The Future of Virtual Campus
Dear Virtual Campus Families,
We want to share important information about the 2022-2023 school year as you may want to discuss your plans over winter break. It may seem strange to already be thinking about August of 2022. We certainly understand that, and we also know registration at the secondary level begins in January and Parkway starts the process of hiring and placing staff shortly thereafter.
Today, we want to share with you what to expect for virtual learning at each level for next year.
Over the break, please take time to talk as a family about the information below and whether a virtual or in-person setting would be best for your child.
The enrollment form to select your setting will open on January 10 and close on January 19. We know this is an important decision for each child, so please reach out with any questions you may have.
Information for Families of Elementary Students
In November, we surveyed families of students in Parkway Virtual Campus to help us get a sense of how many students might continue learning virtually next school year. Thank you to everyone who responded.
Approximately 35% of elementary families indicated they intended to continue learning online and 65% were planning to attend school in-person.
Since we expect a smaller group of students for next year (about 300 students), there will be changes in the 2022-2023 school year in order to maintain a quality learning experience.
There are two key things to know as you consider the best setting for your child:
- Parkway Virtual Campus for elementary students will transition to St. Louis Virtual Campus
- For the past several months, Parkway has been collaborating with other districts in St. Louis County to form a county-wide virtual program - St. Louis Virtual Campus.
- St. Louis Virtual Campus will be based in Parkway, students will have a Parkway teacher and will use Parkway’s high quality curriculum and resources. Students will continue to use Schoology, Zoom and all Parkway tools.
- This year, your child was in a class with students from across all Parkway schools. Next year, that will continue to be the case and there may also be students from neighboring St. Louis County school districts.
- This collaboration between school districts will allow Parkway students learning virtually to continue to have an excellent learning experience despite a smaller number of students.
- Specials classes may be offered asynchronously
- With an anticipated decline in enrollment, it may not be possible to have live (synchronous) instruction in areas such as Art, Music and PE.
- There will still be a teacher assigned to students in each of these areas who will create student lessons and be available for student support.
Information for Families of Middle School Students
In November, we surveyed families of students in Parkway Virtual Campus to help us get a sense of how many students might continue learning virtually next school year. Thank you to everyone who responded.
Just over 40% of middle school families indicated they intend to continue learning online with the remainder planning for their children to attend school in-person.
Since we expect a smaller group of students enrolled in virtual campus (200 students), there will be changes in the 2022-2023 school year in order to maintain a quality experience.
There are two key things to know as you consider the best setting for your child:
- Students in Virtual Campus will have live, synchronous learning for the core classes (math, ELA, science, and social studies) with a Parkway teacher.
- Since enrollment will make it challenging to have enough students for elective offerings, these classes will be offered asynchronously either through Parkway, Launch, or another online learning provider.
Information for Families of High School Students
In November, we surveyed families of students in Parkway Virtual Campus to help us get a sense of how many students might continue learning virtually next school year. Thank you to everyone who responded.
Almost 50% of high school families indicated they intend to continue learning online with the remainder planning for their children to attend school in-person.
Since we expect a smaller group of students (350 high school students) enrolled in Virtual Campus, there will be changes in the 2022-2023 school year in order to maintain a quality experience.
There are two key things to know as you consider the best setting for your child:
- Students continuing to learn virtually will have a limited course guide from which to select their classes for next school year.
- Virtual learning for Parkway students will be a combination of classes taught by Parkway teachers and classes available through Parkway’s preferred online learning provider, Launch, or other virtual learning providers.
- Whenever enrollment is sufficient, classes taught by Parkway teachers will be offered synchronously. Whenever enrollment is not sufficient, students should expect classes to be offered asynchronously.
Thank you for continuing to partner with us in support of your child, and please reach out should you have questions.
Dr. Kevin Beckner, Assistant Superintendent, Teaching and Learning
Dr. Jennifer Stanfill, Director of Choice Programs
