Back to School Newsletter - VSH

Welcome!

We hope you had an enjoyable summer break! We would like to welcome both new and returning students to Virtual School House this fall. We are excited for the learning opportunities that await us!

School starts August 12th. Please check your WASD email for updates and welcome letters from your teachers.

Welcome Cyber Knights!

August 11-14, 2026:

Laptop Pick Up - Tuesday - Friday: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM (6075 N Locust Grove Rd, Meridian, ID 83646)

• IF you currently DO NOT have a West Ada laptop checked out or if there is a concern with your current device that is checked out to you, YOU WILL need to swap out your laptop for a Chromebook. If you're not able to come at this time, please call 208-350-5232 to schedule a time to pick up your laptop.

August 12, 2026

• First Day of School - Please check your WASD email for the teachers' welcome letters.

August 24, 2026 - School Pictures

August 25, 2026 - Back to School Night at Virtual School House - 6:00 PM-7:30 PM

September 7, 2026 - No School- Labor Day

September 16, 2026- No School- Teacher Professional Development

New Students OR if you need a new West Ada laptop

Come by the school this week (8/11-8/14) 6075 N Locust Grove Rd between 12pm-2pm and check out a new laptop. If you're not able to come at that time, reach out to 208-350-5232 to schedule a time to pick up your new laptop.

Returning West Ada students

If you have your laptop from your home school, you can continue using it for your schoolwork.

Student schedules are now available in PowerSchool.

Please remember that our VSH counselors are continuing to make changes, finalize schedules, and balance classes to ensure that schedules are equitable for students and teachers.

Please check your student's schedule prior to the start of school on Wednesday, August 12th.

Teachers will be sending out welcome letters starting on Tuesday, August 11th with important information about their classes.

If you have questions about your student's schedule, please contact your students school counselor (see contact information below) The deadline to request a schedule change is Monday, August 18th.

In order to view class schedules ALL CONTACT information must be updated in PowerSchool.

If you need assistance with your password for PowerSchool, please call the IT department at 208-350-5300.

Counseling updates - Students will continue to be assigned to a counselor per the students' last name. Please reach out to your counselor if you have any questions.

Nikki Madsen - (A-G)

madsen.nicole@westada.org

moyer.cortnay@westada.org

Joleen Higginbotham - (O-Z)

higginbotham.joleen@westada.org

Authorized Use Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming an increasingly common part of school, work, and everyday life. West Ada School District is committed to preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s challenges by helping them develop the knowledge, skills, and discernment needed to use AI responsibly, safely, and effectively. Our approach to AI aligns with guidance from the Idaho Department of Education and focuses on supporting learning, upholding academic integrity, protecting student information, and helping students become thoughtful and responsible users of artificial intelligence.

All major assignments and assessments will be identified using the West Ada AI SCAILE. Click on the photo to see it larger.

Virtual School House Advisory program promotes meaningful relationships between staff and students while providing academic support.

All students will be assigned to a VSH teacher who will advocate, encourage, promote, and problem solve any academic concerns for the entire school year! The goal of advisory is to foster learning, engagement, and success in the online learning platform.

Students can meet with their advisor via Teams meeting to further their learning, set practices for monitoring classes, and encouraging academic success. Be on the lookout for a welcome letter from your advisory teacher by the end of this week!

VSH block schedule is a recommended guideline to work on classes. Like being at an in-person school, a student should work on a class during the block time. For example, Math could be scheduled to work during the 1st block, and English 2nd block. This will support students learning and help keep the student on pace to complete their classes on time.

Teachers are also available during these block times to work with students.

• Email or book a virtual 1/1 meeting time. (Parents may book a meeting too.)

All student information is required to be updated every school year in PowerSchool. If this has not been done this year, please take the time to complete the update.

This process should only take 5 - 7 minutes to complete. Once you complete the forms, it will take 28-48 hours to be processed and for you to be able to view your student's schedule.

• Please make sure to read through all pages and sign the confirmation pages at the end of each form REGARDLESS of whether or not changes have been made.
• The fields marked with an red ** are the only field you will need to complete.

If you do not know your Parent PowerSchool account information, please call the WASD IT Help Desk at 208-350-5300. Their office hours are 7:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please DO NOT create a new account.

West Ada Families,

We hope you're enjoying your summer vacation. As the 2025-26 school year rapidly approaches, we wanted to remind all of our families about the Optional Device Protection plans. These plans offer a smart and practical safeguard to your family from the expense of repairing any accidental damage to your school-provided devices. Without an Optional Device Protection plan, loss or damage to school-issued devices or accessories can result in a charge of either $30 or $150 per incident. Purchasing a $25 plan covers the first incident for free, and then $20 for subsequent incidents.

Important Dates:

September 30th: Last day to sign up for Device Protection at the regular rate of $25, without a device inspection.

• Families may still sign up for Device Protection after this date but will be required to have their school-issued device inspected by a District technician to ensure it has not already been damaged. Students can accomplish this by bringing their device into their school's library or designated technical support location.

• New students to West Ada will have 30 days from the student's first day at their new school to sign up for Optional Device Protection.

Device Protection Tracking & Balance Notifications for 2025-26:

All technology fines will be in our PowerSchool Payment Portal until the first Thursday of each month, after which, any unpaid fines will move to MySchoolFees. This change aims to improve visibility of Technology fine balances and create a single contact and payment method at each secondary school for easier interactions for students and parents.

For any questions about Optional Device Protection or outstanding Technology balances, families can still send an email to onlinepayments@westada.org.

How to Purchase Optional Device Protection:

1. Login to PowerSchool (https://ps.westada.org/public/)

2. Click on the Payment Portal in the left sidebar

3. Click on the name of the child you would like to purchase protection for

4. Click on either Early Enrollment Optional Device Protection or Optional Device Protection

5. Click Add to Cart

6. Click the cart icon in the upper, right-hand corner.

7. Enter payment information and click Submit to complete your purchase.

For more detailed information and answers to frequently asked questions, please visit our website: Device Protection Program | West Ada School District