What to Expect from BlueSky’s Online Middle School
Parents and families around the country, and around the world now have some experience with an online learning environment, but most schools around the US opted for distanced learning this year as an emergency precaution. There are certainly many differences between online learning and emergency distance learning, but if you are considering an online learning environment as a result of or just out of curiosity for your middle school student, read on to discover what you can expect from BlueSky’s online middle school program.
A Supportive Environment & Community
We strive to provide a positive and effective learning environment for all grades, but middle school is a transitional time for students and because of that we find that taking extra steps to ensure a positive experience is an integral part of our school.
Our middle school program components revolve around providing relevant and meaningful learning experiences that will help students to develop lifelong success skills while creating compassionate relationships. We provide students with a friendly, supportive, and caring staff who value each and every student as an individual. This also helps our team to support each students’ unique learning style. The support system we offer students and families is one of the most important aspects of BlueSky!
Social Interaction with Students and Administrators
When families consider online learning, it’s not assumed that the online school would provide many opportunities for social interaction or one-on-one communication. Every one of our middle school students has an advisory and an interactive live class Monday through Thursday, so during those times, they are able to talk with their advisor one on one and have interaction with other students. These interactive live sessions also give students the opportunity to learn in a more direct way and learn from any confusion. These live sessions give students a sense of community as opposed to feeling isolated in online courses.
We provide students with mental health education and social and emotional support both in class and in advisory as well. They have access to a social worker and a school counselor who both are committed to helping students in academics and beyond. All of the BlueSky team care about students’ academic and personal and social development.
A flexible & Structured Course Schedule
Before the world changed due to COVID19, families would seek out online learning for its flexibility. We’d see and continue to see students who have very full schedules attend BlueSky because they need to complete their courses on their own time and at their own pace. BlueSky staff is available to students Monday-Friday and they are committed to responding to any student communication within 24 hours. Our middle school program is designed for these younger students who would like a sense of independence while also being somewhat supervised throughout the day. Through zoom advisories and live sessions, we can take a sort of “attendance” of students in a virtual way.
We are so excited to add sixth grade to our offerings! Learn more about middle school at BlueSky and how to begin the enrollment process today!
