Parent Portal

At BlueSky Online, parents have access to our Student Information System called Genius. 

The Parent Portal allows parents to see the Academic Snapshot and the Gradebook. 

View the video below for information about how to login. 

Have questions? Contact your student's advisor. 

Every BlueSky Online student is given a Google account to use for school. 

The account can be used to access your BlueSky email as well as Google Docs and a calendar! 

Here are some videos about using your Gmail and Google Docs accounts. 

Most classes at BlueSky will ask you to submit work via Google Docs, so take some time to make yourself familiar with how they work. 

• Creating and Sharing Google Docs
• Logging In and Accessing Genius and Google Apps
• Setting Up Your Gmail Account
• Organizing Your Gmail

If you have any questions about using Gmail or Google Docs, don't hesitate to ask your Student Services Advisor or your teachers for help! 

How do you say "I'm here!" in an Online School? 

It's easy! You log in regularly and complete your work. 

You can read the official BlueSky attendance policy by clicking HERE. 

It's kind of boring....so let me break it down for you! 

If you look at your Academic Snapshot (read THIS BLOG POST to learn more!) you will see a "To Do" column. 

If you complete the assignment amounts listed in this column, you will be in full attendance for the week! 

Please note: The "To Do" amount should be at least 15 assignments for the week.

What do I do if I'm sick or need to be excused from school? 

Do you have questions about the Attendance Policy? Or you Academic Snapshot? 

Reach out to your Student Services Advisor, they are here to help! 

If you are looking for a tool that can show you a list of your classes, the grade you are earning, the dates you are enrolled in the class, the progress you're making, the amount of assignments you need to complete each week AND the amount you have already completed....then look no further than the ACADEMIC SNAPSHOT!!! 

Whew!

That is a lot....

Let me break it down for you :) 

Features of the Academic Snapshot: 

*Class List: The Academic Snapshot shows all of the courses you are enrolled in and separates them into "My Pace" and "Group Pace". 

*Grade: The Academic Snapshot shows both your "Grade" as it builds up from zero and your "Quality" of work grade that shows the grades on just the assignments you have completed so far. 

*Duration: You can see the dates that you are enrolled in your courses. Most of the time this will be the semester or entire school year, but some students choose to work on classes for shorter time periods. 

*Progress: The Academic Snapshot shows you the progress you have made (number on left) versus the total amount of work in a class (number on right). The bar gives a visual to how far you have come! 

*To Do: The "To Do" column shows you how many assignments you should complete this week in each one of your classes. No guessing or keeping track on your own, the Academic Snapshot does it for you! 

*Completed: The "Completed" column shows how many assignments you have done this week in each class. You can compare this to the "To Do" column to see if you still have assignments to complete! 

My Pace and Group Pace classes are organized differently. They each need a different approach to creating a schedule that will work for you. 

My Pace courses are open for the entire semester. It is YOUR responsibility to pace yourself and complete the work during the time allowed.

Most My Pace classes have an "Assignment Checklist", like the one shown in the Geometry class here. When you click on the link, the checklist will show the amount of assignments that need to be completed. Divide this by the number of weeks in the semester and BAM, you have your pacing!

Group Pace Courses

Group Pace courses are all set up for you. Each week, there will be a list of what needs to be completed THAT WEEK. 

Above in an example in a Geometry GP class. Notice that there is also a listing for the Live Lesson! It's important to attend the live lessons in your GP classes. 

There is another important place to look for pacing in your classes. When you first login to my.blueskyschool.org, you will see your Academic Snapshot. It should look something like this: 

If you look at the "To Do" column, it will show you how many assignments to complete in your My Pace and Group Pace classes in order to stay on track! 

What a handy, dandy tool!! 

The first week of school can be a challenging one. Make sure to reach out to your Student Services Advisor and Teachers! We are all here to help :) 

It's finally here! The first week. 

How do you get started in your classes???

Here are some tips to get you going: 

1. Get to know your teachers! 

Things look a little different in an online school. Your teachers are just in the front of the room like they used to be. 

It's a little different, but you will come to see the advantages! 

• Teachers are online and ready to help you ALL DAY LONG. 
• Teachers are ready to chat, email, text, or talk on the phone. 
• Teachers have various online tools to help you learn and to answer your questions. 

Many teachers begin the year with a "Getting to Know You" assignment. This the chance to make a connection with your teacher right off the bat! 

You can: 

• Share the name your preferred to be called. 
• Share the best way to get in touch with you (like text or email). 
• Share the obstacles that you may be facing while attending school.
• And more! 

3. Read the Syllabus, Class Expectations, and Pacing Guide for each course! 

Whether you are taking My Pace or Group Pace courses, the Class Expectations, Pacing Guide, and Syllabus are your ultimate guide to the class. 

You should: 

• Open each document and read them thoroughly. 
• Print off the Pacing Guide for your My Pace courses and create an action plan for the semester (tune in later this week for more about this!!). 
• Make sure to ask your instructor if you have any questions or concerns about what is expected. 

There are many, many more tips that I have to share with you. Please continue to read the blog over the coming weeks! 

Everyone at BlueSky Online School is here to help. If you have questions, don't hesitate to contact your teachers, advisor, counselor, or principal. 

I've always loved the beginning of the school year. It's like someone hit the "Refresh" button! 

New school year, new classes, new goals...ah....a fresh start! 

Over the next few weeks, I will be posting some tips and tricks to help you get started on the right foot. 

The most important thing you can do right now is to get your materials ready and be prepared to start school.

THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR THE 

2016-2017 School Year is: 

Tuesday, September 6th

Please login in on Tuesday, September 6th and complete your first assignments! 

[Strong Start] Topics that are coming up: 

• First Day of Class: Getting to know your teachers and syllabi
• My Pace vs. Group Pace classes: How to pace yourself
• The Academic Snapshot
• The Attendance Policy
• For Parents: How to help your online student
• Gmail and Googledocs
• The Three Person Team
• NWEA MAP Testing