FAQ ~ Athena’s
Getting Started
Although parental participation is essential at Athena’s Advanced Academy, it is important that the child be able to fully participate in class. Children should know how to:
- Use the computer and the Internet. (Parental assistance is required if your child has emerging computer and typing skills.)
- Use a microphone to communicate verbally. This is especially important during the weekly webinars. (A headset is recommended for clarity and to reduce echo.)
- Work at a quick pace (e.g. complete a year-long curriculum within a 16-week semester).
Athena’s Advanced Academy classes are appropriate for learners new to the online classroom experience, as well as the seasoned online learner.
At Athena’s Advanced Academy, we understand that gifted and talented children learn and mature at different rates. Except for classes geared specifically for teens, our classes do not have age requirements. Rather, each course has a minimum ability requirement that allows parents to select the most appropriate courses for their children. Some classes tend to attract certain age groups. The age groups will be noted on the class description page when applicable.
We feel parents are the best assessors of their children’s abilities. We require only that children meet the prerequisites for each course and have a desire to learn.
Parental participation is highly encouraged at Athena’s Advanced Academy. We view the instruction of your child to be a collaboration between you, your child, and the Athena’s Advanced Academy educator. We encourage parents and students to make the class their own.
Parents are free to document their child’s learning according to their educational plan. Assisting your child with technical requirements, weekly assignments, and classroom participation will help to ensure that your child gets the most out of each class.
Many assignments require Internet access, and we believe that this is best done under parental supervision. Athena’s Advanced Academy is not responsible for inappropriate content that your child may access on the Internet.
The educator’s role is to inspire, excite, and engage students through the learning process. We view the instruction of your child as a collaboration between Athena’s Advanced Academy educator, you as the parent, and your child.
We want our students to be excited about learning. We encourage students to take ownership of their learning with the guidance of their instructor and their parents. We love hearing their thoughts, ideas, and perspectives. We ask students to actively participate, communicate politely, stretch their minds and keep their minds open, and have fun!
- If you are having trouble logging in to Athena’s, begin by clicking on “Forgotten your username or password?”
- Type in your Username or your Email address in the corresponding field and press Search.
- Wait for a while then check your email for directions on how to reset your password.
- If you don’t receive an email, check the spelling of your username or email address.
- If there is an issue, it is usually because an incorrect email address is inputted.
The email address is usually a *student* email address.
Our educators’ qualifications can be found linked on our Educators webpage.
Please see our Junior Instructor webpage for information about our Junior Instructors.
Athena’s Advanced Academy is not affiliated with any religion. Athena’s courses are secular and taught from a secular standpoint. We welcome students of all beliefs into every class. In courses where religion is discussed, it will be discussed as it pertains to the subject being covered, the historical significance, or the literary significance. The discussion will only occur from a secular viewpoint.
At Athena’s Advanced Academy, we are focused on building a respectful and friendly community of gifted learners. It is extremely important for everyone to communicate in a polite, kind way.
Cyberbullying, harassment, spamming, and the like are prohibited. We reserve the right to remove or withdraw a student exhibiting such behavior from a webinar or course. No refund will be given to students removed for inappropriate behavior.
Once a student is registered, they may choose and enroll in courses linked on our Courses webpage.
Students need to be registered at Athena’s and have an active profile to enroll in our courses.
Please see Step 1 on our Registration & Enrollment webpage to register.
Please see our Junior Presenters webpage for information about our Junior Presenters and Junior Presenter Seminar Series.
The Academic Calendar is linked in several places on our website including:
- The main navigational bar: Home > Courses > Academic Calendar
- On every Course Description page under the Enrollment Options section.
- On a tab on the current Webinar Schedules webpage.
- In each classroom in the Information section.
- In the footer of the Classroom website.
At Athena’s, our rules and regulations are spelled out in our Athena’s Handbook located on our Courses website.
Both students and parents are bound by Athena’s policies and must electronically sign our Athena’s Handbook Acknowledgement Form.
- The link for the Athena’s Handbook is located in the Introduction and Welcome Activities sections in every classroom as well as the Athena’s Resources Room.
- The link for the Acknowledgement Form is located at the end of the Handbook.
Families will receive an email notification upon completion of the Acknowledgement Form.
Most educational schools and organizations place students by age– limiting learning opportunities for gifted students working above their grade level. At Athena’s, parents are able to place their student into Athena’s courses according to their ability or learning level not their age– opening learning opportunities for their gifted student!
At Athena’s, an eight-year-old could be taking Middle School level courses, or higher! In the case of asynchronous development, the same student may take courses aimed at different grade levels. Our courses span ability ranges (e.g. 6th-8th grade), so courses can be adapted to lower or higher level learning, depending on a student’s educational need. Families are able to tailor the courses to fit their student’s level and educational plan!
If you do not know which courses line up with your student’s ability level, review and discuss the course descriptions with your student. Students know what they know and what they are excited to learn about! Discussing the options with your student can help pique their interest and determine which placement would be best.
Are you still unsure if your student is ready for a course? Email the course instructor with your questions–they will be able to help you. Instructor email addresses are linked on each course description webpage.
Each course at Athena’s is priced separately based on course length, instructor preference, and overall Athena’s course pricing.
Course cost is located on each course description webpage.
If a Specialized Receipt is required, parents should fill out Athena’s Specialized Receipt Request Form.
- Athena’s charges a non-refundable $5.00 processing fee to cover processing the Specialized Receipt Request Form.
Athena’s Student Success Plan:
Athena’s educators work with families to adjust the content to fit the student’s ability level. Athena’s Student Success Plan begins after students are introduced to the class and have settled in.
Quick Quarter Check-In (QQCI): During Athena’s 16-week and 32-week courses, students are asked to fill out the QQCI after the fourth webinar. The results of the QQCI Form provide Athena’s Educators with early feedback so they can help families make sure their students’ educational needs are being met at the quarter mark of the semester. If necessitated, educators reach out to families to help select a course of action.
Mid-Semester Check-In (MSCI): During Athena’s 8-week, 16-week, & 32-week courses, students are asked to fill out the MSCI at the mid-course point. The results of the MSCI Form provide Athena’s Educators with detailed information so they can help to make sure their students’ educational needs are being met at the halfway point of the course. If necessitated, educators reach out to families to help select a course of action.
Working together, families learn to adjust the course content to make sure their student’s educational needs are met.
Registration
Athena’s Advanced Academy is an independent provider of online courses. The overseeing primary institution (e.g. charter school, homeschool, etc.) is responsible for maintaining the student’s school record and for ensuring courses taken fit with the student’s learning plan. Upon request, Athena’s will assist in recommending a final grade for the course.
Athena’s does not maintain a record of student enrollment or student work after the culmination of the current school year. We recommend parents keep track of the courses their students take at Athena’s.
- Standard Certificate of Completion: When a course culminates, the course Certificate of Completion will be available in the course’s virtual classroom.
- Specialized Course Completion Report: Families who need a specialized report for documentation, beyond the Course Completion Certificate located in every Athena’s classroom, should fill out the Athena’s Specialized Course Completion Report Form. Athena’s charges a non-refundable processing fee for this form.
Live webinars begin at the top of the hour, and most webinars are 50 minutes in length. Check each Course Description webpage to confirm the webinar length. Refer to our most current webinar schedule for dates and times.
All webinar times are listed for the Pacific Time Zone. You may want to check webinar compatibility with your local time zone. Please note the Pacific Time Zone observes Daylight Saving Time.
We recognize the necessity for flexibility, which is why we offer several Enrollment Options for most of our standard courses. Our Enrollment Options include:
- Synchronous – students attend (or have the option to attend) the live weekly webinars.
- Asynchronous – students listen to the recorded webinars only; students do not attend the live weekly webinars.
- Independent for Archived Courses – students listen to recorded webinars only; students do not attend live weekly webinars.
To determine the flexibility of a course, click on a Course Description webpage, scroll down to the Enrollment Options section. To enroll, click on the corresponding link.
Sample:
Visit our Enrollment Options webpage for more information.
Each class and workshop requires specific materials. A list of required materials for each class is listed on its Course Description webpage.
Live webinars are held each week to increase interaction between students and instructors, build enthusiasm for learning, and to further discuss the weekly topic. Students are encouraged to interact with their classmates and instructor via live audio and text chat while viewing educational material displayed on the virtual whiteboard.
Many courses are discussion based and rely on verbal participation to create a rich learning experience. Students enrolled in these courses must be able to participate verbally in the online group discussion. Discussion-based courses are noted on the What to Expect tab on the Course Description page.
Courses with live webinars proceed on a fixed timeline. Students may choose to move at a slower pace than the rest of the class, but they are unable to work ahead. Students with time constraints may follow the pace of the class and watch the recorded webinar instead of attending live.
All courses include real-time and asynchronous discussions each week. In each virtual classroom, students will find Required, Highly Suggested, and Optional activities. Students may view online videos, complete interactive activities and use Internet tools to synthesize new information and creatively express learned ideas. Specific course activities and assignments can be found on the What to Expect tab on the Course Description page.
- Visit our Course Components webpage for more information about our virtual classrooms.
We offer the opportunity to make the classes fit your family’s educational plan. In each virtual classroom, students will find Required, Highly Suggested, and Optional activities. Students may view online videos, complete interactive activities, and use Internet tools to synthesize new information and creatively express learned ideas. Specific course activities and assignments can be found on the What to Expect tab on the Course Description page. Students and parents should work together to determine how much work students should complete each week.
Athena’s students often have emerging writing and typing skills. Students are encouraged to grow in these areas. We offer activities that are meant to challenge, not overwhelm. Our courses focus on appreciating elements of effective writing across subject areas. Although students may use written discussion forums to share ideas with classmates, formal writing assignments are not required except in formal writing classes. We encourage parents and students to make the class their own to fit with their child’s learning plan. Please refer to the individual Course Description pages for more information about each course.
Athena’s assists parents in evaluating their student’s performance. Parents can log in to Athena’s with their student’s username to view completed work and student assessments. Families working with a charter school, educational organization, or another school of record should share the student information with their cooperating school or educational organization.
The role of the Athena’s educator is to inspire, excite, and engage students through the learning process. Primary instruction and guided discussions are provided during live webinars, while asynchronous assignments are designed to promote interaction between students. The educator assesses the work in the classroom based on a completion scale or a scale included in the course syllabus.
Current families, please see the Athena’s Handbook, linked in the Athena’s Resources Room for general policies. Please see each course’s syllabus (posted in the Introduction section of each classroom) for a course’s grading policy. Parents are encouraged to email the instructor when questions about performance arise.
Our self-paced, Independent Learning – Archived courses include tutorial or webinar recordings and may be started at any time. Students may move through the material at their own pace.
The Academic Calendar is linked in several places on our website including:
- The main navigational bar: Home > Courses > Academic Calendar & Weekly Schedules.
- On every Course Description page under the Enrollment Options section.
- On a tab on the current Webinar Schedules webpage.
- In each classroom in the Information section.
- In the footer of the Classroom website.
The virtual classrooms (including the webinar recordings) are available to students through the end of July of the academic year. Students taking a fall, spring, or summer course will have until July 31 of the current academic year to enter their classrooms. Having access through July 31 gives students the flexibility to refer back to their classrooms even after the live webinars have culminated. Courses archive on August 1 to make room for the upcoming academic year.
Each course at Athena’s is priced separately based on course length, instructor preference, and overall Athena’s course pricing.
Course cost is located on each course description webpage.