We are an Alberta-accredited school and provide grades 1-12 online courses for school-aged, adult, and international students.

• Programs
• Course Catalogue

As an online school, students are learning virtually through a computer. There is a digital online course that they log into and work through. Students focus on one unit of study at a time in each course, regularly submitting assignments online for evaluation. 

• Grade 1–3 courses are primarily print-based; students are provided with paper lesson modules, assignment booklets, and hard-copy books and materials. 
• Grade 4–12 courses are primarily online; students access lessons and assignments in Moodle, but may also require hard-copy materials and textbooks.

There are teachers, and depending on your grade, the teachers work with students in either synchronous (live) or asynchronous (not live but on-call) format. Teachers are available by email, phone, and/or virtual meeting during regular school hours to answer specific questions. 

Our grades 1-9 operate from September to June. Our high school program is semestered (September to January, and February to June), and we also operate a high school summer school program (July).

As VVS courses are asynchronous, students do not have to go online at a certain time each day. However, attendance is monitored through daily logins to complete lessons and the time spent in the Learning Management System (LMS).

• Consistent and timely submission of assessments according to their timeline dates is also a factor, as is maintaining regular communication with teachers. Vista Virtual School students who do not regularly sign in to their course(s) to complete lessons and do not submit assessments according to their timeline dates will be considered truant.

To meet attendance standards, students should:

• Sign into their courses each day and spend an appropriate amount of time working through lessons.
• Follow the timeline and deadline submission expectations for assessments.
• Communicate with the teacher and school regarding their attendance and schedule needs or exceptions.

Students must work regularly in their courses, submitting work throughout the term, and adhere to their provided timelines.

Our school is Alberta-accredited, and part of the Pembina Hills School Division here in Alberta. We follow the Alberta Program of Studies, and all our courses are recognized as equivalent to those offered by any public Alberta high school. Students can be assured that their course marks will appear on their Detailed Academic Report (DAR) in myPass and on their official transcript (which other high schools and post-secondaries can see).

The following resources can help you identify your Student Type:

• What’s My Student Type?
• Am I An Adult Learner or a School-Aged Student?

Check out our Course Catalogue here.

At VVS, there are no class caps as we are not restricted by a physical classroom setting.

Yes, provided that you are not registered in the same course in the same term with another school. You cannot be enrolled in the same course at more than one school concurrently.

To register, just follow the directions from the bright green “Register Here” button on the website. Keep in mind that if you are under 18, a parent or legal guardian must be the one registering the student.

Please remember that “New Students” must meet the eligibility requirements that can be found here. To ensure a smooth application process, we remind students to properly and accurately provide the requested information.

Due to the large volume of applications, incomplete or incorrectly submitted applications will be denied.

It varies depending on when exactly you applied. Normal processing time is 3–5 days; however, if you applied during peak application periods, processing applications can take more than 14 days.

During peak application periods, we have all staff working as hard as they can. We ask students to be patient and not contact the office regarding their application, as this unnecessarily slows everything down.

Once enrolled, you will receive VVS Moodle login information. Students enrolled before the semester start date will see their courses in Moodle starting on the first day of the semester. Students enrolled on or after the semester start date will see their courses within 24 hours of enrollment. You can then login any time, and from any computer.

If you are asking about accessing online course material, then you’d go to VVS Moodle, use your login credentials, and your enrolled courses are located on the dashboard.

If you are asking about hard copy materials or textbooks that accompany your course, you need to order those and pay a caution fee (deposit). Once the caution fee is received, materials are shipped or available for pickup approximately 5 business days after your application is approved, and you have provided the required materials deposit (payment).

• Students who requested pickup at the Calgary Campus will receive an email to schedule an appointment once their order is ready. Be advised, appointments are required and we do not offer same-day pick-up.
• Students who requested materials to be mailed will receive an email with their Canada Post tracking number. Our Shipping Policy provides details on pricing, and is subject to change.

If your registration form hasn’t been processed yet, please email vvsupport@pembinahills.ca with your request.

Those looking to add, switch, or withdraw from a course after enrollment should log-in to the SchoolEngage account used for registration:

• Students under 18: The PARENT/GUARDIAN will log into their SchoolEngage account
• Students 18 and older, or independent (ages 16-17 and does not live with a parent or legal guardian): The STUDENT will log into their SchoolEngage account

Select the student’s name and complete the Vista Virtual School COURSE ADD/SWITCH/WITHDRAWAL Form.

NOTE: There is a $25 course switch fee each time a request to change courses is submitted.

Our courses are subject to the withdrawal policy.

Yes! If you are using materials from a previous course or semester, please email vvsupport@pembinahills.ca so we can update your material refund deadline.

Refunds are typically processed within four weeks.

• Payments made by credit or Visa debit within the last 180 days: refunds will go back to the same card.
• Payments made by credit or Visa debit over 180 days ago: if the refund cannot be returned to the same card, a refund cheque will be mailed to the original payor.
• Payments made by debit, cash, money order, or cheque: a refund cheque will be mailed to the original payor.

Our Refund Policy provides more details, and is subject to change.

SchoolEngage credentials are sent by Pembina Hills School Division after account creation. (The SchoolEngage account holder must be the student’s parent or guardian, unless the student is 18+.) If you can’t find the email, click the ‘Forgot password?‘ link on the login page. Please do not create a new account if one was previously set up for a parent or student.

PowerSchool Parent Portal Sign In credentials are sent to parents, guardians, and adult students by Pembina Hills School Division. If you can’t find the email, click the ‘Forgot Username or Password?‘ link on the login page.

Moodle login credentials are sent to new students after registration. If the student did not receive an email or needs to reset their Moodle login credentials, please follow these instructions.

If you have the correct password but can’t log in:

• Clear your browser’s cache and cookies.
• Fully close the browser, then try logging in again.
• Use a computer or laptop (not a mobile device).

If you reset your password but didn’t receive new credentials:

• Confirm you are logging in to the PHSD PowerSchool Parent Portal (not the Student Sign-In Portal).
• Check your email for login details sent from Pembina Hills School Division. (Don’t forget to check your spam inbox too!)
• Remember: PowerSchool credentials are different from SchoolEngage or Moodle logins.

It’s understandable that you’d want your course to appear promptly in Moodle. Here’s a breakdown of potential causes and what you can do:

Possible Reasons for Course Not Appearing:

• Processing Time:
  • After you are enrolled in a course, there might be a processing period before it appears in your Moodle account. Please allow VVS staff approximately 24 hours to finalize enrollment and set up the course.
• Registration Completion:
  • Ensure that your registration is fully completed and that all required steps have been taken. Incomplete registrations may cause a delay and prevent course access.
• Course Start Dates:
  • Some courses may have specific start dates, and they won’t appear in Moodle until that date arrives.
• Technical Issues:
  • Occasionally, technical glitches within Moodle or the VVS systems can cause delays.
• Account Issues:
  • There might be an issue with your Moodle account itself.

What You Can Do:

• Check VVS Resources:
  • Visit the VVS website, particularly the technical support and Moodle support pages. They often provide troubleshooting tips and information on course access.
  • Here are some useful VVS links:
    • Moodle Support: Moodle Support – Vista Virtual School
    • Technical Support: Technical Support – Vista Virtual School
• Contact VVS Technical Support:
  • The most reliable way to resolve the issue is to contact VVS technical support directly. They can investigate your specific account and provide assistance.
  • Please email support staff at vvsupport@pembinahills.ca or call 1-855-974-5333 x5317.
• Verify Registration:
  • Double-check your registration confirmation to ensure that all steps were completed. You should have received an email with this confirmation and login information.
• Check SchoolEngage:
  • Vista Virtual School uses SchoolEngage, so ensuring that all information is correct in that system is also important.

By following these steps, you should be able to determine why your course isn’t showing up and get it resolved.

For ESA schools, charges from the current month will be invoiced during the first week of the following month.