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High school registration information
1/13/2021 -- On January 25, eighth through eleventh-grade families will receive a form to indicate their learning preference for the 2021-22 school year. The form needs to be completed by the end of the day on January 28. We will use that information to make sure you or your child can register in the correct place.
Course registration will take place the first week of February. Specific dates and information will be provided by your home school.
Watch this video for important information about registering for high school classes for the next school year as this process begins very soon. Here is some of the information you will learn in the video.
Virtual Campus, a full-time virtual learning experience, will continue to be an option for the 2021-22 school year based on feedback from families. Last semester, we conducted a survey for families of students in Virtual Campus and a ThoughtExchange for in-person students and here’s what we heard:
- Many families who selected virtual this year would choose to do so again, so Virtual Campus will continue to be an option for the 2021-22 school year for all families K-12.
- We heard classes are better when they are either fully virtual or fully in-person so teachers can give their attention to one group of students. So we will be working to make the vast majority of classes either fully virtual or fully in-person.
- Teachers, parents and students said frequent changes are hard, so we will create a schedule students and teachers can count on being consistent for them.
- We heard families need time to consider options and the flexibility to adapt to changes as health conditions evolve, so we built flexibility into our registration process for next year.
Given all that, here’s what you need to know:
- Some classes work better in a face-to-face setting and some classes work well both in-person and virtually. So there will be different course guides for students selecting in-person and those selecting Virtual Campus. The Virtual Campus course guide will include a robust set of offerings that give students a variety of course options, while there will be a wider set of offerings to choose from in the in-person school course guide with courses that will only be offered in-person.
- Because there are different course guides, families will need to select In-Person or Virtual Campus for the 2021-22 school year later this month. We know what you may be thinking - it’s too early, we don’t know what is going to happen between now and the end of the school year and we may change our minds. Don’t worry. We are creating a path for you to be able to change your selection.
- During registration, if you are certain you and your child will want an in-person experience for next year, select the in-person option, use the in-person course guide to select courses, and you’ll be all set for next year.
- However, if you’re not sure, or you know you want a virtual experience, select Virtual Campus and use the Virtual Campus course guide. With this option, you will have the opportunity to change your selection back to in-person in May, when the picture of the health situation is likely to be more clear. We’re able to offer this flexibility because the classes offered in Virtual Campus are also available at all Parkway high schools, so we can move your courses to an in-person setting in May if needed. Since there are in-person classes that are not suitable for the virtual setting, moving from in-person to virtual would not be possible since the courses and teachers needed will not be available.
- Students in Virtual Campus will continue to have a Parkway teacher with daily, live instruction. They will also continue to have access to athletics and activities at their home high school, as well as counseling, post-college planning and other resources available to in-person students.
What’s next and what do I need to do now?
Later this week, your home high school will send information about the registration process and share the In-Person and Virtual Campus course guides for your review. We encourage you to have a conversation with your family now about whether you would like a virtual or in-person experience. If you aren’t sure yet and want the flexibility to change your mind in May, we recommend you choose the Virtual Campus option for now.
On January 25, families will receive a form to indicate their learning preference. You will need to complete this form by the end of the day on January 28. We will use that information to make sure you or your child can register in the correct place. Then, course registration will take place in the first week of February. Specific dates and information will be provided by your home school.
In May, families who select Virtual Campus now will have the opportunity to move back to their home schools if they so choose, and at that point selections will be final for the 2021-2022 school year.
Where can I get more information?
Your home school will be providing more information later this week and throughout the registration process. If you have any questions, you can contact your school or counselor for support.