-Statewide Virtual Public School Info Meeting- NMConnections Academy

The meeting is scheduled for the following time and below that are the emails I have been sending back and forth with Shawna Young in regards to the Connections Academy attempting to get started in NM. This has worked successfully in other states which require more oversight than NM does and it could be a good fit for some families. But as it says on their website your children will no longer be homeschooling they will be registered public school students of a virtual charter school.

Some of my personal concerns would be if your child is struggling and failing (according to their testing) to master a subject does the school district then have a right to step in and force your child to go to a brick and mortar classroom to get more help? If your child is enrolled in some type of athletics or other classes that meet during the day will they be required to be 'in school' for those times instead of these extracurricular activities? I believe even charter schools fall under the No Child Left Behind Act so how would this affect attendance, test scores, etc. of each student? They have extracurricular activities for each Connections academy such as park days, newspaper, etc. but in small print it says that these are only with areas with funding for such activities, our state is not one of the wealthiest so would our kids not have access to these type programs if they are not offered or would they be allowed to participate in some already established park days, etc.? Do they have to participate in all activities with other Connections academy students or could are these considered extra? Where is the funding coming from to make sure each student has a computer and can participate in outside activities? What if this is approved in some school districts and not others limiting access to students that might need this type of virtual school? What about students in rural parts of our state how would they connect to others in their 'school'?

If you are interested you should come to this meeting questions in hand. If you can not come call the contacts or join the yahoo group and ask lots of questions, be informed about your choice! There are always going to be pros and cons about any educational choice but it is a matter of researching the best education that works for your family.

Their website does have some answers on their FAQ page at www.connectionsacademy.com but they do not answer everything. They have samples of their curriculum all of which are good programs. So come and check out this new program, it is not a sure thing it still has some processes it has to go through in NM to be approved.

The Pizza meeting will be held at Peter Piper Pizza at 3109 San Mateo Blvd.
in Albuquerque. It will be from 6:30-8:00 on Tuesday June 26th. Families Welcome. We hope to see you there.
Shawna Young


If you go to the meeting please email me with your thoughts pros and cons so that I can add them to the blog, the comments will remain anonymous.--Tabbi

Various emails sent back and forth between myself and Shawna Young requesting more information before advertising this program:

I apologize for not getting back to you with more information about the new charter school we are working on.
There is a link you can share to join a yahoo group with other families to talk about it and learn more.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/New_Mexico_Connections_Academy/

If any are interested in joining the Interim Governing Board, or learning more about it, please feel free to contact Michelle Garcia (505) 629-4458 or Shawna Young at 352-6296 or email Parent_Connections@msn.com

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I am sorry that I do not have Michelle's email address. She, like myself, is a part of the founding group getting this going. The best way to learn about how the school works is actually through the website. We are parents working with the national connections academy group trying to get a charter school here for us. The application has to be submitted by the beginning of August. There will be meetings to attend and speak at to let the Public education commission know that we really would benefit from having this charter school here. Because it is a "virtual school", we do not require a school building, which means we may be able to accomplish getting things started by January. We have to have an office space for the computers and for the Principal and teachers to go to every day. They will work from 8:30 to 4:30. The students will work from home, but have complete access and contact with their teachers every day. The charter school board members will review the applications for the applicants for the principal and teacher positions. We will have a hand in interviewing them along with the help of the connections academy people as well. They must be NM state certified teachers. When this becomes a charter school for NM, all of the books and supplies for the kids are supplied at 100% no cost to the students. The website has more info on the wide variety of curriculum that they use.
As there are more secured dates for meetings I will continue to send emails and information to you so you can post it. The lady, in charge of working for the connections academy to help us as parents accomplish this, is actually in town for another week or so talking to people. She would like to host a little gathering at a local pizza place on Tues. evening at 6:30. I will find out from her where and let you know. We would love any support and help we can get. Even if this type of school would not work for your family, if you feel it would benefit other New Mexico students, then we need your(everyone's) voice.

I hope this helps a little more. I am sorry I have no firm dates yet. I will find out asap.
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Shawna, Some questions you might be able to answer are 1. Will the kids be registered within their own school districts throughout the state or only under one school district regardless of where they live? 2. Will they be required to take the NM State tests, I am assuming yes but I figured I would ask? 3. Do parents have any control over their child's academics in terms of what texts or programs they are able to use? Or will they be the same as the kids in their grade level in their school district? 4. What options are their for accelerated learners? 5. What options for children who need more work in some areas? If they did not meet standards would these kids be required to attend a brick and mortar classroom setting? 6. What about extra curricular activities would the children be required to do academics during 'school hours' or could they do their work at their leisure during the day or week? 7. Are the kids required to check in daily and be in contact with the teacher at times during the day? There are a lot of parents that might be more willing to even attend a meeting if you had a list of basic questions and answers that I could email out prior to the actual meeting. Thanks, Tabitha Orr
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The best way to learn more about the answers to these questions is by going to the website. They have examples of schedules, curriculum, after school activities, etc. It is a very informative site. Here are some answers that I know. I hope it helps.

1. Will the kids be registered within their own school districts throughout the state or only under one school district regardless of where they live? YES
2. Will they be required to take the NM State tests, I am assuming yes but I figured I would ask? YES, AND ON THOSE DAYS, THE SCHOOL WILL RENT A COMPUTER LAB SOMEWHERE IN THE TOWN WHERE THE STUDENT RESIDES AND THE TEACHER WILL BE THERE TO ADMINISTER THE TESTING.
3. Do parents have any control over their child's academics in terms of what texts or programs they are able to use? Or will they be the same as the kids in their grade level in their school district? I BELIEVE THERE ARE SOME SELECTIONS, AND NO THEY WILL NOT NECESSARILY BE THE SAME AS THE OTHER KIDS IN THEIR DISTRICT. I BELIEVE THE CURRICULUM USED BY CONNECTIONS ACADEMY IS SUPERIOR TO THAT OF THE NORMAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS, ESPECIALLY NEW MEXICO. THEY DO USE SOME OF THE SAME THAT I HAVE SEEN IN OTHER SCHOOLS.
4. What options are their for accelerated learners? THIS ANSWER IS BEST ILLUSTRATED ON THE WEBSITE, BUT THIS SCHOOL METHOD IS PERFECT FOR ACCELERATED LEARNERS. www.connectionsacademy.com
5. What options for children who need more work in some areas? YOU SET YOUR CHILD'S SCHEDULE WITH THE HELP OF THE TEACHER. THE TEACHER WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO GIVE ADDITIONAL HELP EITHER BY PHONE OR VIA THE COMPUTER(the monitor will turn into a chalk board type effect and the students will have headsets that they can listen to the teacher as the teacher actually uses the computer as a chalkboard to write and explain things).
If they did not meet standards would these kids be required to attend a brick and mortar classroom setting? I DO NOT BELIEVE SO, BUT I AM NOT FAMILIAR WITH THAT QUESTION YET. I DO KNOW THAT THE CURRICULUM IS COMPLETELY ACCREDITED FOR ALL GRADES AND THE HIGH-SCHOOL CREDITS ARE ACCEPTED BY COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.

6. What about extra curricular activities would the children be required to do academics during 'school hours' or could they do their work at their leisure during the day or week? NO, NOT EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE DONE DURING SCHOOL HOURS. YOU WILL, HOWEVER, LOG IN YOUR CHILD'S ATTENDANCE FOR THE DAY . IF YOU KNOW AHEAD OF TIME WHEN YOU WILL BE NEEDING DAYS OFF, YOU JUST MARK IT ON THE CALENDAR. THERE WILL BE TIMES WHEN THEY WILL NEED TO BE ONLINE WITH OTHER STUDENTS IN THEIR GRADE LEVEL TO DISCUSS A BOOK THEY ARE READING OR HAVE A CLASSROOM TYPE DISCUSSION WITH THE TEACHER AS A MONITOR. (mostly for middle school and high school grades I believe). MOST OF THE TIME IT IS AT THEIR LEISURE. THERE WILL BE SOME ASSIGNMENTS THAT WILL HAVE TO BE MAILED TO THE TEACHER AND PRE-PAID ENVELOPES WITH THE ADDRESS WILL BE SUPPLIED FOR YOU.
There are also some school clubs, such as chess, debate (monitored by a teacher), news room, etc. They have wonderful electives for kids who don't want to do just the normal subjects. They have foreign languages, technology classes, journalism, and phys. ed. and etc