Hello Person County Schools Virtual Academy (PCSVA) students and families!

I am so excited to welcome you to the 2023-2024 school year! As a product of Person County Schools and educator for over 20 years, I look forward to working closely with students and parents to create a high-quality, virtual learning experience. My goal is to be a servant leader and work diligently to build relationships with each student and family. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.

Person County Schools Virtual Academy is in its third year for the 2023-2024 school year. We are a part of the Person County Schools district and will serve students this year in 5th through 12th grades. Students, families, and teachers who participate in PCSVA should abide by the K-12 Student, Family, and Teacher Responsibilities. Carefully review this document prior to Open House.

Dr. Tisha A. Duncan

Principal

duncant@person.k12.nc.us

336-599-1089

(ALL Students are REQUIRED to complete online student registration)- This can be accessed through your parent portal or by using the PCS website. If you need assistance with registration or access to a laptop (it is much easier to complete on a laptop), please visit Student Registration at 304 S. Morgan St or contact Ms. Erica Carr at 336-322-1021 or carre@person.k12.nc.us). Students will not be able to receive their assigned laptop until registration has been completed.

We are fortunate to continue our one-to-one laptop initiative. Because the laptop agreement is part of online student registration, this must be completed before a student can have a laptop assigned. Students enrolled at PCSVA are required to have access to reliable Internet.

PCSVA will have GoGuardian, a content filtering and monitoring program, installed on all student computers. Users breaking the rules of the contract may have their privileges revoked.

For the 2023-2024 school year, all students will be charged a $25.00 laptop fee. This fee must be paid online through the Online School Payment portal (link) prior to checking out a laptop. This is a new system and the attached flier provides additional information (link) on how to set up a payment account. A parent/guardian will need to set up the account prior to paying any fees in order to be linked to their child(ren). There will also be an optional laptop insurance plan fee of $50.00 available for purchase on the website.

At the start of the 2023-2024 school year, Person County Schools will transition to Online School Payments (OSP) for payment of ALL school-related fees. School Related Fees in Online School Payment (OSP) include Technology Use, Laptop Insurance, Laptop Damage and Repairs,

Library Fees, Parking, Club/Organization Dues, etc.

PCSVA will no longer use the K12 Payment Center (www.k12paymentcenter.com).

We will host a laptop distribution day on Tuesday, August 8, from 10am-12pm OR 2pm-4pm for students enrolled in grades 9-12 ONLY. High school students participate in courses on NCVPS and through Piedmont Community College. These classes begin BEFORE traditional school start on either Monday, August 14 (Early Start NCVPS) or Tuesday, August 15 (PCC), so you will need to pick up your laptop early. Distribution will be on the 3rd floor of PHS at PCSVA.

PCSVA is located on the 3rd floor of Person High School (1010 Ridge Road). Please park in the top lot in the front of the school and enter through the main doors. Doors will open approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the Open House times. Students will have the opportunity to check out their laptops, receive their schedules, and meet their teachers. We will also have a presentation with information about our policies and procedures for the coming school year.

Elem/Middle (5-7)

Middle/High School (8-12)

PCSVA will utilize the Google Classroom platform as our learning management system. Each grade level will follow a set schedule which will be linked and provided by your child’s classroom teacher. Grades 6-12 will follow the bell schedule which will be provided during Open House. Student instruction will be provided both in asynchronous (independent) and synchronous (live with teacher) formats. Attendance will be recorded daily and within each period. Cameras are expected to be on so that students are visible during instruction.

We are currently building our schedules for each grade level. Schedules will be available to you for review prior to the first day of school. PCSVA will use PowerSchool for attendance, grading, and scheduling.

2023-2024 Calendar (English)

2023-2024 Calendar (Spanish)

Piedmont Community College Calendar

NCVPS Academic Calendar

We align with the traditional school calendar with PCS and the first day for students is Monday, August 28, 2023. PCSVA utilizes the Google Workspace platform where teachers will instruct using both Google Meet and Google Classroom. Students enrolled in grades 9-12 also participate in courses on the North Carolina Virtual Public Schools (NCVPS) platform. These courses begin as Early Start courses on Monday, August 14, 2023 and courses for students who are enrolled at PCC will begin on Tuesday, August 15, 2023. PCSVA courses are asynchronous on Wednesdays.

Our program is designed to focus on effectively providing a high-quality, virtual learning environment for all students and we ask that families commit to being enrolled for the entire school year. Student engagement is critical in the virtual learning environment; therefore, students will be expected to keep their cameras on during synchronous (live) instruction with their teachers and peers. Attendance will be taken based on this policy. There will also be opportunities daily for students to work asynchronously and having parent/family support is strongly encouraged.

While we are able to instruct our students virtually, all district and state-mandated assessments will need to be conducted in person onsite at our location. Assessment schedules and detailed instructions will be provided in advance of each district and state-mandated assessment for 5-12 students.

Students in grades 9-12 at PCSVA will be enrolled in courses on the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) platform. This is a separate platform on Canvas and all courses are asynchronous. Students will be responsible for logging in daily and communicating with their course instructors with questions and/or concerns. Please note that NCVPS courses begin on August 14, BEFORE our traditional school calendar starts. Students enrolled in these courses will also complete their courses in early December before the traditional school calendar finishes for the semester.

Students will be required to complete a virtual orientation to NCVPS and will be assigned a username and password to access the NCVPS dashboard.

Please join us for our Virtual Open House. Come learn about NCVPS, meet with teachers and students, hear about support initiatives, and get all your questions answered about student learning with NCVPS!

We are offering two opportunities to attend the Virtual Open House. Please choose the date that works best for your schedule.

When: Tuesday, August 8, 6 PM - 7 PM or Thursday, August 10, 11 AM - 12 PM

Where: The event will be hosted in an NCVPS online classroom. Details will be sent following registration.

Presenters: NCVPS staff, teachers, and students

Topics Include:

• Who is NCVPS?
• Who are our teachers?
• How do our students learn?
• How does NCVPS support students?
• Who can enroll with NCVPS?
• Q & As

Audience: The NCVPS Open House is open to the public. While our presentations are geared toward schools, parents, and students in public schools, private schools, and home schools, we have something for everyone. Educators will learn about the NCVPS teaching and learning process. The general public will discover what quality online learning is.

All students attending the Virtual Academy will pay for their school meals using the A La Carte pricing per item. You can pay for your child's lunch on assessment dates by sending in cash or check for your child to give to the cafeteria.

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a food assistance program for eligible students that provides them with free or reduced-price meals through their school. Your child must attend a school that participates in NSLP to be considered for P-EBT. Most public schools participate. Some charter and private schools participate, but some do not. Virtual schools and homeschools are not eligible.

Students in grades 6-12 are eligible to participate in athletic programs at their assigned base schools. If your child is interested in trying out for these sports, please complete your child's sports physicals. Forms can be picked up in the main office of the assigned base school.

Person High School Athletics requires students to register online here. You may email the coaches directly for more information about workout/tryouts for each sport.

Football Coach Carl Smith

Volleyball Coach Amanda Ramirez

Soccer Ryan Jones

Tennis Stephen Poindexter

Cross Country Morgan Meyer

Golf Lynn Ward

Email: duncant@person.k12.nc.us
Website: https://www.pcsnc.org/Page/1017
Location: 1010 Ridge Road, Roxboro, NC, USA
Phone: 336-599-1089