Portrait of a SoCoVa Student
These programs rely entirely on the students, and by extension their families, to be as much, if not more, committed to the schoolwork than a traditional school setting. While there is some flexibility of scheduling, students and families should expect school to still be a five-day-a-week endeavor and require students to keep their own calendars and stay on track with work.
Students without intrinsic motivation to complete work and do well will likely struggle in the virtual environment just as they may have in regular classwork. Independent learners, kids who will be accountable and fulfill their agreement and take advantage of opportunity, will succeed.
Students who do well with virtual learning often connect with their designated teacher daily or weekly. They keep an open line of communication with the teacher and are not afraid to ask for help or guidance when needed. If a student struggles to ask for help, doesn’t want to interact with their teacher regularly or is a poor communicator, they may not be a good candidate for our school. Our teachers work hard to offer a variety of communication platforms, so students can use the ones they are most comfortable with, but they must still be willing to use them.
Students and families must have access to a computer and internet connection and must be comfortable and savvy enough to operate technology with minimal hands-on assistance from the District. WUSD will provide students with a Chromebook, or they may use their own device. If utilizing a District Chromebook, then families will be required to attend an in-person orientation to pick it up and be trained on it’s use.
The contract for SoCoVA is signed by students and their families and is enforceable as such. Families should understand that there is a significant commitment inherent in this school model. They should be prepared to potentially log in daily with their student, check their progress and work to make sure deadlines and assignments are being met, and more. Families should communicate with teachers as well, and there is a family portal feature that parents are logged into where they can check progress.