The RCS Virtual Download
February 11, 2022
Greetings Virtual Voyagers and Families,
Before we head into the weekend, I wanted to extend my gratitude to our students, faculty, staff and families for all of the support with our Count Day procedures. As we mentioned previously, this process is directly tied to our school funding and allows us to offer this learning pathway.
Now that we are well underway into the 2nd semester, we want to make sure our students are successful in their courses. Please remember that there are three different formats for our Virtual Campus:
- Brightspace
- Edgenuity (self-paced)
- Michigan Virtual/BYU (3rd Party Vendor)
In each of these cases, a certified Rochester Community Schools teacher is there as a primary contact and support for our students. We have designed our program to match a wide range of student learning styles, but there are dangers about falling behind with much of the experience comprised of flexible self-paced content. To that end, we wanted to extend an additional offer of support to our secondary students. Next week, our Virtual Campus secondary teachers are offering coaching sessions from 2:00 - 3:00PM on live Zoom calls. More specific information and our sign-up is included below.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Jeff Frankowiak
Principal
Virtual Campus Important Dates
February 8th - 1st Semester Report Cards are available in ParentVue
February 21-22nd - No School Midwinter Recess (TK-12)
Set-Up for Success
Elementary Yearbook Orders
Zoom Update
This week, our video conferencing program, Zoom, received an updated on student-issued Chromebooks. This update involves students taking a few necessary steps in order to ensure that they are able to access their live classes. The information below will walk you through step-by-step in order to complete the installation of the new application
Step 1: Have students restart their Chromebooks
Step 2: Have students follow the guidance document to login to Zoom and consolidate their accounts to the new application UPDATED_ Sign In to Zoom on Chromebook.pdf
Step 3: Students should log into Zoom with their Google credential issued by Rochester Community Schools
A video tutorial has also been created to walk you through this process:
CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO TUTORIAL
Please do not hesitate to contact the Virtual Campus Main Office at (248)726-5900 with any questions.
Global School Play Day! Let's Play!
A Warm Hello Voyagers,
Looking for something fun to do in this winter weather? Then we have the thing for you!
How it Works: Click on the boxes below to access fun video links you can play for Global Play Day! Then, feel free to share what you played today or another play idea with our learning community. Click here to access the videos: Global School Play Day!
To access more Tesselation ideas from the Patterns video, you can click on the following links: Digital Pattern Blocks: https://apps.mathlearningcenter.org/pattern-shapes/ AND Making Paper Tesselations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FIOF8xsPas
THEN, share your playful adventures by sharing your thinking on our community Flipgrid: https://flipgrid.com/73a404e5
We are so proud and AMAZED by the high quality videos shared by our Virtual Campus students. Let's keep the fun going and continue to share our thinking on Flipgrid. Please feel free to email with any questions: jrains@rochester.k12.mi.us We are so looking forward to hearing more about your playful adventures!
Have Fun!
Announcing: Virtual Campus Clubs!
Are you interested in joining a club at Virtual Campus? Then this is the place for you! Join your classmates and teachers in Book Club, Art Club, or Game Club this spring.
How can I learn more? Please complete the interest form, and we will contact you to follow up in the coming weeks: https://forms.gle/TV9PoPwsCh16wNCM7
Middle School Authors in April - Varian Johnson!
Does your student need a book for class? Our book sale is going on NOW through March 1st. Follow this link to order: https://authors-in-april-inc.square.site/shop/virtual-academy-middle-school-special-sale/8. The Parker Inheritance will be read by all 6-8th graders at the Virtual Campus and is $4.00 for a paperback and to $8.50 for a hardcover. Book delivery will happen during a pick-up day in early-mid March (an email will be sent with details). Any books purchased will be sent home with an autograph slip that can be filled out and returned with the book if you would like the book(s) signed. Book collection for autographing will take place the week before the author’s visit in the Schultz Campus/ACE High School lobby.
Elementary Students - Stay tuned for more information coming soon about our elementary authors!
Book Room- Now Open to Grades TK-5!
When: Fridays from 11:00AM - 1:00PM (when school is in session)
Where: The Schultz Campus 1440 John R. Rd, Rochester Hills, MI 48307
Enter using the main entrance (on the north side of the building) and staff will direct you to the book room
We can't wait to see you! Happy Reading Voyagers!
Virtual Campus Winter Interactive Activities
Staying warm inside this week? Looking for something to do? Then check out our Winter Choice Board, chalked full of fun and interactive activities you can access throughout the winter months.
To access the choice board, follow the link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DJL9_z_nMXtuuNyOl5yrptKHMKzgdypF3xzZonRo-jo/edit?usp=sharing
All Day Absence Reporting
Check Out This Tutoring Opportunity!
Chromebook Pickup and Technical Support
As a reminder, all RCS students are required to have a district device for use in the classroom.
If you do not yet have an RCS device, please schedule an appointment by using this link: https://form.jotform.com/203207837751153.
Families may use this checklist to ensure an efficient device pick-up.
- Device deployments will take place at the RCS Administration Center, located at 501 W. University Dr.
- Directions and available times will be provided during appointment sign-up.
- For faster service, please arrive with a completed Student Device Loan Agreement.
- High-school students may pick up their own device, as long as the agreement form is signed by a parent or guardian.
We truly appreciate your support in providing our students with the necessary tools and resources for a productive year of growth and learning.
If you already have your Chromebook device, we strongly recommend viewing these Chromebook tutorials to remind you how to take care of your device and get signed into Zoom:
- Chromebook Do’s and Don’ts: https://youtu.be/GakzWneZqzk
- How to Sign into Zoom on a Chromebook: https://youtu.be/O6zXGySnozQ
Getting Logged Into Your Chromebook
For our elementary students or those new to the district, we have a tutorial to walk families through how to access your student’s login information on ParentVUE: https://youtu.be/R2NqkOlgQNA
For our secondary students, we have a tutorial that walks students through how to navigate StudentVUE. This will be most helpful to our 6th graders as they now have full access to the platform: How to Use StudentVUE- https://youtu.be/w8CMwxzZf9E
Technology Troubleshooting
Just like students new to middle school may get locker jams or our little friends may need help finding their classroom cubby, there may be some virtual snags that happen as we kick-off our new school year. Should you run into any technical issues (that are not Brightspace related), we recommend the following steps:
- Visit our district Family Technology Support Page. There are tutorials and information on many of our common technology tools including: ParentVUE and StudentVUE, Zoom, Flipgrid and Seesaw.
- If that does not solve your problem, complete a Technology Support Form and our district technology support staff will get back to you as soon as they are able.
- If you still have questions or need assistance, please contact Julie Rains at jrains@rochester.k12.mi.us
Senior Update
Seniors,
Virtual Campus Seniors are invited to all of the home school building culminating events like Senior Portraits. Please be sure to stay up-to-date by checking in with your home school's "Senior Class Information" website.
Check out the links below to connect to each High School's Senior Page:
Adams HS - CLICK HERE
Rochester HS - CLICK HERE
Stoney Creek HS - CLICK HERE
RCS Virtual YouTube Channel
About Us
Rochester Community Schools Virtual Campus Academic Administrator Amanda McKay amckay@rochester.k12.mi.us
Email: rcsvirtual@rochester.k12.mi.us
Website: http://www.rcsvirtual.com/
Location: 1440 John R Road, Rochester Hills, MI, USA
Phone: 2487265900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RCSVirtual/
Twitter: @rcsvirtual