Independent School Educators' List (ISED-L): Online School for Girls Newsletter: April 2010

Online School for Girls Newsletter
April 2010

Interim Director Appointed=20
The Online School for Girls Board is excited to announce the appointment =
of Molly Rumsey as Interim Director, beginning June 1st. Molly has =
served as chair of the Governance Committee of the Online School for =
Girls since its creation in June 2009. Currently, she serves as the =
education technology integration specialist with the Harpeth Hall School =
in Nashville, TN and will take a leave of absence to devote full-time to =
the Online School for Girls. In addition to her roles at Harpeth Hall -- =
middle school math teacher and former middle school dean of students -- =
Molly serves as co-director of the STEM for Girls Think Tank, an annual =
think tank that brings together educators in the science, technology, =
engineering, and math (STEM) fields from schools from across the United =
State to discuss best practices, brainstorming ideas on how best to =
encourage girls to pursue studies in the four STEM areas, and plan =
future STEM-related initiatives and collaborations. Her passion for =
girls=92 education and her commitment to the online education for young =
women makes Molly a valuable leader to take the Online School to its =
next level.

2010-2011 Courses Open To Any Girl, Anywhere
Girls across the country have the chance to take high level online =
courses from expert teachers in girls education through the Online =
School for Girls. Wrapping up a successful first year with more than 60 =
students enrolled in six courses from member schools, the Online School =
for Girls is ready to open its doors to any girl, anywhere for the =
2010-2011 school year. "The Online School for Girls was founded with the =
mission to bring the best online education to girls around the world. =
This year, we were able to do that for sixty students who already had =
access to great girls' education. We are thrilled to be able to open up =
the opportunities to all girls next year, so that now, no matter where a =
girl lives, she can have access to incredibly high quality courses, at =
affordable costs, and designed to the ways that she learns best," said =
Molly Rumsey, Interim Director.=20
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The full course catalog is available at =
http://www.onlineschoolforgirls.org/course_catalog.html. Tuition for =
the 2010-2011 school year is $650 for a semester course and $1,300 for a =
year course. Register today. Courses for next year have a maximum =
enrollment of twenty students, so apply today before the courses fill =
up. We welcome any questions or comments.
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Online Professional Development Course: Creating a Great Blended =
Learning Experience for Students
The Online School for Girls is proud to announce that in addition to =
good and challenging courses for students, we will be offering an online =
professional development course for faculty this summer. This course is =
designed for the secondary teacher who is comfortable posting =
assignments on the web, is interested in the concept of blended =
instruction, but needs guidance or exposure to the online tools and =
methods that exist, literally, at their fingertips. Instructors will =
spend time exploring current research and theories to answer the =
question: Why is blended learning so powerful? Once a solid =
understanding of blended learning is established, the course will shift =
its focus to practical matters to answer the question: How do I create a =
great blended learning experience for my students? Participants will =
connect and collaborate with each other through a variety of online =
activities, averaging 2 - 4 hours a week, as they explore best practices =
and practical tools available for blended learning instruction. By the =
end of this four-week experience, teachers will have concrete ideas =
about how to apply blended learning methods to their own teaching. Cost =
is $450. Register today. Questions about the course can be sent to =
info@onlineschoolforgirls.org.
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Become a Charter Affiliate
With tuition ever rising, independent schools are under increased =
pressure to offer more and more for their students and families. And =
yet, the Great Recession has pinched school budgets tighter and made =
schools stretch their dollars further. By becoming a charter affiliate =
of the OSG, your school gains access for your students to a great range =
of supplemental courses-- the types of courses that are tough to staff =
or prohibitively expensive to offer. Moreover, the courses are designed =
by exceptional girls' school teachers, administered by excellent girls' =
school administrators, and driven by sound independent-school pedagogy =
(small class sized and researched-based approaches).=20
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There are a number of advantages built into our application and =
registration process for charter affiliates :
- 10% discount on courses taken at OSG;
- Four-week window for registration before students from the general =
public can register for courses;
- A special, stream-lined application process (including no application =
fee).
- In addition, charter affiliate schools become members of the Advisory =
Council for the Online School for Girls. If you are interested in =
charter affiliation for your school to bring these great courses and =
advantages to your students, contact Brad Rathgeber, President of the =
Online School for Girls at brad.rathgeber@onlineschoolforgirls.org
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