Summit Virtual Academy

Good afternoon, Blackhawks! This week began the fall count period for the 2022-2023 school year. Be sure you are active in all classes and communicating with Mr. Belluomo and your instructors. It is important to do so not only during this period, but throughout the school year as well in order to continue to make progress and maintain connections within the Brandon School District. While you may be working from home, we are here and happy to support you in any way we can.

By now, all Summit Virtual Academy students should have been introduced to Mr. Belluomo, our counselor and coach/mentor for Summit students. In addition to your course instructors, Mr. Belluomo is your main contact and support person. Please be sure to respond and communicate any concerns you may have as they come up. Remember, failure to complete work regularly and to communicate can result in a student being considered "absent," and negatively impact their success online.

As always, contact the office at 248-627-1820.

EDPs: Each year, the state of Michigan requires that each student complete a portion of their EDP (Career Cruising) in order to begin to and regularly explore future career options along their educational journey. This begins as young as kindergarten. By now, students should have begun or completed their EDP for the year. Mrs. Hogarth walked students through this process last week when they came in for testing. If you student still needs to complete work on their EDP, follow the steps below.

1. Go to https://www.brandonschooldistrict.org/
2. Go to the "Parents and Students" tab
3. Click on XELLO for grades 6-12
4. Once in XELLO, click on "Begin my EDP." All check marks need to be completed and the percentage wheel must read 100%
5. For students K-5, please make sure all missions are completed with a green checkmark

Fall NWEA Testing - High School: All students in grade K-10 are also required to complete both reading and math NWEA tests in order to measure growth. This test is to be taken in the fall, winter, and spring this year. Most Summit Virtual Academy students came in person to test last week. Remember, those who missed last week need to join the Zoom link provided below on Thursday, October 13 at 9am in order to complete this important assessment. This link was also emailed out by Mr. Belluomo earlier this week. As always, if you have questions, please contact the office at 248-627-1820.

Topic: NWEA Testing
Time: Oct 13, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us05web.zoom.us/j/83572223208?pwd=cG5rcjVZZWg5R1NoTUFxY2dsUzBkdz09

Meeting ID: 835 7222 3208

Passcode: zu1V7t

NWEA Testing - Elementary: Elementary Summit Virtual Academy students came in last week to begin NWEA testing. All students were present. However, both assessments were not finished on this day, requiring an additional day of testing. This test will again be held at Oakwood Elementary on Wednesday, October 12 at 9am in the conference room.

The fall count period for in person and virtual students is underway. For virtual students, there are a few ways to ensure you are fully counted. In order to be fully counted, each student must do one of the following:

• Submit at least one graded assignment in each of your online classes on count day
• Demonstrate steady two-way communication weekly over a period of four weeks, from October 05 - November 01

Students did a great job to start in terms of communicating and submitting assignments. Keep it up. The fall count period lasts from October 5 to November 01. Remember, students being fully counted is extremely important for the entire school community. If you have any questions, please reach out to the office.

MStep scores are in. We are in the process of getting scores to students and families. Sometime next week, your student's MStep scores will be mailed home to you. Keep an eye out for these and feel free to contact the office for help understanding them.

• Wednesday, October 12 - NWEA testing for elementary students at Oakwood Elementary
• Thursday, October 13 - Make up NWEA session for high school students
• Friday, October 14 - No school for students or staff
• Thursday, October 20 - Make up picture day for high school students
• Thursday, October 27 - Vision testing for ninth grade students

As we continue to progress through the year, here is what you can continue to expect:

• Expect your student to work for roughly 45-60 minutes per day, per course
• By now, you should have been reached out to by a counselor regarding your course progress. These will happen once a week. It is extremely important that you respond to communication. Please note that the student needs to respond and be in communication, not just the parent(s).
• Your main point of contact for content specific questions is your course instructor. If you need help doing so, don't hesitate to reach out to us at 248-627-1820.

Given the nature of the online program, there will not be a set conference day for online students at this time. At any time, you are able to setup a time to talk with your student's instructors. You can find their contact information on Edmentum's website once you are logged in. Again, if you need assistance in doing so, please contact the office at 248-627-1820.

Here you will find links to resources to help parents and students. Those of you who worked with Edmentum last year may have noticed some subtle changes to the system, as courses are now listed as being Apex courses. An overview of these changes and how to use the system as a parent can be found using the link to parent orientation presentations that is listed below.

Link for elementary overview: https://e.edmentum.com/eoa-getting-started-students-parents-caregivers/

Instructional Model overview for online learning (last page has links embedded to parent orientation presentations):

https://www.edmentum.com/resources/brochures/edoptions-academy-instructional-engagement-model-glance

Here you will find links to counselor contact information, information for students, etc. as the year progresses.

• Mr. Belluomo - rbelluomo@brandon.k12.mi.us

Please feel free to contact the office for any questions or assistance.

Email: mkoslowski@brandon.k12.mi.us
Website: http://www.summitvirtual.org/
Location: 1025 South Ortonville Road, Ortonville, MI, USA
Phone: 248-627-1820