Embedded Files
Please read below to understand how this page is organized.
Please read below to understand how this page is organized.
Click the down arrow to to the right of the message's title to expand the message. Be sure to scroll down to read the entire message after expanding it.
- The heading for the current message is in large, blue font like this.
- The heading for previous messages that are still relevant will be in large, black font.
Headings for older messages whose content has been replaced by a more current message are in bold font that looks like this.
8-21-20 -- Weekly Message From Your Learning Coach Partner
Hello!
We continue to welcome new families to UVA. I hope computers are arriving and that you have begun the UVA On-Boarding Course that I made available to you this week. These weekly messages are designed to inform Learning Coaches about key events and facts that you and your children should be aware of. They occasionally provide tips to assist you in your role.
This week's message is mostly about tips to help you be more efficient as things begin to kick into gear. However, I will summarize a couple of items from this week and for next week, particularly for the benefit of our families that just started this week.
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Weekly Recap
Weekly Recap
Students in grades 3-12 completed LEAP360 diagnostic assessments this week in math and ELA. Students in grades 3-8 were also assigned diagnostic assessments in social studies and science, and high school students who are taking science and social studies courses might have been assigned diagnostic assessments as well. Please check your child's Canvas Calendar, and contact or have your older child contact the teacher(s) if it appears some of the assessments were not taken.
Lessons began on Wednesday, 8/19/20 for middle (6-8) and high school (9-12) students. Please use the assignment monitoring feature in your Canvas Observer account to identify any missing assignments, and have your child(ren) complete the overdue assignments. Click here if you are not familiar with or have not used the Missing Assignments feature yet. You will like it.
To our new families who joined us this week -- If you have not started our orientation and training course for new families or you have not received a Remind message from me to begin the course yet, please click the following link to access the UVA On-Boarding Course. This course is for you and your child(ren). If you and your children have not started or have not yet completed the course, use the "Course Outline" page to come up with a plan that allows you and your children to complete steps 1-4 in the next day or two if you have not done so already. You'll be glad you did.
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The Week Ahead
The Week Ahead
Students in grades 4 and 5 will begin their regular lesson schedule on August 24th.
Students in grades K-3 will begin their regular lesson schedule on August 31st.
Late enrollees will follow the guidance provided by the faculty (typically provided by the Advisory teacher) for completing course orientations, etc., in Canvas. Ideally, that work will begin after completing items 1-4 from the on-boarding course (see #3 in the Weekly Recap section above). Everything is timed and coordinated to flow nicely so that your child(ren) and you are prepared for each stage of the on-boarding period, including students' Canvas activities.
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Communications Tips
Communications Tips
If you change your contact information (phone number, address, email address), please notify Student Services immediately at 225-421-2900.
When you change your email address or phone number, please update Remind with your new email address and/or phone number. We cannot do that from our end. Go to Remind.com, access your account, use the down arrow to the right of your name (typically in the upper left hand corner), select Account Settings, and select Notification preferences to update your contact information.
Our Remind messages are sent to your phone number and to your email address if you provided both when you registered your child(ren).
a. If you have not turned off email notifications for Remind and you have not been receiving our Remind messages via email, please check your Spam or Junk folder. (Yahoo and Gmail frequently flag our messages as spam. In fact, several parents have found my Remind messages in their Spam folders.)
b. If you are not receiving Remind messages via text and you would like to, please update your Notification preferences.
c. If you have the Remind app, but you are not receiving notification indicators when one of our messages has been sent or our messages are still going to text rather than to the app, please use Remind's chat or help services. They are very good.
Canvas messages are sent to your email account as Canvas notifications unless you turned notifications off in your Canvas account. The same Spam phenomenon can occur with those messages. So, check Spam. You might be surprised at what you will find.
We generally operate during standard business hours (8am-4pm, Monday-Friday) rather than earlier “school hours”.
a. Most faculty members post their hours on their course homepages. A few teachers start the day a little earlier than 8am.
b. I offer an extended day from 8am-5pm just in case work prevents you from contacting me by 4pm.
c. Communications that are sent after standard business hours will usually be replied to the next school day.
d. If your item is urgent, please consider calling during the school day (or send a Remind message if the recipient is using Remind regularly) so you have a better chance of get help in a timely manner.
e. Remind messages and emails are getting my attention the fastest right now. However, now that we are exiting the crunch period, I have been able to respond to most voice messages within a day.
Please remember to bookmark the Learning Coach Communications Hub home page or any page(s) from the hub that you think you will visit regularly.
a. Consider bookmarking the Contact List page from this site. As illustrated in last weeks video tour of the page, it provides guidance on whom to contact for several common issues.
b. If the issue that you need assistance with is not listed, feel free to contact me.
c. Let me know if you have suggestions for additional contacts that you think could be added to the Contact List page.
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That does it for this week. Enjoy the weekend. Remember to prepare if you might be in the path of the two storms that seem to be coming our way in the Gulf.
That does it for this week. Enjoy the weekend. Remember to prepare if you might be in the path of the two storms that seem to be coming our way in the Gulf.
8-14-20 -- Weekly Message From Your Learning Coach Partner
Welcome to the very latest new Learning Coaches that have joined our team!
This weekly message addresses key items from the week, and it highlights upcoming activities that should be on your radar. Please read carefully.
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Weekly Recap
Weekly Recap
Quite a few new families joined us this week. If you are new, but this is the first communication that you are aware you have received from me, you might not have seen the Remind message that provided a link to the UVA On-Boarding Course for you and your child(ren). Please use the link in the previous sentence to access the course so that you and your children: (1) can complete an orientation to UVA, (2) will understand our expectations of our students and Learning Coaches, (3) will learn what you can expect from us, (4) will be able to login to Canvas and complete the UVA Canvas Training course; and (4) will learn more about your Learning Coach role and will have access to resources that will assist you in your role. The Course Outline page identifies which sections are for students and Learning Coaches and which sections are for Learning Coaches only. That same page also provides estimated time to complete the various sections of the course (Phases I, II, and III) so that you can plan. It would be very beneficial to have completed the course by next Monday, August 17th. (Please note, the UVA On-Boarding Course is not in Canvas.)
Students who have been here most of this week have had an opportunity to complete the "soft start" activities that their teachers assigned to help them learn about their courses. They also had an opportunity to meet their teachers in a variety of orientation sessions or via the recordings of the sessions. If soft start activities have not been completed yet, please guide your children to complete them soon. (New families, the on-boarding course will get you logged into Canvas. The soft start activities do not take much time to complete and will be even more meaningful if you complete them after completing Phases I and II of the on-boarding course.)
Advisory Teachers have been making welcome calls this week. If you missed a call from your child's Advisory teacher and have not been able to connect with the teacher yet, please return the call or respond to whatever communication method was used to reach you as soon as possible. It is very important that teachers have an opportunity to speak with their students and to connect with you. (In fact, they are required to do so.) Please leave a message if you have to, and let the Advisory teacher know the best way to reach you between 8am and 4pm, Monday thru Friday.
The Remind code for school messages is @uview2020. If you are using the app but you are not receiving our school messages in the app, please work with Remind's Help files or their Chat support. They are very good. If you discover a solution, please share it with me so that I can pass it on to others. Thanks!
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The Week Ahead
The Week Ahead
Next week will become a bit busier for middle and high school students as we phase our the soft start period and enter a regular schedule. Elementary students will continue with a variety of online diagnostic assessments. Please read below for a general schedule:
LEAP 360 Diagnostic Assessment for Middle School students (Grades 6-8) -- ELA, 8/17; Math, 8/18
LEAP 360 Diagnostic Assessment for High School Students Taking the Following Courses -- Geometry and Algebra I, 8/17; English I and English II, 8/18
LEAP 360 Diagnostic Assessment for Elementary School Students (Grades 3-5) -- ELA, 8/19; Math, 8/20
Middle and high school students will begin a regular schedule (i.e., course assignments and Live Sessions) on Wednesday, August 19th.
Elementary students will continue a period of diagnostic assessments for a period of time. Students in grades 4 and 5 will begin their regular schedule on August 24th. Students in grades K-3 will begin their regular schedule on August 31st.
Please ensure that all assessments are completed on the day when they are assigned, with intention and with integrity -- i.e., with the intention to do one's very best, and with integrity by working without assistance of any sort from any source or anyone. The results of diagnostic assessments will inform teachers, students, and Learning Coaches of areas for development and areas of strength. This is especially important following last year's unusual ending.
If your child was able to login to Canvas as of Thursday, 8/13, a letter will be in the STUDENT'S Canvas account with instructions for accessing the testing site. To access the letter in the STUDENT'S Canvas account, follow the path Account > Files > Testing Information. You will see a letter entitled "8-1x-2020 LEAP360 Test Information-xxxxxxx.pdf" (e.g., 8-17-20 LEAP360 Test Information-xxxxxx, where xxxxxx = the student's ID #). Click to open the letter and read all pages. The letter can be downloaded.
If your child is very new and was not able to login to Canvas by Thursday, 8/13, you might not find a letter in the Testing Information folder. You or your child will simply need to contact the ELA or Math teacher for the testing instructions the morning of the assessment. Check the Testing Information first though, just in case.
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Bonus Info
Bonus Info
Understand.com is a great resource for adults whose children are learning at home. They have two good articles this week that I thought you might want to check out -- What to Say When Your Child Says "I Can't Do It" and Types of Strengths in Kids .
This Learning Coach Communications Hub has quite a few resources that might be useful to you at one point or another. Please watch this nine minute Communication Hub Video Tour #1, which highlights the Contact List page.
8-7-20 -- Weekly Message from Your Learning Coach Partner
Welcome to the newest of the new Learning Coaches! We are happy to have you and your child(ren) with us.
Well, it's the first Friday of the school year. The fact that you are reading this message means you are staying connected. In my book, that means you are doing great right now! Have some doubts about that? Keep reading.
School officially began yesterday. This is only day 2.
For new families, there is a lot to learn. That's why we provide training and a soft start. We've been there, and we know you and your children have to adjust. (So do returning families who have to get back into the swing of things.)
We switched gears on new Learning Coaches this week and announced a way for you to create your own Canvas Observer account. You're still here with us even though you might not have set your account up yet and we might have confused you. That's huge. (More in a minute...)
Some of your children (returning and new) cannot login to Canvas or you might not have the computer yet, but you are hanging in there. That's big. You are still here.
You call, send a Remind message, and/or send an email when you have a question. That's huge!
So, you see -- You're actually doing just fine!
So, you see -- You're actually doing just fine!
Keep reading to get some tips that will help you over the hump of confusion and/or cobwebs.
Keep reading to get some tips that will help you over the hump of confusion and/or cobwebs.
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Please read through the list below before clicking a link in case you can benefit from several of the items. Bookmark this page for now.
Please read through the list below before clicking a link in case you can benefit from several of the items. Bookmark this page for now.
A video tour of your communications hub will be available soon so you will know what is available at this website. Feel free to browse around if you'd like. The site is still expanding.
If you do not know how to set up your Canvas Observer account, please click here for instructions on how to set up your new account or link a child to your account.
If your child is a returning student who is having difficulty logging in to Canvas, please ensure an old bookmark is not being used for Canvas. Have your child select to the CANVAS Student Login option under LOGIN at our school website to log in for the first time this year.
If your child is new with us this year and cannot login to Canvas, that might be because an overnight update needed to occur in our systems. Try again. If necessary, please call our Tech Support group at 225-286-1600 or toll-free 833-286-9905 (7am-6pm, M-F).
If you do not have a computer for a new student yet, computers are still being boxed and shipped by the Tech Support group. If your child has access to a personal computer or a tablet (or a mobile phone if necessary), have him or her use that for the time being.
Did you just get started or are you still trying to get logged in and you are worried that your child is late with the assignments from Thursday, August 6th? It is good that you are concerned. That means you will be monitoring your child every day to ensure assignments have been completed. Please establish that expectation with your child. Then understand and explain that this week was a "soft start" week to give you all time to complete the UVA On-Boarding Course, to learn about Canvas as part of yesterday's assignments, and to get to learn more about their teachers and courses. And guess what? The UVA On-Boarding Course provided access to the UVA Canvas Training course. If your child already completed the UVA Canvas Training course or viewed it during the on-boarding course, then part of yesterday's assignment is already completed. If not, the assignment is still available on yesterday's Calendar. And today's activities are available as well. Remember, students have access to the Canvas Calendar 24/7. Just guide your child to spend a little time over the next day or so completing whatever has not been completed. Nothing is very time-consuming.
If you are new and you and/or your child have not completed the UVA On-Boarding Course, please do your best to complete it before we are no longer in the soft start phase. Establishing a good foundation about our school, understanding our expectations of our students and Learning Coaches, understanding what you can expect from us, getting the Canvas training under your belt, and learning more about your Learning Coach role will prepare you and your child(ren) for a very successful year as members of our UVA family. Here's the link again.
If your high school child would like to request a schedule change, have the student use this link to submit the request to the counselor.
If you did not get to attend the back-to-school orientation session this week, click the links that apply to you -- Elementary School Orientation, Middle School Orientation, High School Orientation.
If you are a Designated Learning Coach (i.e., you are coaching someone else's child) and you have never submitted a DLCA Form or Family DLCA form to Student Services, please click here to access the forms. (Please note -- You do not have to re-submit a form if you were established as a designated Learning Coach last year. However, please contact Eugenia Cardozo at ecardozo@uview.academy if you: (1) are not linked to some of the students that you are coaching, (2) used the new Canvas Observer account setup feature to link students to your account but have not submitted the DLCA form to Student Services, and/or (3) you are no longer the Learning Coach for a student who is still enrolled with UVA.)
You can control where and when you receive our Remind communications. If you haven not done so already, go to https://www.remind.com/join, and use the code @uview2020 so you receive our school communications. (Teachers will provide their class codes soon if you do not have them.) Once signed up and in your account, click on your name in the upper left hand corner of the Remind page (in the browser); click the down arrow next to your name; select Account settings; then select Notification settings. Make adjustments to your notifications there. We hope to have more Remind tips soon, but explore their Help page. It's very good.
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So, if you are new and have felt overwhelmed or lost, that's normal.
So, if you are new and have felt overwhelmed or lost, that's normal.
If you are a returning Learning Coach, and you have not gotten yourself or your child(ren) back into a rhythm yet, you know what to do. If not, give me a call.
If you are a returning Learning Coach, and you have not gotten yourself or your child(ren) back into a rhythm yet, you know what to do. If not, give me a call.
There is a lot going on in school and everywhere else, but we've got you when it comes to school!
There is a lot going on in school and everywhere else, but we've got you when it comes to school!
Just hang in there, and...
Just hang in there, and...
Have a good weekend!
Have a good weekend!
8-5-20 -- For High School Learning Coaches Only
8-5-20 -- For High School Learning Coaches Only
The Counseling staff has released the following form so that students can request schedule changes:
The Counseling staff has released the following form so that students can request schedule changes:
8/1/20 -- The New School Year Begins Soon!
We are almost ready to begin the new school year. A couple of resources are available for our new families and for our returning families to ensure you and your child(ren) are ready to go. Please read the headings below and read the information that applies to you.
We are almost ready to begin the new school year. A couple of resources are available for our new families and for our returning families to ensure you and your child(ren) are ready to go. Please read the headings below and read the information that applies to you.
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Returning Learning Coach With No New Students
Returning Learning Coach With No New Students
Welcome back! We prepared a short Learning Coach Refresher Course for you to dust out the summer cobwebs. :-)
Some of the sections of the course will be good for your child to review as well. Details are available on the home page of the site.
The course is not very long. Please attempt to complete it by Thursday, August 6th so that you and your child(ren) are up to date and ready to go.
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New Learning Coach or a Returning Learning Coach With New Student(s)
New Learning Coach or a Returning Learning Coach With New Student(s)
If you have not done so already, please ensure that you and your children complete the UVA On-Boarding Course by Thursday, August 6th. If you are not familiar with this course from previous Remind messages, please notify Eugenia Cardozo (Learning Coach Partner) at ecardozo@uview.academy or send her a Remind message to let her know.
Please complete the course as quickly as possible so you and your child(ren) are prepared.
Please complete the course as quickly as possible so you and your child(ren) are prepared.
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