Life As A Cyber Senior!

Posted on October 2, 2013October 27, 2015 by Ben Ozgur

Hi, everyone! My name is Hannah Bisbing and I am a senior at 21CCCS. Last year, I was fortunate enough to compose a blog post instructing students how to cope with school-related stress. This year, I have returned to the 21CCCS blog for a new adventure. Throughout the year, I will be updating our blog with posts about senior life. These blogs will cover topics including: the challenges of college applications, SATs, dealing with senioritis, and other random anxieties.

~Welcome to “Life as a Cyber Senior!”~

To begin our first discussion, I will provide some personal information about my current school life. Within the past month, I have submitted two college applications to attain a priority status at Pennsylvania State University. I have written numerous personal/supplemental essays for other schools, studied for the October 5^th SAT, and attempted to stay on track with my schoolwork for 21CCCS. Without a doubt, this is certainly an exciting, yet chaotic, time for seniors. While school will be demanding this year, especially for the first semester, each of us should try to enjoy our hectic experiences as much as possible. That’s because for many of us, college life is less than a year away!

Last week, I also attended an informative event at Penn State, which was targeted at high school seniors. I actually went to the same event during my junior year, but the experience was even more thrilling the second time around. This time I knew that I had already applied! These types of occasions are excellent ways to become familiar with college settings, to ask questions to knowledgeable staff and students, and to visualize your contribution to a particular school. I highly suggest that seniors, juniors, and perhaps some eager sophomores take part in a few of these trips before deciding where to apply to school. Sometimes the college where you think you “should attend” is not actually where you truly belong. Feeling comfortable at a college and being able to envision yourself succeeding there is just as important as any college’s academic aspects.

For now, my main advice about getting back into the school cycle is to breathe. Focus on your goals and keep plugging along with your work. You can do this! Just take one step at a time.

And just for seniors, here’s a little reminder:

…but I think we can all agree that the meme goes a bit more like this…..

If you would like to comment or share any information, please visit the 21^st Century Cyber Charter School Facebook page. Feedback from students, parents, and teachers could be featured in upcoming posts!

Working While in School?

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Ben Ozgur

For lots of students, Cyber School is a great option because it differentiates your schedule, taking you away from the traditional 7:00 a.m. wake-up and 2:15 p.m. dismissal. Your schedule is what you make of it.

For some students, this change in schedule allows for the pursuit of part time work, which is a great way to gain experience and prepare for jobs to come in the future. Below you can find a list of some great job options for young people.

1.) Health Care Aid: Do you have a heart and passion for helping the elderly? You can easily work for a Retirement Home or Elderly Care center, and share your time with individuals who will appreciate your company! You can assist with simple tasks, such as visiting with residents, reading to them, or helping to facilitate guest visits when family members come to visit.

2.) Food Delivery: If you have a license, food delivery for a variety of restaurants may be the perfect fit for you! You get to use your new wheels, tour the neighborhood, meet people, and learn a bit about customer service. Careful though! Foods are not meant to be sampled on the ride over! (Just kidding.)

3.) Tutor: Are you great at a particular school subject? Are you a positive and encouraging person? Often times, the best person a younger student can learn from is an older student like you! Your perspective can really help students to understand difficult concepts and make them feel great. Talk to your teachers or guidance counselors about tutoring opportunities in your area.

4.) Animal Shelter Worker: Do you have a huge heart for anything furry, fuzzy, and loveable? Maybe you’d like to spend some time working for an animal shelter. They need lots of help playing with the animals, cleaning them, and making them feel at home until adoption day! This could be a great way to spend time after schoolwork is done!

5.) Retail Associate: There are plenty of jobs at the local retail shops in your area. Usually, these stores are in search of individuals to work with customers, stock inventory, clean, and more. Evening hours are usually available for anyone interested in part-time work. Walk right into your favorite spot, and ask if they are hiring. Even if they are not, consider asking to complete an application online. That way, when an opening is available, your resume or application will already be in their database.

Good luck out there! Tell us how you make out. Also, if you pursue different kind of work than is listed here, reach out and tell us about it! We’d love to hear some other great ideas.

Getting Back in the Swing

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Ben Ozgur

If you’re reading this blog today, you’ve probably had a fantastic summer, chock full of great memories and things to fantasize about. Summer offers so many wonderful opportunities to explore new things, catch up on needed R&R, spend time with friends, or travel. Coming back to school after such a whirlwind is not easy for anyone. It has been said that adjusting yourself to a new habit can take anywhere from 2-3 weeks. So, that means adjusting back to your school-working self is going to take time.

Here are a few helpful hints that may ease the transition! If you have some suggestions of your own, don’t hesitate to contact us at kely@21cccs.org.

1.) Create a schedule. Making your game plan is a great way to consider what you want to accomplish and how to accomplish it. Your learning coach is especially good at this and can help you to construct something to get you off on the right foot. Consider what worked for you last year. Repeat what worked and consider changes that can help you to get ahead. Maybe you’ve learned that you need more time for math homework than you do for social studies. Maybe you need to write more than one draft of your English assignments. Whatever the case, create a schedule for yourself that reflects your own strengths and weaknesses so that you can achieve what you want to this year!

2.) Contact your teachers! Your teachers and learning coaches want to know you! Something as simple as a telephone call, a chat through the VO, or an email will help you get to know your instructors. They want to know not just how they can help you instructionally, but what your dreams and aspirations are as well!

3.) Make a list! Lots of times when we begin a new school year, the workload looks unbearable! The best thing to do is create a list for yourself and start at the top. When you check things off, you will feel accomplished and proud to know you’re getting things done. Starting small will pay off in the long run. You can do anything you put your mind to.

4.) Don’t get down on yourself! Remember that everyday is an opportunity to do great things. Think of every morning as a new beginning. You have the power to learn, question, explore, and grow. School can be overwhelming, especially when you can see an entire quarter’s worth of work staring at you on a computer screen. (Oh, Moodle! You crazy cat!) Remember, you are not the first student, and you will not be the last, to complete what is there for you. Take one day at a time and treat everyday like a fresh start. You can do this!

5.) Make an effort to get to know your classmates. Each member of this school feels pretty darn lucky. We have some incredible students! Get to know your classmates in the VOs. Join us for field trips and community outreach events. You never know how special your classmates are until you take the time to get to know them!

Have a great school year everyone! Ahh, to be young again! We are excited for you!

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!

Improving Keystone Exam Scores

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Ben Ozgur

This year for the first time, consideration of the Keystone Exams and its results were added to our school’s discussion of standardized tests. When we received test scores for the testing completed throughout April and May, a lot of information was revealed about student performance.

This year, teachers were given time during the week of professional development, scheduled the week before the start of school, to really consider what they can do to help improve test scores. Teachers were broken into groups by grade level and tasked with identifying patterns or reasons for the test results. Then, they systematically thought about the things that can be done to help make a difference in student learning. Areas in which students performed the worst, along with areas in which students scored proficient and above proficient were analyzed. It is very easy for teachers to concentrate efforts more so on areas of weakness. But, students also need continued efforts on areas of strength, so they do not lose those skills over time.

Here are some of the key factors teachers noted that can improve this year’s learning objectives:

1.) Pay more attention to vocabulary! The Keystone Exam incorporated a lot of vocabulary. Teachers hope to spend more time focused on building stronger vocabulary with students across a variety of content areas this year.

2.) More face time with students! Our time together may be virtual, but many teachers feel confident that the more time they have to work with students, the better they are able to grasp concepts. Our Live Class schedule has been enhanced with more direct instruction, work sessions, and test prep sessions. Building attendance for these sessions will continue to assist students. So, in talking with your children, encourage them to pop into our sessions when they can!

3.) Get more writing practice! Teachers have recognized that because our current Classroom Diagnostic Tool does not offer open response practice for students, they need to incorporate more open-response practice into lessons throughout the school year. Teachers are excited to bring new sorts of assignments into their classes that meet the needs of students.

Good luck on your studies this year! You’re all off to a great start!

Health Tips from Ms. Kennelly!

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Ben Ozgur

It’s back to school time! One of the most critical things you can do to help get back in the saddle is reboot your mind and body! Here are some quick and helpful hints from our fabulous physical education teacher, Ms. Kennelly.

1.) 30 Minutes a Day!

It is recommended that you have some type of physical activity that lasts for up to 30 minutes, for at least 5 out of the 7 days in each week. Your physical activity does not have to last for 30 minutes straight. You can break it up here and there throughout the day if you need to. Some great ways to incorporate a little movement into your day can be as simple as walking around mealtimes. Go for a walk for 10 minutes in the morning and in the afternoon before or after dinner. You’ll be surprised by how much extra energy you can gain from a quick walk!

2.) Recognize and Deal with Stress!

Returning to school can be stressful for most people. It is important to recognize signs of stress in your life and develop coping skills to work through it. A good start to coping is learning to manage your time. You can easily develop a plan to distribute your workload evenly and avoid feeling overwhelmed. See your learning coach for help!

3.) Avoid Bad Snacks and Other Eats!

Try to stay away from heavily caffeinated drinks (coffee) and energy drinks. These things will not help you, but may lead to a crash later on. If you’ve got a case of the munchies, try something natural like bananas and Peanut butter! It’s a great way to combine potassium and protein in a healthy way!

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!

Who is Successful in a Cyber School?

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Ben Ozgur

What makes our students successful? This is a question we are asked time and time again because it has been noted that cyber school may not be the best educational option for everyone. Well, who is it a great option for? What makes cyber school difficult? What makes it a winning educational option?

Like so many other things in life, there is no simple answer to this question. Students come to our school for a variety of reasons, with a variety of ability levels, learning needs, and study skills. We are all different and we wouldn’t want to be the same. But, this means that a school must adapt so that it can provide a variety of learning models for each of its students.

One thing you’ll hear from various staff and faculty members here at 21CCCS is that a successful student is a self-advocate. This means he or she wants to learn and wants to actively participate in his or her education. How can that occur? A student can actively reach out to teachers when help is required with a given lesson or assignment. A student can communicate regularly with learning coaches and teachers, to ensure understanding and appropriate pacing of coursework. A student can also request changes when an assignment is not quite resonating. Sometimes a lesson simply does not make sense. A self-advocating student will likely take note of that and ask for help.

We’re also a great option for students in need of specific scheduling. For example, some students are athletes, dancers, gymnasts. These activities can often occur during a traditional school day. The struggle of traveling back and forth between school, practice, and other responsibilities can create a stressor in a family. For students with these kinds of demands, cyber school can be a perfect fit!

There are plenty of students for whom we are an ideal learning option. The best way for us to successfully determine this is to give us a call! We want to get to know you and your student. We are happy to answer questions, get to know you, and help you to make the best decision possible for your family. Call us today!

Alumni Spotlight! Introducing…Jessica!

Posted on July 31, 2013October 27, 2015 by Ben Ozgur

We LOVE our alumni! They teach us a lot of things about the opportunities just waiting around the corner after graduation. We are so proud of our students and feature their success stories HERE on our blog. This month we’d like to introduce Jessica. She is an animal lover, a writer, and an advocate for bullied teens. To learn more about Jessica, read below!

In her words:

“Hello! My name is Jessica. I am currently living with all of my pets, which include: two cats, two dogs, and six little puppies (only one of which I will keep). What have I been up to since graduation? Well, to answer that is simply, I have been working my tail off. But not just at work. I have many personal goals in life as well– which I am working toward in exciting ways each day.

Let’s begin with my work life. I work at a Bon-Ton, which is near my current home. I am a make-up and beauty adviser. I love my job so much. I get to work with amazing, fun people everyday. I have the opportunity to make others feel good about themselves when they leave my counter. It has been a challenge to transition into working, but I’m working through it a little everyday.

I have also been working on my most loved passion: my writing. I recently entered a contest for a newspaper. This contest aims to find a new advice columnist for the newspaper agency. This would be a very exciting opportunity for me because I love to give advice. I am hopeful about the future. Additionally, I have written a children’s book. I am excited to one day become a published author. I hope that my children’s book can be the first of many others to come. Currently, I am working on a novel. It may be a while before it is finished. It contains a ton of different characters and plot lines. The intricate details make for a lot of hard work on my end, but I am excited to complete the project.

Finally, I am also managing my time to work on a personal website. It is a work in progress. My website is designed to help kids, teens, and adults to understand the effects of bullying. Bullying can have a lot of negative effects on people. I feel that it is important to get help, talk to someone, and learn to live life to the fullest. My website hopes to help people dealing with bullying.

In the future, I hope to go back to school to pursue my interests. But, until then I will continue to work on several projects with the hopes of succeeding.

Feel free to check out my new anti-bullying website at:
http://originaljess.wix.com/dontbullyme

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.

21st Century Cyber Charter School

Category: Students