WHAT IS THIS ONLINE SCHOOL I'M HEARING ABOUT?

 
Many of us are interested in the virtual school that is now available to children in Limestone County.  We have a few of them here in Elkmont who tried it last year.

SIGNING UP
The sign up process was very easy. I called and talked to one of their representatives and they walked me through the whole application process, step by step.  Once you are accepted, they send you all the materials needed for the school year. If you meet, income requirements, they will send you a loaner laptop to use and a printer. It is all shipped to your doorstep. I was afraid the process would be very long and confusing but it was so easy. We had our approval with two weeks.

Ashley Mcelyea

MORE INFO:
It isn’t a traditional school but a statewide public virtual school for grades K-12 that’s partnering with the Limestone County school district. The school, called Alabama Connections Academy, will offer a “high-quality, rigorous curriculum that is a great fit for many families who are looking for an alternative.

The Limestone County Board of Education in May 2017 agreed to a contract with Connections Education LLC to provide online education services and authorized the opening of Alabama Connections Academy . Though it’s a statewide school, the offices will be at Owens Elementary. 

The program provides the basics, such as language arts, social studies, math, science and languages; electives; honors and advanced placement courses; and reading and math remediation, among other offerings. Alabama-certified teachers are hired for the program, and a state-approved curriculum is used. Students are required to take the same state tests as traditional public school students.  As part of the program, a student must have an identified "learning coach," a parent or other adult, to help monitor student attendance, verify classwork and communicate with teachers. Administrators and teachers communicate with students through phone calls, webmail and person-to-person and live classroom sessions.

“There will always be a need for traditional bricks-and-mortar schools,” Limestone County Schools Superintendent Tom Sisk said. “But this partnership with Connections allows us to move a step closer to personalized learning. We get the opportunity to be transformational and be a state leader in virtual learning.”

Decatur Daily Article Link

WHAT'S THIS ONLINE SCHOOL I'M HEARING ABOUT - WEEK 7

We are learning to mix primary colors to make secondary colors in art! He is working on painting an animal masterpiece.

WHAT'S THIS ONLINE SCHOOL I'M HEARING ABOUT -WEEK 6

This week has been a little stressful. We have had technical difficulties within the system plus being out on Monday for the holiday. This created double work to make up for Monday. Dawson is doing really well so far. 

Learning how much things weigh using a spring scale

We are excited because next Friday will be our first outing to meet some of his class mates and his teachers!

Learning about physics and what force is.

WHAT'S THIS ONLINE SCHOOL I'M HEARING ABOUT - WEEK 3

The past few days this week has been a lesson in patience.  We had to start a new ADHD med on Monday and we are still working out the dosage! 

This week has been filled with tears and boogers and just wanting to wrap up in his blanket. This is how we have been doing school work! Being able to have the flexibility to work through the current situation is one of the many reasons I am thankful for doing virtual school. If we were in a brick and mortar school, he wouldn't be able to comfort himself like this. It would be very distracting to the other students. I hope in the next few days and weeks we are able to make the adjustments needed.

Ashley Mcelyea

WHAT'S THIS ONLINE SCHOOL I'M HEARING ABOUT - WEEK 2

Many of us are interested in the virtual school that is now available to children in Limestone County.  We have a few of them here in Elkmont who are trying it out this year.  One of the parents involved has agree to share her experiences with the system, the good, the bad and the ugly. Look for her posts each week.


Dawson and I have

completed our first full week with ALVA (Alabama Virtual Academy). He actually got finished with all his lessons for the week yesterday! So for today and tomorrow we will have/had required class connect sessions (this is where he listens to his teacher teach the lessons in each subject). We also have the time for extra work on being a better reader, and some art and music. We might even go out adventuring for something educational that we can log hours for! This first full week has been a learning experience for me and Dawson. But we made it. I just hope he is learning something😂😉! He seems to be because I can ask him a question about something from the day before and he gives me a correct answer! 

So that's why it matters where numbers are - place value

I urge anyone who has a child that just doesn't seem to do well in school because of distractions or bullying or whatever the case may be to check into K12 or the Virtual school through Limestone County. It helps Dawson with the fact that he can get up and move around whenever he feels the need to. He really couldn't do that at a brick and mortar school (the name us virtual people give regular school😁) without disrupting class or interfering with other students learning. But so far so good! #firstweekinthebooks

Ashley Mcelyea

Links:
Signing Up
Week One