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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (July 26, 2017)
Appeal Tribune Wednesday, July 26, 2017 3B Canyon views Lyons mom shares thoughts about kids’ online education JOLENE KINCAID COMMENTARY I never thought nine years ago I would be writing to the local paper about our family’s experience with the online pub- lic school our children attend, but when Oregon Connections Academy (ORCA) asked me to share my thoughts, I was happy to tell our story. I also know summer is a good time for families to consider options for their stu- dent’s school. When my friends ask me about Oregon Connections Academy, I tell them our experience, but also en- courage them to explore other choices. Maybe this column will be informative for other families, too, as they begin their journey. We started with ORCA when my son, Garrett, was midway through first grade, and my daughter, Sidney, was still in kindergarten. Garrett will be a junior this fall, and Sidney will be a sophomore. Oregon Connections Academy is the best school for our family, but we know it doesn’t work for everyone. When we first came to ORCA, our stu- dents were attending a private school, and it just wasn’t working for us. The kids were exhausted by mid-afternoon, and we had so little family time in the evenings as we rushed to deal with homework, dinner, and bedtime by a de- cent time. All this only to get up and do it all over again. The children didn’t present behavior problems, and they weren’t struggling academically, but we felt they were still slipping through the cracks and not get- ting the attention they needed. We didn’t blame the teachers; it was just hard to provide individual time for every stu- dent when some had discipline issues. I was worried that if I homeschooled, I would not teach them the right things. It was then that a parent with students currently attending Oregon Connections Academy told me about the school. I did my own research about the program and we decided to try this online public school rather than homeschool. Right away ORCA was a great fit for our students. The lessons meet state standards and they’re already provided, and state licensed teachers are there for instruction and support, so you never feel like you’re alone. Over the years we’ve especially loved the balance of flexibility and account- ability at the school. ORCA is truly what you want to make of it. For example, your students can attend some or all of the in- teractive online classes they call LiveLesson sessions, though we highly recommend attending LiveLesson ses- sions regularly. Students and parents can get as much help and feedback as they need from teachers. We have had such a great expe- rience with everyone, from the enroll- ment and tech support staff, to the teach- ers and administrators. Every ORCA family is different, but we have a daily routine for school: we COURTESY OF OREGON CONNECTIONS ACADEMY Jolene, Garrett and Sidney Kincaid of Lyons share thoughts about their experiences with online education. wake up pretty much the same time ev- ery day, have breakfast, get dressed, and begin school. The kids do better when we complete most core classes before lunch, and then work on other classes, or projects that take a little longer, after lunch. My kids love the fact that when they’re finished for the day, they’re done — no evening homework. They enjoy having downtime and through the years my children have had lots of socialization opportunities. The kids have participated in dance, they’re active in their church youth group, com- munity service, youth sports, and enjoy 4-H archery. We have friends in the OR- CA online school community, as well as homeschool families. Sometimes we get together to just hang out, and other times we go on our own mini field trips. Both my kids also enjoy Oregon Con- nections Academy’s fun and educational field trips. There are dozens of these events around the state throughout the school year and families can choose to at- tend or not. Our family highly recom- mends attending field trips. We love the opportunity to meet ORCA teachers and other families. The curriculum at Oregon Connec- tions Academy is top notch, including an incredible variety of electives. One of the things I love the most about ORCA is the staff is constantly coming up with ways to make the school even better. We were thrilled when the school started an annual prom two years ago and added student government last year. My son participated in both additions and feels they make him even more a part of the school. The flexible schedule with online learning has been really helpful. We like that with ORCA, if archery runs late, or something else is going on, and we get home later than usual, we can sleep in a little. That way there is no need to rush out the door to make it to class on time. One year, when my kids got really sick, we kept up with school by having them do a couple hours of lessons, rest, then do a few more. In a regular bricks-and-mor- tar school, they would have fallen so far behind, it would have taken weeks for them to catch up with their classmates. I asked my children to talk about Ore- gon Connections Academy and this is what Sidney wrote: “I like how the curriculum is chal- lenging and engaging. I can get one-on- one time to talk with a teacher when I need help. In bricks-and-mortar schools, sometimes a student can be overlooked and never get the help they need to suc- ceed. The teachers care about students learning at ORCA, and are always there to lend a hand. I never feel rushed to complete an assignment.” Here is the feedback I received from Garrett: “The program is very flexible for dif- ferent schedules. All of the teachers are very helpful, and work with each student to try and help them succeed. The school is very welcoming to new students, and will help you get on your feet. ORCA pro- vides opportunities for growth for stu- dents of all grades and educational lev- els.” If you do try Oregon Connections Academy, it can be a big adjustment ini- tially for students and parents alike, but don’t give up too soon and do reach out for help. There is so much support avail- able, you just have to ask. ORCA con- nects new Learning Coaches — parents or other responsible adults — who have questions or are struggling with experi- enced Learning Coaches for assistance. Anyone interested in making a change in their child’s education this fall, now is the perfect time to study the al- ternatives — charter schools, private schools, homeschooling and more. I en- courage those who are curious about Oregon Connections Academy to check out one of the in-person or online infor- mation sessions going on this summer. You can find out more at www.Oregon- ConnectionsAcademy.com/Events Jolene Kincaid or Lyons is the parent of two Oregon Connections Academy stu- dents. Enrollment is now open for the 2017-18 school year. For information, contact OR- CA at www.OregonConnectionsAcademy.com or by calling (800) 382-6010. 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