Looking for some tips on starting off the new semester?
Well...you have come to the right place!
Below are FIVE ways to start the semester off right!
1. Speak with your Student Services Advisor
- Advisors will be busy contacting their students to help answer questions and field concerns.
- RETURN THEIR CALLS! Advisors have a wealth of knowledge and experience to help you get started in the right direction.
- Haven't heard from your Advisor yet? Call, email, or text them!
2. Get to know your teachers
- Many of your courses start with a "Getting to Know You" type of assignment. Make sure to spend some time on these! It's a great way for teachers to get to know their students.
- Reach out to your teachers and tell them something about yourself. Teachers want to know if you are excited about their course...or nervous!!
3. Understand class expectations
- Take some time to review the class expectations and course syllabus/outline.
- ASK your teacher questions if you aren't sure about something in their course.
- Are you in a Group Pace course? Make sure you know when the LIVE sessions are held!
4. Utilize the Academic Snapshot
- What is the Academic Snapshot? Why...it's an awesome tool that you see right when you login to my.blueskyschool.org.
- The snapshot shows how much work you should complete in each class each week to stay ON PACE. (Anyone who got behind pace first semester knows how important staying on pace can be!)
- HERE IS A TUTORIAL. Take some time to watch it!
5. Stay Connected!!
- One of the best things you can do as an online student is to STAY CONNECTED.
- Read your email each day.
- Respond to phone calls and text messages.
- Read the blog, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook.
- Be part of the school community!
- The more connected you are to school, the easier it will be to complete your work!
One of the keys to success at BlueSky Online is
using Google Apps!!
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.
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!
The BlueSky Attendance Policy
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?
Contact the Attendance Office!
Do you have questions about the Attendance Policy? Or you Academic Snapshot?
Reach out to your Student Services Advisor, they are here to help!
Academic Snapshot!!
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 vs. Group Pace
How to create a schedule for both!
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 Classes
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.
Academic Snapshot
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 :)
Looking for some tips on starting off the new semester?
Well...you have come to the right place!
Below are FIVE ways to start the semester off right!
1. Speak with your Student Services Advisor
- Advisors will be busy contacting their students to help answer questions and field concerns.
- RETURN THEIR CALLS! Advisors have a wealth of knowledge and experience to help you get started in the right direction.
- Haven't heard from your Advisor yet? Call, email, or text them!
2. Get to know your teachers
- Many of your courses start with a "Getting to Know You" type of assignment. Make sure to spend some time on these! It's a great way for teachers to get to know their students.
- Reach out to your teachers and tell them something about yourself. Teachers want to know if you are excited about their course...or nervous!!
3. Understand class expectations
- Take some time to review the class expectations and course syllabus/outline.
- ASK your teacher questions if you aren't sure about something in their course.
- Are you in a Group Pace course? Make sure you know when the LIVE sessions are held!
4. Utilize the Academic Snapshot
- What is the Academic Snapshot? Why...it's an awesome tool that you see right when you login to my.blueskyschool.org.
- The snapshot shows how much work you should complete in each class each week to stay ON PACE. (Anyone who got behind pace first semester knows how important staying on pace can be!)
- HERE IS A TUTORIAL. Take some time to watch it!
5. Stay Connected!!
- One of the best things you can do as an online student is to STAY CONNECTED.
- Read your email each day.
- Respond to phone calls and text messages.
- Read the blog, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook.
- Be part of the school community!
- The more connected you are to school, the easier it will be to complete your work!
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