FAQ ~ Athena’s

Students need to be registered at Athena’s and have an active profile to enroll in our courses. Please see our Registration & Enrollment webpage to register. Please note: Athena’s charges a $1.00 processing fee to cover processing and ensure that only adults fill out the Registration Form. 

• Course fees are listed on each Course Description page.
• Payment may be made via PayPal or Credit Card
  • If you would like to pay by Credit Card, you’ll find the “Pay with Debit or Credit Card” button on the PayPal interface.
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• Payment links are located on every Course Description page.
• Families working with a charter school or an educational organization, that allots funds for educational purposes, may be able to use those funds for courses at Athena’s. Please see our Participating Schools webpage for more information.

The Academic Calendar is linked in several places on our website, but most notably in these four spots:

• The main navigational bar at the top of the webpage.
• A tab on the current Webinar Schedules webpage.
• In each classroom in the Information section.
• In the footer of the Classroom website.

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.

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.

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.

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!

We know how important it is for parents to be involved in their child’s learning, which may be challenging for the parent. We recognize that parents often need support. Through our education- and parenting-focused seminars and workshops, parents learn about the gifted child, gifted education, homeschooling, and other subjects that impact parents of gifted learners. Please refer to our Parent Seminars webpage for more information.

Please see our educators’ qualifications on our Educators webpage.

Please see our Junior Instructor webpage for information about our Junior Instructors.

Please see our Junior Presenters webpage for information about our Junior Presenters and Junior Presenter Seminar Series.

Athena’s Advanced Academy courses are entirely secular and we welcome students of all beliefs into every class. Occasionally, religion will be discussed as it pertains to the subject being covered, but only 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.

*Cyber-bullying, 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.

At Athena’s, our rules and regulations are spelled out in our Athena’s Handbook which is updated yearly.

Both students and parents are bound by Athena’s policies and should electronically sign our Acknowledgement Form one time before September of each year (or before February if joining Athena’s mid-year). Each student should fill out an 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.

If the Acknowledgement Form is not signed by September, or by February if joining mid-year, the student profile will be suspended and they will not be able to log into Athena’s classrooms.

Please note: If the form is signed after the student profile has been suspended, the profile will need to be reactivated— reactivation is not automatic.

Athena’s is not responsible for missed information or missed webinars.

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 at http://www.thetimenow.com/time-zone-converter.php. Please note the Pacific Time Zone observes Daylight Saving Time.

Each class and workshop requires specific materials. A list of required materials for each class is listed on its Course Description webpage.

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.

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.

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.

Archived Courses for Independent Learning

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.

The educator’s role 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.

Parents are encouraged to email the instructor when questions about performance arise or if a formal grade is desired.

Athena’s Advanced Academy is an independent provider of online courses. Parents are responsible for their student’s school record and for documenting courses taken to fit with their child’s learning plan. Upon request, Athena’s will assist in creating grade reports or documentation for your student.

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.

Students need to be registered at Athena’s and have an active profile to enroll in our courses. Please see our Registration & Enrollment webpage to register.

• Course fees are listed on each Course Description page.
• Payment may be made via PayPal or Credit Card
  • If paying via PayPal, please be sure the email address automatically filled in matches the email connected to your PayPal account. It may be necessary to delete the email address automatically filled in by the PayPal system with the email address associated with your PayPal account.
  • 
  • If you would like to pay by Credit Card, you’ll find the “Pay with Debit or Credit Card” button on the PayPal interface.
  • 
• Payment links are located on every Course Description page.
• Families working with a charter school or an educational organization, that allots funds for educational purposes, may be able to use those funds for courses at Athena’s. Please see our Participating Schools webpage for more information.

Athena’s is a small, intimate group of independent contractors and has small class sizes. Our refund policy reflects our circumstance.

Course fees are 90% refundable if a refund request is submitted to Dr. Kirsten at Dr.Kirsten@AthenasAcademy.com:

• At least two weeks (14 days) prior to the start of the first course webinar.
  • In the case of a course which does not have a webinar the first week, before the first week of information is posted.

After that date, course fees are 50% refundable if a refund request is submitted:

• No later than two weeks (14 days) after the first webinar.
  • In the case of a course which does not have a webinar the first week, after the first week of information is posted.
• And before the first webinar of the third week.
  • In the case of a course which does not have a webinar the first week, before the third week of information is posted.

After that time, no refunds are available for any reason.

If applicable, please see following FAQ regarding refunds and charter school vouchers.

Please note:

• If your student’s course is not a good fit, students may move to another course no later than two weeks (14 days) after the first webinar.
• If the course comes with a free “pre-course,” the course start date is the free, pre-course start date / enrollment date, not the start date of the actual course.
• Fees received for Independent Study and Self-Paced courses are non-refundable. However, students may move to another course of the same value within five days of enrollment.
• Funds received for Junior Presenter seminars are non-refundable. These funds, minus applicable payment processing fees charged by 3rd party vendors, will be sent to the Junior Presenter’s non-profit or charity of choice.

Athena’s currently accepts vouchers from several schools and programs. Please refer to our How to Enroll webpage, Pay by Voucher section, to learn more. If your organization is not listed and you would like to use vouchers from your school, please email us. Please note, special arrangements must be made to use vouchers for year-long classes.

Please note:

• Charter school funds may not be used for Athena’s tutoring sessions.
• Charter school funds vouchers are generally not accepted for AP courses.

Please refer to our Technical Requirements webpage for details.

Please refer to the video on our Course Components webpage which illustrates how our classrooms and webinars are run.

In addition to our course slides to provide visual references, we use audio and text-chat for communication during our course webinars. The absence of webcams helps to keep the focus on the content of the lesson.

Legally, we are required to keep webcams off so we can provide services to students working with charter schools insisting on having webcam-free webinars. Charter schools set this criteria as an important legal precaution. We accept this criterion because we are also very cognizant about student privacy and protecting our students.

In addition, active webcams create more lag for students who are on slow connections and can also be distracting for some students–too many visual inputs can make it challenging to focus on the content. Additionally, by not having a webcams feed, students are free to wiggle around, be any age, wear whatever they feel comfortable in, and be in various locations that may distract others.

If the family desires, webcams may be used during one-on-one tutoring webinars. Students are also invited to record webcam responses in the classrooms and forums if desired. For webinars, the focus needs to be on the content.

To register for classes, a student profile must be created by our team. Each profile must contain an email address not linked to another profile at Athena’s.

We encourage each students to have their own email address and check their email frequently. Often parents set up an email account that is linked to their own, to provide parental control (e.g. Gmail).