Georgia Connections Academy accepting mid year enrollment

Georgia Connections Academy (GACA) Principal Heather Robinson is encouraging families to explore virtual charter schooling, which is one of the public education options available for students in every county of the state, particularly if a student is unhappy or under-performing. GACA is currently enrolling students who are interested in making a mid-year schooling switch.

"Sometimes students need a break from the traditional brick-and-mortar setting and find that a virtual public charter school can help them catch up or take a break from the day-to-day peer pressures of school," said Principal Robinson. "We provide a change of mindset."

Georgia Connections Academy is the highest performing Georgia virtual school on SAT and ACT measures, according to Principal Robinson.

She said the top reasons for mid-year switching are:

· The student learns at a different pace—faster or slower—and the benefit of personalized learning and pacing from an online education will keep them engaged;

· The traditional classroom is not addressing the child’s needs to stay focused or recover self-esteem, especially if bullying is a factor;

· The child’s athletic/performance/health schedule demands the flexibility of online education.

More than a quarter of a million American students in grades K-12 get their education virtually. In Georgia, 4000 students are currently enrolled in Georgia Connections Academy.

To switch mid-year, a parent will need to plan ahead and Principal Robinson offers these tips:

1. Insist on quality: Do your homework on the school, district or virtual school your child will be entering. Check on the school’s test scores, AP courses, extracurricular programs and activities, guidance counselor availability and make sure virtual schools options offers an accredited program with a wide range of courses, and a proven curriculum developed by professional educators.

2. Plan ahead: Think about the best time to make the school switch. For high school (and some middle school) students, it’s ideal to finish out the quarter or semester, and then start the new period in the new school. The student will get a fresh start in new courses, and will have completed coursework from the previous semester. Parents should find out when finals and/or the next upcoming grading period ends in their current school, and when the new one starts, and use this as the target start date for the new school. Of course, sometimes life throws you a curve ball – unexpected job changes or other sudden family matters seldom come with advance warning. In that case, parents should reach out to the school’s guidance and enrollment officials as early as they can, and work with them to make the school switch as smooth as possible.

3. Get your paperwork in order: It can take a while to complete the enrollment process at a new school, so parents should start sooner rather than later to gather all the necessary paperwork they’ll need to enroll their child in the new school – transcripts, birth certificates, immunization records, and the like. Parents can check with enrollment officials at the new school to get a list of required documents, and what, if any, admission deadlines might apply.

4. Transfer credits: Many schools don’t mail home fall semester or 2nd quarter report cards until well into the spring semester, making it tricky for some parents to show proof of course completion, and to get all the student’s course credits transferred to the new school. Parents facing this situation should check with their new school’s enrollment counselors to find out what other alternative paperwork they can supply, and then request it from the previous school.

Making the mid-year switch? Visit www.GeorgiaConnectionsAcademy.com for more information and updated online information session postings throughout the year.