Virtual Academy: Grades K-12

A HUGE shout-out to all of you for your role in making Virtual Academy a success so far this year! We've had our first students graduate, many courses completed, a successful first-ever Connection Day, great participation in state testing, and so much more! We have so much to be proud of in our school with so much more awesomeness to come!

A special thanks to our teachers (Bombenger, Dahmen, Moore, Qualey, Schroeder, and Walker), our counselor (Boehm), social worker (King), and office support (Wischnak) for ALL you do each day to help support students in this journey! This is truly the best team ever!

There is NO SCHOOL December 23, 2023, through January 1, 2024. Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 2nd.

Keep in mind that VA teachers are not available during break to open tests or respond to emails. They will respond to messages when classes resume in January.

Each year, the traditional high schools invite 8th Grade students to the building to explore elective opportunities and activities offered to incoming 9th Grade students. Please note the times below:

• Fargo Davies - Monday, January 8, from 4-7PM
• Fargo North - Monday, January 8
• last names A-K - begin at 5:30PM
• last names L-Z - begin at 6:55PM
• Fargo South - Monday, January 8, from 4-7PM

Virtual Academy hosted its first "connection day" as an opportunity for students to get away from their computers, be around their teachers and other students while engaging in some in-person learning. Our morning of connecting was held at the Trollwood Performing Arts building where students engaged in goal-setting, story telling, math skill breakout boxes, and art projects. This connection day provided fun for all students K-12 and allowed time for students across all ages to work collaboratively.

Our next connection day will be held at Minnesota State University-Moorhead. Our students will be visiting both the Planetarium and Oceanarium at MSUM to be immersed in experiential learning about the stars and the seas! Following our Planetarium and Oceanarium tours, students will have an opportunity to learn more about careers in the science fields and engage in some hands-on science activities. All VA students K-12 are invited to be a part of this morning activity. Due to the size and numerous parking areas at MSUM, we are asking all students to ride the bus to this activity. We ask students to be at the District Office by 9AM to load the bus, and we will be returning by 12:30PM. If your student does not have transportation to the District Office to get on the bus, please contact Holly Fiechtner, principal or Vanessa Boehm, counselor.

Although all students in grades K-9 will be returning to the District Office by 12:30PM, we will be keeping our 10-12th graders on campus to enjoy lunch “college style” in the campus cafeteria and have a tour of the campus and an admissions presentation so that students can start exploring college options if they haven’t already done so. Students in 10-12th Grade will return to the District Office by 2:00 pm.

NDA+ testing: The winter NDA+ testing window is now open. This testing is required for all students in grades K-10. Testing for Virtual Academy students will be held on Tuesday, January 23, Thursday, January 25, Tuesday, January 30, and Thursday, February 1. You will receive an email and/or phone call to schedule a time for your student to complete these tests. Testing will be held at the FPS District Office (700 7th Street South) and should take no more than one hour to complete.

Be sure to check the calendar on the VA website for additional dates and information.

• December 22: Early Out
• December 23 - January 1: No School, Winter Break
• January 2: Classes Resume
• January 8: 8th Grade Information Nights at Davies, North, and South High Schools
• January 11: Feed My Starving Children Service Project for grades 9-12
• January 12: VA Connection Day at MSUM; last day of the semester
• January 15: No School, Staff Professional Development
• January 16: Counseling Advisory Meeting and Semester Two Begins
• January 17: Semester Two Open House/New Student Orientation
• January 23, 25, 30, and February 1: NDA+ Winter Testing

If you have not already been contacted by your counselor or a virtual academy teacher, we will be reaching out to you to discuss plans for next semester whether it be returning to in-building learning or continuing in Virtual Academy.

• Students planning to return to in-person learning in the school building should contact the registrar’s office at that building to schedule an appointment prior to the end of the semester to facilitate the transfer process.

• All 9-12 students continuing in Virtual Academy will meet with Mrs. Boehm by phone or by Teams to count credits toward graduation progress and select classes for the next semester.

Attendance is being taken in the Virtual Academy courses!

Remember that in Virtual Academy, attendance is taken retroactively for the week prior and is directly related to student pacing in the class. If the student is on pace, they're attending!

All students in the Virtual Academy have the right to receive counseling activities in the form of lessons on social emotional learning, academic success, and career planning just as they would if they were in person. All students should have received some correspondence from the school counselor (Mrs. Boehm) regarding various lessons and activities.

One recent activity attended by our sophomore class was the Health, Technology, and Trades Expo held at the FargoDome. Virtual Academy sophomores had the opportunity to attend a STEM session where they learned from a Fargo-based company about computer programming design and how its impacting our global market. Students also spent time visiting with many vendors on the floor of the FargoDome learning about various career paths and opportunities.

Elementary students in the Virtual Academy (Grades K-5) have the opportunity for tutoring support with Mrs. Bombenger at the following times:

• 7:45-8:15 a.m.
• 11:45-12:15 p.m.
• 1:45-2:30 p.m.

Feel free to connect with Mrs. Bombenger at this link: Elementary Tutoring

One risk in advancing technology is the temptation to copy and paste another's work as one's own. Please keep in mind that plagiarism and the use of AI technology are not appropriate in the school setting, including Virtual Academy.

The Imagine Edgenuity program has automatic checks for plagiarism and AI embedded into the online classes, and students will not earn credit for plagiarized work. Students plagiarizing or using the AI features in writing will also risk being removed from class and/or not earning credit.

Federal and state regulations require districts to adopt procedures for receiving and resolving disputes. A complaint may include an investigation by district staff that will result in a determination of findings of facts, conclusions, and reasons for the final decision.

Any individual who believes the Fargo School District has violated the regulations or law governing the federal Title program should submit a detailed, written statement of facts supporting the allegation to:

Fargo Public Schools

700 7th Street South

Fargo, ND 58103

Fargo Public Schools Title Managers

Title I Part A (Economically Disadvantaged Students)

Tristan Love lovet@fargo.k12.nd.us

Title II Part A (Teacher Training/Recruitment)

Robert Grosz groszr@fargo.k12.nd.us

Missy Eidsness eidsnem@fargo.k12.nd.us

Title III (English Language Acquisition)

Liann Hanson hansonl3@fargo.k12.nd.us

Title IX (Discrimination/Sexual Harassment)

Patricia Cummings cumminp1@fargo.k12.nd.us

Section 504 (Students with Disabilities)

Patricia Cummings cumminp1@fargo.k12.nd.us

Any complaint must include:

• The date;

• The name of the district, unit, or individual the complaint is against;

• The name, address, and telephone number of the person making the complaint;

• A detailed description of the complaint, including specific facts; and

• The signature of the person making the complaint.

When a complaint is filed, the appropriate Fargo Public Schools Title Manager will investigate and issue a written response within sixty (60) calendar days from the date the complaint is received.

Reconsideration

The complainant may submit a reconsideration request in writing to the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, the North Dakota Division of Juvenile Services, and the U.S. Department of Education.

State Superintendent The Secretary of Education

North Dakota Department of Public Instruction

600 E. Boulevard Avenue, Dept. 201

Bismarck, ND 58505-0440

U.S. Department of Education

555 New Jersey Avenue NW

Washington, D.C. 20208

North Dakota Division of Juvenile Services

100 Railroad Avenue

Bismarck, ND 58501

Our students have been busy in their classes and the progress is amazing! If you aren't aware, we do have full-time teachers in each of our core subject areas this year for students in grades 6-12, and they are great resources for students. Listed below is their contact information:

Matthew Dahmen (Science) dahmenm@fargo.k12.nd.us (701)446-8606

Madelyn Moore (Math) moorem@fargo.k12.nd.us (701)446-8607

Laura Qualey (English) qualeyl@fargo.k12.nd.us (701)446-8609

Rachel Schroeder (Social Studies) schroer1@fargo.k12.nd.us (701)446-8632

Counselor Support:

Vanessa Boehm - Grades K-12 - boehmv@fargo.k12.nd.us

Student Wellness and Family Facilitator:

Katie King - kingk@fargo.k12.nd.us

Holly Fiechtner, Principal of Virtual Academy (Grades K-12)

Email: fiechth@fargo.k12.nd.us
Website: https://www.fargo.k12.nd.us/virtualacademy
Phone: (701) 446-1602