ALP Learning Center Class Syllabus

Communication

Contact Information:

  • K-mail – I will check k-mail 3 times a day on my virtual days (Mondays, Tuesdays and some Fridays) and at least once a day on my learning center days (Wednesdays, Thursdays, and some Fridays).
  • Home Office Phone – 312-757-2885, ext. 2009
  • I will respond within 24 hours (weekends and holidays are the exception)
  • I will not respond to communications sent through any other email system.

Absences: All absences (Learning Center, online coursework, or required Class Connects session)MUST be reported to Mr. Leon within 48 hours. This should be done via k-mail. Please copy me on the k-mail.

Materials, Computer Hardware, Computer Software questions: Any questions regarding materials, computer hardware, or computer software should be directed to K12 Customer Care (866-512-2273). Be sure to record the ticket number!

Classroom Rules

  1. Be Respectful

*Of yourself *Of others *Of property

  1. Be Prepared

*Have all your supplies weekly *Have all assignments completed prior to class

  1. Challenge Yourself

Learning Center

All students will receive a participation grade for learning center attendance.

  • Students who arrive more than 10 minutes late will be marked tardy, which will affect their participation grade.
  • On the third tardy, student will be marked absent for the day.
  • Students will also receive credit for responsible participation in group activities.

Learning Center Supplies

Students should be prepared for Learning Center each week with the following supplies. Please make sure they are labeled with your child’s name:

  1. A backpack or bookbag for supplies
  2. School ID (I recommend keeping it in a pocket of the backpack.)
  3. Pencil - sharpened
  4. Current novel we are reading
  5. Pocket folder with pockets labeled Return to School and Keep at Home
  6. Learning Center Notebook – All Learning Center related work (homework, tutoring, boardwork, etc.) should be dated and completed in this notebook.

Please be sure to check your child’s folder after class each week for any notes from the school.

Class Connects

Class connects sessions will be a combination of advisory and/or enrichment sessions and skills work in math and language arts.Please refer to your class connect schedule in the OLS for weekly sessions.

Sessions marked as required count for participation and attendance. Any student who is more than 10 minutes late logging in to a required session may be asked to leave the session and to view the recording on their own.

Students will also receive a participation grade for Class Connect attendance.

  • Students who arrive to a class connect session more than 10 minutes late will be marked tardy, which will affect their participation grade.
  • On the third tardy, student will be marked absent for the day.
  • Students will also be marked absent or lose participation points for not participating or not having a working microphone.
  • Non-participation due to technical issues or emergencies should be reported to Ms. Syverson, via k-mail, within 24 hours.

In order to keep instruction individualized, I have blocked 9:00 to 12:00 for working with any students who need assistance with specific skills. As the grade level of students who need help will vary weekly, so will the actual time of sessions, but they will occur during that three hour block. Sessions during that time will typically last for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Be sure to check your OLS schedule every morning.

Skills Work Class Connects:

3rd, 4th, and 5th grades / 6th, 7th, and 8th grades
Mondays 9:00 – 12:00 by invitation / Tuesdays 9:00 – 12:00 by invitation

Advisory and/or Enrichment: (subject to change)

Third-Fourth Grade
Mondays 1:00 – 2:00 / Fifth-Sixth Grade
Tuesdays 1:00 – 2:00 / Seventh-Eighth Grade
Tuesdays 1:00 – 2:00
October 5 / October 6 / October 13
October 19 / October 20 / October 27
November 2 / November 3 / November 10
November 16 / November 17 / December 1
December 7 / December 8 / December 15
January 11 / January 12 / January 19
January 25 / January 26 / February 2
February 8 / February 9 / February 16
February 22 / February 23 / March 1
March 7 / March 8 / March 15
March 21 / March 22 / March 29
April 4 / April 5 / April 12
April 25 / April 26 / May 3

Sessions marked required on the OLS schedule count for participation and attendance.

Novel Studies

Each class will read 2 novels this year which will be incorporated into Project Based Learning units. Each novel read as part of class will count for 1 of the novel choices in the OLS, even if the novel itself is not an OLS choice.

Grade Level / 1st Semester Project / 1st Semester Book / 2nd Semester Project / 2nd Semester Book
3rd-4th / Pet Parade / Shiloh / Curiosity Expedition / TBD
5th-8th / Travel Passport / The Phantom Tollbooth / What is a Hero? / TBD

Optional Novel Studies: I will hold one virtual book club each semester. Each book club will focus on a specific genre of book. Students who attend all the sessions of a book club and complete any assignments will have an additional book marked off their OLS under “You need to select a novel for this unit.”

Writing Units to be Taught at the Learning Center

I will teach several OLS composition units at the Learning Center. I will mark these units as skipped in their OLS at the beginning of the school year. When a unit is completed I will then mark it complete in the OLS. Please note that if a student does not successfully complete a unit, that unit will be put back on their plan. Learning Coaches are responsible for having their students complete any additional composition units in their child’s OLS curriculum. Please refer to the following chart for units that will be taught:

These are the only units I will mark off the OLS and the only units I will work on at the Learning Center. Students who complete the units prior to my teaching of the units, will end up redoing the units at the Learning Center.

E-Portfolio / 3rd / 4th / 5th / 6th / 7th / 8th
1st quarter / Paragraph / Prompt / Memoir / Personal Narrative / Autobio-graphical / Memoir
2nd quarter / Research Project / Research Report / Research Paper / Research Paper / Research Paper / Research Paper
3rd quarter / Book Review / Book Review / Editorial (Persuasive) / Persuasive Essay / Letter to the Editor (Persuasive) / Argument (Persuasive)
4th quarter / Writer’s Workshop / Writer’s Workshop / Writer’s Workshop / Writer’s Workshop / Writer’s Workshop / Writer’s Workshop

Project Based Learning

I use Project Based Learning (PBL)as one Learning Center instructional approach. Project Based Learning uses in-depth learning activities designed to answer a question or solve a problem similar to the type of learning or work people do in the everyday world. In addition to teaching content, PBL also incorporates 21st century skills such as communication, organization, time management, self-assessment, group participation, and leadership.

Projects

In addition to completing two literature based learning projects at the Learning Center, ALP students will be responsible for completing a project for one of our school fairs and two individual projects.

Grade Level / School Fair / Project
3rd and 4th / Literacy Fair / Young Author’s Project
5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th / Science Fair / Science Experimentation Project

Students have a range of ideas to choose from for their individual projects. One choice is to participate in aK12 Learning Circles and complete those projects. A calendar will be sent to you listing Learning Circle subjects and dates. Students can also choose a subject and project that is of personal interest to them.

Independent Project due dates: 1st Project. January 15, 2016 2nd Project: May 6, 2016

e-Portfolios (work samples)

E-portfolios are required to be turned into teachers on a quarterly basis. These samples are designed to validate the work students are doing virtually and may be used to determine mastery of specific skills.Learning coaches are responsible for gathering an example of work from History, Science and a log for Physical Education. Math and Writing will be assigned at the Learning Center, but students may need to complete the final version at home. Math and Writing will be file-shared by the learning coach.

Writing samples will bean example of a student’s actual writing abilities and will follow the schedule listed under Writing Units to be Taught at the Learning Center. Math samples will be an extended response question which should show the student’s work anda written explanation of how the problem was solved.

History and Science samples may include student essaysand unit assessmentswithwritten answers. For both History and Science a copy of a multiple choice test is not acceptable. For Physical Education (PE), students need to complete the PE Log by showing they did physical activities at least 20 minutes a day or a minimum of100 hours a week. A copy of the PE log is provided at the end of this syllabus.

All e-portfolios will be submitted via file-sharing on the OLS. If it is not shared with me, I will not be able to view it and it will be considered as late or absent work.

e-portfolioSchedule

Below is the schedule that specifies the due date formonth’s e-portfolios. Students who do not submit their e-portfolioby the due date will face grade penalties.

Please make sure that each file-share submission is clearly labeled with the month and content of the file. For example, if you are able to share an entire month’s e-portfolio in one file it could be marked “October e-portfolio”. If you share subjects in individual files, they could be marked “October math”, and so on. Students’ names show up automatically. There is no need to submit a cover sheet.

Quarter / Description of Required Components / Date Due
1st / Writing Sample (as outlined previously)
Math Extended Response (provided at Learning Center)
History
Science
PE Log / No later than November 13, 2015
2nd / Writing Sample (as outlined previously)
Math Extended Response (provided at Learning Center)
History
Science
PE Log / No later than February 5, 2016
3rd / Writing Sample (as outlined previously)
Math Extended Response (provided at Learning Center)
History
Science
PE Log / No later than April 8, 2016
4th / Writing Sample (as outlined previously)
Math Extended Response (provided at Learning Center)
History
Science
PE Log / No later than June 10, 2016

Academic Integrity Policy for Students

CVCS seeks to establish academic integrity within the school community. CVCS has identified the following as unacceptable practices including, but not limited to:

  1. Cheating in its various forms, whether copying another student’s work, allowing your own to be copied, using unauthorized aids on an assignment, getting answers from an online source, having someone else complete an assignment, essay, or test for you, submitting as your own another person’s work, rescheduling a test on a false excuse;
  2. Plagiarizing (e.g. presenting as your own the words or ideas of another person), including inadequate documentation of sources (electronic, internet, or print) and excessive dependence on the language of sources even when documented, relying on similar order of sentences while altering a few words or word order;
  3. Submitting the same work for more than one course or assignment without prior written approval from the instructor(s);
  4. Using copyrighted material without appropriate citation or copying software or media files (such as music, movies, etc.) without permission;
  5. Fabricating data: This includes falsifying or manipulating data to achieve desired results, reporting results for experiments not done or falsifying citations in research reports;
  6. Destroying, tampering, or altering another student’s work to impede academic progress;
  7. Signing in on a Class Connects session for another student who is not present or indicating that you have “stepped away” from a session when you are actually present;
  8. Falsely reporting completion of any assignments.

At the instructor’s discretion, depending on the nature of the offense, the student’s grade, or ability to earn credit for the course, or position in the ALP may be affected if any of the above standards are violated.

All students are expected to follow the CPS Code of Conduct and students who violate the principles of academic integrity will be reported to the Administration and violations will lead to further disciplinary action. Students in ALP will be given a warning the first time they are caught violating this policy. A second violation will lead to removal from the ALP.

Grading

All ALP students will receive letter grades for their semester and year-end report cards based on grade-level learning standards. Multiple measures will be used for determining grades for language arts/literature and mathematics. Grades in History, Science, Art, and Health will be determined by OLS progress.

Math/Literature/Language Skills

Category / % of Grade
Formulative Assessments/OLS Progress / 40%
Assignments / 30%
E-portfolio / 20%
Participation / 10%

Science/History/Art

Category / % of Grade
E-Portfolio / 50%
OLS Progress / 50%

Health/PE

Category / % of Grade
Health OLS / 100%
PE Logs / 100%

Due Dates and Late Policy

It is expected for all students to complete their work in a timely manner. When students do not complete assignments on time, it affects the discussions and work planned for the class. A couple of things to keep in mind throughout the school year:

  • No late work will be accepted. Any work, including e-portfolios, group projects, independent projects, or class assignments, not received by the due date will receive a 0. Doing the work, but not handing it in on time counts as a zero.
  • Under certain circumstances extensions will be granted. The extension should be requested before the work is actually due.
  • Students who are unhappy with a grade on an e-portfolio submission are welcome to redo the work for a higher grade. Resubmitted work must be turned in one week after the e-portfolio feedback has been provided to the student. Once a student has resubmitted work, s/he may not redo the same work a third time for re-grading.

CVCS National Junior Honor Society

Member Selection Process

The purpose of Chicago Virtual Charter School’s chapter of the National Junior Honor Society shall be to create an enthusiasm for scholarship, stimulate a desire to render service, promote worthy leadership and citizenship, and encourage the development of character in middle school students of Chicago Virtual Charter School.

CVCS NJHS is more than an honor roll. Each member must demonstrate not only good grades, but also strength in each of the remaining four criteria of service, leadership, citizenship, and character.

Selection to CVCS National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) is an honor bestowed upon students by the faculty of the school, and not considered a right inherent to any student.

Students do not apply for membership in the NJHS. Instead, they await an invitation to provide information to be used by the local selection committee to support their candidacy for membership. Membership is granted only to those students selected by the Faculty Council on the condition of their having met the standards for selection.

Students eligible for membership must be in grades 6-8. Sixth graders and new students will be nominated and inducted the second semester of a school year. Candidates must have been enrolled for a period equivalent to one semester at Chicago Virtual Charter School and shall have a minimum of 32 points on the NJHS Academic Rubric. Students earn points on the rubric for academic performance (GPA), quality of work samples, attendance, NWEA performance, Study Island usage, and classroom participation. The minimum standard for academic performance is at least a B average.

The selection of active members shall be held near the end of second semester. The selection of members to this chapter shall be by a majority vote of the Faculty Council which consists of five faculty members appointed by the principal.

The selection process shall proceed as outlined below:

  1. The middle school faculty shall be requested to evaluate candidates determined to be scholastically eligible using the NJHS Academic Rubric.
  2. All students who are eligible scholastically (“candidates”) shall be notified and asked to complete and submit the Candidate’s Form for further consideration.
  3. The Faculty Council shall review the Candidate Forms, teacher nominations based on the NJHS Nomination Rubric and other relevant information to determine those who fully meet the selection criteria for membership.

Candidates will be notified and their membership will take effect upon notification. They will participate in a special induction ceremony in person, or via Class Connects, in the spring of each school year.

K-8 Physical Education Requirements

Physical Education is a required course. Students are required to complete an average of 20 minutes of physical activity per day or a combined total of 100 minutes a week. Learning Coaches are responsible for completing and submitting a copy of the PE log for each student every month as a part of the monthly Portfolio Sample.

PE activities are activities that are structured, organized, and supervised (SOS). Examples include but are not limited to:

Athletic classes or physical camps

Participation on a sports team

Dance classes

Supervised activities such as bicycling, hiking, calisthenics or jogging

Instructions:

  1. Write your child’s name in the space provided on the PE log. For students with multiple children, you need to complete one form per child.
  2. Write in the date (ex: 9/14/11) for each day of the month.
  3. For each day that PE is completed, indicate the activity and amount of time (in minutes) your child spent participating in PE that day.
  4. For each week, total up the number of minutes completed.
  5. When the Work Samples are due, add up the minutes in the “Weekly Totals” and write this on the log.
  6. Sign the PE Log and file share itwith your homeroom teacher.

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