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Hillsboro School Board torn on future virtual school name

January 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Hillsboro School District plans to open its own virtual school next fall, and it’s looking for a good name to help market the school.

But the school board was torn, Tuesday night, over whether to stick with the suggested name, NW Online Academy, or localize it as Hillsboro Online Academy. They weren’t budging on “online academy.”

They debated the merits of both. The NW version would have broader reach and might draw in students who aren’t interested in Hillsboro School District, such as some of the 497 homeschooled kids in the district. But a few board members said it was boring and generic.

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Hillsboro School Board will consider names for its future online school

January 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Hillsboro School Board meets Tuesday night to discuss naming its future online school, among other topics.

The work session, which begins at 6 p.m., is for discussion only. No decisions will be made.

The board is considering the name Northwest Online Academy for its virtual school, which is expected to open next September. The school is part of the district’s move toward offering its students learning options.

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Legislative panel that paved way for expansion of online schools fizzles without proposal

December 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

SALEM, Ore. — A committee created in a grand bargain to settle issues from one of the most contentious battles of the last Oregon legislative session — the expansion of online charter schools — has disbanded without proposing any changes.

The Task Force on Virtual School Governance was supposed to recommend ways to improve the oversight of online schools. Its creation helped sway three Democrats to switch their votes, allowing the narrow passage of a contentious bill giving more students access to Internet-based learning.

But the panel issued a report this week asking the Legislature only for authority to expand its scope and continue working next year. The report says the panel got a late start and didn’t have enough time to thoroughly investigate the topic.

It was supposed to issue the report by Oct. 1, but didn’t hold its first meeting until Nov. 3, in part because Gov. John Kitzhaber’s office was slow to make appointments for two of the five seats on the panel.

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Oregon Virtual School Students Help Charities At Annual Gathering Friday

October 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Art Gallery is the brainchild of 17-year old Megan Bernatzki, a senior at Oregon Connections Academy, who does drawings and paintings in pencil, pen and watercolors. “I got involved in putting together this Art Gallery because of my love and interest for the arts, and the hope of finding other students who share that feeling,” said Bernatzki “I am considering studying art in college but I’m also into science, so I’m considering studying to become some sort of scientific illustrator, or possibly even a book artist.”

Megan’s Social Studies Teacher Jess Tuerk called her a “stand out student all around who volunteers heavily in the community, involves herself with school events and manages to keep straight A’s. I’m very proud of her for stepping up and demonstrating real leadership on this new art venture!”

The Open House is one of two annual events that allow students to meet not only their teachers, but other students from around the state. The Open House differs from other field trips in that the whole school gathers in one location. “It opens up the world of Oregon Connections Academy beyond the student’s own neighborhood and gives them and their families a chance to really see that they are part of a statewide experience with students as diverse as their home towns,” said Paula Caballero, an Open House Coordinator and Oregon Connections Academy High School Math Teacher.

Another Open House Coordinator Daniel West, High School Social Studies Teacher, added, “there will be fun activities for students of all levels which will be educational and allow the students to get to know their teachers and their fellow students. I am really looking forward to the whole event. I believe it will be a lot of fun.”

Events planned for this year’s Oregon Connections Academy Open House include: Simon Says, Math Ball Addition, Spelling and Crafts for the younger grades. The Geography of Oregon game, Academic Scavenger Hunt, and a new event called “What does a Virtual School Look Like?” will be available for older elementary school students. Middle and high school students will have a chance use Tangrams, play world games, trivia competitions and other fun things.

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Dempsey to Retire as High Desert ESD Supt.

October 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

REDMOND, Ore. — The High Desert Education Service District’s long-time Superintendent Dr. Dennis Dempsey will be retiring in June after having served in education for more than 36 years. Transition planning discussions are currently taking place to determine next steps.

“My world has always revolved around children, classrooms, student activities and education and it’s been a remarkable experience,” said Dempsey. “I’ve reached a point at which I need to focus on my health and family and I’m ready to pass the torch to a new superintendent with a fresh perspective,” he added.

As superintendent for the High Desert ESD since 2000, Dempsey has worked to improve education by providing cost-efficient, regional services to several of Central Oregon’s school districts, including Bend La Pine, Sisters, Crook County and Redmond. In addition to his work within the local school districts, he has been an advocate for students and education through his appointments and leadership on several state boards and organizations including: Oregon Association of Educational Service Districts, State of Oregon Education Enterprise Steering Committee, Confederation of Oregon School Administrators, Oregon Association of Secondary School Administrators and the Oregon Virtual School District.

During the last 12 years, Dempsey also served as the superintendent of the Brothers School District from 2000-2006, superintendent for the Black Butte School District between 2008-2009 and twice as interim superintendent in Sisters. “When you are an ESD superintendent you get to wear many different hats depending on the needs of your local school districts,” said Dempsey.

For the rest of the article, go to Dempsey to Retire as High Desert ESD Supt.

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Virtual school captures students

September 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

An extension of this technological reach is also on display at Naselle, which is at the forefront of an interesting national movement toward “virtual” schooling. Operated by the Naselle-Grays River School District, the Columbia Virtual Academy had 192 students enrolled as of Sept. 12 – about halfway toward an ultimate full-time student census of 350 to 400 from all around Washington state.

This program is separate from the ongoing conventional high school in Naselle. The virtual school has its own set of teachers, secretaries and principal. In essence, it is a new form of alternative high school for a wide variety of students who choose not to attend a brick-and-mortar school. Funded by the state at a rate of 80 percent of the support provided to students who physically attend classes, these virtual schools will educate more than 5,000 Washington state children in the current year.

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At Our Best

August 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The tuition-free public virtual school held a commencement ceremony June 25 at the Salem Conference Center for its largest graduating class to date. Around 150 students from around Oregon attended the ceremony, which was broadcast live using Internet streaming so family and friends from all over the world could watch.

For the rest of the article, go to At Our Best

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Did controversial online charter school bill really receive zero public input?

July 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Well, yes and no. A bill with that number was the subject of two public hearings Feb. 11 and 14, 2011, in the House Education Committee. But that wasn’t the bill that lawmakers approved in the final days of the Legislature.

The bill as introduced was 62 pages long, with parts stemming from a comprehensive State Board of Educationreport on virtual learning to the Legislature. Part of the reason why the bill is so long is that the board wanted to separate virtual school law from charter school law. The proposal also contained provisions to increase the enrollment cap and to establish funding per child since in Oregon, state money follows the student.

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Legislature Considers Anti-Virtual Charter School Bill Tomorrow

May 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m., the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education will hold a public hearing for a bill that essentially would force Oregon’s virtual charter schools to close.

The bill (SB 927) closely resembles an idea that the OEA (Oregon Education Association, a union) proposed last year to the Oregon State Board of Education. The bill in its current form would:

• Force all existing virtual charter schools to close and to reopen as alternative schools, which in Oregon are generally only for at-risk students.

• Make existing districts the creators and providers of online content, managed by a consortium called the Oregon Option Consortium. Individual districts would be able to purchase courses from the consortium (which would be run by the Oregon Virtual School District).

For the rest of the article, go to Legislature Considers Anti-Virtual Charter School Bill Tomorrow

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HHS ends contract with Hilltop High

May 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Describing the motivation for the center, High School principal Buzz Brazeau theorized that Hilltop High struggled because the school followed a traditional classroom model with regular hours despite serving students who had trouble succeeding in traditional school. Instead of the cliche of trying to force a square peg through a round hole, the principal proposes changing the shape of the program to fit better the student.

“No matter what size the circle, when you put a square peg through a round hole, what you’re getting is 63.7 percent effective. The rest is wasted,” he said. “(We need to) make a peg of a different shape, maybe it’s a hexagon, maybe it’s an octagon. When you look at a hexagonal peg, it’s 82.7 percent effective.”

To help serve different student needs, the Innovative Learning Center would operate from 1-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday. The evening program would provide direct instruction and credit recovery options for students while the non-traditional schedule would also include time for students only working on finishing a GED, not a diploma. It would allow students identified as “safety risks” to take classes only in the last hour of the day, when other students had already left. Some students could also benefit from virtual school and home tutor options.

For the rest of the article, go to HHS ends contract with Hilltop High

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