Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

New Virtual Public School Approved for Students in Grades K-12 in Washington

  • 03/17/16

Olympia, Wash.  — Washington Connections Academy (WACA), a full-time virtual public school, has been approved by the Mary M. Knight School District to serve students in grades K-12 statewide. Washington Connections Academy will begin serving grades K-8 in the 2016-17 school year and an additional grade will be added each subsequent school year. The new school will deliver technology-enhanced, tuition-free, public school online to students statewide.

Enrollment for the 2016-17 school year is currently open for students across the state. Interested families are encouraged to attend one of the information sessions being planned across the state and online to find out if virtual school is the right fit for their students. For a complete list of events, visit: www.WashingtonConnectionsAcademy.com/events.

Dr. Ellen Perconti, Superintendent of the Mary M. Knight School District, commented: “We believe that a variety of learning options, including online courses and programs, are critical for 21st century learning and look forward to providing students across the state with this innovative, enriching public school option. Our mission is to provide students a personalized, positive, challenging, and safe learning environment with support from Washington-certified teachers, parents, and the community.”

The academy will combine Washington-certified teachers, an award-winning curriculum, technology tools, engaging electives, and social experiences to create a supportive and successful online learning program for families and students who want an individualized approach to education. As a public school, there are no fees or tuition to attend and all students are required to take the same state assessments as traditional public school students.

A virtual school approach serves a wide range of students, including those who are significantly ahead or behind in the classroom, those who need a flexible schedule or learn at a different pace from their peers, and those who need more individualized attention or live in isolated rural settings.

All Washington Connections Academy students will participate in the nationally accredited Connections Academy program that combines high-quality resources from leading publishers with cutting-edge, yet easy-to-use, technology tools and hands-on materials. Learning from home, students will work closely with licensed Washington teachers using detailed daily lesson plans that can be personalized to meet individual student needs. A parent, or another adult “Learning Coach,” monitors progress in the home. Curriculum and other services are contracted through Connections Education, a leading provider of high-quality, highly accountable online learning that has been supporting schools for over a decade. Connections Education is accredited by AdvancED.

In preparation for its inaugural academic year, the district will be identifying a teaching center in the Olympia area and hiring a Principal and team of teachers who will be based in Washington. For more information, visit www.ConnectionsAcademy.com.

Featured

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.

  • Texas A&M Opens First Building at Fort Worth Campus, Breaks Ground on Research Facility

    The Texas A&M University System marked a major milestone in the development of its Fort Worth campus by opening its first completed academic building and breaking ground on a second facility designed to expand research and industry collaboration.

  • Planning with Clarity: Using AI to Make Better Campus Decisions, Not Just Better Designs

    Higher education leaders are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions about campus facilities amid greater uncertainty than ever before. Social and economic pressures, shifting enrollment, and evolving learning models compete with growing deferred maintenance needs to strain even the most robust infrastructure budgets.

  • CU-Lock Haven Receives $1.75M Gift for New Entrepreneurship, Media Center

    Commonwealth University-Lock Haven in Lock Haven, Penn., recently received a $1.75-million donation from entrepreneur and alumnus Nicholas Subich ’17, according to a university news release. The funds will go toward establishing the Nicholas Subich Center for Entrepreneurship and Media, a technology-driven hub for innovation and experiential learning.