courtesy of shutterstock

Socio-Emotional Development at a Distance
The feedback is in! SCVi families are raving about distance learning through Santa Clarita Valley International Charter School's 13th year as the SCV's only K-12 public charter school. While many returning families already knew from their experiences with SCVi in the spring that SCVi has distance learning dialed in, there were also families who were new to SCVi that are pleased to tell how well the school year has kicked off.
The secret to SCVi's achievement in distance learning? They've always known that to be successful in learning, students need to feel safe and comfortable to try new things, to risk failure and realize that making a mistake is an opportunity for deeper learning. That is why SCVi has always placed a heavy focus on social-emotional growth and individualized learning plans. Personal connection with students and building classroom community has always been key the first few weeks of the school year at SCVi. And now this year, more than ever, doing so is vital to the academic growth of students who have been thrust into learning during a pandemic.
As soon as they are able, SCVi plans to open it's campus to a hybrid model with learners on campus in the same cohorts they have begun building community with during this first few weeks of school.
ileadsantaclarita.org

Legacy's Distance Learning
Brings Students Closer Together
How do you engage in learning from a distance - and still feel close to your school community and resources?
For students at Legacy Christian Academy, the answer is DLP 2.0 - the Valencia campus' distinctive distance-learning plan that takes the best of the Academy's small-class-size experience and transforms it to an easily-accessible online format.
"Parents choose Legacy because of our accelerated academics, exceptionally-talented teaching staff, in-demand enrichments and character education - all rooted in our Christian culture," shares Head of School Matt Millett. "DLP 2.0 capitalizes on every strength while mitigating any drawbacks with new investments in classroom technology, student software and on-site Science Lab opportunities."
With a similar schedule to the traditional Legacy school day, DLP 2.0 has been crafted to provide a seamless transition back to campus. "Our families were very concerned about losing ground," says Millett. "We've shown that we can keep our educational goals on track. By replicating the small-group rotation that's the cornerstone of the Legacy elementary-school classroom, learners are receiving significant peer socialization and individual attention from their teachers. While we all wish we were back on campus, DLP 2.0 has wow'd students, teachers, parents and education specialists."
Classroom technology was already impressive at Legacy, which is often referred to as "Legacy Tech," thanks to the Academy's emphasis on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics). Now, with the Swivl camera collaborative system, Legacy's DLP 2.0 home learners get a more realistic classroom experience. Explains Millett: "As the teacher moves around in the classroom and in front of the SmartBoard, the Swivl camera automatically tracks them, just like a student's eyes would during in-person instruction. In addition, 'markers' can be set up in different areas in the room, or in different table groups that allows the student at home to hear what their peers are saying. It really does make you feel like you're in your classroom with your teacher and classmates."
And it's not just classroom content that is streaming into homes throughout Santa Clarita. "Christian character education is essential to the Legacy culture," says Garrick Moss, Legacy's associate head of school - activities and spiritual life. "DLP 2.0 includes our weekly Chapel gatherings, where we sing, pray and celebrate Christ's love together. Even though we may be physically apart, our hearts are not."
Legacy Christian Academy 257-7377