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April 30, 2021

Apr 30, 2021Newsletter

REMINDER: Early Dismissal on Wednesday, May 5th & Thursday, May 6th next week (these are days we traditionally take off for Tulip Time). Students will be dismissed at noon on these days.

CONGRATULATIONS MS. KATELYN!

We are thrilled for Ms. Katelyn and her husband, Jordan, as they welcomed sweet Harrison James VanDyke into the world on Monday, April 26th. Adorable Baby Harrison made his debut into our world one month early weighing in at just 5lbs and 10oz. Mom and baby are doing really well!

SCHOLASTIC VIRTUAL BOOK FAIR STILL HAPPENING THROUGH MAY 9TH

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HOMEPAGE LINK https://www.scholastic.com/bf/icademyglobal
Sneak Peak Tour Guide: https://youtu.be/4u8e9BRm6Bw
Promo code SHARE10 will give you 10% off every order, applied at checkout!

BREAKFAST/LUNCH SIGN UP/PICK UP – MAY 7TH

  • THIS SIGN UP is open for next week’s breakfast/lunches
  • Sign ups are for any iCademy family
  • Deadline for sign-up are TUESDAYS AT NOON. Late responses cannot be accepted.
  • Pick up will be at iCademy on FRIDAY AFTERNOONS from 2:00 – 2:15pm
  • Please contact Ms. Stacy at hot.lunch@innocademy.com with questions.
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STATE OF MICHIGAN ‘VACC TO NORMAL’ PLAN

Thanks for doing your part to help us get back to normal at school and in our community. If you have not yet seen it, the Governor shared the ‘Vacc to Normal’ plan, yesterday, during a press conference. If you are 16 or over and have not yet received a vaccination, you may schedule one by visiting https://www.spectrumhealth.org/wmvaccineclinic

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK MAY 2 – 7.

Here are some ideas about ways to show your teacher or staff member how much you appreciate them! Feel free to do one or more of these!

Here is the Flipgrid link for Tuesday https://flipgrid.com/7c061w4t Join with your Microsoft student account. Login should be firstname.lastname@icademystudents.org

Here is the Padlet link for Thursday https://padlet.com/abbygust/sjzyphjipx0cw2km

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DAYCARE STAFF NEEDED AT HOMESTEAD CAMPUS

We are looking for someone to join our Daycare Team.  This position would work 2-3 days per week.  Generally speaking, the staff daycare is open on days school is in session as well as staff Professional Development days.  The Daycare team provides care to our staff’s children.  The kids range from 12 weeks old to 5 years old.  Providing a nurturing environment for these little ones while mom/dad is working is the key to this role.  Responsibilities include caring for kids, feeding them, bringing them outside for playtime, etc.

Please email Sara in Human Resources if you are interested in more information on this position – her email is sara.vereeke@innocademy.com

OLD INFORMATION (In Case You Missed It =)

An Overview of April/May Testing Schedule for ALL Grades…

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And for grades 3rd/4th/5th/6th/7th here are some things you need to note about your test day…

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iCADEMY FAMILY CALENDAR FOR 21-22 SCHOOL YEAR

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ATTENTION SENIORS!

Please take note of the important dates, below:

May 5th and 6th – Teachers will be available until noon those days.

May 28th – Last day for Seniors. All semester coursework and requirements must be met for graduation.

June 17th – End of Semester – All coursework due by 11:59pm

COVID-19 VACCINATION INFORMATION

For those hoping to receive the Covid-19 Vaccination, you may learn more about when you are able to receive the vaccination as well as how to schedule an appointment when the time comes. Please visit THIS LINK .

COVID POSITIVE DIAGNOSIS?

In the event your child receives a positive COVID diagnosis, please make sure to contact us, immediately. We must continue to update the COVID transparency page on our website and be able to work with the health department in their contact tracing efforts.


CAMPUS VISIT BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

If you need to visit campus in order to exchange a device or charging cord, please make an appointment with your mentor as there may not be someone on campus readily available to help you without an appointment.

  • IMPORTANT LUNCH INFORMATION: Being a virtual school it seems a silly request, but if you have not yet filled out a free/reduced lunch application at lunchapp.com, please do so prior to Thanksgiving break. You will select HOLLAND CHRISTIAN as the district as they are our food service provider. 

    Even if you think you may not qualify, our school receives credit for each form submitted. What is “credit”? Having our families complete these forms allows us to participate in grant opportunities and funding that directly impacts student learning and academic support. Not only that, but should there be another time where schools are not in session, if your family DOES qualify for benefits of any sort, you will be sent an EBT card in the mail to be able to assist with purchasing food for your family. If you end up qualifying and do not wish to take advantage of any benefits associated with the program, you do not have to participate.

Reminders:

  • 2-1-1: This service provides access to food, health, mental health, and various other needs. For assistance, call 2-1-1 on your mobile phone or dial 877-211-5253. Texting is available by texting your zip code to 898211. To access online, go to www.call-211.org.
  • NOT LOCAL? LOOKING FOR FREE MEALS FOR YOUR FAMILY?
    • Contact your local ISD: If you are out of range, but would like to take advantage of the week’s worth of free meals for your children, please connect with your local Intermediate School District for information on receiving free meals. As long as your local ISD has a virtual school program, you can qualify for free meals.
    • Meet UP and Eat UP: This is another incredible program (sponsored by the United Way) providing meals for families throughout Michigan. Please view the interactive map HERE for more information on food distribution near you.  
  • COVID-19 DASHBOARD FOR iCADEMY: iCademy Global will share updated COVID-19 data each Monday afternoon.  Due to HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) laws, no personal information will be shared. When iCademy receives communication of a positive case, we will notify the county health department who traces and directly connects with those in close contact of the positive case.  iCademy will notify the school family of the case and the actions taking place as necessary. https://icademyglobal.org/covid-19-dashboard/
  • Engagement & Attendance: In a traditional brick and mortar school when students show up for the day or for a class, the teacher takes attendance and that is submitted to the State of Michigan. At a virtual school like iCademy Global, three factors play a role in engagement and attendance.  Two-way communication, participation in Live Lessons/check-in with Mentors and adequate time and progress lets us know that you are engaged in your school work and are counted as being present at iCademy Global.  When a student is not meeting the expectations, they are flagged as being absent.  
  • Truancy: In order to meet the state expectation of 1098 hours engaged in coursework each year, it is required that iCademy Global students spend an average of 420 minutes per day doing school work – Monday through Friday. In many cases, absences from school are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. However, chronic absenteeism can have a drastic impact on your child’s education. Children chronically absent in kindergarten and first grade are much less likely to learn to read by the end of third grade. By sixth grade, chronic absence is a proven early warning sign of drop-out. By ninth grade, good attendance can predict graduation even better than eighth grade test scores.

    When we see that a student is not completing his/her coursework within the coursework and/or participating in required Live Lessons, not attending mentor meetings or lacking in two-way communication, parent/guardian will be contacted via an attendance letter indicating multiple absences and requesting a virtual meeting to create a personalized Learning Plan. Parents are a huge player in the success of the students as well.  Parents will be required to walk alongside the student for accountability purposes to ensure success.  If a student does not adhere to the personalized Learning Plan, the Learning Team will begin the Truancy process which may result as a formal file to Truancy through the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District.  
  • Got Questions? We’ve got answers! Whenever you have questions, big or small, we are here to answer them! Your first point of contact for all questions is your child’s MENTOR. Can’t remember who that is? When your child is logged-in to their Student Portal (https://portal.icademyglobal.org) with their Microsoft 365 credentials, their Student Dashboard has their mentor’s contact information. The quickest way to reach your child’s mentor is for the student to connect with them in Zoom. From there, they can direct you to the right place if they personally can’t answer your questions.  
  • Master Staff Contact List: To contact any staff member, please reference this updated master staff contact list. Thank you!  
  • Email List: Do you have another family member you would like added to our email list for school-wide communication? If so, please contact Ms. Leisa Lobbezoo at leisa.lobbezoo@icademyglobal.org to be added.
  • Follow Us on Facebook & Instagram! We love to keep you connected to the iCademy community on our Facebook & Instagram pages. If you haven’t already done so, follow us today! @icademyvirtual (FB), @icademyelementary (FB), @icademyvirtual (IG), @icademyelementary (IG). You can even request to join the iCademy Global Parents Facebook page!

Upcoming Events:

  • June 7th – High School Graduation

Important iCademy Resources: