April 2014

BRANDON SCHOOL DISTRICT-ORTONVILLE, MI

Brandon School District in Ortonville, Michigan offers online classes at school: (article from VHS)

When the Brandon School District opened a virtual school this year, the decision was made to dedicate a computer lab where students could take online classes during the regular school day.

“We had done some research of other schools who offer online classes for their students,” said Brandon teacher Brian Moore, who oversees the virtual school. “The general consensus was the students tend to perform better when they have a consistent time and place to take their classes. We have found that to be the case with our students into (the program’s) second semester.”

Most students have a class period built into their schedule for their online classes, Moore said. There are a few outliers who take a class as a seventh hour or at home, but even those students know they have a computer available in the lab if they need it.

Sounds a lot like what we do here at PMHS!

STUDENT SPOTLIGHTAlie WolfeAlie is a sophomore at PMHS and is graduating will be graduating in June of 2016. This year Ali has taken three

online classes, Psychology through VHS, Physical Science through VLACS and Perspectives in Health through VHS.

Why did you decide to take an online

class?

“I wanted to take an online class because it was something new and the school did not offer what I wanted to take .”

ONLINE/DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAMS AT PMHS

In this issue: Student spotlight Student bio Completed online

classes Michigan School

online class experiences

VHS online & blended learning solutions

Think Spring!!!

Sophomore Alie Wolfe

April 2014What online program do you prefer, VLACS or VHS?

“I prefer VHS because I enjoy having more structured due dates.”

Do you like your instructors?

“So far I have liked all of my instructors.”

Would you be open to taking another online class in the future?

“I definitely want to take another online class because they really allow

me to go at my own pace and I can go back and look things over and over again until I am confident I know the material. They also give me a sense of independence because I do them all on my own.

“I would be open to taking another

online class and having the experience would make me comfortable taking an online class in college.”

What are your future plans?

“My future plans are to attend college in a big city and become a nurse.”

Alie is a three-season sport athlete and also maintains a very high GPA.

We hope that Alie will take more online classes in the future.

Student Biography

CONGRATULATIONS!Congratulations to the following students on the completion of your online class:

Derek Pike – Psychology (VLACS)Jordyn Pinto – Geometry (VLACS)Savannah Godin– English I (VLACS)Rian Fuller- Green Design & Technology (VLACS)

No two schools or students are alike. So why would your program of study be?

The Virtual High School Collaborative offers a range of solutions designed to meet the needs of all types of schools, districts and students. We work with you to provide the educational resources you need to make an online and blended learning environment a reality in your community.

VHS trains your faculty in effective online teaching and learning Use existing VHS curricula to help you get started Get access to our online learning management system and  facilitate blended lessons that add

dimension through interaction and interactivity VHS teachers can facilitate online courses to your own classes of students Redesign VHS content to create your own Honors, full-year or hybrid courses Redesign our online courses to meet trimester schedules, summer school programs or winter

sessions Access powerful collaborative tools and communications resources through our online LMS Training and 24/7 technical support for faculty and students Streamline grading and student evaluations And much, much more!!!

Ryan MarquisRyan is a Junior at PMHS this year and will graduate in June of 2015. Ryan is taking Engineering for Sustainable Energy through VHS.“I chose to take an online class because I was interested in the topic and I had a free study hall.” The most difficult assignment so far has been entropy.”“I like the online format in VHS because it is very structured and there are clear expectations each week.” I like my instructor a lot, she is very helpful.”“I may pursue engineering after high school but I’m nott 100% sure yet.” I really would like to pursue a career in the STEM field.”“I have looked at Wentworth Institute of Technology, Wells College, Rochester Institute of Technology, NHTI and UNH as possible colleges.”“I hope to be in the Engineering field after college. I am also definitely open to taking another online class in the future.”Fun Facts: Ryan doesn’t like ducks, is on the Site Council, Advisory Council, and is Junior Class President.

Way to go Ryan! Good luck with the remainder of your class.

Junior Ryan Marquis

April 2014