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Are You Looking for New Course Opportunities??
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We invite you to take a look at a new Middle School course - US History. Afterwards follow the Wordle link to learn about additional new course offerings. VLACS now offers over 90 courses.
VLACS' middle school courses continue to be quite popular as a choice for both home schooled and public school students. Many home schooled students enroll in our middle school courses for their core subject areas, English, math, social studies and science, while pursuing other experiential opportunities in the arts with their families. Public school middle school students often enroll in our courses to either supplement their current curriculum or because they are performing above grade level and want a great academic challenge. Many of these students are often also eligible to enroll in our high school level courses as long as they have met the necessary prerequisites. While we do not offer a full-time program for middle school students, middle school students may be active in four courses just like our part-time high school students. VLACS currently offers fifteen middle school courses many of which are also available at the honors level.
Middle School US History - - Learning about history allows us to see how far we have come and what awaits us on our path to the future. In this course, you will explore the history of the United States and analyze the cause and effect in historical events. You will investigate history by using the tools of a historian to examine the historical, geographic, political, economic, and sociological events that influenced the development of the United States. You will imagine what it was like to live in the past by reading the stories from the people who experienced it. This course begins with the engaging stories that brought the earliest American colonists to the New World and ends with the struggles to repair the United States following the Civil War. Engaging in this study will allow you to recognize the themes of history that span across centuries and will lead to a greater appreciation of the development of the United States and the resulting impact on world history.
- This course is recommended for students in 8th grade. There are no prerequisites for the M/J United States History course.
- 2 segments / 32-36 weeks
- Besides engaging students in challenging curriculum, VLACS guides students to reflect on their learning and to evaluate their progress through a variety of assessments. Assessments can be in the form of self-checks, practice lessons, multiple choice questions, writing assignments, projects, essays, oral assessments, and discussions. Instructors evaluate progress and provide interventions through the variety of assessments built into a course, as well as through contact with the student in other venues.
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Click the Wordle for our course catalogue!
Middle School, High School, Dual Credit & new course options.................
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| Meet Richard Reece - Mandarin Chinese I & II Student
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Richard Reece
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Furman University Program Participant
"Chinglish"! What's that you might ask? Keep reading and you'll find out! Richard Reece is an engaging 15 year old who was selected from 100's of students to attend a 2 week Chinese immersion program at Furman University in Greenville, SC.
Richard is an enthusiastic student who attends Oyster River High School and wants to go above and beyond with his education. Richard heard about VLACS from fellow students and decided to sign up for Chinese I in the 8th grade because Oyster River didn't offer Chinese. He had no technology issues as he began his first VLACS course but was thrilled with the "work at your own pace, in your time" and amazed by the instructor availability. Instructor engagement was immediate; he didn't have to wait until "the next class" to get feedback, do the next assignment, etc.
Richard believes that Chinese is an emerging and developing nation and will continue to be an international leader. When he looks to his future, he wants to understand the Chinese culture, learn the language, be ahead of the curve and be in an advantageous position. He went on to successfully complete Chinese II. Richard has decided to take VLAC's Personal Fitness and Green Design & Technology courses next year since the Chinese courses were so interesting and successful. He's even looked beyond next year and hopes to take Math online in his junior year so that he can take more electives at Oyster River.
Richard explained that he started to research online summer programs that offered an immersion in Chinese. Furman University, in partnership with Star Talk offered such a program. Richard said, "I had nothing to lose by applying for the grant"! Lo and behold, Richard was 1 of 24 students from around the country chosen to attend the 2 week camp. He was the youngest "camper" who lived and studied with experienced Chinese language teachers from China and bilingual camp counselors from Furman's Asian Studies Department. The "campers' studied 8 hours a day. They did language studies in the morning and then spent the afternoon engaging in fun activities that helped build their language skills while learning about China's culture - food, Tai Chi, dance, games, etc. His "immersion day" ended at 4:30 and when asked, "what happened at 4:35?", Richard replied, "Chinglish"! With a few giggles, he then commented on how much this experience developed his conversational Chinese, his independence and ability to travel alone, as well as providing him with the opportunity to meet people from all over the country.
This amazing young man is already exploring an immersion program in China for next summer and plans on taking Chinese courses at UNH during his High School Junior and Senior years. He's so thankful that VLACS provided this option for him and credits his instructor's natural language skill and extraordinary personal attention for his success and commitment to his Chinese studies. He strongly feels that VLACS paved the way for him to pursue his natural language talent and he fully intends to study Chinese in college.
Richard, VLACS wishes you
Good Luck or Zhù nǐ háoyùn 祝你好运
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Karisa Lawrence - A Noble Young Lady
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Karisa Receiving Her Diploma - June2011
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VLACS provided options........
Karisa Lawrence was barely 2 years old when her Mom was diagnosed with a rare, rapid-progressive form of rheumatoid arthritis. Although her Mom completed her RN degree and became a nurse, after 13 years the disease overpowered her and she had to retire. Karisa was now in high school and had to become her mother's primary care-giver. Karisa's responsibilities included bathing, dressing and cooking for her mom, as well as running errands and accompanying her mom to countless doctor's appointments.
So what does a young woman do about her education when shouldering, without a complaint, this monumental challenge and responsibility? Karisa's answer was to enroll in VLACS. Faced everyday with multiple obstacles, Karisa jumped into her studies with the same dedication she showed her family.
In addition to fulfilling her family's needs, Karisa was challenged with "test taking" and had a very serious back issue. She was not succeeding in school and she had to find a solution that would allow her to heal her back, care for her mom, alleviate test anxiety and eliminate poor school attendance. When she and her Mom discovered VLACS, they both felt it might be the perfect fit for Karisa. VLACS was like finding the "pot of gold". By taking VLACS courses in her junior year, she was able to stay at home to repair her back, to assist her mom and do her studies.
Initially, Karisa struggled with her scheduling. After several different scheduling attempts, she decided that working an entire day on her courses worked best for her. On that day, she would do all her assignments for the week for each subject. One thing she really appreciated was the fact that she could work on a project, but still move forward with her assignments. She always had the option to go back and continue to work on a specific project.
Karisa was amazed at how organized the courses were, how much more attention she received, how individualized it was and how much it helped her with her nervousness about presentations and testing. She took a variety of courses, i.e. English, American History, personal fitness, thinking & learning strategies, web design. She thought personal fitness was "cool", that thinking & learning strategies helped her get a handle on her test challenges and that Mr. Finan's American History course provided her with a better understanding of the country and enabled her to discuss history more intelligently and with greater knowledge. Her English 4 instructor, Mrs. Landregan was a compassionate, involved person who understood the barriers Karisa faced each day. Her kindness, patience and assistance while taking English 4 allowed Karisa to succeed.
It comes as no surprise that Karisa would like to become an RN and hopes to start that pursuit in the fall. The entire Lawrence family expressed their praise and appreciation of VLACS. With all the hurdles they faced daily, VLACS provided Karisa with a strong education, a boost to her self confidence, the ability to work independently and the realization that she was a smart, bright and capable young women.
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Amat Victoria Curam!
(Victory likes careful preparation)
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In 2011, more than 150,000 students applied to take the thirty-fourth National Latin Exam. Students from all 50 states and from 12 foreign countries participated this year. During the second week in March, over 137,000 students in 2,848 schools took the National Latin Exam in their own schools, and the exam was administered in 21 colleges and 10 elementary schools. Also participating were 1,973 students from 399 home schools and charter schools. VLACS is so proud of the following award winners!
Latin I
Cum Laude: Amelia Cook, Mian Horvath, Sara Kowalski and Kayla Mardin
Magna Cum Laude: Olivia Corbell
Summa Cum Laude & Gold Medalists: Nisha Devasia and Kimberly Hallowell
Latin II
Maxima Cum Laude & Silver Medalist: Brianna Russell
Latin III
Magna Cum Laude: Lauren Pratt
Maxima Cum Laude & Silver Medalist: Kathryn Jerome and Jacob Muscato
Summa Cum Laude & Gold Medalist: Morgan Chalue
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Congratulations VLACS Latin Students!
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Summer Instructor Conference
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Tony, Heather, Steve & Instructors
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VLACS Instructors Learn As Well..........
A two day summer conference was held in August to provide continuing education to VLACS Instructors. This annual event provides instructors a chance to learn from each other, learn to use new technology to enhance online learning, share best practices and to review our shared goals and expectations. As an online school, this annual summer training along with other professional development experiences throughout the year are instrumental in our development as an online learning community that is always looking for better ways to help our students grow and learn.
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- Main office number - 603-778-2500
- Address: PO Box 1050/30 Linden Street - Exeter, NH 03833
- Email - info@vlacs.org
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Thank you for being an integral part of the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School. As we gear up for the 2011-2012 school year, remember that VLACS is here to provide options for our NH students!
With appreciation,
Virtual Learning Academy Charter School
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