Our campuses in Calgary and Edmonton remain closed at this time. We cannot accept the return of textbooks to our campuses. To avoid charges, all textbooks and other non-consumable resources which were lent to you must be mailed to our distribution centre in Barrhead.

Vista Virtual School
P.O. Box 4000
4601 – 63 Avenue
Barrhead, AB T7N 1P4

Vista Virtual School’s high school summer program offers online courses to school-aged students across Alberta. Students may enroll in a maximum of ten (10) credits at a time. All VVS-taught senior high courses are available and are designed to be completed in a shorter time-frame. Specific course format and required materials can be found in the Course Catalogue.

Registration for summer courses opened on May 1, 2020. All courses must be completed by August 31, 2020. 

• Deadline to register in a 5-credit summer course: Friday, July 17
  • the exception is English courses. The deadline to register is Monday, July 6
• Deadline to register in a 1 or 3-credit summer courses: Friday, August 7
• Summer courses will not be finalized until after the third week of July
• Students in 30-level diploma courses are expected to write the August Diploma Exam and must have a final course mark prior to August 5. This means, in our distance setting, students should plan to complete their coursework two weeks ahead of a diploma exam to allow time for marking, feedback, and studying. Teachers will provide guidance on completion dates.

Students must have successfully completed any required prerequisite course(s) prior to registration.

• VVS requires confirmation of prerequisite completion in one of the following forms: Detailed Academic Report (DAR) from Alberta Education, Final Report Card, or Transcript.
• Students entering Grade 10 may register for summer courses that do not require a prerequisite starting May 1; they can register for core courses after receiving their final Grade 9 report card (please remember to upload your June report card into your registration application).

Due to public health restrictions, we have cancelled our graduation ceremony which was planned for Friday, June 5 in Leduc. We would like to send our congratulations to all Vista Virtual School graduates this year. 

These are definitely exceptional times and we want to thank you for your dedication and hard work. We wish you only the best in the months and years to come. Thank you for sharing your educational journey with us.

Always make sure you get plenty of rest before an exam. It is also valuable to get a proper night’s sleep before embarking on a long study session. If you are too tired, it is typically harder to retain what you have studied.

Please visit the link below for information regarding awards available to VVS students. Several awards have an application deadline of June 30th.

Awards Information for VVS Students

• National Aboriginal History Month 
• June 5: World Environment Day
• June 20: First Day of Summer 
• June 21: National Indigenous Peoples’ Day
• June 21: Father’s Day 
• June 24: Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day
• June 27: Canadian Multiculturalism Day 
• June 30: Last Day of Classes (Full-time students)

Check out our monthly events on our website. We update this calendar as events are added.

Due to public health restrictions, our room bookings at various public libraries around the province have been cancelled for the month of June. Additionally, we do not make road trips to public libraries during the summer months as our full-time students complete their coursework by the end of June. Road trips will resume when Alberta Health Services allows libraries to reopen and we’re able to book space with them.

We have currently opened our registrations for the 2020-2021 school year. Due to significant funding changes for online schools, Vista Virtual School (VVS) has had to make significant policy and procedural changes to our high school program beginning in the 2020-2021 school year.

Please be patient with us as we make updates to our website to reflect these changes.

Programming for Grades 1-9

Vista Virtual School will continue to offer full-time programming for Grades 1-9. Policies and procedures remain mostly the same for Grades 1-9.

• Students and their parent(s) must reside in Alberta and provide proof of citizenship/permanent residency
• Students are encouraged to register with Vista Virtual School for the 2020-2021 school year as soon as they have a final report card for the 2019-2020 school year
• Students are expected to start their program at the beginning of September and submit work regularly and communicate with the teacher(s) throughout the school year 
• Requests for registration will not be accepted after September 23
• VVS lends textbooks to students/families in grades 1-9
  • To avoid being billed for textbooks and other non-consumable resources, they must be returned in reusable condition to Vista Virtual School within 90 days of the course(s) being completed or July 31, whichever date is earlier.
• All coursework must be completed by June 30
• Additionally, Grade 9 students entering Grade 10 in the 2021-2022 school year may register for a maximum of ten (10) credits of coursework in summer school
  • VVS plans to open registrations for summer school on March 1, 2021
  • Summer school courses without prerequisites may be accessed prior to the summer but will not be finalized until after the third week in July
    • Career and Life Management (CALM) and introductory Career and Technology (CTS) courses are some examples of courses without prerequisites that students may access
  • Summer school courses with prerequisites may be accessed when the prerequisite course has been completed with a passing mark and the report card showing that mark is presented to VVS

Programming for Grades 10-12

Primary Registrations – Information for Students Who Will be Registered with Vista Virtual School Only – No Registrations at Any Other Alberta School will Happen During the 2020-2021 School Year

Information for students in their first three years of their high school program:

• Students and their parent(s) must reside in Alberta and provide proof of citizenship/permanent residency
• Students must not be registered with another school in Alberta
• Students must register prior to the end of September – there will no longer be continuous intake throughout the school year
• Students will need to commit to completing thirty (30) credits, or more, of coursework in the September to June timeframe
  • Students who are unable or unwilling to make a commitment to completing thirty (30) credits will be restricted to five (5) credits of coursework for the school year, plus COM1255 for a total of six (6) credits
• Students who are new to Vista Virtual School or who do not have a good record of completion, will be required to take a 1-credit introductory course prior to being enrolled in any other course(s) 
  • COM1255 – E-LEARNING & LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (COM1255 is an introduction to online learning at VVS)
• Once COM1255 is completed, students will be allowed to register for other coursework, according to their commitment
• VVS charges a caution fee for textbooks and other required materials. Textbooks and other required materials may be obtained from Vista Virtual School or elsewhere
  • The caution fee is 100% refundable when materials are returned in reusable condition to Vista Virtual School within 90 days of the course(s) expiry date or of being completed
• All coursework must be completed by June 30
• Additionally, students may register for a maximum of ten (10) credits of coursework in summer school
  • VVS plans to open registrations for summer school on March 1, 2021
  • Summer school courses may be accessed prior to the summer but will not be finalized until after the third week in July

Information for students in their fourth (4th) and/or fifth (5th) year of their high school program (18-years-of-age on September 1, 2020):

• Students must reside in Alberta and provide proof of citizenship/permanent residency
• Students must not be registered with another school in Alberta
• Students must register prior to the end of September – there will no longer be continuous intake throughout the school year
• Students will be restricted to five (5) credits of coursework in the September to June timeframe, plus COM1255 for a total of six (6) credits
• Students who are new to Vista Virtual School or who do not have a good record of completion, will be required to take a 1-credit introductory course prior to being enrolled in any other course(s) 
  • COM1255 – E-LEARNING & LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (COM1255 is an introduction to online learning at VVS)
• Once COM1255 is completed, students will be allowed to register for a maximum of five (5) credits of other coursework
• VVS charges a caution fee for textbooks and other required materials. Textbooks and other required materials may be obtained from Vista Virtual School or elsewhere
  • The caution fee is 100% refundable when materials are returned in reusable condition to Vista Virtual School within 90 days of the course(s) expiry date or of being completed
• All coursework must be completed by June 30
• Additionally, students may register for a maximum of ten (10) credits of coursework in summer school
  • VVS plans to open registrations for summer school on March 1, 2021
  • Summer school courses may be accessed prior to the summer but will not be finalized until after the third week in July

Non-Primary Registrations – Information for Students Who Will be Registered with Vista Virtual School AND Another Alberta School During the 2020-2021 School Year

• Students in grades 10-12 who attend another Alberta school in the 2020-2021 school year will not be eligible to register independently with Vista Virtual School – the exception is summer school courses
  • Requests for registrations will need to come from your school/school division
  • Students wishing to register with VVS will need to speak with their school/school division
  • In order for a registration request to proceed, an education services agreement between The Pembina Hills School Division and the student’s school division will need to be in place
• Students must reside in Alberta and proof of citizenship/permanent residency must be provided
• Schools/school divisions may register their students throughout the school year
  • All coursework must be completed by June 30
• Students who are new to Vista Virtual School or who do not have a good record of completion, will be required to take a 1-credit introductory course prior to being enrolled in any other course(s) 
  • COM1255 – E-LEARNING & LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (COM1255 is an introduction to online learning at VVS)
• Once COM1255 is completed, students will be allowed to register for other coursework
• Students can have access to complete 30 or more credits during the school year
• Additionally, school-aged students may register independently and free of charge for a maximum of ten (10) credits of coursework in summer school
  • VVS charges a caution fee for textbooks and other required materials. Textbooks and other required materials may be obtained from Vista Virtual School or elsewhere
    • The caution fee is 100% refundable when materials are returned in reusable condition to Vista Virtual School within 90 days of the course(s) expiry date or of being completed
  • VVS plans to open registrations for summer school on March 1, 2021
  • Summer school courses may be accessed prior to the summer but will not be finalized until after the third week in July

Adult Upgrading

Information for students who are 20-years-of-age or older on September 1, 2020:

• Adult students must reside in Alberta and provide proof of citizenship/permanent residency
• Adult students may register with Vista Virtual School at any time throughout the year
• Adult students have mature student status, which means some of the rules governing their programs are different than for school-aged students
• Students will be able to access all courses offered by Vista Virtual School for $135 per credit, plus textbooks and other required materials
• Students will have three (3) months from the registration date to complete one (1) credit courses
• Students will have six (6) months from the registration date to complete three (3) and five (5) credit courses
• Adult students may be eligible for a bursary to fund their enrollment through Alberta Works, Skills Investment Bursary (SIB). Please see further information regarding funding through SIB on our website.
  • Skills Investment Bursary (SIB)

Contacts

Principal	Steven Kaplan
Associate Principals	Treena Bradbury	Frank McCallum
Academic Counsellors	Jessica Luciuk	Loya De Clercq	Christie Borle (Inclusive Ed.)
Adult Academic Counsellors	Frank McCallum	Treena Bradbury	Steven Kaplan
School Hours	8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (teachers' hours are 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.)
Campus Location	341 58 Ave. SE Calgary, AB T2H 0P3
Phone	P: 1-855-974-5333	VVS Support x5317
School Website	vvschool.ca
School Email	vvsupport@pembinahills.ca	vvsadults@pembinahills.ca
We're Online	Twitter @VistaVirtualSch	Facebook VistaVirtualSch	Website vvschool.ca
Connect With Us	Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates on events and activities throughout the year. Our website is also a valuable source of information.	Do you have a story to tell, or a typo to report? Email Ben Freeland.	The newsletter is published monthly and sent to students, parents and guardians by email.