eCampus Academy Update

As we step into the month of April, we welcome the familiar saying, "April showers bring May flowers." This adage not only hints at the changing seasons but also offers a beautiful metaphor for the growth and learning experiences our children encounter every day.

Spring is a time of transformation, where nature awakens from its winter slumber, offering a canvas of vibrant colors and new beginnings. Similarly, our children are constantly growing, learning, and exploring their surroundings. As parents and educators, we have the incredible opportunity to nurture this growth by encouraging play, exploration, and making connections.

Play: Play is an essential part of childhood, offering children the opportunity to learn about the world around them in a safe and engaging way. Whether it's building with blocks, pretending in imaginative play, or experimenting with art supplies, play allows children to develop essential skills such as creativity, problem-solving, and social-emotional development.

Exploration: Encouraging children to explore their environment fosters a sense of curiosity and wonder. Take advantage of rainy days by exploring the outdoors with your child. Jump in puddles, observe the changing landscape, and collect raindrops. These simple activities can spark conversations about science, nature, and the water cycle.

Making Connections: As children play and explore, they naturally make connections between their experiences and the world around them. Encourage this by asking open-ended questions and providing opportunities for reflection. For example, ask your child how the rain helps plants grow or how they can show kindness to others, drawing connections between their actions and the world around them.

As we embrace the rainy days of April, let's remember the importance of supporting our children's learning through play, exploration, and making connections. These experiences not only enrich their lives but also lay the foundation for a lifelong love of learning.

Wishing you a month filled with joy, growth, and lots of rainy day adventures!

In Community -

Jason Bull

Jason Bull: Anything outdoors

Erin DeBoth: I really enjoy getting outside as the weather warms up. Walking, hiking and just playing in the yard with my kids are some of my favorite things. I also enjoy watching the spring flowers sprout out of the ground and start to bloom.

Alexis Hail: I love to go on stroller walks to the park with my little boys!

Bob Logan: Married answer - Completing spring projects my wife assigns in the garden and the yard (this year is raised garden beds, a corn garden, replacing a section of fence, roofing the shed), staining the porch, and removal of 30 cubic yards of clean fill to prepare an area for possibly adding a deck extension). Real answer - The first ribeye dinner cooked on the grill.

Angel Vander Steeg: The beautiful flowers, taste of the warm weather, and the gateway to summer!

Thank you to the Kowalske Family for orchestrating an in-person field trip to the Waukesha County Airport! We were able to walk the terminal, speak with a pilot, and walk up in the control tower. It was such a beautiful March day, where we saw a lot of planes taking off and landing on the runway. The air traffic controller radioed a plane that was landing, and he made special smoke out of his plane upon landing. Congratulations to Mr. Kowalske on recently receiving his pilot license!

eCampus hosted a drop in event filled with fun activities for exploring. They used ozobots, speros, osmos, marble races and more. The event was featured in the Watertown Daily Times!! Some snapshots captured here by Ed Zagorski edz@wdtimes.com Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/WDTeCampus

Silvana is a first grade student who had the opportunity to celebrate in Mexico with her family during the St.Valentine parade. During this parade, she rode horses and helped other families in the area who don’t have much money, by giving them food. Here is a picture from the parade!

Morning Meetings -

Every Tuesday - Lunch Bunch Buddies at 12:00pm (noon) Link Here

Every Tuesday - 4K and Kindergarten Morning Meeting at 12:30pm Link Here

Every Tuesday - 1st through 2nd Morning Meeting at 1:00pm Link Here

Every Wednesday- 3rd and Up Morning Meeting at 10am Link Here

April Academic Groups! (prior sign up required)

Book Club and Writing Group - Our groups are underway! Thank you to those participating. Our groups will run till the week of March 18th. Stay tuned for more opportunities after Spring Break!

April Events

April 1- Artifacts for Timberdoodle families due!

April 5- DockHounds interest survey due Link Here

April 9- Shedd Aquarium field trip at 10am via zoom (more information to follow)

April 10- Forward Testing for ALL 4th Grade Students at the eCampus Office

April 16- Forward Testing for ALL 3rd and 5th Grade Students at the eCampus Office

April 19- DockHounds Baseball Game Payments due (more information to follow)

April 23- UW Milwaukee Planetarium in-person field trip (more information to follow)

April 24- Forward Testing for ALL 4th Grade Students at the eCampus Office

April 26- NO SCHOOL

Forward Testing for 3rd-5th Graders- All 3rd-5th grade students in the state participate in Forward testing during the month of April. This testing takes place at the eCampus Office (no virtual option is available). Students are tested on the computer on Math and Reading, with 4th graders also being tested on Science and Social Studies. Testing is graded and reviewed by the state and results are sent to us typically by fall. We have attached the full Forward Testing Schedule with times for tests. Please note that testing spans the full day on the 10th and 16th, there is a break for lunch built into the schedule but students will need to bring their own lunch. Please reach out to Mrs. Retzlaff with any questions or concerns about testing!

STAR Assessment- The last round of STAR (STAR Early Literacy, STAR Math, STAR Reading) assessments will be administered in early May. Please stay tuned for emails regarding scheduling this opportunity for your learner. We are so excited to see all of the growth your learner has made!

Mrs. Houchin offers a variety of different opportunities that can be found here. Use the link at the bottom of her schedule to access all of these free activities!

UW Direct Admit

The Watertown Unified School District has partnered with the Universities of Wisconsin to offer a seamless way for all students to access higher education opportunities. Direct Admit Wisconsin is an initiative by the Universities of Wisconsin to proactively offer admission to qualifying high school students in between their junior and senior years of high school. Direct admission removes the traditional application process and instead uses data provided by the high school to admit students to universities. The Direct Admit Wisconsin program will launch in 2024 for the class of 2025. Participating UW universities will proactively admit Wisconsin high school students based on their high school GPA, academic coursework, and graduate from a participating Wisconsin high school.

Direct Admit FAQ

What are the eligibility requirements for students?

• First, you must be enrolled in a participating school district to participate in the program. Then, if you are on track to complete the credits required for admission – 4 units of English, 3 units of approved math, 3 units of social science, 3 units of natural science, and 4 additional academic units – you may receive an admission offer through Direct Admit Wisconsin.

Are students required to participate if the district has chosen to participate?

• No, Direct Admit Wisconsin is not a mandatory program. The student will have the option to opt out of participation.

What do students need to do to participate?

• Students need to be enrolled as a junior (Class of 2025). They will need to meet the direct admission criteria to receive admission offers through Direct Admit Wisconsin.

Is there a cost or fee to participate?

• No. There is no fee or cost to submit the Direct Admit form for students

When and how do students opt-in for the Direct Admit Wisconsin program?

• Students in the Class of 2025 at participating high schools will not need to opt-in. Our district will have an opt-out option for those families not interested in the opportunity.

What are students and families agreeing to when they participate?

• They are agreeing to share information with the Universities of Wisconsin so that we can provide a streamlined acceptance process into participating UW universities. Participating also provides consent to receive communications about Direct Admit Wisconsin.

With whom are student data shared?

• Student data are shared with staff in Universities of Wisconsin Administration by the district to facilitate Direct Admit Wisconsin.

What student data need to be shared?

• The high school will share the following student data with Universities of Wisconsin: High school and district information, student name, WISEid, high school student ID, graduation year, physical address, school email address, GPA, legal sex, and race/ethnicity. Federal guidelines require us to collect race/ethnicity information and will be used in aggregate for federal reporting. Demographic information is not a factor in the direct admission decision process.

When and how do students get Direct Admit letters? Who are they from?

• Students will receive their Direct Admit letter in a communication sent through Skyward in late July. The letter is from the Universities of Wisconsin and will list the UW universities/campuses that the student is admitted to.

What if a student wants to attend a university that is not participating in Direct Admit Wisconsin?

• Students continue to have the option to complete the Universities of Wisconsin online application for universities that are not participating in Direct Admit Wisconsin. Some universities also accept the Common App. Students can wait to receive admission decisions from other schools before accepting a direct admit or traditional admission offer.

How are Direct Admit offers accepted? Do students still need to fill out an application?

• Students need to complete the Direct Admit form to claim their direct admission offers. The offer letter will link to the Direct Admit Wisconsin online portal for students to provide more information and to indicate which UW universities/campuses they would like to attend, explore, or learn more about. There is no fee for accepting admission offers and no limit to the number of offers that can be accepted. Direct Admit students do not need to fill out the Universities of Wisconsin application.

What if a student fails to graduate from high school or meet the admission requirements during senior year?

• Direct Admit students must complete the requirements for admission during the senior year and graduate from high school. If not, admission offers will be rescinded.

Are there resources to help students choose which UW is right for them?

• UW HELP has robust resources and information to help students and families explore the Universities of Wisconsin and discover which campus is right for them. Students can reach out to the UW HELP team at uwhelp@uwsa.edu, 800-442-6459, or visit the website to access a live chat.

* Opt-out forms will be made available to families in the coming weeks.

Please look for additional information via email and newsletters. You can access more information now through the Direct Admit website.

Girls Who Code offers two free programs in the summer: the virtual Summer Immersion Program and the Self-Paced Program. Students can apply for BOTH programs, if eligible, using this application. However, students can only participate in one summer program.

Girls Who Code welcome all 9th-12th grade girls and non-binary students to apply, including students brand-new to coding, advanced programmers, and Summer Programs alums.

Students can also apply for the SIP Student Grant. The Summer Immersion Program (SIP) Student Grant, formally known as the Stipend Award, offers financial support of $300 for qualified US-based students. We created this award to support students who might otherwise earn a summer income. All students interested in SIP are encouraged to apply for the Grant, regardless of immigration status.

👉Your Coding Adventure Starts Here! Don't miss this chance to supercharge your coding skills, make lifelong connections, and have a blast along the way. Ready to kickstart your future? Apply here by March 27, 2024 under our Extended Deadline!

The Girls Who Code Club will be meeting again this month on March 28th, 2024. It's not too late to sign up, if you would like an invitation to join the club and receive instructions on how to sign up for a Scratch account, please fill out the following form and our club facilitator will be in touch with you! If you have any questions or want more information, please email vandersteega@mywusd.org

You can request a transcript through Parchment: Click Here for Parchment

If you are seeking an unofficial copy, please contact the eCampus Academy Registrar at vandersteega@watertown.k12.wi.us

Attention high school-aged eCampus students and families! Did you know that eCampus Academy offers a Career and Accelerated Degree Pathways Program? Students in Grades 10-12 can pursue a Technical Diploma or Associate Degree while enrolled in high school in one of 10 high-demand career areas. These online courses, in cooperation with Wisconsin technical colleges, will also count as high school credit in eCampus. Students in Grades 9-12 who plan to attend a four-year institution may complete up to 30 transferable college credits, putting them on a path to potentially graduate with a Bachelor's degree in three years from a University of Wisconsin System School.

The eCampus Academy Pathways Program saves students time and money while accessing high quality, future-ready learning experiences and professional programs. We're really excited about this opportunity for students.

Since we continue to have new families each month, we'll continue to share videos and information that might be useful at anytime throughout the year. Returning students are familiar with the SchoolsPLP learning platform, but we encourage everyone to watch these short videos created by our own lead teacher, Tracy Poches, as a refresher. Who knows, you might learn something new.

Welcome to eCampus

Logging in to SchoolsPLP

Understanding SchoolsPLP Overview

Navigating an online course in SchoolsPLP

Parents are able to login to SchoolsPLP to check grades and see if their student is on pace. The short video below will show you how to do this. You will need your student's ID and school password to login. If you need login information, please call or email Keisha Logan.

Parent Log-in

We Want to Hear From You!

In our ongoing effort to assess our efforts as a school, we're offering our families an opportunity to share their feedback so that we may reflect on what's working and on those areas where we can grow and learn in eCampus. If you would, please take a moment to complete the brief feedback questionnaire that's linked below. We definitely value your input as partners in the teaching and learning of our eCampus students! Thank you!

eCampus Academy - Feedback Questionnaire