Canvas: Introduction to Online Learning

While we may not be under one roof together, our mission remains urgent and clear: within a structured and joyful school community, and with an absolute focus on academic achievement, Vega Collegiate Academy educates every K to 8 student for success in college and a life of opportunity.

In an effort to balance the pressing needs of our community, and our continued commitment to academic excellence, we have moved to a fully online learning model through Canvas.

Distance Learning: Canvas

Canvas is a fantastic online learning management system that will allow your child to get everything they need all in one place. Top universities across the US use this platform for their online learning, so if it works for Harvard, it can work for us too!

There are three main goals with moving all of our learning to Canvas:

• This is one stop shop – no need to pick up any materials from our school other than a chromebook.
• Everything your child needs is housed in canvas – no need to access other websites, portals, etc. All you need is their email and password and students are all set.
• No printing necessary! You don’t need hard copies of any materials – all documents (including novels) are accessible through Canvas.

• Completing a packet at home week after week isn’t beneficial for your child, or you. Canvas allows our teachers to pre-record and live teach videos so your child is engaged and learning – not just working on worksheets. To ensure engagement, it is critical that you and your child make the best possible attempt to be present at all points during the outlined schedule. Please see student schedule(s) here. We also know that following a schedule with littles at home can be challenging – since all of our classes are recorded, if your child misses a lesson time, they are still able to complete the lesson that same day.
• Students will take part in a Social-Emotional class 2x weekly - we are excited to continue our social-emotional learning model even at a distance. 
• Field Trips! Museums across the world have opened the doors to the online world. Our teachers are planning lessons that will allow students to explore various museums all over the world. 
• Exercise! Students will have access to exercise videos - from breathing exercise to yoga to jumping jacks, we will have classes available to get students motivated to move around and use that extra energy productively! 

• You can create your own parent account to track your child’s progress. To sign up for a parent account in canvas, see our parent canvas introductory course here.
• Teachers will update a student’s gradebook daily so that you are able to track their progress. You can see what assignments they have completed and what items are still missing. This is great for our Middle Academy and Elementary students alike – students can work independently while still knowing their parent/guardian can check their progress to hold them accountable to completing their work. (Of course our teachers are always checking as well – in fact we can live monitor a student’s work on their chromebook!)