Message from Mark Smith, Director

Dear Families,

I wanted to thank you for your flexibility and understanding as we begin to navigate uncertain times. The truth is that the situation is changing daily. Please be assured that our priorities are centered on the health and well-being of your children. We will continue to evaluate the ongoing situation with those priorities firmly in place. We will continue to communicate developments to you as decisions are made, and I welcome your feedback, input and questions.

We appreciate and value your support as we move ahead, and look forward to resuming normal operation as soon as we can.

Yours,

Mark Smith

Transition to Distance Learning on Monday, March 16

Friday, March 13, will be the last day of in-person learning at Quest Forward Academy Omaha this term. Once our campus closes to students at the end of day Friday, we will keep students active in classes through a distance learning model.  Specifics about our current plan are below.

Please note that Term 3 ends and Spring Break begins next Thursday, March 19th. Spring break will take place March 19-27 as previously planned. We will communicate more about the intersession and Term 4 in the coming days.

Plan for Distance Learning

Our plan is to hold our classes at their normal days and times. Each student should have their school Chromebook and a charger at home. If they don’t, please contact me as soon as possible and we will work out a plan to get the equipment to you. You can email me at msmith@questforward.academy. Mentors have created links to video calls so that students can join class sessions remotely and will communicate these to the students via Google Classroom and email. We will also be using the features of the Quest! App and Google Classroom to track artifact work and post other class information. We will have practiced using these tools with students so they know how classes will function.

Our general expectations as we move to distance learning are as follows:

• Students are expected to join their regular classes remotely, at the regular time, and participate daily.
• Mentors will take attendance each class based upon students who are present on the video call and interacting with the class session.
• Mentors will be available for online help (video, email, etc.) during the regularly scheduled class times, as well as some scheduled “office hours.”
• Mentors will give daily direction to students to help students set daily goals and expectations on work that should be completed each class session.
• Students should find a place that allows them to connect to class sessions and interact productively. This would mean keeping them free from other distractions when they are in learning mode. I would suggest trying to find a place that is quiet, where the TV and other devices are turned off, and where they won’t be distracted by siblings and others.

This will be new territory for all of us, and we will all need to work cooperatively and communicate calmly and patiently to implement this plan effectively.

If you have questions or concerns about how this plan might work for your student, please contact me at kkenkel@questforward.academy or 707-480-5818. Our goal will always be to provide the most productive learning environment possible for our students—either in person, or remotely.