You CAN do it!

Martin Luther King, who stood up for Civil Rights, once said,
“The ultimate measure of a person is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

Many students have stayed on pace with your courses, completing assignments each day and putting in an hour a day per course – Congratulations to all of you!

Others have not stayed on pace and are a bit behind in their online courses.  However, the good news is that there are two weeks coming up when teachers will not be assigning any new work and you can get caught up in all of your classes.  So where do you start?

Here are some recommendations:

• 1. Make a list of all assignments you have to do in each course – write each course list on a different sheet of paper.  Put these lists in a binder (yes, a binder rather than a folder because putting something in a binder takes more time to organize and it is more secure than just a folder).
• 2. Share the list with your parent or some other adult, and with them, write down what times each day you will work on each subject and which dates you will submit each assignment.  Be sure and “submit” these assignments in Moodle – don’t just save them on your computer (once they are submitted, you are finished!)
• 3. Then, stick to the time schedule you have put forth.  If you are behind in many assignments, then pace yourself out over many days and build in little rewards for yourself along the way.  The little rewards could be a movie, a warm dring, IMing with your friends, checking your MySpace or Facebook, etc.  Again, stick to your schedule and you can do it!
• 4. Check off the items as you complete each assignments so you can see your progress!

One thing I have learned about all students in the Clovis Online School is that each one of  you is intelligent.  You all have wonderful gifts and knowledge about many things.  It has been enjoyable getting to know all of you! Thanks for everything you have shared with me during the first 14 weeks of the school year.  Now, be good to yourself and complete any assignments that have not been finished so you can go on and earn one of your first important educational goals in life – your high school diploma!

Outstanding parents

It was a pleasure meeting the group of parents who attended our second parent club meeting last night.  Every parent shared their ideas regarding how to help students to be more successful, ideas to improve the school, things that are working well and ideas of how to market the school to future students.

We are beginning to put together our courses for the 11th and 12th grade years and the parents helped to identify the courses that will work well for our students.

Regarding the online school, parents shared the things that are going well:  having flexibility in completing assignments, the school Ning, focused learning assignments, the variety of online tools students are using, having online textbooks,  building the self-motivation and independent learning of students, and the counseling services (with our counselor-interns!).  Areas to improve include:  better communication between teachers and parents and students, standard way of communicating, standard way of course content being organized, a way to help students to see their progress in completing their work, and a better way for parents to know which assignments have been completed and which ones won’t.

Thanks again to the outstanding parents who attended the meeting and offered their thoughts for the school.  The common bond we share is the desire to help all of our students to be successful.

The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 4:00 in the online school library.

Parent meeting on Dec. 15

It is time for our second parent meeting.  All parents are invited to attend.  Discussion topics will include:

• How parents can support students in being successful in their online courses
• Giving input about courses we will offer next year
• Ideas for sharing information/marketing our school for next year

The meeting will take place on Tuesday, December 15 from 4:00-5:30 in the online school library.

See you then!

Planning for the future

I hope everyone had a restful Thanksgiving holiday.  It was a good time for me to stop and reflect on the progress we have made in our online school.  Our school is in the process of deciding on the online courses to offer during the next school year.  You can be part of that process.  I will be talking with students during the student leadership time on Tuesday at noon and I will be talking with parents at a future parent club meeting.

I hope you are planning out each one of your days, writing down which assignments you will complete each day, and then completing these assignments.  As you will see, most teachers have now clearly marked when assignments are due so that should help you in planning out your week.

Progress reports for the first 12 weeks are being mailed out this week.  For those of you who have been doing your work, your progress reports should look pretty good.

 

Student leadership summit on Thursday

Thursday’s leadership summit will be at the online school from 12:30 to 5:30  and  is a requirement for all students to attend. The focus for this summit will be on health and science.  It  will include a speaker, science labs and time for students to get to know one another.

The speaker at this summit will be Flindt Anderson.  Flindt Andersen was born and raised in Fresno, California. He is a graduate of McLane High School and attended Fresno State University. Andersen has been married for 29 years and is a father of 2 boys. 18 years ago he started Andersen & Associates, a legal support service business that supports attorneys and their law firms.

Mr. Anderson’s speaking topic is  “Don’t hide the scars“  which deals with drug awareness, use, recovery, prevention and hope.  His website is:    http://www.gotpainusa.com/Home.html.

Mr. Anderson’s website reports about how drugs are used by people of all ages:

• Prescription drugs kill 300% more Americans than illegal drugs, according to a report by the Florida medical Examiners Commission
• 60% of teens will experiment with narcotic painkillers before age 15
• Every day, 2,500 teens use prescription narcotic painkillers for the 1st time (Source:  NaturalNews.com)
• In 2007,  the reported cases of teens (ages 12 – 17) addicted to narcotic prescription painkillers was 2.1 million. 2009 estimate should reach 7 million and now prescription painkillers such as Oxycontin and Vicodin are the number one drug used by teens. They are used more than cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, LSD and inhalants combined  (Source: U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration)

 

Parent Meeting Thurs eve

The first meeting of the Clovis Online School parent club will be today (Thursday) from 4-6 at the online school library.  All parents are welcome to attend.  We will be discussing the progress of the school, ways to support student learning, and future online courses to build for the online school.  See you then.

 

 

Attendance and Grades

In the online school, attendance is marked by the work that you complete.  Each assignment you complete counts towards your “attendance.”  If you don’t complete any work, then there you receive no attendance.

Regarding grades, if you do no work, then the teacher has nothing to grade.

Overall, every teacher in the online school wants you to do well in all of your courses.  But, the only way the teachers can tell how you are doing is if you turn in your assignments.  Remember, during your enrollment interview how we talked about how doing an online course is 80% student directed?  This, with parent support, is what has to happen for students to do well in their online courses.

This week is the end of the 12-week grading period and the end of the third attendance period.  Get those assignments turned in so you get credit!

 

Fresno State Tour

The students of COS enjoyed touring Fresno State today.  Our first guide took us around the campus and showed us the various departments and buildings.   We walked through the science building and saw classes in session.   Outside the library, we saw the peace garden dedicated to many historical figures who have promoted peace around the world.

 

Next, our first guide dropped us at the dorms.  Our new tour guide showed us the insides of a variety of dorm rooms where we got a sense of what dorm life is like.

We then headed to the theater department where one of the online school parents showed us where she worked and gave us a great behind the scenes tours of the theaters.  We saw the prop rooms, costume room, and the place where they build the props for the different plays performed at Fresno State.  They have a variety of great shows that will be performed this year.  Check out the schedule of performances here.

Thanks to the COS parents for organizing this trip.  They are already planning the December outing!

Fresno State Tour on Tuesday – Sign Up!

THURS. NOV. 5 TOUR OF FRESNO STATE – JOIN US!

On Thursday, Nov. 5, our great parents have organized our November outing to CSU Fresno.  We will receive a personally guided tour of CSU Fresno as well as a personalized tour of the theater arts center (many COS students are into music and performance).   The tour will begin at 12:30 and end at 4:00.  We will meet on the east side of the Smittcamp Alumni House (See map of the campus here).  Rob will be there to chaperone, so parents are welcome to drop off the students or also welcome to join the tour.  Other family members are welcome to attend as well.  If you are planning to attend, please  sign up: http://www.quia.com/sv/356198.html. More information will be sent out on this soon.

Monday, no school, and Save the Date! Nov. 5

On Monday, Nov. 2, teachers in Clovis Unified (and therefore, in the Clovis Online School) are participating in a professional development day.  This means teachers get a chance to learn new things and attend sessions that will enhance their teaching.  Therefore, Monday is a “no school” day for students.  However, it is a great day to play some “catch up” for any classes where you may be a bit behind.  .

THURS. NOV. 5 TOUR OF FRESNO STATE – JOIN US!

On Thursday, Nov. 5, our great parents have organized our November outing to CSU Fresno.  We will receive a personally guided tour of CSU Fresno as well as a personalized tour of the theater arts center (many COS students are into music and performance).   The tour will begin at 12:30 and end at 4:00.  We will meet on the east side of the Smittcamp Alumni House (See map of the campus here).  Rob will be there to chaperone, so parents are welcome to drop off the students or also welcome to join the tour.  Other family members are welcome to attend as well.  If you are planning to attend, please  sign up: http://www.quia.com/sv/356198.html. More information will be sent out on this soon.

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER “No School” Days

Finally, in November and December, there are a number of “no school” days.  The entire school calendar is here and is printed in your student handbook.  Here are the dates for November and December:

• Mon. Nov. 2 – No School, district professional development day for teachers – COS office open
• Wed. Nov 11 – No school.  Veteran’s Day.  COS Office Closed.
• Mon. Nov. 23-Fri. Nov. 27 – No School. Thanksgiving Break.  COS Office Closed.
• Mon. Dec. 21-Fri. Jan. 1 – No School. Winter Break.  COS Office Open some days.
• Mon. Jan. 4 – No School.  District Professional Development Day for Teachers – COS Office Open