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Counselor Corner
Welcome to Manhattan Virtual Academy's Comprehensive School Counseling Program and Student Services! We are thrilled that you have chosen MVA and we anticipate our education journeys together with great enthusiasm.
We view middle school and high school as windows, rather than endpoints, through which we can build and grow with you for a bright and innovative future. We are committed to creating your Individual Plan of Study together and providing the support that sets you up for success as you look to your future.
Thank you for choosing us to help lead your way.
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The purpose of the Social, Emotional, and Character Development Standards is to provide schools a framework for integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) with character development so that students will learn, practice and model essential personal life habits that contribute to academic, vocational, and personal success. It is about learning to be caring and civil, to make healthy decisions, to problem solve effectively, to value excellence, to be respectful and responsible, to be good citizens and to be empathic and ethical individuals.
Core Beliefs
- Personal management and relationship skills are vital in all aspects of learning and of life.
- Students are most able to act in respectful and responsible ways when they have learned and practiced a range of social, emotional and character development skills.
- Effective social, emotional and character development skills support academic achievement in students and constructive engagement by staff, families and communities.
- Students learn best in a respectful, safe and civil school environment where adults are caring role models.
- Bullying/Harassment Prevention and safe school initiatives are most sustainable when embedded systemically in whole school Social, Emotional, and Character Development (SECD) programming.
College and Career Ready Goal
Students who are college and career ready must identify and demonstrate well-developed social-emotional skills and identified individual and community core principles that assure academic, vocational, and personal success. Students MAY be described as:
- They demonstrate character in their actions by treating others as they wish to be treated and giving their best effort.
- They assume responsibility for their thoughts and actions.
- They demonstrate a growth mindset and continually develop cognitively, emotionally and socially.
- They exhibit the skills to work independently and collaboratively with efficiency and effectiveness.
- They strive for excellence by committing to hard work, persistence and internal motivation.
- They exhibit creativity and innovation, critical thinking and effective problem solving.
- They use resources, including technology and digital media, effectively, strategically capably and appropriately.
- They demonstrate an understanding of other perspectives and cultures.
- They model the responsibility of citizenship and exhibit respect for human dignity.
For more information contact Tami Simkins, MVA Counselor.
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In January 2014 the Kansas State Board of Education approved a recommendation that "strongly encourages" districts to implement a Individual Plan of Study for all students in grades 8 through 12. MVA students, parents, teachers, and administrators are all stakeholders in the development of a Individual Plan of Study for each student. The process is a part of the school culture at Manhattan Virtual Academy and the benefits are significant for students, post-secondary institutions, employers, and communities. Individual Plans of Study are one way that MVA is leading the way for today's learners and tomorrows leaders.
ALL MVA Students in grades 6-12 will have a Individual Plan of Study (iPlan) developed cooperatively with the student and the student's counselor, teachers, and family members. The plan will be reviewed at least twice annually and revised as needed. The iPlan will serve as the roadmap for each student as he or she completes the requirements for graduation from Manhattan High School, continuation in a technical program, completion of higher education degrees, or college and career ready...prepared for the workforce!
The foundational elements of the iPlan are the career interests identified by the student through an authentic career interest survey or assessment. MVA Students and Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 will use Naviance, a college and career readiness platform that helps connect academic achievement to post-secondary goals. Its comprehensive college and career planning solutions optimize student success, enhance college and career readiness, and track results for students.
Other parts of the iPlan include graduation requirements, approved coursework for the student's educational and career goals, and developmentally appropriate, work-based learning experiences.
The iPlan will:
- Promote access to rigorous academic courses including Honors, AP, and special programs, such as Black and Veatch Explorer Post
- Encourage completion of Board of Regents and Kansas State Scholars requirements
- Promote access to relevant career and technical courses and programs
- Provide a record of assessment scores such as CCR, PSAT, ACT, and SAT
- Capture a record of career development assessments: interests, skills, and values
- Identify training and education opportunities that lead to future careers
- Explore costs and benefit of post-secondary education: scholarships, financial aid, loans
- Record student Involvement in honors, extra-curricular activities, internships, work experience
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Additional student support is available to help students reach their full academic potential and to guide students toward college and career readiness through successful completion of their virtual courses.
Key areas that are addressed:
- Time management
- Back on Track Plan
- Study habits
- Goal-setting
- Motivation
- Personal Responsibility
- Organizing Study Spaces
For more information please contact Fani Wefald, Operations and Student Support
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The CEEB code for MVA is: 170013
ACT
SAT
PSAT
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The National Honor Society chapter of Manhattan Virtual Academy is a duly chartered and affiliated chapter of the National Honor Society.
Membership is open to students who meet the required standards in four areas of evaluation: scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Students are selected for membership by majority vote of a 5-member Faculty Council, appointed annually by the principal, which bestows this honor upon qualified students on behalf of the faculty of MVA each year. The chapter adviser, Lori Rice, is also appointed by the principal and facilitates all selection procedures and chapter activities during the year.
Students in their sophomore, junior, or senior year of MVA are eligible for membership. For the scholarship criterion, a student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale. Those students who meet this criterion are invited to complete a Candidate Form that provides the Faculty Council with information regarding the candidate’s leadership and service. A history of leadership experience and participation in school or community service is also required.
To evaluate a candidate’s character, the Faculty Council obtains additional professional input. First, official school disciplinary records are reviewed. Second, members of the faculty are requested to provide their professional reflections on a candidate’s service, character, citizenship, and leadership. Third, two adults (one within MVA and one outside of MVA) will provide information via a Canidate Input Form. This information is carefully reviewed by the Faculty Council to determine whether each candidate meets the criteria for membership. A majority vote of the Council is necessary for selection. Following a review of the results of the Faculty Council voting by the principal, candidates are notified regarding selection or non-selection according to a predetermined schedule.
Once the notification process is completed, a formal induction ceremony is held at the school to recognize all the newly selected members. Participation in the online ceremony is required for induction to NHS.
Once inducted, new members are required to maintain the same level of performance (or better) in all criteria that led to their selection. This obligation includes regular attendance at online chapter meetings held monthly during the school year, and participation in the chapter service projects(s). Students or parents who have questions regarding the selection process or membership obligations can contact the chapter adviser, Lori Rice via email.