High School Teacher 

April 3, 2020

Verdugo Academy students are independent leaarners - they're already good at remote learning! I asked them to read an article on Newsela about working from home, and asked them for suggestions for students who are new at emore learning so those kids can be successful, too. Here are some of the resposes: 

“Always stay engaged. Being at home means a lot more distractions, but during learning time you need to focus and understand the information you are receiving.”

“A couple tips for students that are new to virtual learning are schedule your work time, study, and stay positive.”

“Always be attentive.  When you’re sitting in front of the laptop, it can be really easy to get bored and go on your phone! When on your phone you are focused on it, so you’re not listening or looking at what the teacher is saying or writing. It’s very important to be attentive especially during this time so you can be successful.”

“I would advise someone to make a schedule for their daily academic routine. It can help to write it down so it can be seen easily. It is also useful to keep track of their progress, so they don't worry about not knowing how much more work they need to do. For me, I write the percentage of completion for my courses on a board and update it daily.”

April 2, 2020

Every single day brings changes, and today is no different! You may have heard that school will remain online for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year. For the most accurate information, make sure to check out https://www.gusd.net/. If you're on social media, follow these accounts for up-to-date info: 

Our class Twitter: twitter.com/IndepStudies

GUSD: twitter.com/GlendaleUSD

Superintendent Ekchian: twitter.com/VivianEkchian

April 1, 2020

Good morning! Only 2 students have completed the week 2 assignemnts... now is a good time to get that done!

1) Read this article on NewsELA: https://newsela.com/assignment/2001535794. There is an assignment attached to the article.

2) Fill out our weekly check-in: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfCssChc7x7DzqnXykvfLqwMBY1xmSC5aWfFkwhkesNZ3SD-A/viewform?usp=sf_link

March 31, 2020 

Several of you seem to be having trouble logging into our Google classroom. 

1) You must be logged into your GUSD account. 

2) You can use this link: https://classroom.google.com/u/0/c/NDE0MTEwOTg1Njha 

3) If that doesn't work, you can click on the waffle on the top right hand of your GUSD email account and look for Google Classroom. Our classroom code is 5fjc3i3. 

4) I sent an email inviation to everyone's GUSD email. 

March 30, 2020

Welcome to Week 2 of the Coronavirus shutdown! Students, your week 2 assignments (in addition to your courses that you're already studying):

1) Read this article on NewsELA: https://newsela.com/assignment/2001535794. There is an assignment attached to the article.

2) Fill out our weekly check-in: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfCssChc7x7DzqnXykvfLqwMBY1xmSC5aWfFkwhkesNZ3SD-A/viewform?usp=sf_link

March 27, 2020

Someone asked an excellent question yesterday. They don't have a printer or scanner, so they asked how they can turn in their Apex work. My response: Write the answers on a piece of notebook paper by hand, and take a photo with a cell phone. You'll keep hard copies of your work until a future date.

March 26, 2020

Hello Verdugo Academy Families! 

I hope you're all well. I've received work from several students this week and I'm working on getting assessments online. Please log into your GUSD email account to communicate with me; this is required to take quizzes/tests.

Let's talk about online resources. For math, chemistry, etc., some concepts can be confusing! Don't be afraid to search for Khan Academy videos. For example, here's an introduction to the quadratic equation: Khan Academy: Introduction to Quadratic Equations. Please share helpful videos in our Google classroom! What other resources do you find helpful?

Talk to you soon!

Mrs. Buss

March 25, 2020

I heard from several of you today via email and Remind, and I saw several of you reading the Coronavirus article on NewsELA. I'm so proud of you for being so flexible! I tell everyone I know, my students are motivated and driven to succeed. 

March 24, 2020

Hi All!

I've heard from most of you by now. There's some confusion about what's going on, but that's ok - everyone's a little bit lost. We will transition into this slowly. For now, please check in here: Mrs. Buss' Class Week 1 Check-In (March 23-27). Also, see the links below to join our Google classroom and NewsELA class.

 Stay healthy and STAY HOME!

 Mrs. Buss

March 23, 2020

Verdugo Families,

Please check GUSD.net for the latest information on the COVID-19 closure. We are suspending our in-person meetings until at least May 5th. I sent an email this afternoon with details about how we'll move forward. That said, WE ARE PREPARED! Each student already has the syllabi needed to complete their classes. You are expected to email your work on your meeting day. 

To keep in contact:

Join my Google Classroom.

If you're on Twitter, follow our class account here: https://twitter.com/IndepStudies. 

Join our NewsELA classroom: Mrs. Buss on NewsELA.

Add Remind.

I'll talk to you soon!

Mrs. Buss

Please read and and adhere to the guidelines in this document: Avoiding Plagiarism.

Students, please submit your papers through this link: Turn It In