Refresher: High School Virtual Learning Norms and Expectations

With no classes scheduled for Thursday, October 8th and Friday, October 9th, it may be a good time for our high school families to review the Expectations for Virtual Learners.  It is a slide-deck summary of terms and norms for virtual learning on the Ledge. Expectations for students, parents and teachers are outlined clearly. Below find information from the document “Overview:”

• Daily activity for SMSA virtual learners may include a combination of synchronous and asynchronous instruction that may feature live instruction;  recorded instruction; demonstrations or discussions; uploaded videos or activities;  Google Classroom links, or links to key Internet resources.  
• High school virtual learners will follow the same Block schedule of classmates that are engaged with in-person, on campus learning in the Student Block Schedule Fill In Template . On A-Day they will engage with their scheduled period 1-4 classes; On B-Day they will engage with their scheduled period 5-8 classes. 
• Virtual learners  shall be required to be online to check into class with their teachers at the beginning of each class period/block.  
• If not online for a scheduled class, the virtual learner will be recorded as absent by the teacher. 
• Like always, when an excused absence causes class to be missed, virtual students are fully responsible for recovering any missed notes, homework or assessments. Ledgers take responsibility for their own learning. 
• Students may not unilaterally declare themselves as virtual learners, but must have parents contact the school update this intention.
• For virtual learners, grading will be the same as for students attending in person. 
• Google Classroom and the Ledger Learning Guide  SMSA Ledger Learning Guides Home Page. will be used to support learning goals, assignments and assessments. 
• SMSA shall provide technology help desk support for all learners to ensure connectivity and access to online learning resources. jpoetzel@smsacademy.org

Spirit Week is Coming!

SMSA Student Council and a committee of committed teachers have been making plans for an October “Spirit Week” that promises to help us celebrate our Ledger pride. Stay tuned for more details and a schedule of Spirit Week theme days in next week’s eLedger! 

Ledger Learning Guide

Parents are encouraged to check the Ledger Learning Guide to keep updated on instructional expectations and course learning targets for their teens.  The LLG can be found on the SMSA Website under the tab for Parent & Family Resources.  We recommend that all parents bookmark the LLG landing page.  For a direct link please click here. 

High school families! If you would like a yearbook, you can find them on the SMSA website. There will be a banner that states, “High School Yearbook Orders”. You can also access the link directly by clicking here.

Click here for more information on this upcoming ACT prep course.

Seniors: Great work on using Naviance to send your supporting documents for your college applications! Please stop by Tallen Mahaffey’s with your questions about applications, finding colleges that fit your interests, or talking about majors and careers.

College representatives are visiting with our students during the school day. These virtual visits are live and allow for questions and answers. We will continue to host visits from tried and true colleges like UW-Madison, Michigan Tech, and Marquette but also from George Washington University, University of Nebraska and Illinois Wesleyan University. Please make sure that you get permission from the teacher whose class you will miss to attend these meetings and send Tallen Mahaffey an email at tmahaffey@smsacademy.org to let him know you will be attending (so we have enough room for everyone to sit comfortably) Please also email Tallen Mahaffey for a link to subscribe to the College Representative Visits Calendar.

Juniors: The Wisconsin Education Fair is hosting its annual college fair on Wednesday, October 7th from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. These are live and interactive sessions in which you can ask questions and learn about the colleges that interest you. Click here to visit their webpage with more information.  Please notice that by clicking on step one, you can sign-up to attend. This is traditionally, the first college fair SMSA juniors attend. Please make sure you sign-up and attend!

Juniors are encouraged to attend the virtual college representative visits mentioned above in the senior’s section. Please make sure that you get permission from the teacher whose class you will miss to attend these meetings-and send me an email to let me know you will be attending (so we have enough room for everyone to sit comfortably) tmahaffey@smsacademy.org.

All juniors have been logged into Naviance and have completed the Career Interest Profiler. Juniors have been assigned the task of completing the “Do What You Are” inventory by the end of September. Students were walked through a college search using the Supermatch College search feature. They were also asked to choose one career and at least one college to add to their favorites list to learn more about in the near future.

Sophomores: Sophomores have been logged in to Naviance and have completed the Career Interest Profiler. They were walked through a college search using the Supermatch College search feature. Sophomores were asked to choose one career and at least one college to add to their favorites list to learn more about in the near future.

Freshmen: Freshmen have been taken through their first tour of Naviance. They completed the Career Cluster Finder and had an opportunity to discuss their results. They also began their first college search using the Supermatch College search feature. Students were asked to choose one career and at least one college to add to their favorites list to learn more about in the near future.

University of Notre Dame – Financial Aid 101

You know of our reputation for academic excellence. We also want you to know that we are committed to need-blind admission and to meeting 100 percent of financial need.

Wondering what these statements really mean? In this issue of Financial Aid 101, we’ll start by defining a few financial aid terms.  Click here to learn more!

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Virtual Wisconsin Education Fair – Multiple Dates

Exploring colleges this fall?

Register for the virtual Wisconsin Education Fair (WEF) to find colleges, universities, military branches and specialty schools that you’re most interested in from the comfort of your own home. Plus, it’s FREE to attend!

WEF Fall Dates:

• Sunday, November 8, 2020

To attend any of the WEFs offered this fall, please register as a student. Once you’re registered, you’ll get to:

• Attend all of the virtual WEFs offered during the 2020-2021 school year
• Filter through schools to find the ones you’re most interested in
• Live chat with college admission representatives to get your questions answered
• Attend an interactive financial aid session brought to you by College Goal Wisconsin

For additional details on virtual college fairs, visit www.wefs.org. Plus, check out this short video so you can get the most out of the virtual college fair.