09/25/2026

Posted Date: 09/25/26 (02:42 PM)

NBVLA News

09/25/2026 Updates

New Information

🌱 NBVLA Updates: We’re Growing!

NBVLA continues to grow, and we are excited to welcome new students and families to our school community! As we grow, we want to make sure every student has the information and support they need to be successful.

🍎 School Lunch

Students who would like to receive a school lunch may go to their local New Bedford community school for lunch.

💻 Attendance Counts at NBVLA

Being enrolled in a virtual school does not mean learning is self-paced. Students are expected to attend Morning Advisory and all assigned live lessons each school day. Attendance and active participation in these live classes are required in order to be counted as present for the school day.

📶 Need Internet Access? We Can Help!

If you are having difficulty accessing reliable internet, students may come to the NBVLA Hub at Hillman and attend their live virtual lessons from our building. Please reach out so we can help make arrangements.

🤝 Your Advisor Is Your First Point of Contact

Your advisor is here to support you! If you have questions about attendance, accessing classes, your daily schedule, or other concerns, please reach out to your advisor first. Our goal is to make sure every student is able to access and attend all of their assigned classes.

🎓 New Courses Begin This Week!

Our asynchronous elective courses and High School Math courses begin this coming week. Students should watch for information about accessing these courses and expectations for completing their work.

🗓️ Individualized Student Schedules

We are continuing to review and individualize student schedules. Our goal is to create a schedule that best supports each student's academic needs, graduation requirements, interests, and future goals.

🏠 SAVE THE DATE: NBVLA OPEN HOUSE!

Thursday, October 8, 2026

5:30–7:30 PM

Please save the date for our NBVLA Open House! We look forward to connecting with our students and families and sharing more about the work happening at NBVLA.

More information about the format and schedule for the evening will be coming soon!

Thank you for being part of our growing NBVLA community!

Upcoming Beginning-of-Year Assessments

Over the next few weeks, NBVLA students will participate in Beginning-of-Year (BOY) assessments. These assessments help our teachers understand each student’s current strengths and areas for growth so we can provide the right level of support throughout the school year.

ELA BOY Diagnostic

October 5–9

STAR ELA Assessment: Grades 6–12

Math BOY Diagnostic

October 13–16

Ready Inform: Grades 6–8

IXL: Grades 6–8

Students should attend their scheduled virtual classes each day and be prepared to complete these assessments as directed by their advisors.

These assessments are not something students need to study for. We simply ask that students do their best and take their time so that we have an accurate picture of where they are starting the year. This information will help us plan instruction and identify areas where students may benefit from additional support.

A testing schedule will be shared with families shortly. Testing will take place in lieu of Live Lessons for these days.

NBVLA Logo Spotlight

As a brand-new school, our students have the unique opportunity to help shape the identity of NBVLA!

Over the next several weeks, we will feature a different student-created NBVLA logo in our weekly family memo. These designs were created by our students to represent their ideas about who we are and what our school can become.

Once all of our student designs have been shared, we will hold an official schoolwide vote to help select our NBVLA logo!

Until then, enjoy getting a first look at the creativity of our founding students. 🌟

Stay tuned for the official vote!

⏰ Understanding Attendance at NBVLA

As we begin our regular academic schedule, we want to make sure everyone understands how attendance works at NBVLA.

Being present at NBVLA means participating throughout the school day, not simply logging in for Advisory.

📚 Attend Advisory + All Live Lessons: To be marked present for the day, students must attend morning Advisory and all Live Lesson classes assigned to them that day.

✅ How Daily Attendance Is Determined: At the end of the day, we will review attendance across Advisory and each assigned Live Lesson to determine the student’s daily attendance status.

The formula is simple: Advisory + All Assigned Live Lessons = Present for the Day.

🏠 Need to miss a class or leave early? Just like at an in-person school, a parent/guardian must contact the school to report an absence or dismissal. Students should not simply log off or skip a class.

🩺 Illness or appointment? Families should submit doctor's notes or other documentation when applicable. Please submit notes to you advisor at this time.

🤝 Our goal is support, not just attendance-taking. If we notice a student beginning to miss classes or disengage, we will reach out so we can work together early.

Bottom line: Show up, participate, and communicate. We’re here to help!

👋 Visitors in Our Virtual Classrooms

Next week, students may notice Mrs. Graf and other New Bedford Public Schools administrators joining some of our live lessons. No need to do anything differently. Just keep learning, participating, and being yourselves!

As a new virtual school, we are learning alongside our students and teachers about what works best in the virtual classroom. Visiting live lessons gives us an opportunity to see learning in action and better understand how we can support our students and teachers in the virtual environment.

We are excited to see all the great things happening in our NBVLA classrooms!

🐾 What Should the NBVLA Mascot Be?

We want our founding students to help decide!

Students will soon have an opportunity to submit ideas for an official NBVLA mascot. We are looking for something that represents who we are as a virtual school, what we hope NBVLA will become, and our connection to the larger New Bedford Public Schools community.

When thinking about a mascot, students should consider:

What represents learning, growth, independence, resilience, or connection?

What represents a school that learns differently?

Is there a connection to New Bedford, our community, or New Bedford Public Schools?

What would make a great mascot for future generations of NBVLA students?

Most importantly: Why does your mascot represent NBVLA?

We will narrow the submissions to a group of finalists and then hold a schoolwide student vote to choose our mascot.

As the first students of NBVLA, you are helping create traditions that will last beyond this school year. Years from now, we want our founding students to be able to say:

“We helped choose that.” 💙

Important Reminders

Remember, NBVLA students are New Bedford Public Schools students! That means you can participate in clubs, sports, activities, and other opportunities available throughout the district.

We want our virtual students to stay connected, explore their interests, meet new people, and be part of the larger NBPS community.

🎭 For our performers: Check out the opportunity happening this Monday below!

We hope to see our NBVLA students getting involved and representing our school throughout New Bedford! 💙

🎨 Make Your Mark Empowerment Project

Please see the information provided regarding the Make Your Mark Empowerment Project!

Students interested in participating are encouraged to get creative and submit their designs. If you need a paper copy of the application to complete your design, copies are available at the NBVLA Hub on Hillman Street.

If you are completing your design digitally, please make sure your digital copy is submitted to manuel.debrito@newbedford.ma.gov.

We would love to see our NBVLA students Make Their Mark!

DREAM OUT LOUD

We are currently recruiting for our FREE Fall Creative Careers Program for middle and high school youth who are interested in songwriting, digital music production, creative writing, digital art and graphic design.

Classes start on October 6, 2026 and will be held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4:00pm - 6:00pm, and 6:00pm - 8:00pm through December 3rd.

The application deadline is Thursday, October 1st by 7pm.

You can mail completed applications to Dream Out Loud, 127 West Rodney French Blvd, New Bedford MA 02744 or email to information@dreamoutloudnow.org (preferred).

We are also having an open house sign up session on Thursday, October 1st anytime from 3pm - 7pm. Dream Out Loud is located at the Kilburn Mill, 127 West Rodney French Blvd in New Bedford, Suite 2-64.

Please SHARE with any youth who may be interested!

Like us on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/pg/theDOLC/posts/

Dream Out Loud Application

Contact info

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us. Your advisor is your first point of contact but please reach out to Mrs. Graf with any concerns you need resolved via ParentSquare or StudentSquare.