ACHIEVE VIRTUAL BLOG

Summer 2024 Registration Opens April 2nd

Tips for Having an Excellent Summer School Experience

Student in the park using laptop computer.If summer school is on your agenda after school gets out this year, then you’ll want to know about these tips and our advice for having an excellent summer school experience. If you’re considering taking summer school through Achieve Virtual Education Academy, mark your calendars now because the registration process goes live on Tuesday, April 6, 2021 (not before) and we expect there will be many students registering for the summer session. If you want to learn more about the upcoming Achieve Virtual summer session, be sure to view the essential information contained in our 2021 Summer School Session brochure. If you have questions after reading the brochure, feel free to call us directly at 317-988-7144 and we’ll be happy to guide you through your options.

Online Summer School’s Primary Benefit: Flexibility

Regardless of the reason you’re considering signing up for summer school, among the biggest benefits of going the online summer school route offered by Achieve Virtual is flexibility. You don’t have to show up for class at a particular physical location, or at a particular time as you would have to do in a more traditional summer school model. This means you can work around your other plans for summer, whether that’s a job, summer camp, or just summertime activities for fun and relaxation. 

With Achieve Virtual, all you need is a decent laptop and good internet connection and from there you get to decide when and where your learning and studying take place, which is whenever and wherever suits you best, as long as you meet our attendance requirements. The important thing to remember is this: Attending the Achieve Virtual summer program lets you still do much of what you want to be doing during the summer.  

Tip #1: Get Clear on the Why of Summer School

There are three primary reasons why you might be taking summer school during your summer break, and our tips for having an excellent summer school experience depend on you being crystal clear about why you’ll be taking a course or two this summer. Here are the reasons:

  • Credit Recovery: When you realize you need to make up a failed class or credit, figuring out when you can do it often becomes problematic. Your school may not offer the course you need at a time that fits your schedule, or it may not be offered at all before you’re supposed to graduate. This is when online summer school can step in and rescue you from potentially not graduating on time with the rest of your class. Check our summer school brochure to see the 30 different courses we’re offering this time around completely free of charge to any Indiana student.
  • Completing Diploma Requirements Early: Some students like the idea of completing their high school diploma requirements early, perhaps because they are chomping at the bit to enter the job market and get some real work experience, want some extra time off before heading off to college, or because they want to transition into higher education early.
  • College Credits: Other students want to take a course or two that will actually be accepted for college credit by many institutions as a way to get a jumpstart on their degree. Achieve Virtual offers both AP courses as well as dual-credit courses through Vincennes University. You’ll want to check with us first to find out what we’re offering this summer.

We recommend you get clear on why you’re taking summer school because it will help you take full advantage of our tips for having an excellent summer school experience. 

Tip #2: Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

This is the most important of all our tips and advice for having an excellent summer school experience. Why? Because as long as you constantly remind yourself why you’re taking summer school, it will help you stay focused and engaged throughout the full seven-week session. Write your “why” reasons down on post-it notes and stick them in places you’ll see them on a daily basis. If you keep your eyes on the prize (your why), then you’ll maintain motivation during summer school and feel great when you successfully complete your session. Most young people are looking to take on the additional responsibility of summer academic work, but the reasons for doing so make it worth the effort.

Tip #3: Have a Real Online Learning Area

One of the dangers of summer school is not taking it as seriously as you need to in order to achieve success in each course and fulfill your overall reason for taking classes during summer vacation. While it’s okay to do some of your schoolwork away from a traditional desk setup, a healthy percentage of your summer school time should be spent in a well-crafted online learning area, which will help you take it a bit more seriously. Check out our previous blog article, The Need to Create an At Home Online Learning Area

Tip #4: It’s All in the Timing

It can be a challenge to develop a good academic routine for summer school, but this is one where you need to make a real effort. As a general rule of thumb, you’ll be more successful if you can set aside time for learning and studying when you’re fresh and at your best. Time management may not be high on your summer break agenda, but if you’re going to be in summer school, then you need to keep it in mind. Be realistic! 

While every individual is different, every summer student needs a plan. If you’re a morning person, great, do your schoolwork in the morning and then you’re free to head off to have summertime fun. If you’re not a morning person, things get a little trickier. If you spend all day in the sun swimming and doing all the other activities with friends that mean summer to you, will you really be at your best later in the day? Also, front-load your efforts at the beginning of the summer session. As summer wears on, you may find it increasingly difficult as the distractions mount. Get ahead of the curve early on in the summer session so you’ll have some wiggle room along the way.

Tip #5: Manage Distractions Proactively

All the same things that distract you from schoolwork during the regular year will be present during summer school, and some of those distractions may be even worse during the summer. It’s going to be difficult to do what you need to do if your friends are constantly texting you to come hang out with them. As you can probably guess, rule number one for managing distractions is turning your phone all the way off when it’s time to focus on learning and studying. If you like listening to music while studying, come up with a new way to do that doesn’t involve having your phone on because of how irresistible it is. Listen to music through your laptop using headphones or earbuds. 

Tip #6: Stay Connected

A lot of the learning and studying you do in summer school through Achieve Virtual will be on your own as opposed to the live video conference classes you may have gotten used to during the worst of the coronavirus pandemic. But you don’t have to go it alone either. Connect with the teacher of your course early and often. Find out when they’re available to provide you with one-on-one support and take full advantage of it! All our teachers in our summer programs are passionate about seeing their students succeed and will make time to stay connected with you as needed—but you need to be proactive about it to make sure you’re getting what you need.

What’s On Tap for Achieve Virtual Summer School 2021?

The summer semester 2021 at Achieve Virtual has 30 different classes offered free and clear of any tuition fees. See the free course listings in our 2021 Summer School Session brochure or on the Indiana Online Summer School page of our website. Other classes available this summer not listed in the brochure require a modest fee ranging from $250 for regular classes up to $325 for dual-credit courses (not including required textbook purchases). The registration process involves a number of steps also described in the brochure, and officially opens on April 6, 2021 (but not before—applications received prior to April 6 will be declined). Also not there is only one seven-week session lasting from June 7 to July 23, and the maximum number of classes you can take during the session is two.

Every class offered through Achieve Virtual Education Academy is taught by a real Indiana teacher who is certified and qualified to teach in their subject area. Achieve Virtual is approved and accredited by the Indiana Department of Education and managed through the Metropolitan School District of Wayne County. Our teachers are passionate about what they do, and they go the extra mile to help students succeed. 

Registration will close on Friday May 7, or sooner if we reach our maximum number of learners (which hasn’t happened during the past two years). Got questions about how online summer classes with Achieve Virtual work? Please feel free to call us directly at 317-988-7144. We’re here to help!

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