COALITION UPDATE

This week a board meeting and election of officers was held with the Indiana Virtual Parent Board.    Newly elected officers are:  Monique Christensen, President; Victoria Talbot, Vice President and Lisa Lykins, Treasurer.  At-Large board members elected include:  Lynette Quinn and newly elected, Melissa Peters.  Congratulations to all!

Watch for updated photos and biographies outlining who we are along with new "tool kit" access on our web site for parents to advocate for full-time virtual funding!

If you are interested in getting more engaged in our advocacy work contact us at info@indianavirtualfamilies.org  and let us know what your interest is. Together, we can bring full time virtual learning to ALL Indiana families!

INDIANA UPDATE

Important Announcement

Indiana Virtual Pilot School
In an effort to serve as many students as possible, the Indiana Department of Education has allowed the Indiana Virtual Pilot School (VPS) to extend open enrollment for the 2009-2010 school year through Friday, February 12, 2010.

The Hoosier Academies shared the following information with us, which we are passing along as helpful information for you. 

As applications are received, Hoosier Academies will actively manage the process to ensure we are in compliance with the following regulatory requirement as outlined by the General Assembly: At least 75 percent of students enrolled in the virtual charter school will have been counted in the September Average Daily Membership count for the previous school year, as submitted to the department via the DOE-ME form.

Applicants will be seated in the VPS until we reach our maximum capacity by grade. Once reached, applicants will be placed on the wait list and notified once a seat is available.

Already submitted an application for Hoosier Academies?
Families with an active application with Hoosier Academies should contact Hoosier Academies at enrollment@hoosieracademy.org to transfer their application from the hybrid model to the Virtual Pilot School. **It is very important families DO NOT submit another application for the VPS.

Hoosier Academies-Indianapolis and Muncie
The deadline for second semester enrollment is February 12, 2010. Families who did not submit an application prior to the deadline, but wish to enroll in Hoosier Academies for a second semester start (January 26, 2010), should follow the online enrollment steps found at http://www.k12.com/ha/enroll/ (scroll down to "enrollment steps").

Indiana News Roundup

Incorporating technology into schools

Here's a good article that highlights some of our state officials' views on technology in education: Senator, state superintendent praise school technology, By Jennifer Tangeman (click here for complete article).

National News Roundup

Books Face Extinction as Schools Go High-Tech, By Laura Crimaldi, Boston Herald (MCT) Hitting the books is becoming a thing of the past, as more schools across Massachusetts implement virtual classrooms and equip students with laptops. (click here for complete article).

School Choice Even Obama Supports, The American Spector (click here for complete article).

Encourage your fellow virtual families and interested parties to sign up online to become a member of our regular web posts by going to http://www.indianavirtualfamilies.org/. 

Monique Christensen