Pickens County Virtual Academy

🍎 Still looking for the right Pre-K option for your 4-year-old this fall? We have a few openings remaining!

Give your child a great start with the SDPC Academy for Early Learners — a FREE 4K program designed to inspire curiosity, build confidence, and prepare students for kindergarten and beyond.

Through hands-on learning in immersive environments, students explore, create, problem-solve, and grow while developing important early literacy, social, and emotional skills.

🚌 FREE transportation is available to all Pre-K students!

Don’t miss this opportunity to give your child an engaging learning experience that sets the stage for future success!

🔗 Register for 4K today: https://www.pickens.k12.sc.us/page/four-year-old-kindergarten

📩 Questions? Contact the Academy for Early Learners at aelreg@pickens.k12.sc.us or 864-397-1000.

Our 360 Academy Program will meet in-person at our new location, 510 South Pendleton Street, Easley SC, unless otherwise noted or communicated. See the schedule for first semester at https://canva.link/hvwy3jzewgkzub9.

Apply today at https://bit.ly/360APP2627
Seats are filling up fast!

Students,
Prepare yourselves now! No personal devices can be in the student's possession during state testing or PCVA final exams. These must be POWERED OFF. Students will turn them in to the testing administrator until they are dismissed from the test sites. There are office phones available for students to call home if they need a ride. Parents will have contact information for the site's testing coordinator on test day in case there is a need to get information to a student. The best plan is to plan ahead. Discuss pick-up times and other information prior to leaving home that morning.

These personal devices not permitted during testing include phones of any kind, anything that includes a camera, blue tooth devices, headphones not wired, smart glasses, smart watches, etc.

Start planning today how you can feel comfortable being separated from your devices during testing. We realize this separation anxiety can be real, but it is required by state testing regulations. Practice now. Give parents your phones and other electronics for a few hours each day. You'll be OK. Soon, you may find out just how little you really need them.

The one device you must have, though, is your district-issued Chromebook! Your charger is a good recommendation too. These tests won't push down to personal computers.

Thank you for practicing time away from every alert, ping, text, Snap, DM, or story! You're not really missing anything!

Are you interested in joining our Middle School Hybrid Virtual/In-Person Learning Program in the School District of Pickens County? Apply today. Applications are open through May 15. https://bit.ly/360APP2627

Is there a PCVA or 360 Academy teacher who has gone an extra mile or two for you? If so, use Valentine's Day as an opportunity to send a quick message of appreciation. Or, post a comment on our social media!

The AWS outage is impacting some of the applications and programs we use for 360 Academy and Pickens County Virtual Academy. You may find these to be temporary issues. Wait 10-15 minutes and try again. You may also find it helpful to directly access websites.

https://launchpad.classlink.com/pickens

https://www.pickens.k12.sc.us/page/schoology

https://virtualsc.org

This is not a Pickens County issue, so you do not need to submit an Incident IQ or notify your teachers. They are having some of your same difficulties this morning. Keep trying, though. We've found some systems are up and others are not at times.

Students in 360 Academy have extra opportunities to learn through experiences. We hope each student has the opportunity to participate in at least one of our fall field trips!

We're looking forward to our trip to the library on Friday, September 26. Return your permission forms to advisors as soon as possible! See your Schoology group for more information.

It's almost time to begin thinking about school supplies for next year. Primarily, virtual students need their Chromebooks, their chargers, and their Tech It Home Fees paid by July 24. Other than that, our students have shared some items that make their lives easier as virtual students: a wireless or wired mouse, headphones/earbuds, notebooks and paper, pencils, pens, highlighters, index cards, post it notes, an external monitor/portable monitor, and printer. Those last two are extras but nice to have if all of your coursework is virtual.

Testing begins this week for students in Pickens County Virtual Academy and 360 Academy of Careers and Innovation. Check your courses and messages from your teachers for important information about your testing dates, times, and locations.

PCVA High School Exams are just around the corner. Check in your child's course and communication from the teacher for more important information about testing.

Are you interested in a potentially FREE Summer STEM Camp for rising 6th-8th Grade Students? Apply today! The Governor's School for Science and Mathematics in conjunction with the Technical College system will hold summer day camps all around the state. Due to generous donors, many of your students can attend camp at no cost to their families or to their school district. Please find attached a flyer specific to the GoSciTech Day Camp to be held at Tri-County Technical College Pendleton Campus June 9-12, 2025. In order to be participate, students must hold a minimum B average. The deadline to apply is May 15, 2025. Please apply as soon as possible to take advantage of this opportunity.

Did you know that PCVA can help support your high school course pathway next year? If not, PCVA teachers will be on campus at DHS during all lunch periods on Thursday, April 3. Stop by their table with questions or even to complete your application.

PCVA High School teachers will be at LHS on Wednesday, April 2, during all lunches to talk with students about how PCVA courses can support their plans for next school year. Drop by the table and ask your questions! Teachers will be there to help you with the application, too!

Are you searching for a different style of learning for middle school next year? Our 360 Academy of Careers and Innovation may be just for you. Apply today through June 1 and engage through experiential learning, collaboration with peers, leadership development, grade level learning with SC Certified educators right here in Pickens County, and in-person learning opportunities!

Join us during lunch today at EHS to talk with PCVA teachers about how our courses can support your schedule next year.