Volunteering Around Pennsylvania!

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Ben Ozgur

Students learn a lot when they have an opportunity to use their skills, patience, and humility to give something back to the community. Here at 21CCCS, we encourage student curiosity and devotion to helping others. Here are some great resources that can help you to reach out and help organizations and causes in a town or city near you! Hey, go ahead and invite your friends and family members to participate with you! You’ll be surprised what you can accomplish with a little motivation to do good.

1.) www.Idealist.org: This site lists jobs and internships, but it also offers lists upon lists of volunteer opportunities. This site is easy to use, search-friendly, and a huge resource for anyone interested in getting involved!

2.) www.Volunteermatch.org: This site lets you search for volunteer opportunities that fall into categories such as “Advocacy and Human Rights,” “Animals,” “Arts and Culture,” or “Board Development.” This will help you to pinpoint the kinds of opportunities you’re searching for.

3.) www.Volunteerlv.org: This site will show volunteer agency postings for opportunities within the Delaware Valley. If you know you have some free time coming up in your life, you can even search for opportunities by date! This is a great way to get started with some smaller scale projects.

4.) http://www.Nature.org: This site provides information about The Nature Conservancy, which operates to protect and preserve nature. In Pennsylvania, it serves to protect a wide array of preserves across the Northwest, Central, and Southwest regions of the state. For more details on volunteering, take a look at their link for volunteering, which is called “Give Back to Nature.”

5.) http://Pspca.org/volunteer: If animals are your thing, this is a great resource for you. Animals need your help all over the state, and this does not have to mean only adopting or fostering animals. There are needs for office assistants, photographers, special events assistants, and more. Check out this site if your heart melts for animals! You can make a difference today!

Please tell us about your experiences! If you are volunteering already, or if these sites help you to find opportunities, we want to hear all about it! Email kely@21cccs.org with details and/or pics!

Tips to Help You Succeed This Year

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Ben Ozgur

School is starting this week! Everyone wants to know, “What are the best ways to get prepared for school?” Here are a few easy tips to help you get ready and succeed once things get started.

1.) Organize Your Workspace:

In cyber school, where you complete your schoolwork is not provided to you, nor is it swept and cleaned by the school’s cleaning staff each day. Where you work is up to you. It’s important to make this spot comfortable, but also a place without distractions.

2.) Check Your Laptop:

When you receive your laptop, be sure to use the checklist provided to you by our Tech Department. Be sure that you can open applications, check your email, and get online successfully. If anything is not functioning as it should, be sure to contact Tech. They are available in the Tech Virtual Office and over the phone at 484.875.5467.

3.) Clean/Organize Your Desktop:

Once you get your laptop running, there will be a lot of files and documents you’ll want to save to the computer on a regular basis. You should not delete things in case a teacher needs it at a later time! Keeping things organized means starting off on the right foot. Create folders on your desktop for each of your courses and remember to drag documents into the folders as you work! Delete old emails and make room for the things to come!

4.) Get to Know Your Learning Coach:

Your teachers and learning coaches want to get to know you! They are here to help. They can offer assistance with academic support, lesson differentiation, communication with other subject teachers, and more. They will reach out to you throughout the year, but be sure to reach out to them whenever you need help with something! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Cyberschool Announcements, Moodle, and the Website Blog! We are always providing more information for you there.

5.) Reflect On the Past Year:

It is likely that you were in a class of some kind last year! Now it’s time to get back into the academic mindset. What were some things that worked or didn’t work last year? How can you improve this year? Talk with your teachers and learning coach to decide the best practices you can put into place this year to become the best student you can! We want to help!

Have you got ideas of your own to share with others? Email kely@21cccs.org, and share your preparation practices with us! We’ll blast your responses on Facebook and Twitter!

How Does Curricular Development Occur?

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Ben Ozgur

While students and many of our teachers enjoy a variety of things during the summer months, there is a flurry of activity in our summer office. Between the end of June and late August, various individuals are working to set and develop coursework for the school year to come. The contributing members of this process include the Curriculum Committee, Instructional Systems Design Team, and highly qualified, certified teachers. We all work to accomplish two primary things.

First, the Instructional Systems Design Team must clear all information out of the courses from the previous quarter (be it summer school, or spring coursework). Gradebooks, comments, feedback, and saved assignments are all cleaned from the courses to make room for new students. So long as there are no students in a given class shell, we can easily make changes to these classes based on the previous running of the course. In some cases, this means editing content and/or assignments. We adapt lessons according to how well students understood, grasped, or liked aspects of their classes. We work to refine the things that we can for the next round of students to come.

Second, we work to develop new courses. This means building a class from the ground up. We start with curriculum mapping. We develop content and assignments that match up to PA state standards and the Common Core. For us, this is a hugely important. Many schools use a given set of textbooks in their classrooms. Because textbooks are crafted for wide, sweeping audiences, they are not necessarily as specifically aligned to a state’s given set of educational standards. When we craft our own courses, everything is aligned in a way that is efficient and strongly supports student learning in our home state.

Next, we add in differentiated assignments and stream new videos and audio clips. This year, we are working to develop 11 brand new classes, which include classes in core subject areas (chemistry, math essentials, and middle school language arts) and electives (marketing, digital photography, and study skills).

By the first day of school, on August 28^th, students will have the opportunity to take courses built just for them. They will have the chance to learn from content that is hand-crafted, adaptable, creative, and helpful to students of various learning needs. What makes this process really special is the fact that students can hear and see our own teachers in these classes. In many cases, they record and develop their own videos. Their voices are also present in the content itself. Within all of the text, teachers explain concepts to their students in a familiar tone. This helps to make learning fun and conversational. In a cyber environment, we feel this is extremely important. In an age when online curricular content is frequently purchased from larger companies, we feel proud to offer our students hands-on, approachable learning that is aligned to standards.

Keep your eyes and ears open for new 2013-2014 courses! Our teachers will be working hard to continually adapt and modify these courses. We look forward to working on them with you throughout the school year!

Alumni Spotlight

Posted on June 24, 2013October 27, 2015 by Ben Ozgur

Life takes each of us to a different place. Sometimes, we are pleasantly surprised to see where we land. After leaving 21CCCS, Teresa found herself in the rainforest. In this “Alumni Spotlight Blog,” read below to learn more about her incredible adventures following graduation!

Teresa:

A few years ago I couldn’t possibly have imagined that the summer after my freshman year of college, I would find myself in the rainforests of Malaysian Borneo, living out my dream of studying birds. But, last summer that’s where I was: living in an idyllic cabin on a pond in the jungle, watching and filming the most beautiful birds I’ve ever seen, and helping to answer (and ask!) questions about their poorly-known biology.

I had this wonderful opportunity because I joined a research group at my college. Participating in it has taught me so much about planning international expeditions, coming up with research questions, and doing real-world science (which is a lot more exciting than reading textbooks!) My experience with Borneo and my classes at Cornell have reinforced my desire to pursue this kind of work for the rest of my life, and I plan to continue my studies to become an ornithologist.

My advice to current high school students is that you shouldn’t dismiss your dreams, even if they’re a little out of the ordinary. Doing what I love motivates me to work hard and do the best that I can. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Also, get to know your professors if you go to college; they may seem a little intimidating at first, but in my experience they love what they do and they love sharing it with their students. Some of them know of exciting research opportunities as well!

If you’d like to read about the research I helped with in Borneo (or just see pictures of gorgeous birds and other Bornean wildlife), check out my group’s website by CLICKING HERE.

Summer is Here!!!

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Ben Ozgur

Yesterday marked the last day of school for our teachers. If you were in the building with us today, you would hear teachers whirling through the office, finishing their tasks for the end of the year. They have worked with their students to get them through the end of the year. They have entered final grades, mailed out report cards, and attended the end of the year party and graduation ceremony. So, what’s next?

805 Springdale Drive has been busy with the sounds of shuffling, taping, box moving, and cleaning! Our teachers have spent the last two days organizing their desks, clearing out closets and supplies, and checking off checklists to be sure that everything will be ready for next year!

But our school will not close entirely! Several staff members (including our Enrollment Team!) will be available to answer questions for next year, enroll new students, and to help those enrolled in summer school courses! We are just a phone call or email away! Our office will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Monday through Thursday of each week! Your teachers will miss you, and a few of us will be here, thinking of you!

So, where will your teachers be this summer? Here are a few things that will keep them busy:

I’ll be Teaching at Bryn Mawr’s Summer Institute for the Gifted. I’ll also be working on our new house in Ardmore.
I will attend carnivals and fairs with my family. I love to fish at Blue Marsh Lake. I’ll take my kids there!
I will catch up on my sleep and work on community theatre shows in my area!
I’ll get to the beach in Ocean City, MD. I can’t wait!
We are planning to camp on Assateague Island and spend a week in Ocean City, Maryland! Personally, I’ll be spending lots of time as a chauffeur for my daughters–taking them to camps, swim meets, and to visit friends!
We are going to see the Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam, and a few cities in California. We will be gone for two weeks straight.
I am traveling to Spain to explore the country and practice Spanish!!!
We have a family vacation to the Delmarva Peninsula planned. I will also be teaching social studies for summer school.
My kids and I will be spending 2 weeks in Maine, going to the beach, eating lobster, and having a blast!
We are headed to New England. We stay in a lovely little house on the beach in Plum Island. We will be spending July 4th in Boston. After that, it’s just horse shows and flies!
I’m teaching an ESY program for high school students with disabilities. It’s like school and summer camp all wrapped in one!

What’s Happening?…with Ms. Cherrier

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Ben Ozgur

Downingtown is a beautiful place to be on a Thursday!

On Thursday, May 2nd, I got home from school and found myself incapable of keeping my eyes open. I was sleepy, bored, and perusing my Twitter feed. Quickly I came across a tweet from #DowningtownDOES. (PS- I highly suggest adding all of the local blogs and newspapers to your own Twitter feed to keep you busy in a new area.) The tweet stated “First ever Downingtown Farmers Market tonight from 3-7 p.m.”

Being a complete foodie, I had to jump in my car and head over there. When I arrived, I couldn’t believe how many cars there were! I was happy to be amongst others who share in my beliefs of shopping local and eating healthy. I wandered around with other dog-friendly hipsters and taste-tested delicious cheeses and honeys. I closed my eyes and laid in the grass, enjoying the music of a young group of violinists. I’m happy to report that the farmer’s market will take place every Thursday in Kerr Park throughout the rest of the summer. I highly suggest checking it out sometime!

What’s Happening? …with Ms. Cherrier!

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Ben Ozgur

Sometimes, starting a new teaching job means moving to a new place. Such was the case for new teacher, Ms. Cherrier. Read below to see what Ms. Cherrier has to say about finding things to do in a new place! In the future, she will be posting information throughout the school year on events and fun things happening in Chester County. Stay tuned for more to come!

In her words:

Moving to a new area can be really scary! Before I started teaching at 21CCCS, I lived in the same town for almost ten years. I lived in the same spot all through my college and graduate school years. All my friends and family are still there, in Lehigh. So, it is a weird feeling to leave them all behind. When I became a teacher at 21CCCS, I moved to Exton, PA, where our school was located. I quickly realized I had no idea what to do with myself! But, this wasn’t the case for long. I learned that getting acclimated to a new place is all about being brave and trying new things.

My “What’s Happening” blog will include summaries of my journeys as I begin to explore Chester County and learn what is around here. Some of the things I have always enjoyed include going to new places, cooking, exploring hiking trails with my dog, and critiquing restaurants. I intend to share with you in some of these adventures, as your teacher, and as your friend, to help you understand what it is like to move away from what you know!

Enjoy!

Also, if you have ideas or suggestions, please feel free to add comments! I’m always excited to hear about the things others find in our town!

Twitter Attack!

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Ben Ozgur

21CCCS is very excited to have launched Twitter handles for our teachers recently. Many of your teachers can be searched by their first initial, last name, and the symbols “21CCCS.” While not all of our teachers yet have their handles up and running, we are all in the process!

It has been a fun experience for our teachers to tinker with Twitter. They are posting weekly points goals, assignment information, helpful links and resources, cool articles, and encouraging words of wisdom. The teachers are working tirelessly to help get their students in gear for the end of the school year! We are on our last leg…ready for the end of quarter four!

But, many folks who are not yet active tweeters are wondering, What can I use Twitter for? What’s so great about it? Why should I care?

I’m happy you’re asking! And I’m happy to tell you! Here is a list of things you can use Twitter for that will rock your socks!

1.) Receive real-time updates on news and current events. Try following trustworthy news sites such as

2.) Follow your school (@21CYberSchool) and teacher handles to find information about school events, happenings, and the buzz. We work to post information about local happenings as well, to give you the opportunity to get involved in your community!

3.) Join conversations with primary sources of information. Twitter gives you the option not only to read a Tweet, but to reply to one. This means that if you are following a local legislator and wish to comment on policy, news, or recent events, you can do so! You can voice your opinion and join a local or national conversation at the “tweet” of a button.

4.) Find resources. Plenty of articles, videos, images, infographics, and more, are posted each minute. As a source of information, you can refer to Twitter! Use the search box to narrow down your results and find what people are talking about, as it pertains to your research topic. Learn what’s new and fresh, in terms of resources. While Twitter itself should not necessarily be quoted as a legitimate source, it can lead you to some cutting-edge information that will help you to remain on top of what’s fresh.

5.) Learn what’s trending. Do you ever feel like you’re not sure what everyone else is talking about? Twitter shows you what topics and hashtags are the most popular each day. This means you can refer to Twitter to learn what the nation is tweeting about. This will help you to recognize what’s buzzing in the world, and what your teenagers are talking about.

21CCCS Pinterest Page Launched!

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Ben Ozgur

21CCCS is proud to announce the launching of our very own Pinterest page. Thanks to the hard work of Ms. Vice and Ms. Kennelly, there is now a space where parents and students can browse articles, events, educational resources, and more. Our teachers have developed separate “Pinboards” for each content area within our school, along with a few other areas of interest. Some of the boards include: Humanities, Student Showcase, Parent Resources, Math Department, Science Department, and Exceptional Learners. But, don’t take our word for it! Check out our page for yourself by CLICKING HERE. Enjoy!

What are the PSSAs, Again?

Posted on March 19, 2013October 27, 2015 by Ben Ozgur

We all know that students are asked to take standardized state exams each year. But, what are they? Where do they come from? And what is their purpose?

I’m glad you’re asking yourself these questions! I’m even more glad that I have some answers!

The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) is set in place to distribute various assessments and produce reports based on assessment scores. The state does this to unify what is taught to students throughout the commonwealth, ensuring that all students meet a general set of standards, and making them prepared citizens who can tackle life after school. Students in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 11 are assessed in mathematics and reading skills. Writing skills are then assessed in grades 5, 8, and 11.

While testing is mentally taxing for all involved, these assessments assists schools in determining student proficiency in basic subjects that will serve them well later in life. Test scores have been linked to graduation requirements, so that students must pass these exams, showing advanced or proficient understanding of the subjects tested, in order to graduate.

What the state finds especially helpful is that these exams not only prepare students from an academic standpoint. But, the scoring and reporting structure set in place helps the state to recognize how schools are performing. Student scores are utilized to calculate an Annual Yearly Progress score, or AYP. The state mandates that schools must meet a determined AYP score each year, to validate that their teaching practices are aligned to state standards, and produce results in student performance.

PSSA exams cost time and money to distribute to students. For a cyber school such as 21^st Century, teachers are sent to various locations throughout the state to distribute and proctor exams. It is a wonderful opportunity for teachers to see their students, and help make students as comfortable as possible before engaging in such a robust testing process.

Students in traditional brick-and-mortar schools have the afforded benefit of space and facility availability for testing purposes. They have gymnasiums, libraries, cafeterias, and large classrooms. Cyber schools, such as 21CCCS, need to rent space and send teachers and staff to man those spaces. Many teachers and staff make overnight trips, staying in hotels. Due to the disparity in expense, cyber schools provide testing in just one day. This means students must take each examination in one sitting, as opposed to taking them over the course of a few days, which traditional students are able to do).

What material is assessed in PSSA exams? In Pennsylvania, there are two sets of standards: the Common Core, and the PA State Standards. These standards contain skills, anchors, and the indicators of those skills. They are helpful guidelines that assist educators by defining what skills students should have, and how students can show their knowledge of those skills. The information outlined in our state standards reflects many of the subjects and topics that will be tested in the exams.

For more information on how to best prepare for the exams, CLICK HERE!

21st Century Cyber Charter School

Category: Events