New Family Info

     Hello, and welcome to the News From the Village.  I'd like to let you know that this newsletter is our primary vehicle for keeping you updated on everything going on at CVA.  It normally goes out every Friday around noon.  We send it to every parent email that we have on file.  If there is one that you don't want it to come to (such as a work email) please let us know and we'll remove that address from our files.  If you use the 'do not subscribe' function it will not allow that address without a hassle if at a later time you change your mind.   

   When announcements are repeated from one week to the next, they shuffle to the bottom; new information is at the top of the letter.  Blue or white and underlined (except in this instance) means a link, either to an email address, a website or a document.  The calendar to the left should match the one on the website.  Sometimes  events are added here that don't go onto the website calendar (such as registration due dates).   If you forget where information is, you can scan old newsletters in the archive located on the Login page of our website.    

      We love to Spotlight students.  If your student has participated in something significant in his/her life let me (Lauren Odle) know about it!  Are they in an upcoming performance of some type?  Send ticket information too.  If you have a picture, by all means attach it and I'll gladly publish that as well.  To protect privacy (as the archive is open to the public) we do not use student surnames in this publication or on our website.  

   There is always some discussion about the best way to communicate with parents.  This newsletter replaces the former practice of a multitude of individual announcements sent by individual staff members.  During the school year a copy is also sent to student emails, but we rely on you to help your student manage deadlines and other announcements. You may receive extra emails in cases of contagious illness or lice for example or if there is an emergency need on campus or snow/online day, but otherwise, look here for the latest and greatest!  

 Lauren Odle - editor NFTV 

Orientation Schedule  

New Family Orientations are required for all new students (including HS students) to Cyber Village Academy prior to the start of the school year. These orientations provide background information about Cyber Village Academy, details about the school program, and copies of the CVA student handbook. These sessions are also a great time to meet other families new to CVA. Sessions are 60-90 minutes in length and are held at the school.

The Fusion Program orientation also includes providing students with their Moodle online classroom platform log-in information and a detailed walk-through of the Moodle system. The PASCAL Program orientation includes an overview of the student responsibilities and a walk-through of the OdysseyWare system.  

Please review the dates and times that orientations are available and select a date and time that works for your family. A parent should plan to attend the orientation along with the student. You will only need to attend one orientation session.  

The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program at CVA --- MYP@CVA

     If you're new to CVA this year, you may be wondering what IB-MYP is and how it works at CVA. The school has been authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) to provide the Middle Years Program (MYP) for all on-campus students in grades 6, 7, 8, and advanced 8 (Levels 1, 2, 3 and 3+). Students in grades 4 and 5 (Levels A and B) take part in school-wide MYP activities as part of their preparation for the MYP years. To be authorized, a school has to go through an extensive documentation, observation, and interview process.

     CVA was the first charter school in the state to be authorized.

MYP is a rigorous course of study that prepares students to live and work in an ever-changing and increasingly interrelated world. All MYP schools must provide the eight subject areas of Arts, Humanities (Global Studies), Language A (English Language Arts), Language B (Spanish at CVA), Mathematics, Physical Education, Science, and Technology. This means that all 6th-8th grade students will study each of these subject areas each trimester, each year. This is a huge educational advantage during a time when many schools have to cut out arts or phy ed. or world language programs at the middle school level.

      Watch for more information in this newsletter about what MYP is and what will be happening in MYP classrooms this year. For more information about MYP, go tohttp://www.ibo.org/myp/ or contact Cherie Neima at cneima@cybervillageacademy.org.

Washington D.C. Trip 

Information Meeting

CVA is heading to Washington DC!

This is an optional field trip that scheduled for April 24th - 27th, 2013! There will be a parent informational meeting on Wednesday, September 5th, at 4:00pm in the science room.  This trip is open to students  enrolled in grades 7, 8 and 9 at CVA.  Please plan to join us for this information meeting.

CVA students have received the honor of placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.   

Arlington National Cemetery is one of our most sacred shrines honoring our nations' Veterans and their families who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom while serving in past and present conflicts.  This ceremony will take place on April 25th with four of our students being the official wreath party.  We are very honored to be a part of this event.

Please email Mr. Rand or Robyn with questions about Washington D.C. 2013!  CVA will travel if 10 students sign up before September 15th.  September 15th is the FINAL deadline for this trip.

To register: www.worldstrides.org 

Deposit Amount: $99.00

Trip ID#: 77019

Destination: Washington DC

Two CVA Students Do Well at National History Day

      Last June, Grace G. traveled to Washington, DC to National History Day with her exhibit, The Meiji Restoration about the end of feudalism in Japan and the opening of Japanese ports to foreigners. There's a lot more to it, but to find out, you'll have to ask Grace! As was the case at CVA History Day, Regionals, and State, the judges at National History Day in Washington, DC were impressed with Grace's depth of research and presentation. She won first place in the nation!

      Mairead B. also represented CVA at Nationals this year with her Website about Russia's Bloody Sunday, a catalyst for the Russian Revolution. Although she didn't place at the National level, she also impressed the judges --- and the Minnesota History Day staff who went with the Minnesota group to Nationals. The word is that she couldn't be topped for her knowledge, enthusiasm, and corny jokes!

     Congratulations, Grace and Mairead, for representing CVA at History Day's highest level! We are so proud of you!

CVA SOCCER

The school year is fast approaching and that also means the 3rd season of CVA Soccer!  Here is some important information you will need to know.

• Registration: Please print and fill out the attached registration form and turn it in to the office.   This form is also on the website under FAQ -- sports. 
• Cost: The fee for 5th/6th (4th graders are welcome, but they need to understand they will be playing against older and bigger players) is $60. The fee for 7th/8th graders is $70. Please pay Melissa by Wednesday, September 5th (Checks Payable to: CVA)  
• Jerseys: We will wear the same jerseys as last year, so returning players don't need to get a new one unless they want to. We will be placing the order on Wednesday, September 5th.
• Practices: Practices will be on Tuesdays after school for both teams from 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm. The first practice will be September 11th.
• Games:  
• 5th/6th: Play on Wednesdays with all but maybe 1 game played at CVA. (Game times usually around 4:30 pm with the 2nd game at 5:30 pm if we play a double header)
• 7th/8th: Play on Fridays at either McMurray Fields or Ft. Snelling. Games start between 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm usually. Some make-up games may be played on Mondays. Each team will play 8 or 9 games. Some players may be asked to play on both teams occasionally depending on numbers.
• The first games will be September 12th for 5th/6th and September 14th for 7th/8th.

Thanks! We are all looking forward to another successful soccer season at CVA! If you have any questions please contact Mr. Orr.

A Note from Cherie Neima

      You may know that I've been thinking about retiring for the past couple of years. After school was out this year, I decided that it was time to leave CVA to pursue travel and other interests with my family that I can't do when I'm teaching full-time. It was a difficult choice because CVA is a great school with the best kids on the planet! It's a school where I've been very fortunate to work with wonderful colleagues and meet exceptional parents. However, although you won't see me regularly in the classroom, you may see me at school at various times throughout the year. I'll continue as the MYP Coordinator until another person is identified, and will work with both CVA's new Global Studies teacher, Allissa Koenen and the CVA High School teacher Justin Wewers (both are impressive educators) to share research skills that I've used to help students develop History Day projects. I want to thank everyone for your support and the opportunities to teach your children over the past years. It was a difficult decision, but the best one for my husband and me at this time in our lives.

n.b. If you'd like to express your good wishes to Cherie her normal email will be active for some time, or you can mail a note to her at 768 Hamline Av. S., St. Paul, MN 55116.  -editor

Greetings!

My name is Allissa Koenen and I am the new middle school Social Studies teacher here at CVA. I live in Stillwater with my husband Matthew (also a history teacher), my one year-old son Eliott, and two cats. For the past few years, I have been teaching in Grantsburg, Wisconsin where I taught middle and high school social studies.  I have also been a very active participant in the National History Day program and I have had the pleasure of taking students to the national contest multiple times.  I cannot wait to get to know all of you this fall as I work with you and our students.