I hope all of you had a great break! ❄ January 07 is our official pacing start date for second semester. Get ready!

In addition to the emails I have sent out, I wanted to also post some really important information that should help this second semester go more smoothly than the last. I know that I, for one, feel much more comfortable with how things work, and I hope that many of you feel the same way. Remember, it takes a year for a life adjustment to start feeling normal, so hang in there and let’s finish this school year out with confidence!

Benchmarks are about to open up! This applies to all grade levels except seniors. If you haven’t already, please take some time to sign up for a testing spot so that I know when to expect you.

• PK–08 Benchmark Signup
• 09–11 Benchmark Signup

Pacing Update! Here is a copy of the Spring’s pacing schedule: Spring 2019 Pacing Guide. This is the pacing for everyone, regardless of grade. Do not go by what the dates in your curriculum say. It is my goal to send you progress reports each week so that you will always know where you stand with your pacing. It’s about 8% a week. The normal pacing is 7% a week, so it’s not that much different. There will be more detail later, but I wanted you to see the basic plan so you would know what to expect!

My main goal for everyone this semester is to be more consistent and intentional with our learning. Set timers, alarms, scheduling, whatever you need to do to make sure that you are working AT LEAST THREE HOURS EVERY DAY on your work! It’s the only way to make sure that you don’t get behind! This is the hardest part about online schooling. You are the only one responsible for doing your work. No one else can make you work. You know what the right thing to do is. Just do it!

GET YOUR WORK DONE!! 😒

The last day to be at 100% completion is December 21!! After that, you run the risk of getting no credit for this semester and then have to start over (or you are dropped for truancy, which goes on your record!!). I also get into trouble (I’m actually already in trouble). I have been super lenient this semester and I’m afraid that’s come back to bite us all. Remember that only correctly answered assignments count toward progress. DO NOT click through or turn in blank assignments because they will go right back to you and count against you. You absolutely have to make time for your school work!! No more excuses. Just get it done.

GOOGLE STUFFS

In my quest to make sure I am able contact everyone on a regular basis, I need everyone to make sure you have a GMAIL address. If you are a parent and don’t have a Gmail address, you need to get one because that’s how I need to schedule our meetings and track communication. All students 5th grade and up need their own Gmail address and access to a computer/phone that runs Google Hangouts. You can find instructions and links to everything on this page, which is also in the drop-down menu under “Getting Started”:

Google Setup

All of my pacing guides and other documents will be shared via Google Office programs, so it’s really important that you get familiar with Gmail and Google Drive. It will make things much easier for all of us!

Have a great day and keep up the good work!! 🎄💖

It’s almost that time! Are you excited? I am!!

I am in the process of finishing up reporting benchmark results, creating pacing guides, and drafting log-in pages, so you should have that information soon (definitely before the beginning of school!).

To help you make sure that you are prepared for when we start, I have included a checklist below that might have a few things on it you forgot about or didn’t know to think about! If you would like to print it out, there is a little green “printer friendly” button at the bottom of the post. However, you won’t be able to use the links that way!

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Back to School Checklist for Parents and Students:

1. Add my contact info to your phone or device
2. Add your principal’s to your phone or device
   • Jordan Strain, 405-749-4550, jordan.strain@epiccharterschools.org
3. Add Beasley Technology Support to your contacts if you have an Epic issued computer
4. Make sure your student’s computer/iPad is running properly and has been updated recently
5. WiFi up and running? If not, call your internet carrier now to set up an appointment
6. On Friday, August 31st contact me via email if you still have not received your computer from Beasley
7. Add the Google Chrome browser to your computer. Chrome is the preferred browser for most of our curriculum
8. Create bookmarks on the Bookmarks Bar in Chrome to easily access your curriculum and any online supplements
   • Bookmark the following pages:
     • https://epiccharterschools.org (school main page)
     • https://epicanderson.edublogs.org (Ms. Anderson’s class page)
9. Make sure you can login to the Epic parent portal:
   • The portal is also available on the home page of the Epic website. You will need information from the portal to login to curriculum this year! Watch the parent portal video for a tutorial on how to use the parent portal
10. Make sure your contact information is correct in the parent portal. If it’s not, please make the necessary changes as soon as possible!
11. HS graduation requirements can be found here. Please take a look!
12. Create a place for your student to work. A kitchen table, dining room table, or desk works best!
13. Gather Supplies
    • Make sure supplies are organized and ready to use. Please keep anything you print and complete in a folder to show me at our time together. All students need pencils and notebook paper. Younger students may benefit from the traditional supplies: Play-doh, markers, crayons, scissors, glue sticks and a notebook for a journal. School supplies are on sale in stores now
14. Create a system for notes
    • Middle school and HS students need a place to take notes and keep organized. I recommend a 2” binder with tabs for each subject and notebook paper
    • Watch this for great tips for getting started!
15. Headphones will be helpful for your student. If you already have them, make sure they are in good working order. Epic has headphones available for $16 from the learning fund
16. Set a general schedule for your student. What time is wake up, breakfast, school work time, playtime/free time, even bedtime. Even though Epic students have more freedom to work on a flexible schedule, all students need structure and expectations set
17. Get a family planner/calendar and keep organized all appointments and activities
    • You can get some great ones online at Amazon, Target, or Staples
18. Get a library card. Make a trip to the closest library. Pick up literature on the events and activities available. Find the printer and know the cost of using it in a pinch
19. Contact teacher via email with dates of any planned vacations or trips where more than 2 consecutive days will be missed

I have been working to add content to the web page so that it’s actually useful. And I like to be #fancy when I can, because, why not?

What’s changed the most is the menu.

To keep you from having to click, click, click, etc. to get where you want, many resources are now in a drop-down menu.

I’ve been adding content as I think about it, like instructions for accessing the Parent Portal and how to do the Homework Help Orientation (both under the Getting Started tab).

If you think of something that would be helpful to have on here somewhere, please let me know! This website is for both of us—not just me.

Please take a moment to poke around the site and familiarize yourself with what is now available!

 

It’s that time of the year! Benchmark testing! Woo!

Please take a look over the page of quick-reference benchmark info: Benchmarks

Our testing window opened on Aug 1, and we are ready to jump in and get these going. I know that testing isn’t everyone’s favorite activity, but it gives us tons of good information on where your kids are in their understanding and where we need to focus our energy.

P4-8th grade will to take the MAP tests with me, in person, at the church.
9th graders will take the practice ACT on their own once they get their log-in information.
10th graders will take the practice ACT with me, in person, at the church, but the test is not timed. There is a way to take it at home with me watching your screen, but we are going to try to meet at the church, first.
11th graders must take the ACT practice with me, in person, at the church, and it will be timed and administered like the real thing (make sure you have a graphic calculator).
12th graders do not test (woo hoo!).

Before heading to the sign up page, please read the following carefully:

SCHEDULE EACH TEST SLOT ON A DIFFERENT DAY!!

I can test 2 students at a time because I have 2 computers. You can sign siblings up for both slots on the same day if you wish by making your quantity 2.

You will select the test you are taking on the confirmation screen after you have selected a time.

P4-8th GRADE: Sign up for 2 slots, each on different days (one day for MAP Math and one day for MAP Reading)

If you have a student who needs to do a Fluency test (KG-3rd), that will be included in the Reading session.

9th GRADE: DO NOT SCHEDULE (I will give you more instructions later)

10th GRADE: Sign up for 3 slots, each on different days (two days for ACT and one day for OAS Science)

11th GRADE: Choose 1 slot  for OAS  Science (we already have your ACT scheduled)

Now that you know what’s going on, you can sign up here:

Fall 2018 Benchmarks Sign-Up

HI!!

I am so excited to get started with everyone this year! I have taught online before, but this is my first year with Epic, so we are definitely in for an adventure!

If you haven’t already done so, please sign up for our initial meeting as soon as possible. The listed dates/times are unfortunately not very flexible, but I’m sure we can make a little wiggle room if we need it! Once we have completed our ILP together, we will schedule benchmark testing and then jump cannonball-style into learning!

Please take a minute and explore the website. I have kept a class website for the past 5 years, but I have rebuilt this one to cater to our awesome Epicness (I have made up a new word!). It will grow as we do. The most important menu tab (in the top-right corner) is probably the Office Hours tab. Just as you have times you don’t want me calling you, I have times I don’t want you calling me. This way we can maximize our time together to get the most out of it!

I can hardly wait to get started!