Welcome! Open House

1. Welcome!Open House 2011-2012 School Year Lab supervisors: Mrs. Prieto, Mrs. Damonte & Mrs. Robertson Grade Level: 6th through 12th

2. Agenda/Topics to Be Covered • Mission Statement • Objectives • Who’s Who • Classroom Policies • FAQ • Contact List • Important Websites • Materials and Wish List

3. Mission Statement “ The mission of Somerset Virtual Academy (SVA) is to provide virtual learning content and services to Academica Schools which Somerset Academy Chapel Trail is part of. SVA is committed to fostering the development of self-directed and responsible 21st century life-long learners through the thoughtful use of interactive, media-rich educational opportunities in flexible, student-centered, virtual learning environments.”

4. Objectives of Somerset Virtual Academy • Access: Full access to an extremely diverse, fully-accredited course catalog, core and electives not offered by FLVS programs. • Innovation: For student enrichment, credit recovery/advancement , and/or make up using student friendly Brain Honey Learning System. • Responsiveness: Facilitation and feedback by highly experienced Academica faculty, certified and trained. • Mentorship: Students will be closely monitored by teachers and administrators to ensure success in a safe and structured environment.

5. Who’s Who in the Somerset Family • Somerset Academy Chapel Trail: • Principal: Bernardo Montero • Vice Principal: Walkiria Soberon • Lab Supervisor: Mrs. Maribel Prieto • Lab Assistant: Mrs. Damonte & Mrs. Robertson • Somerset Virtual Academy: • Principal: Daniel Meyer • Instructors: please refer to Mrs. Prieto’s website www.tinyurl.com/4yew7dc

6. Classroom Policies • Students need to enter the room and proceed to their assigned seats. • They need to immediately log in to their respective classes and start working. • They need to listen to the attendance call and then proceed to put their headphones on to start their daily work. • Ten minutes prior to dismissal they will be advised to log off, push in the chairs, and clean up. • They are not allowed to eat or drink or use their phones for texting or calling.

7. Frequently Asked Questions How much time per course per week should my student plan on spending? Of course that varies by student, but we have found that between 8 and 12 hours per course per week optimizes learning and the chances of doing well in the course. Will my student have an assigned teacher? Yes. Every course that a student takes is taught by a certified teacher who is accessible to him or her via: email, telephone, instant messaging, Skype and web meeting. Who do I contact, if I have concerns that are best to be addressed by someone besides the teacher? Parents and counselors can request a meeting with the Principal at anytime to address any issue or concern whatsoever, by contacting the registrar. What if my student is falling behind? At Somerset Virtual Academy, the presence of daily monitoring and weekly assessments means that students, parents, advisors, and teachers know very quickly when a student falls behind. If a student falls behind, an alert is automatically sent to the student, and is viewable by parents. The teacher will work with the student and parents to determine the cause of the issue and assign an appropriate course of action to correct it immediately. What is the expected role of parents? At Somerset Virtual Academy we equip parents to guide, motivate, and monitor their student's progress

8. Important Contact Information Your first line of contact should always be the online/virtual teacher. • If you don’t get a prompt and appropriate answer, then you can e-mail the Lab supervisors: • Mrs. Maribel Prieto-Carmenate at: mprieto@somersetacademy.com or Mrs. Damonte at adamonte@somersetacademy.com • If you still feel you need further help, please e-mail: • Somerset Academy Virtual Academy principal Mr. Daniel Meyer at dmeyer@somersetacademyvirtual.com • Somerset Academy Charter School prinicpal Mr. Montero at bmontero@somersetacademy.com

9. Useful Links • www.somersetacademy.com • www.somersetvirtualacademy.com • www.academica.geniussis.com/publicwelcome.aspx • www.somersetvirtualacademy.brainhoney.com • Mrs. Prieto Somerset webpage: www.tinyurl.com/4yew7dc

10. Parent login Genius/Brainhoney http://academica.geniussis.com/PublicWelcome.aspx Click here to create your guardian/parent account or you can send me an email and I will be more than happy to create it. I will need the following: Parent full name Parent Email address Student Name & ID affiliation **Or you can always login with the Student’s login credentials

11. Materials Needed and Wish List • The students need to have at all times: • Flash drive • Paper to take notes and binder with separating tabs • Pen/pencil • Wish list: as always volunteer hours will be awarded with receipt (please bring materials to Media Center) • Copier paper • Pen and pencils • Pencil sharpener • Ruled paper • Hand Sanitizer • Lysol neutra air refill • Febreeze refills for bathroom

12. Thank You We know these past few weeks have been at times confusing and challenging but we would like to thank you for your patience and we assure you that we are embarking on the future and taking your children along for the ride. They are the citizens of the future and we, at Somerset Academy and Somerset Academy Virtual Academy are striving to provide them with the best tools to compete in the job market of this century.