Parents

OUR ONLINE PROGRAM WORKS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

Your role as a parent

You might be wondering what your role as a parent to a student enrolled at Oregon Charter Academy will look like, and the truth is, it can be different for every student and parent. Factors like the student’s age, independence levels, and educational needs can have an impact on how much time you need to spend with them, as can your own personal preferences. At ORCA, we do not require a weekly time commitment from families, so it’s up to you to decide what works for you and your student.

What to Expect

As you might expect, the level of involvement required for parents with kids in online schools can depend heavily on the child’s age and other factors. To give a better understanding of what your day may look like, we’ve broken it down by age below. 

ELEMENTARY STUDENTS

Elementary students are the students who tend to need the most parental support in an online program. Typically this looks like: 

  • Helping your student with time management and scheduling

  • Overseeing your student to ensure that they are staying on track

  • Helping your student understand their coursework

  • Helping your student with the technology

  • Celebrating your student’s achievements and helping to motivate them to keep progressing

MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

When your student is in middle school, it’s possible to take a more hands-off approach. This may look like: 

  • Checking in with your student regularly to make sure they’re staying on track

  • Looking at your student’s grades and due dates, and helping them manage their time

  • Helping your student if they come to your for assistance

  • Working with your student to learn how to communicate with and get help from their teachers

  • Celebrating your student’s achievements and helping to motivate them to keep progressing

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

High school students are often our students who require the least amount of parental support. Parent involvement with high school students may look like: 

  • Asking your student about their classes and workload

  • Communicating any concerns to your student’s teachers and counselors

  • Checking your student’s grades through the parent portal and stepping in if you become concerned 

  • Celebrating your student’s achievements and helping to motivate them to keep progressing

One of our parents’ favorite things about our program is that it’s not one size fits all - we recognize that each family is unique, and support you in whatever you decide works best for your own situation.

How it Works

Our Learning Management System (LMS), Canvas, is a great and intuitive tool for students and parents alike. We automatically create an Observer account for each guardian on file, which is then paired with the student’s account. From the Observer account, guardians can see (but not submit) student assignments and quizzes, view their student’s grades, course content, and calendars, and message teachers through the Canvas inbox. 

There are lots of resources available to parents and students alike, including our self-service help center, our custom Family Onboarding Canvas course, and our Technical Support team, available 9:00 a.m - 5:00 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. 

EXPERIENCE

​​How it Works  |  A Day in the Life  |  Parents  |  The Online Classroom  |  Socialization