A+ Charter Schools to open Aug. 3 with virtual classes

Due to Governor Ducey’s Executive Order to keep in-person learning closed until Aug. 17, A+ Charter Schools has opted to move the school start date to Aug. 3 and begin the school year as a fully virtual learning environment, thus allowing additional time to pass out Chromebooks to all enrolled students and provide additional training for teachers on virtual learning.

“Opening for the 2020-2021 school year has been in the works for almost two years. We have had the great opportunity to learn from other schools who made the abrupt switch to virtual learning in the spring and prepare for this learning environment,” Principal Rachele Reese said. “Our team has spent time participating in professional development and training to learn the best practices to support students and teachers in a virtual environment and will provide specific training and support for our teachers.”

To meet the needs of a virtual learning environment, the school is focused on three principles: Engage, Connect, Support. Virtual instruction will be designed to engage students in meaningful learning experiences, connect students and teachers daily through live instruction, and support the social-emotional needs of students through daily Advisory classes with a teacher-mentor.

“When the time is right, we will safely welcome students into our school building following our COVID-19 protocols and continue the student learning that began virtually,” Reese said. “Our max enrollment for the school year will be no more than 250 students, however our building capacity far exceeds that number thus allowing for more space for students and staff to safely use physical distancing protocols.”

Virtual Open Houses are scheduled for Tuesday, July 14, at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. via Zoom. Visit the school’s Facebook page for the direct link to the event.

The school is enrolling grades 7-10 in the first year and will add grades 11-12 in subsequent years. Careful considerations for the health and safety of students and staff has been included in the design of the building, as well as cleaning protocols due to COVID-19, such as touchless bathroom fixtures, hand-sanitizing stations throughout the school, 1:1 technology to minimize the sharing of Chromebooks, and carpet less floors throughout the school that are easy to disinfect and clean.

www.aplusaz.org
520-265-5589