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title: "⏰ Mentor Minute: January 2026"
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Mentor Survey, Upcoming Mentor Support & Networking Opportunities, Student Orientation Tips & and other Spring term information

| View in browser Hello, Michigan Virtual Mentors!  In this Mentor Minute edition: Feedback opportunity: Updated Mentor Survey Mentor support and networking: Drop-in office hours & Mentor Meetups Student Orientation guidance for your students Student Pacing Tool and Senior early end needs Mentor Survey If you mentored students enrolled in Michigan Virtual courses during Semester 1 or Trimesters 1 or 2,  please take a few minutes to complete our updated Mentor Survey.  Your feedback is important to us. Click to take Mentor Survey Mentor Support and Networking Mentor Support Drop-in Office Hours   Are you looking for live mentor support?  Stop by to ask questions or request support during our Mentor Drop-in Office Hours, Mondays, 11:30am - 12:30pm ET, via Zoom.   Mentor Training & Networking Consider joining us for our upcoming Mentor Meetups, for both new and returning mentors, focusing on navigation and efficiency tips in Michigan Virtual systems and mentor best practices for student and local online program success.  These are live sessions via Zoom.  Registration is required.    Upcoming Virtual Session Dates: Thursday, February 5, 2026 (Pick the session that best fits your schedule) Lunch Session, 11:30am - 12:30pm     → 2/5 @11:30-12:30pm Registration After-School Session, 3:00 - 4:00pm   → 2/5 @3-4pm Registration Wednesday, March 25, 2026 Lunch Session, 11:30am - 12:30pm     → 3/25 @11:30-12:30 Registration  After-School Session, 3:00 - 4:00pm   → 3/25 @3-4pm Registration For more information see Michigan Virtual Mentor Training & Support Opportunities 💡Student Orientation Tips Students are required to complete the Student Orientation to Online Learning only once per school year.  However, the Orientation remains visible and accessible in all courses throughout the year, so students can reference the information when needed.     For students enrolled in new spring term courses who completed the orientation, earning 100% in the fall of 2025, no further action with the Student Orientation is required.   How Mentors can help:  Please advise your students that they do not have to complete the Student Orientation again during the spring term, as long as they see the "Completed" message as shown in the below image. If students prefer not to view the Student Orientation course tile, on the Brightspace My Courses dashboard, they can filter to only see current courses. Student Pacing Tool & Early End Dates We know many seniors need to finish their courses before the SLP end date. While students are welcome to move through courses at an accelerated pace, instructors will not be updating pacing schedules for early end dates due to the potential for system glitches and the need for consistent practices. Mentors can support students by helping them create their own adjusted pacing guide: Determine the number of graded submissions (assignments, tests, quizzes, discussions, etc.) in the course. Count how many weeks remain until the desired end date. Divide the total number of course assignments by the remaining weeks to set a weekly goal. Download the pacing schedule and print, then write in the adjusted due dates. Once all planned work has been submitted and the necessary time has been allotted for teacher grading and system syncing, mentors may request a final score, and instructors will finalize grades based on submitted work. For additional guidance, you may find it helpful to review the Michigan Virtual Early End Date Expectations. Mentor Minute Archive Stop by the Mentor Resources page to find our new Mentor Minute archive, featuring easy access to helpful information from past editions. Mentors make a difference We appreciate you, our dedicated mentors, for supporting students and partnering with Michigan Virtual to foster strong communication and positive outcomes. Continuing Mentor Support Andrea Kistler MENTOR SUPPORT MANAGER Andrea is the Mentor Support Manager at Michigan Virtual. If you have any mentoring-related questions, don't hesitate to email, call or text. akistler@michiganvirtual.org 517.664.5470 Michigan Virtual, 920 Municipal Way, Lansing, Michigan 48917 Unsubscribe |
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