VLAC Family News

August 25: K-8 curriculum begins shipping for K-8 Lincoln students

September 2: First Day of School & Required Live Lessons

September 3: Required Live Lesson and Attendance Interaction Due

September 4: Required Live Lesson

September 8: Required Live Lesson

September 15: Required Live Lesson

September 22: Required Live Lesson

We are so excited to welcome our VLAC students and families to the 2025–2026 school year! The first day of school is Tuesday, September 2nd, and we can’t wait to begin another year of learning, growth, and connection together. Here’s to a wonderful start filled with new opportunities and bright beginnings!

September 2nd Begins VLAC's beginning of the year required live lessons with mentor teachers.

These will be held September 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 8th, 15th, and 22nd. During these sessions, our VLAC team will provide essential information to ensure a successful start to the year.

K-5 Link to Join Meeting - 10AM (parents encouraged to attend alongside their student)

6-8 Link to Join Meeting - 11AM
9-12 Link to Join Meeting - 1PM

If you are unable to attend the live lesson, contact your VLAC Teacher so they can arrange for you to access the recording of the lesson. You are required to either attend the live lesson or watch it at a later time.

We are excited to begin another wonderful year of learning with you! We wanted to share an important update about electives for students in grades K–5.

This year, all K–5 students will be enrolled in two elective courses in addition to their four core classes. These electives will be graded, just like core classes.

For families who are new to VLAC, this will simply feel like part of your child’s normal schedule. For families who have been with us before, you’ll notice this is a change. Our sending schools—your local school districts—regularly provide students with a balance of core and elective enrichment classes which are graded. As students sometimes move between VLAC and their home district schools, it was brought to our attention that our practice of not requiring graded electives did not align with what was being provided in by sending school districts.

Because our sending districts pay tuition for students to attend VLAC, we need to align with their expectations by offering both core and elective courses which are graded. This ensures your child’s schedule looks very similar to what they would experience in their local school, aligns the level of feedback they issue to learners, and supports a smooth transition if they move between settings.

These expectations were shared during our spring Information Night and are also included in your welcome packet. Please know that your mentor teacher is here to help you choose electives that are meaningful for your child and to support you with pacing and scheduling.

📅 Elective choices must be made by September 22nd.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your mentor teacher. We are here to partner with you and make sure your child has a great learning experience!

Curriculum Materials for Lincoln Learning
For students fully enrolled by August 22 and enrolled in Lincoln Learning courses, curriculum materials will begin shipping the week of August 25.
• K–5 students will receive curriculum kits and printed materials.
• 6–8 students will receive kits for courses that offer them (such as Science).
• 9–12 students will receive kits for certain courses as needed.
Note: If your child is enrolled in Imagine courses, the courses are 100% digital.

Once school begins, curriculum orders are processed daily and usually begin shipping 2-3 days after enrollment is finalized in the Lincoln platform. There are 3 items (Parent and Teacher Guides, Worksheet Collections, and Literature Collections) that are state specific and ordered through a 3rd party ‘print on demand’ vendor. Because of this, delivery times can vary. Most orders are delivered within 5-7 days.

You will receive tracking information via the email you enrolled with for course kits and ELA printed materials (not the Literature collection). You will receive multiple packages with multiple tracking numbers.

While your physical learning materials are still on their way, rest assured, your student can begin their online courses right away. All essential lessons and assignments are available digitally within the online platform, allowing your child to make meaningful progress even without printed materials. In the meantime, if you’d like access to key resources such as Parent and Teacher Guides or Worksheet Collections, these can be found and printed from the Course Resources folder in your student account. These tools are available to help support learning until your physical materials arrive or throughout the school year, if preferred.

To view the complete list of curriculum materials for grades K–12 Lincoln, please click the link: Curriculum Materials List

Students can log in through Clever at https://clever.com/in/VLAC using the credentials in Parent Portal. New students will also find login information in their tech package. Teachers or office staff can provide login details by phone after verifying your identity. Full login instructions can be found here: How to Log In to Clever

If you do not see a learning app that you expect to see, please make sure you have selected your courses with your VLAC counselor. It can take 24-48 hours for everything to sync with Clever once your courses have been entered into our student information system. If you have further trouble logging in or accessing a learning app, please contact your mentor teacher for assistance.

Classes will be uploaded to your student dashboard on the first day of school, Tuesday, September 2.

• A printed Welcome Packet will be mailed during the week your enrollment is completed.
• You can also view a digital version anytime at our website at www.vlac.org under the Current Families tab > Resources.
• All VLAC students will receive a student planner. Students are encouraged to reach out to their mentor teacher for guidance on how to use the planner effectively to support students' academic success.

Welcome back to VLAC for the 2025–2026 school year! To our returning families, we’re so glad to continue working with you, and to our new families, welcome- we’re excited to have you join our community. My name is Kristi McAllister, and I’m the Special Populations Consultant here at VLAC. Whether you're familiar with our program or just beginning your journey with us, we’re looking forward to a year filled with learning, growth, and connection. If you have any questions regarding your 504 Plan or IEP accommodations, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me - kristi.mcallister@oakland.k12.mi.us or 248.410.2202 - I’m here to ensure you have the tools and support you need for a successful school year. I look forward to partnering with you to help make this year a positive and rewarding experience.

• After enrollment is complete, new families will receive a technology package via FedEx. Keep an eye on your inbox (the email used during enrollment) for a message with tracking information from our Service Desk.
• Inside the package, you’ll find a welcome packet from the Service Desk, which includes your student's username and password on the first page, along with guidance on where to go for support.
• You can view the Technology Welcome Packet here.
• Returning students who already have a Chromebook do not need to wait for technology to ship.
• Shipments go out twice per week on Mondays and Thursdays. Most students receive their device within 3 days of completing enrollment.

Need help setting up your device and getting started? In-person appointments are available. Email info@vlac.org to request the sign-up link. You can also call our Service Desk with any questions at 248.209.2060.

We’re excited to welcome new families to VLAC! To help you get started, we’re offering optional one-on-one in-person onboarding sessions for those who would like extra help getting started. These sessions provide hands-on support with logging in, navigating our learning platforms, and answering any questions you may have.

To sign up, simply email info@vlac.org and request the link to schedule your session. Be sure to include the parent/guardian name and student name in the body of the email.

Sessions are held at Oakland Schools Main Campus in Waterford, MI (2111 Pontiac Lake Rd).

Please note: All students will participate in a virtual onboarding session with their mentor teacher as part of the regular onboarding process. The in-person session is completely optional and is offered as additional support for families who would like extra one-on-one guidance.

Our Lincoln and Imagine Virtual Family Learning Sessions were designed to help students and families make the most of the curriculum provided by our online partners. These informative sessions offered valuable insights into key features, resources, and strategies for navigating the learning platforms successfully.

If you missed the live sessions, don’t worry - recordings are now available on our website under the “Current Families” tab. We encourage all families to view the recordings to support a smooth and successful school year as well as completing your student orientation course (Lincoln) or your student orientation video (Imagine).

For more information about next school year, please see our VLAC Information Power Point. You can also watch a video of the presentation on our Youtube Channel .

If you need an order of ink or paper, please submit your order on this link and it will be shipped to you before school begins. Be sure to provide the model number of your printer. Thank you.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Fj5eycWwzFSPTLUQJFpatWOUBhu7XQvDv8TAYmM5a2o/edit

As we begin the new school year, Mrs. Connell and Mrs. Wasilk have been diligently reaching out to students and families to finalize class schedules. If you have any questions or concerns about your student’s courses—or are considering a schedule change—please don’t hesitate to contact us directly. Christine.Connell@oakland.k12.mi.us or Kimberly.Wasilk@oakland.k12.mi.us

We work closely with counselors at your student’s sending school to ensure course selections align with their recommendations. If a course change is needed, all requests must be submitted by September 9, 2025, for students starting classes on September 2, 2025.

We’re excited to kick off the year and look forward to working together for a successful and rewarding school year with our VLAC students and families!

Amanda McKay, Ph.D. Supervisor of Student Programs VLAC 248-804-4366

Andrea Becker VLAC Teacher Coordinator 248-941-2224

Kimberly Mason: VLAC Project Assistant 248-209-2025

Mary Kotcher: VLAC Office Assistant 248-209-2071

Kristi McAllister: VLAC Special Populations Consultant 248-410-2202

Christine Connell: VLAC Counselor 248-980-0831

Kim Wasilk: VLAC Counselor 248-980-0752

Joyce Brasington, Ed.D. VLAC Assessment and MTSS Counselor 248-297-1140

Technology Support: 248-209-2060

Email: info@vlac.org
Website: https://virtuallearningacademyconsortium.org
Location: 2111 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford Township, MI, USA
Phone: 248-209-2071
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VLAConsortium/
Twitter: @VLAConsortium