ELEMENTARY GRADES K-4 JVA OVERVIEW

The Jordan Virtual Academy’s elementary program offers flexibility combined with clear expectations within the learning environment. JVA offers live sessions, check-ins, and student and family support to provide a balanced and rigorous experience. Teacher led live sessions provide direct support and peer-to-peer interaction on a regular basis; throughout independent work time, the teacher is available to continue supporting student learning and offering valuable feedback. 

LEARNING COMPONENTS

Morning Meeting and Learning Support (30 Minute) 

• This session takes place at a regularly scheduled time each school day.  
• Responsive Classroom Morning Meeting Components: 
• Greeting: Students and teachers greet by name.
• Sharing: Students share information about important events in their lives. Listeners offer empathetic comments or ask clarifying questions (peer-to-peer interaction).
• Group Activity: Everyone participates in a brief, lively activity that fosters group cohesion (for example, reciting a poem, dancing, singing, or playing a game that reinforces social or academic skills).
• Morning Message: Students read a short message written by their teacher. The message is crafted to help students focus on the work they'll do in school that day to launch the learning experience.

Core Academic Instruction 
An additional 1-2 hours of synchronous (all together) time combined with 1-2 hours of independent asynchronous (on your own) time throughout the day will be focused on integrated core academics. Students will engage in a balance of the following learning models:

• Whole Group Focused Instruction
• Small-Group Guided Instruction & Collaborative Learning
• Teacher Student conferring time
• Independent Learning with available support

Specialist Instruction 
Daily specialist lessons rotating between Music, Art, and PE each day. Students will engage in a balance of the various learning models.

Mid-Day Break for Lunch and an Active Break 

JVA PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS

• 20 August 2020 – Public Communications - "Welcome to the Jordan Virtual Academy" (Elementary)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Will students be provided a technology device. 
Yes. All students registered in JVA will receive a school issued device to use throughout the academic year.

Do JVA students have to purchase all the materials on the school supply list? 
Students should have the necessary supplies at home to complete JVA work, so using the lists as a guide is helpful. Needed supplies may include a specific calculator for high school math courses or basic supplies like notebooks and writing utensils. Please note -- Elementary JVA students should purchase an Art Sketchbook in order to complete the virtual curriculum.

Can JVA students get meals from school?
If the district is in hybrid or in-person models, meals will be available, by registration, to be picked up at building sites. If the district is in a distance learning model, local pick up sites may be utilized.

Are students with IEPs and 504s eligible to register for JVA? 
Yes. students should register to the program and then have a follow-up meeting with the student’s case manager to determine how and if the program is able to provide the services needed for the student. 

Do JVA students have to take state mandated tests? 
Yes. As a student in a public school, JVA students will be required to take all state MCA tests. 

Will JVA students have access to health services? 
Jordan Virtual Academy students will have access to the following health services through JPS Health Services:

• Recording and tracking state required immunizations or exemptions to attend school
• Sharing pertinent health conditions and needs with nurse and staff of Jordan Virtual Academy
• Arranging for hearing and/or vision screening
• Assessing and servicing existing IEPs and/or 504s with health needs
• Recording sports physicals for athletic eligibility
• Providing resources and education related to health and COVID-19

For other health needs, families are encouraged to consult their family health care provider.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JVA AND HOMESCHOOL?

Jordan Virtual Academy
Students in the Jordan Virtual Academy remain a part of the Jordan Public School District. Jordan Virtual Academy is a fully online enrollment option for K-12 families.  Students attend school online each day and work with teachers to complete learning activities, both teacher guided and independently, that mirrors the same concepts and curriculum as in-school counterparts; however, the delivery is adapted to help students succeed in an online environment.   

• Taught by Jordan teachers
• Aligned with JPS curriculum and Minnesota state standards
• Designed to meet the same high level academic rigor present in traditional school

Homeschool
If families decide to homeschool students, those students will no longer be a part of the Jordan School District. Jordan Public Schools will not select a curriculum for homeschool students. However, Minnesota homeschool laws require all children between ages 7 – 17 to receive instruction.

Parents must teach the following subjects: reading and writing, literature and fine arts, mathematics, science, history, geography, economics, government and citizenship, health, and physical education.

All students must take a nationally normed achievement test every year unless the homeschool is accredited by a state-recognized accrediting agency, and both the parents and the superintendent must agree as to which test is used and where it is taken as per the MDE.

Parents, not the district, must keep diligent records of the following:

• proof that all required subjects are being taught
• proof of required annual testing and descriptions of all assessment methods
• proof of immunization
• a copy of the school schedule
• descriptions and samples of all educational materials
• curriculum being used in your homeschool.

Costs of homeschooling are covered by families, not the district.