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Socialization & Community
See how one Connections Academy family stays
social while attending an online school.
Connecting Students
Michigan Connections Academy is all about making connections—not just to academics, but to other students and families. Because other students are an important part of the experience at Connections Academy, your family becomes part of a dynamic learning community where students:
- Interact with teachers and classmates in real-time, online classrooms.
- Receive one-on-one support from caring teachers through telephone sessions and our after-hours tutoring program.
- Interact with local students, as well as Connections Academy students across the country through our many exciting clubs and activities.
- Meet classmates face-to-face at school-sponsored field trips and parties.
Creating Flexibility for Extracurricular Activities
In addition to social activities within the MICA community, many of our students are busy with activities in their local communities. The flexibility of Connections Academy allows our students to take advantage of more extracurricular activities—often activities that the schedule of a traditional school would not accommodate.
Watch this video to see a field trip where parents
Shared their thoughts about the school.
Supporting Parents and Learning Coaches
Throughout the school year, our secure message boards, WebMail, and phone lines are buzzing as Learning Coaches share at-home learning tips and resources, plan field trips, or just stay “in the loop” with school activities. As a vital part of the MICA community, our families connect with teachers, school counselors, and other parents both online and in-person through.
- Learning Coach tutorials, orientation sessions, and LiveLesson sessions where Learning Coaches can share tips and ask teachers questions on everything from lesson planning to navigating Connexus® to keeping their students motivated and on track.
- Secure Message Boards where parents can post questions, tips, and resources on helping students succeed.
- Our Connections Academy Blog, Virtual Learning Connections, where Learning Coaches find tips and information on a variety of topics for busy virtual schooling families.
The Buddy Family Program
The Buddy Family program is a program that MICA started to help give our new families a little extra support. As new families enrolled later in the year last year, we noticed that they really wanted to know how to make the program work for their family. So as teachers we give new families all of our best advice and also put them in touch with more experienced families for extra support and mentorship.
"I spoke with one of my Buddies, Melissa, this morning. She was very open with me ... I think it will be great for her kindergarten girls meet my son! She and I live very close to each other so we will definitely make plans to meet."
~ A MICA Buddy