MOVA HS Family Newsletter

Daily attendance is critical for academic success at MOVA. Students must log in and complete work every school day, even if they are participating in an approved Learning Experience. If a student will be absent for more than four consecutive days, families must complete an Extended Absence Form.

When filling out the form, please ensure all sections are completed in full, including the student ID number. Additionally, any relevant documentation, such as a doctor’s note, should be attached.

Excused absences must be submitted and approved by MOVA’s administration. Absences will be reviewed based on reasonable causes, such as serious or prolonged illness, severe injury, or family emergencies. Unapproved or unreported absences will be marked as truant. Excessive truancy puts students at risk of being recommended for withdrawal from the MOVA program and may require reporting to the State Department of Education.

Attendance is determined by the completion of assignments and assessments in all courses, as defined by MO Rev Stat § 161.670. Therefore, it is essential that students stay engaged and keep up with their assignments to maintain good standing.

You don't need to watch every assignment or every minute of your student's school day to know whether they're on track. Instead, focus on a few key indicators that give you the big picture of how things are going.

👀 What to Look For

• Current Grades: Check each course grade and whether it is staying steady, improving, or beginning to decline.
• Missing or Incomplete Assignments: Look for work that hasn't been submitted or completed. Missing assignments can quickly make it harder to keep pace in a quarter-long course.
• Teacher Feedback: Look beyond the grade. Teacher comments can show where your student is doing well, where they may be struggling, and what they can do to improve.
• Upcoming Work: Know what's coming next. Upcoming assignments and deadlines can help you see whether your student is planning ahead.
• Live Class Participation: Is your student regularly attending and participating in their scheduled Live Classes?
• Course Pace: Is your student making consistent progress, or is work beginning to pile up?

These indicators give you a much clearer picture than any one grade or assignment alone and can help you notice changes before they become larger concerns.

💡 Learning Coach Tip

You don't have to know everything your student is doing—you just need to know enough to recognize when something changes. Monitoring is about staying connected to the bigger picture, not managing every part of your student's school day.

Checking progress is most helpful when your student is part of the process. Rather than reviewing everything on your own and then telling your student what you found, use your progress check as an opportunity to help them understand and take ownership of their own progress.

Let Your Student Lead the Check-In

Set aside 10–15 minutes each week and ask your student to pull up their courses and walk you through:

• How am I doing? — Review current grades.
• Am I caught up? — Identify missing or incomplete assignments.
• What feedback have I received? — Read recent teacher comments.
• What's coming up? — Look ahead at assignments and deadlines.
• What's my priority? — Identify what needs their attention next.

Over time, students should increasingly be able to check their own grades, read feedback, make a plan, and reach out to teachers when they need help.

💡 Learning Coach Tip

Try asking questions before giving answers. “What do you notice?” “What needs your attention this week?” or “What's your plan?” keeps your student doing the thinking while you provide support and accountability. Don't just check on your student. Check in with your student.

Let your student show you their progress first. Then use questions to help them notice what is happening, think through what needs attention, and decide what to do next. Your job is to guide the conversation—not immediately solve the problem.

If they are on track…

• What are you feeling good about this week?
• What helped you stay on track?
• Is there anything coming up that you need to plan for?
• What do you want to keep doing next week?

If they are starting to fall behind…

• What do you notice about where you are right now?
• What got in the way this week?
• Which assignment or class needs your attention first?
• What is your plan to get caught up?
• When will you work on it?

If a grade is lower than expected…

• What do you think is affecting your grade?
• Have you looked at your teacher's feedback?
• Is there something you don't understand, or is there work you still need to complete?
• What could you do to improve it?
• Do you need to reach out to your teacher?

If they aren't sure what to do next…

• What have you already tried?
• Where are you getting stuck?
• What information could help you figure out your next step?
• Who at school could help you?

These questions reflect the same approach in the Learning Coach resources: start with curiosity, help the student identify the challenge, and give them an opportunity to determine their next step before stepping in to solve it for them. The goal isn't to leave the check-in with you holding a to-do list. It's to leave with your student knowing what they need to do next.

Every student will have an occasional tough assignment, missed deadline, or frustrating day. One setback doesn't necessarily mean there's a bigger problem. What matters is whether you're beginning to see a pattern.

👀 What Should Get Your Attention?

Watch for changes such as:

• Grades beginning to decline across a course or multiple courses
• Missing or incomplete assignments starting to accumulate
• Falling further behind pace instead of catching back up
• Missing or not participating in Live Classes
• Less communication with teachers or not asking for help when needed
• Not checking email, announcements, or other school communication
• Increasing frustration, overwhelm, or discouragement about school

🔎 One Setback or a Pattern?

Instead of reacting to one piece of data, ask yourself:

• Is this unusual for my student, or have I seen it more than once?
• Is the problem getting resolved, or is it continuing?
• Is it affecting one assignment, or beginning to affect the course or school day?
• Is my student taking steps to address it, or does the problem keep growing?

A single missing assignment may simply need a plan. Several missing assignments, a declining grade, and missed Live Classes together tell a different story.

💡 Learning Coach Tip

Look for patterns, not perfection. Early warning signs aren't a reason to panic—they're a signal to get curious. When you notice a pattern developing, that's the time to check in with your student, understand what's getting in the way, and determine what support they may need.

When you notice a problem, your first instinct may be to fix it—and sometimes your student will need you to step in. But before taking over, give them an opportunity to work through the challenge themselves.

Learning how to recognize a problem, try a solution, ask for help, and adjust when something doesn't work builds independence, persistence, and problem-solving skills.

Productive struggle doesn't mean struggling alone. You're still there to provide encouragement, ask questions, and help when needed—you just aren't automatically doing the problem-solving for them.

It can be hard to watch your student struggle without immediately stepping in to fix the problem. This short video from Edutopia shows how giving students space to think, try, and work through appropriate challenges can support learning.

1. NOTICE
You see something that needs attention—a missing assignment, declining grade, missed Live Class, or another concern.

2. ASK
Before solving it, get curious.

• What happened?
• What have you already tried?
• Where do you think you're getting stuck?

3. LET THEM PLAN
Give your student an opportunity to identify the next step.

• What do you think you should do next?
• Who could help you?
• When are you going to do it?

4. FOLLOW UP
Give them the opportunity to follow through, then check back.

• Were you able to do what you planned?
• Did it solve the problem?
• What still needs to happen?

5. STEP IN WHEN NEEDED
Increase your support when your student:

• Doesn't know how to move forward
• Isn't following through on the plan
• Has tried, but the problem isn't improving
• Continues to experience the same concern
• Is becoming increasingly behind, overwhelmed, or disengaged

Stepping in doesn't always mean taking over. It might mean helping your student break the problem into smaller steps, adding more structure or accountability, sitting with them while they contact their teacher, or reaching out to the appropriate school support together.

Start with the least amount of support your student needs to move forward—and add more when they need it.

Sometimes a question is enough. Sometimes they need help making a plan. And sometimes they need you beside them to get the problem resolved.

Support should increase when your student needs it—not automatically because a problem exists.

You don't have to figure out virtual learning on your own! The MOVA HS Learning Coach Resource Library is available throughout the year with practical information, tools, and guidance to help you support your student.

Each month, we'll highlight a few resources that connect to what you and your student may be working through right now.

Best for: Knowing how to support without taking over

Use the Supporting Your Student Guide when you're thinking about how to respond to what you see. It includes strategies for:

• Building student independence
• Supporting productive struggle
• Asking questions instead of immediately solving problems
• Helping students plan and problem-solve
• Knowing when to provide more support

Why we recommend it this month: Monitoring tells you what's happening. This guide helps you decide how to support your student next while continuing to build their independence.

Best for: Understanding what to monitor

Use the Academics Guide when you want to better understand the information you're seeing about your student's progress. It includes guidance on:

• Monitoring student progress
• Understanding grades and teacher feedback
• Course pacing and the quarter system
• Attendance and Live Class expectations
• Knowing when academic progress may need additional attention

Why we recommend it this month: This is your go-to resource for understanding the academic side of staying on track and what information can help you see the bigger picture.

Consider connecting with MOVA if your student is:

• • A concern continues even after your student has made a plan and tried to address it.
  • Missing work or falling behind is becoming a pattern.
  • Your student has reached out for help but is still stuck.
  • The concern is beginning to affect multiple classes or their overall progress.
  • Your student is becoming increasingly overwhelmed, frustrated, or disengaged.
  • You're not sure what support your student needs or who to contact.

🏠 Start with your student’s Homeroom Teacher if you’re seeing a broader pattern or simply aren’t sure who can help.

Your student’s Homeroom Teacher is a consistent point of connection throughout the school year. They help monitor progress, support schoolwide initiatives, and work with students to develop the habits and skills they need for success.

👩‍🏫 Start with the Course Teacher when your question or concern is specific to one class.

Course teachers are your best resource for questions about assignments, grades, feedback, course pacing, Live Classes, or other course-specific concerns.

🎓 Start with your student’s School Counselor when your concern involves their overall academic plan, credits, course schedule, graduation progress, future planning, or social-emotional support.

Your student’s counselor can help with graduation planning, course scheduling, credit questions, postsecondary planning, and social-emotional support.

Not sure who your student’s Homeroom Teacher is? You can find their name right in Canvas.

1. Log in to your student’s Canvas account.
2. From the main Dashboard, find the tile labeled “Homeroom.”
3. Open Homeroom and look on the main page.
4. Your student’s Homeroom Teacher’s name will be listed there.

💡 Good to know: Homeroom appears alongside your student’s courses in Canvas, but it is not an academic class. It is your student’s home base for schoolwide information, resources, and support.

This month, try shifting one weekly progress check into your student's hands.

Instead of opening their courses and telling them what you see, ask your student to walk you through their progress. Let them identify what's going well, what needs attention, and what they plan to do next.

Try It This Week

Set aside 10–15 minutes and have your student answer:

• Where am I right now? What do my grades, assignments, and course progress show?
• What's going well? What am I proud of this week?
• What needs my attention? Is anything missing, behind, or becoming a concern?
• What's coming up? What do I need to be prepared for?
• What's my plan? What are my priorities and next steps?
• Do I need help? Is there anything I can't solve on my own, and who could help me?

Your role is to listen, ask questions, and help your student think through their plan before stepping in to solve the problem.

From the cheer mat to serving her community, Lianna has a LOT to celebrate! 🎉

📣 She recently took 1st place at a state cheer competition while continuing to train in cheer, tumbling, and jumping.

⚜️ Through Scouting America, she has also earned 7 merit badges, completed 3 rank advancements, and dedicated more than 40 hours to volunteering in her community!

Lianna’s family shares that one of the benefits of MOVA has been the flexibility it gives her to pursue the things she loves—giving her more time to practice cheer, work toward new merit badges, and volunteer in her community.

Lianna, we are so proud of the hard work, dedication, and heart you bring to everything you do. Keep shining and doing amazing things! 💙👏

Hunner has reached an impressive milestone through the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program! ✈️

🎖️ Hunner recently earned the Brigadier General Billy Mitchell Award, an achievement that places him among the top 15% of Civil Air Patrol cadets nationwide!

With this accomplishment, Hunner has earned the rank of Cadet Second Lieutenant in the Table Rock Squadron of the Missouri Wing.

Hunner’s family shares that MOVA’s FLEX program has given him the flexibility to attend Civil Air Patrol encampments and special activities while continuing his education.

Hunner, we are proud to celebrate your dedication and this outstanding achievement. Keep aiming high! 💙👏