, we are offering students an opportunity to meet their teacher, talk about how the class works, and ask any questions in a 30-minute conversation over Zoom. Access information, including when the meeting will be held is available in the Schoology classroom for each class. If students are not able to attend, they will have all the information, including resources, available to them in their Schoology classroom. Teachers are always available via email or Zoom should there be any follow-up questions.

Here is a link to the complete schedule:

Students are required to complete two proctored activities for each class each term. This year, we require the first proctored activity to be completed by October 25th. The names of the activities required to be proctored can be found in the student's Schoology classroom. The schedule of proctored opportunities, location, and sign-up process are available in the A2 Virtual Proctoring and Building Support Schoology classrooms. Students are also welcome to attend Skyline High School in the Media Center on Tuesday Nights from 4 pm to 7 pm to complete proctored activities. There is no signup required. Any student that arrives before 6:00 pm will be permitted to complete their proctored activity. Proctoring at Skyline will start September 17th.

• Tuesday, October 1st 4pm - 7pm

• Tuesday, October 8th 4pm - 7pm
  
• Tuesday, October 22nd 4pm - 7pm
• Tuesday, October 29th 4pm - 7pm

This year we will be looking for people to participate in an advisory group that will help us continue improving our students' online learning experiences. The group would meet every couple of months, and the people interested in participating would determine the schedule. Please consider participating by clicking this link. (https://forms.gle/zJqiwMvvKz44xS3j7)

Parents that signed up in the spring, do not need to apply again. Thank you for agreeing to be part of this group. I will contact you by the end of the month to develop a schedule and the first agenda.