Online Learning Academy - PPS
May 2023 Newsletter
Principal Message
Dear OLA Families,
May is a busy month for all of us in OLA. From testing to celebrations to important workshops for middle and high school students, all hands are on deck to ensure that students are ready for Fall 2023. In preparation for next year, the OLA team is working on an “OLA PASSPORT” which will be a short synopsis of your students strengths and any extra support your student may have been receiving while in OLA. Our goal for this document is something more than a typical report card since OLA is such a unique educational experience. We will send this document home to all guardians via email. It is an optional document you can choose to share with your student’s next school or next teacher. We hope that it will add a helpful nuance to your child’s traditional educational record.
Recapping a few ways to finish the year strong:
K-12 Learning Coaches
Submit your OLA Check-In form here every Friday.
Let teachers know if you have concerns about your student’s progress.
Track your students progress by logging into your account on Buzz.
K-12 Students
Attend Office Hours for 1:1 support and tutoring from your teachers.
Spend at least 30 hours per week on school.
HS Students (Check with your Seminar teacher)
Enroll in OMG to finish up incompletes.
Sign up to finish up credits on Saturdays.
Sign up to finish credits June 20-30.
As always, please reach out if you have any questions, ideas or concerns.
Mrs. H
Diane Berthoin-Hernández
Principal, OLA and VS
Counseling Corner
Greetings OLA Families! In addition to celebrating Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Heritage month, May is also Mental Health Awareness month. I will be visiting elementary classrooms this month to talk about self care and talking to trusted adults. I have been using this adorable resource: https://www.gizmo4mentalhealth.org/
For our middle school students, we are fortunate to have an amazing community organization, AdultingIRL, come on May 18th and 19th to do a peer to peer suicide prevention training. Here is their website: https://www.adultingirl.com/
The name of the program is You Good Fam? Here is the training outline for your review: YouGoodFam I understand that this is a difficult topic for some students, please feel free to reach out to Ms. Mate/Reka if that is the case.
If you or a family member is experiencing mental health challenges, there is help out there. One of the best places to start is the National Alliance of Mental Illness website: https://www.nami.org/Home
If you or a family member are experiencing thoughts of suicide, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day in English and Spanish.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions and concerns to rmate@pps.net. 🌺☀️🌺
High School Counselor News
As we are getting close to wrapping up the school year, I wanted to say thank you for all of you who have worked so hard to get to where you are today. Whether you passed a class, passed all your classes with all A's, or have been focusing more on making improvements in your mental health, I'm proud of you. Seniors PLEASE make sure that you're in touch with your neighborhood school.
ALL information about the graduation ceremony, cap and gowns, and your diploma will come from them! If you're not sure who to talk to, click here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vTmWlu2lqw5hWg2oBKYtLcMMz3NFfVsBNLQUUczSh3migU_p9Cvg5v6YlJ3SvfeGHOw12NS3QPhFLVt/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000
Senior Survey & Save the Date We are planning a Senior Celebration at the Holladay Annex that will take place on June 1st. PLEASE fill out this survey ASAP and let us know your plans: https://forms.gle/TrX57EKXriLtTdVd7 All students
CRLEs and Summer Opportunities Here is the link to the HS Counselor Updates. I will be posting any summer programs or jobs that I find in this link. It will be updated a lot over the next few weeks so keep an eye out! https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1QhIAeBU3bLh_8AUAwf1-8VQS0M-P0kLDF37rmS6nVdI/edit?usp=sharing
Suicide Prevention workshop coming up We are fortunate to have an amazing community organization, AdultingIRL, come on May 11th and May 12th during seminar and from 1-2 each day to do a peer to peer suicide prevention training. Here is their website: https://www.adultingirl.com/ This will take place during seminar. The name of the program is You Good Fam? Here is the training outline for your review: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gVZKEvUtPslPfSYpYZttXCY6zTvGInfqN61WZtT42Xw/edit?usp=sharing
If you or a family member is experiencing mental health challenges, there is help out there. One of the best places to start is the National Alliance of Mental Illness website: https://www.nami.org/Home If you or a family member are experiencing thoughts of suicide, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day in English and Spanish.
Counselor Slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1QhIAeBU3bLh_8AUAwf1-8VQS0M-P0kLDF37rmS6nVdI/edit?usp=sharing
OLA Achievement Team
OLA at Night was a success! 22 students spent 64 hours over two weeks working on their courses. Students met with their teachers Tue, Wed, and Thu nights from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. 21 courses were completed in that time! Great job to the students and staff!
OLA on Saturdays begins May 6; and continues on May 13 and May 20. Patrick Stoudt and Nick Blechman will be working with students on English, Spanish, ASL, and Forestry in live sessions from 10 am - 12 pm. Students who are eligible* received an email invitation on Tuesday, May 2. Please check your inboxes and let the HS team know if you are planning to attend or not. If you have any questions, please contact Jeannie Redrejo (OLA HS Achievement Specialist) at jredrejo@pps.net. Thank you!
* A student is eligible if they started the course in a previous term, but did not finish it.
MS and HS Study Buddies happen each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students can get help in planning their work, understanding an activity's instructions, practicing a DBA, or just having an accountability partner. Jeannie Redrejo and the SECs (Sarah Jones and Eathen Swain) host the clubs. Teachers often attend and are ready to work with students.
- MS Study Buddies (Seminar Zoom link) on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00 - 2:45
- HS Study Buddies (Seminar Zoom link) on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00 - 1:45
4th Graders write Opinion papers
LGBTQ Community Supports
Hello OLA Families, PPS has launched its new LGBTQ supports page on their website:
