LEARN News | December 2019 – HOLIDAY GREETINGS!

A newsletter from a Canadian-based K-12 online and blended learning program.

DECEMBER 2019 View Online HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM ALL OF US AT LEARN! Dr. Michael J. Canuel CEO, LEARN Let’s LEARN TEACHING TOOLS OPEN CREATIVE SPACE DAYS 2019-2020 Join Us In 2020 For Our Next OCS Days LEARN‘s PED Services team is inviting all educators to experience firsthand our Open Creative Space! This is an all-day, hands-on experience, free of charge to all educators (and a pizza lunch will be provided). We only ask that you register in advance – see our upcoming dates below. February 21st, 2020 April 24th, 2020 May 22nd, 2020 Register for OCS Today THEMATIC WORKSHOP DAYS LEARN By Doing Is Our Motto It is hard to keep up with new technologies. On our thematic OCS days, we focus on one theme or technology that is of notable interest to the community. The workshops will be hands-on, discovery learning with expert support. Upcoming Thematic Dates: January 24, 2020 – Artful Making In STEAM February 7, 2020 – Scratch Day 2020 March 20, 2020 – Microcontrollers Day Register Today for Thematic Workshops MATH, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Mining Matters Workshop January 31st, 2020 9:30 to 3 PM (Lunch provided) at LEARN in Laval. LEARN is excited to collaborate with Mining Matters in offering this free full-day workshop on rocks and minerals for Grade 4 to 6 science teachers. Register for Mining Matters Workshop HISTORY OF QUEBEC & CANADA RESOURCES New LEARN Document Collections, Evaluation Tools and Gaming Activities LEARN and its partners have posted many web-based resources and activities in line with the Quebec Social Sciences programs. Browse what’s new this month for Secondary Cycles 1, Cycle 2, on Cartograf, and for Elementary Cycle 1. Discover the LEARN Social Sciences Section ELEMENTARY SOCIAL SCIENCES RÉCITUS Has A New Elementary Website! The RÉCIT univers social launched its new French elementary website for Societies and Territories in November. A whole new look with colourful visuals to accompany the existing content. Educators can access English content via the LEARN web site. Explore the New RÉCITUS Elementary Site VIRTUAL CAMPUS – STUDENT SUPPORT LEARN TUTORING Learn More About LEARN Tutoring! Do you want to know more about LEARN Tutoring before signing up? What are the benefits of LEARN Tutoring? How does it work (FAQs)? Please note that there will be no tutoring from December 13 to January 5, as students and tutors enjoy a well-deserved winter break! Happy holidays! Students in grades 2 to 11 have access to online tutoring, 1-on-1 appointments with certified teachers, at no charge. Make a Request Today LEARN TUTORING TESTIMONIALS Virtual Campus Success Stories Read More Success Stories ONLINE COURSES Mindfulness This year, we are starting a new initiative with our online students called: Mindfulness. The goal is to incorporate moments of mindfulness into regular online courses, in order to make the practice a habit that they can use anytime. Through prompts related to breathing, meditation, movement and reflection, we offer students the opportunity to reflect on what makes them happy, what makes them special, what makes them tick, less stressed, less worried and more focused. LEARN More About Online Courses WE ARE HIRING! Join the LEARN Tutoring Team! Are you a qualified Quebec teacher? Experienced in the classroom? Keen to support struggling students?We regularly post new openings at both secondary and elementary levels, so feel free to send a CV along even if a specific job is not posted. Visit our Careers page for all our current job postings! Send your CV today! COMMUNITY SCHOOLS NETWORK STORIES CDA TRAINING Strengthening Knowledge and Skills As A Community On November 26-28, 41 Community Development Agents from across the province gathered in Montreal to attend the CDA training offered by LEARN’s Provincial Resource Team. CDAs strengthened their knowledge and skills through featured workshops with English Language Arts Network (ELAN), Bird Protection Quebec, The Depot, Karen Delage, Centre of Excellence for Mental Health (CEMH), as well as presentations from Indigenous Health Professions Program’s Dr. Saylor and Tablée des Chefs’ Jean François Archambault. Participants also had the opportunity to experience an unconference, where CDAs shared their expertise with peers. LEARN More About the CLC Initiative EARLY CHILDHOOD SYMPOSIUM Registration Is Now Open! WHEN: FEBRUARY 11-12, 2020 WHERE: PALACE CONVENTION CENTRE IN LAVAL LEARN has been supporting early childhood initiatives through its network of community schools (CLCs) for over 12 years. This year, Community and Education will come together to share knowledge and build stronger relationships in support of Early Childhood Education for the English-Speaking Community of Quebec. LEARN’s PRT is co-designing the symposium and it promises to be informative, interactive and offer opportunities for intersectoral collaboration and networking. Register Today NEXTSCHOOL BLOG The NEXTschool Leader: Thinker, Striver & Nudger School leaders (board leaders, principals, and teachers) involved in NEXTschool are leading and living a complex change process – one that is exciting, fulfilling and sometimes bumpy and messy! Much is written about the characteristics, strengths and ‘inner work’ of leaders who successfully navigate such transformations. Continue Reading About the NEXTschool Leader ONLINE RESOURCES LEARNING LANDSCAPES JOURNAL Articulating Ideas and Meaning Through the Use of Comics Author Nick Sousanis discusses his PhD dissertation, which was written and drawn entirely in comic book form and later published by Harvard University Press. In this interview he discusses the benefits and challenges of doing so, and how comic studies can enhance teaching and learning. Continue Reading PARTNERS MAKING AN IMPACT ARTISTS INSPIRE GRANTS Deadline is December 16, 2019, To Apply for AIG! Connecting With Qualified Artists Artists Inspire Grants (AIG) – an ELAN/LEARN partnership to provide students in English communities with hands-on creative experiences, funded by the Government of Canada’s Action Plan for Official Languages. Annual funding from 2019-2023:  $1500/English public school (elementary/secondary) to connect with qualified artists from Quebec’s English-speaking Communities to facilitate creative experiences during the school day (plus travel costs for rural/remote schools) that take place before March 31st in each of the 4 years.   ELAN’s ArtEd Team wants to support your school in getting the maximum benefit from your Artistslnspire Grant. – For all the details and how to apply download the AIG brochure here Connect with ELAN’s Art Ed Team to learn more and plan your 2019-20 creative experiences:  artistsinspiregrants@quebec-elan.org 438-979-1171 Folllow ELANArtEd on Facebook for inspiration and updates. Apply for the 2019-2020 School Year Now STUDENT CONTEST WINNERS ENCOUNTERS WITH CANADA CONTEST WINNERS Meet Our Winners We are pleased to announce the winners of the Inspirations: Compassion in Action Contest in collaboration with Encounters with Canada! Congratulations to all the winners and to all the students who participated in the contest this year! Visit the contest page for updates and read about their experience. Meet the 2019 Winners Share Tweet Forward

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NCVirtual E-lert For Dec. 13, 2019

A newsletter from a US-based K-12 online learning program from yesterday’s inbox.

Dec. 13, 2019 Greetings, everyone! DPI has asked us to share the “Definition of High Quality Reading Instruction Survey” with you. Please share with your stakeholders. We also have details for closing out your semester with NCVPS and a start-up guide for Spring 2020. See all the details below, and please forward this e-lert to your school-level stakeholders. News End of Semester Tips and Reminders Please see our End of Semester web page for details! You will find information on exams, final grades, course extensions, and much more! Definition of High Quality Reading Instruction (Birth – 12th Grade) Survey The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) convened a B-12 Literacy Team with cross-divisional/cross-area involvement to examine the alignment of policy, legislation, instructional practices, initiatives, and programs to support literacy in NC Public Schools. Subsequently, and in line with the focus to improve student reading proficiency in the early grades, the State Board of Education (SBE) adopted a Collaborative Guiding Framework for Action on Early Reading. NCDPI is developing action steps for each of the priorities, including new or revised SBE policies, NCDPI initiatives using existing resources, and legislative recommendations, including both recommended statutory revisions and appropriations requests. The first action of the framework is to develop a definition of high quality reading instruction that is aligned with the National Reading Panel and current research to guide state policy and practice in reading, from Birth – 12th Grade. NCDPI has also held three regional stakeholder meetings to gather feedback on a working definition of high quality reading instruction. Stakeholder groups were comprised of Administrators, Advocacy Group Leaders, Faculty from Institutions of Higher Education, Practitioners, Parents, District and State Leadership, Organization Leaders, and Literacy Leaders. From December 11, 2019 – January 11th, 2020, NCDPI is launching the Definition of High Quality Reading Instruction (Birth – 12th Grade) Survey for widescale public review. The survey results will inform the final state definition of high quality reading instruction, Birth – 12th Grade. Survey Link: https://ncdpi.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aUZP5pakex194aN Thank you for your time and input on the Definition of High Quality Reading Instruction (Birth – 12th Grade) Survey. Spring Registration Details Registration is open for Spring 2020. See the 2019-2020 Academic Year tab on our NCVPS Now page for full details on how to register and what to expect once classes begin. Early Start Additions We’ve added three courses to our Early Start calendar for Spring 2020: English 1 Honors English 2 English 2 Honors You can register for all three courses now. Reserve Funds Did you know that if your district or charter school uses all its allotted funds, you can continue to enroll using NCVPS reserve funds? Contact us as you near the end of your allotment. We have a short request form for your district e-learning coordinator or charter principal to complete. Anticipated/Expected EOC/CTE Scores We will report anticipated/expected EOC/CTE scores for Early Start and Traditional classes in our progress reports on the following dates: Early Start Classes: Dec. 5, 2019 Traditional Classes: Dec. 19, 2019 State Testing See all the details about how NCVPS grades and the EOC, CTE, and NCFE state exams schools need to administer on our Grades and Testing Quick Reference Guide. Course Extension Our process for extension requests is changing for the Spring 2020 semester, but for Fall 2019, the process will remain the same. NCVPS will grant two-week course extensions this fall for the following reasons: medical (family medical reasons included) IEP/504 reasons (IEP modifications for extended time on assessments does not meet the requirement for course extensions) senior graduation issues Extension Requests – Instructional directors will review extension requests on the following dates: Early Start: Dec. 9, 2019 through Dec. 18 Traditional: Jan. 6, 2020 through Jan. 15 If large portions of the course are missing, an extension will not help the student. We will, of course, work with student situations as we get closer to the end of the semester. We want our students to be successful. What we need now is for the student to work steadily and make progress in the course. Course extension requests must come from the principal. The principal should include the following information in the ticket to the Virtual Support Center requesting an extension: Student’s name School’s name Course name NCVPS teacher’s name Grade level Reason for extension The final end date being requested for the extension (within the two-week time frame) An ELA can open the ticket for the principal. Just be sure to include the principal’s email address in the ticket. Spring Calendar Adjustments NCVPS is adjusting its Spring 2020 calendar to meet the Office of State Human Resources requirements for NCVPS teachers. Our teachers must take a mandatory 31-day break in service from NCVPS annually to align with NC General Statute § 126-6.3(b). During the mandatory break in service, our teachers are not allowed to complete any tasks (paid or unpaid) for NCVPS. To meet those requirements, we are ending our Spring 2020 semester two days early, shortening our spring course extension period, and pushing back the start of our summer school. Here are the adjustments to our calendar: Spring Block and Yearlong Classes End Dates Early Start Original: May 8, 2020 Early Start Adjusted: May 6, 2020 Traditional Original: May 29, 2020 Traditional Adjusted: May 27, 2020 Spring Course Extensions We will have a two-day extension period for Spring 2020 courses. Schools will not submit extension requests via the HelpDesk. Instead, they will work directly with the NCVPS teacher, and the teacher will grant the 2-day extension. Final Grades Posted Our dates for posting final grades have not changed: Early Start: May 14, 2020 Traditional: June 4, 2020 Extension grades will be entered on the final grade report (not a reopened grade report). Summer School Moving forward, we will have a shortened summer session. Summer school for 2020 will begin on July 7 and end on August 18. We will work with districts that need grades earlier than that. We will share more details when we finalize our 2020-2021 calendar. Spring Early Start Course Additions We have a number of course additions to our Early Start calendar that we would like to highlight. These courses will begin on January 6, 2020, and all schools can enroll students into these courses. AP Courses – Beginning our spring block AP courses on our Early Start calendar allows students to have more instructional time in the course before the AP test. Here’s what we’re offering: AP Statistics AP Biology AP Calculus AB AP Environmental Science AP Government and Politics US AP Psychology CTE Courses Career Management Entrepreneurship I (BE/ME) Strategic Marketing Marketing Computer Programming 1 Principles of Business and Finance Health and Health & Physical Education Health (9-weeks for .5 credit) Health & Physical Education (semester length for 1 credit) Electives Success 101 Math 1 Honors – This is a new course for us in the spring. It is only on our Traditional calendar at this time. If you need an Early Start section, open a ticket with our Virtual Support Center to submit that request. We will see if we can make that happen. Current Reporting What Grades Are Currently Posted? Dec. 5 – Early Start Progress Report with Expected/Anticipated CTE Grades and Anticipated EOC Scores Posted in the NCVPS Registration System What’s Next on the Schedule? Dec. 19 – Early Start Calendar Final Grades Posted in the NCVPS Registration System Dec. 19 – Traditional Calendar Progress Report with Expected/Anticipated CTE Grades and Anticipated EOC Scores Posted in the NCVPS Registration System Reporting Overview See our Grades and Testing Quick Reference Guide for an overview of our reporting. We have details on our Student Status (No-Show) Reports, Progress Reports, Final Grade Reports, and how we calculate grades. See details below on action steps you can take with your progress reports. Progress Report Action Steps What should your action steps be with our progress reports? We’re glad you asked! Here are a few steps you can take. Access the Report – Progress reports are posted in the NCVPS registration system. See our Guide for Accessing Grade Reports for details. Schools have access to our posted progress reports. Parents, facilitators, and mentors can use the Canvas App for Parents to monitor student progress. Check Student Progress – We have so many students who excel in their online courses. We celebrate many of them with our Super Student Award. Contact us if you have a great student who you would like us to publicly recognize. We will contact the student’s teacher to begin the process. However, if you have any underperforming students, we have a number of supports ready for you. Students have time to improve their grades, but they should start immediately. Please review the following supports. Student Help Page – If students are having any problems at all, and they aren’t sure where to find help, they should visit our Student Help page. They are never more than two clicks away from help! Teacher Communications – Students do not always advocate for themselves very well. Go ahead and reach out to the NCVPS teacher to see if adjustments can be made for students who are struggling. Our teachers are eager to help. Intervention Strategies – NCVPS has a number of intervention strategies for districts and schools to follow. These are good for any low-performing, under-performing, or at-risk students. Visit our Intervention Strategies page for details. Virtual Support Center – If you have a complicated support question or problem and don’t know where to start, open a ticket with our Virtual Support Center. We will escalate your ticket to the right person. Be sure to include the student’s name, PowerSchool ID number, and your school name. If your ticket is about a specific course, please include the course name and teacher name. Previous News Parent Contact Information NCVPS tasks its teachers to have regular communications with the parents or guardians of their students. However, our teachers often find the contact information in PowerSchool is not accurate. Please help our teachers find update-to-date parent contact information. Our teachers will be reaching out to you, as we rely on schools to provide that information. We are sure your school will need current parent contact information, as well! IEPs and 504s If you have students with IEPs or 504s, please communicate the modifications to the students’ NCVPS teachers. The modifications are a shared responsibility between NCVPS and student’s school. Semester Success with NCVPS Visit our Semester Success with NCVPS page for details on how to get the most out of your semester. The page includes registration, grade, and student support details. 2019-2020 Academic Year Visit our NCVPS Now page for full details on registration, grade reporting, and student supports. Click on the 2019-2020 Academic Year tab. Reminders Request for Sections If your school needs a yearlong or early start section that we do not currently offer, open a ticket with our Virtual Support Center. We will see if we can make it happen! NCVPS Now You no longer have to wait for the e-lert to see the latest NCVPS updates. Just visit our new NCVPS Now page where we bring you live updates on the state’s virtual school. Bookmark the page or find NCVPS Now under our HOME button. View as Webpage | Subscribe THANKS, EVERYONE! Your North Carolina students appreciate your dedication and hard work!  ‌  ‌

North Carolina Virtual Public School | 1017 Main Campus Drive, Partners I Bldg., SUITE 3900, Raleigh, NC 27606

 

Why This Former School Principal Is Igniting New Social Networks Across Boston

As I say each week…  From the neo-liberal, educational privatizers masquerading as an academic body – so the term research here is used VERY loosely (as none of this actually represents methodologically sound, reliable, valid, or empirical research in any real way).

Check out this week’s highlights from the Christensen Institute.

Christensen Institute · 92 Hayden Avenue · Lexington, MA 02421 · USA

It’s Official! FBOL Is Bow…

An item from a neo-liberal leaning organization.

Dear , After nearly a year in the making, I am thrilled to share that the Foundation for Blended and Online Learning is officially now Future of School. The transition from a private foundation to the first-ever public charity fully dedicated to elevating the national discourse on education allows us to substantially expand our mission. Future of School enables more voices and wider support for important shifts in America’s K-12 teaching and learning landscape that will unlock the full potential of students, teachers and society. As Future of School, we become a collective effort for the people and by the people. Just as FBOL has done, Future of School (FoS) will continue to award innovative students and teachers who are pioneering personalized educational pathways with scholarships and grants. We remain focused on amplifying personal stories and exploring solutions to various teaching and learning challenges. And now as a people-driven public charity, we are in a stronger position to support the evolution of today’s schools to meet the needs of tomorrow’s students and a future of jobs that have yet to be defined. Toward that end, I’m also excited to announce that the 2020 FoS Scholarship application portal is now open. Interested students are encouraged to apply until it closes at 5pm ET on March 16, 2020. Please help us spread the word by sharing this among your networks.  I appreciate the support you’ve given FBOL over the past several years and thank you in advance for the many ways I know you’ll lift up Future of School. Together we can ensure education without constraints, help our students and educators harness the power of technology to transform the learning experience, and unlock the intelligence, talents and dreams that live in all our children. Thank you for your support, Amy Valentine Foundation for Blended and Online Learning + Future of School

Share Tweet Forward Copyright © 2019 Foundation for Blended and Online Learning, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in for occasional news and announcements from the Foundation for Blended and Online LearningOur mailing address is: Foundation for Blended and Online Learning 4833 Front Street Unit B #3 Castle Rock, CO 80104

November Research Round Up

A newsletter from a US-based K-12 distance, online, and blended learning organization.

Hi Michael,

The Digital Backpack — powered by Michigan Virtual — is your resource for everything online and blended learning, including  tips, tricks, & the latest research on supporting online K-12 students and, more broadly, using technology to innovate learning.   On occasion, we also dive into other topics relevant to Michigan’s educational community, such as social emotional learning, restorative practices, literacy, student-centered learning, and more!   This week, we’ve got some great stuff packed up for you. Check it out below!

By Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute, Monday, December 9, 2019 4:05 PM Each month our team of researchers highlights K-12 online, blended, and innovative learning research, reports, standards, and other noteworthy resources published nationally and internationally in the preceding weeks. Our hope with this series is to inform the educational community of the latest digital learning research in order to better serve students.

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