Welcome high school
students (and parents)
to
Southwest Preparatory Virtual School (SPVS)
“KNIGHT” SCHOOL!
You are about to embark
on a journey that will take you to new places,
give you unlimited opportunities, and probably change the rest of
your life.
Skeptical?
Don’t be.
Actually, all these opportunities have always been available to
you, you just weren’t
able to take advantage of them in the traditional school setting
for whatever reason:
(insert reason here)_____________________...just kidding…
you hate getting up in the morning; you aren’t a “social” person;
you’re embarrassed to raise your hand to ask a question because
it makes you look dumb;
you hate big groups; you can’t stand the rules; or my favorite,
“school’s not my thing."
Hopefully, whether you’re
still in school but not succeeding as much as you want,
or
out of school and really not succeeding,
you now realize how critical education is to doing
virtually (no pun intended) anything in life.
We may, as they say, “have
the answer you’ve been looking for” at
SPVS.
To make this or any opportunity
work, you must
have the right attitude and desire to succeed.
Read on if you do.
What
is “Virtual School”?
Now that we’re well into the information age,
most of you are rocket scientists
when it comes to the latest video games, using e-mail, and surfing
the net.
Even if you’re not, most of
you know how relatively easy it is to use computers and
the Internet to find virtually (there’s that pun again) any
information you could possibly want.
We can apply that concept
to school.
Virtually
(OK, OK, that’s the last time) any course you take at school
can be offered over the Internet straight into your home.
Yep, have modem will travel.
And the face-to-face teacher
time can still happen if you want or need it on a periodic basis.
Still don’t want “eye contact”?
Communicate by phone (210-826-2193)
or by e-mail (spvs@swwf.org)
with instructors.
Worried you’re way
behind in your knowledge base, particularly in math and reading
skills?
If you’re serious about getting an education, we can help you catch
up.
There are as many options
as there are students.
Whatever your starting point,
we can tailor a program specifically for you!
And don’t even for a second think you’re alone.
More than half the high school students we serve start out with
have these challenges.
You
don’t set all the rules, but most of them, and the one’s you don’t
are tailored as much as possible to your needs.
See,
we believe learning should be as fun as possible and
that the system does its best to fit you, not visa versa.
It doesn't need to be intimidating, unpleasant, or dreaded.
Getting interested now?
Read on.
Hardware
Requirements
If you have the following internet-ready hardware
available to you,
access is but a few key strokes away:
Pentium 233 Mhz chip or better
(Pentium III preferred)
128 MB of RAM or better; Windows
95/98 or better
Mouse; Keyboard; Microsoft
compatible Soundcard; Headset or Speakers
SVGA Monitor and Video Adapter;
must support 800x600 pixels and high color (16-bit)
56K Modem or better; Cable
Modem; DSL
Computer
Skills Needed
Can you type faster than a speeding bullet, able to
leap two desks in a single bound,
and more powerful than a locomotive?
Good for you, superkid.
That’s going to be overkill for this, however,
as long as you can perform these basic functions:
Type, one hand or two
Access the internet using
an ISP
Surf the Internet
Use software programs such
as Microsoft Word
Sprinkle in a little positive
attitude, topped with perseverance,
and you have the necessary skills to be successful in Virtual School!
Calendar
Our virtual calendar allows you
to work towards credits this school year up to July 9th.
In general, the virtual school will follow closely with our physical
campus calendars.
So, for next year expect it to start somewhere around Aug 21st
and end July 10th.
In general, you must have
180 days of “seat time” for the school year,
which equates to 720 hours of school; 20 hours per week.
The weekly time requirements are in effect except during scheduled
holidays.
So, if you want to travel during Thanksgiving or Christmas, etc.
you can.
Student
Requirements
Enrollment
If this seems to be what you’re looking for, here’s how to start
the process.
Once
you’ve read through this, call Wes Roberts at 210-826-2193 or 210-829-8017
to answer some basic questions to determine eligibility.
You
must live in Bexar County and meet academic requirements to be in
high school.
If you dropped out of school and are 17 or older, you must have
at least 17 credits to enroll.
We’ll
schedule an interview to determine if this might work for your particular
situation,
and then start the official paperwork if it does.
It’s
as simple as that!
Even
though the rules are minimal, there are some
(it’s still real life, you know)
to understand, agree to, and follow….
Seat
Time
Every student, by law, must attend school a minimum of
20 hours each week, virtual or otherwise.
We
do this by tracking the time you work at your computer.
Once
you log on through this website and start your academics for the
day,
we automatically keep track of how long you work.
As
long as this totals 4 hours a day, 20 hours a week, you’re doing
your part.
If you don’t do this, we’ll have to withdraw you from the program.
Once
you see how great this is, I bet the time you stay on task
will go well beyond minimum requirements.
The
real beauty of this program is that it’s self-paced.
The more/faster you work, the sooner you graduate.
It’s
all up to you, nobody else.
Testing
At the end of each half credit course, you will be required to take
a final exam
at one of our physical locations.
This
ensures that it was you, not your dog, punching away
at the keyboard everyday, and learned what needed to
be learned.
This
is a proctored test that
needs to be scheduled ahead of time.
Credit
Requirements
Once
you know how to use the system, we need to pretty much get out of
your way
because you’re probably in high gear and completing assignments
left and right.
An average motivated student should be able to earn somewhere around
four to five credits per semester.
Our
minimum requirement per semester is at least three credits.
If
you complete less than three credits in a semester,
we place you on scholastic probation and
try to assess where you’re having problems,
deal with them,
and get you back on track.
In Closing...
We hope this gave you enough information. If not, please call or
e-mail us with your questions.
This, like any other opportunity in life, still depends on positive
attitude and hard work.
We look forward to meeting with you and possibly becoming partners
in education.
Sincerely,
Southwest
Preparatory Virtual School