Frequently Asked Questions

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Q1.How are QHA students protected when using the internet?
A1.  Queen of Heaven Academy highly recommends enrolling your student in the St. Joseph's SafetyNet! to provide the best internet protection for your online students. Provided exclusively for QHA by the Missionary Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, the SafetyNet! is an affordable option that keeps students internet safe while giving parents peace of mind knowing their students' internet access is used only for academic purposes. Enrolling in the SafetyNet! also helps to financially support the sisters. It's a win, win situation for everyone!

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Q2. How does QHA help to make the learning environment safe for students?
A2. Internet security is part of QHA’s student orientation where we emphasize the importance of online safety. All software used in the QHA program is monitored to make sure a safe learning environment exists. Only enrolled students are allowed access to the three electronic environments: Populi (the Course Management System), Adobe Connect (the classroom), and MathXL.

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Q3. If a student does not use the St. Joseph's SafetyNet!, what should be done to protect students while using the internet?
A3. To protect students while using the internet some options to consider are filtering high speed internet through your home router, using the controls within the browser, or installing monitoring software on your computer. QHA recommends contacting your local internet service provider for additional options that may be included with your internet service. Parents must diligently monitor the filtering system chosen to ensure consistent internet security is maintained in the home. Parents should also monitor the students' use of the computer to make sure it is used for academic purposes when doing school assignments and attending live class sessions.

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Q4.  May a student enroll full-time or part-time?
A4. Yes.

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Q5.  May students enroll in a class that is not offered at their grade level?
A5. Yes. If students meet the course prerequisites and posseses the maturity level for appropriate interaction with other enrolled students, they may enroll in any course at any grade level.

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Q6.  May students enroll in courses outside of their own time zone? 
A6. Yes. As long as course prerequisites are met, students may enroll in any course in any time zone. Students may enroll in multiple time zones to accommodate schedule needs.

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Q7.  Why do some classes meet once a week and others meet more often? 
A7.  Some less complex courses only require students to meet once a week.  Other, more complex courses require extended class time to cover the material and build more cognitive skills.

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Q8.  Are live sessions recorded?
A8. Yes, teachers post recordings of their live class sessions in the course management system (Populi) after the last class of the day.  The recording will remain active until it is removed from the conferencing software (Adobe Connect) after approximately two weeks.

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Q9.  Is attendance taken during the live class?
A9. Yes, attendance is taken and counts toward the overall grade.

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Q10. Does class participation count toward the overall grade?
A10. Yes, class participation counts toward the overall grade.

NB: It should be noted that students who regularly attend live class sessions and are prepared to actively participate in those sessions, receive higher grades because they have gained a deeper understanding of the material than students who just watch recordings. QHA is an interactive program and student participation in live sessions is vital for optimum learning.

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Q11. What happens if my child wants to attend an extra-curricular activity and misses the live class session?
A.11. When a student misses a few live classes because of an extra-curricular activity, there will be little effect on the attendance and class participation grades and hence the overall course grade as well. We want the student to enjoy the extra-curricular activity without worry. 

When a student misses a number of classes because of an extra-curricular activity, the overall grade will likely be affected by a low attendance grade and a low class participation grade. Participation in extra-curricular activities should be judiciously selected in order to allow maximum participation in live classes. 

NB: For those times when the student chooses to attend an extra-curricular activity, recordings of the missed live sessions are available.

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Q12. What happens if my child or our family has an emergency and cannot attend the live class or misses an assignment due date?
A12. When an assignment, quiz deadline, or a live class session is missed due to an event that is beyond the student's control, teachers and admin will do their best to assist the student so that makeup work can be submitted as soon as possible. Due dates are extended and the student is encouraged to watch the live class recording. Events considered beyond the control of the student include: 

• illness
• death in the family
• attending a Requiem Mass
• reception of the Sacraments
• hospitalization
• power outage
• natural disasters (floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.)
• equipment failure
• internet connectivity problems
• PSAT/SAT/ACT/Standardized testing
• college visits for juniors and seniors
• extremely unusual opportunities
• March for Life Activities
• Attendance at Mass on Ash Wednesday
• Attendance at Mass on Ascension of our Lord
• Attendance at Mass for Holy Days of Obligation

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Q13.  Are students tested?
A13.  Absolutely!  Quizzes and tests are administered based on each teacher’s course plan. Generally, students are given four major exams per course per year. Final exams consist of tests prepared by instructors and parents serve as proctors to administer the tests. 

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Q14.  What is the process for setting up a teacher telephone conference?
A14.  Telephone conferences with teachers may be setup by email.  Write out your concerns and provide a few meeting times.  The teacher will respond by providing contact information and verify a time to meet or recommend a new time.  Conferences should not be arranged during or directly after a live class.

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Q15. Is QHA an accredited program?
A15. Yes.  Queen of Heaven Academy is accreditation by the National Association of Private Catholic and Independent Schools (NAPCIS).vi

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Q16. What is the latest date that a student can drop a QHA course?
A16. A course may be dropped for transcript purposes up until the beginning of the 3rd quarter. To receive a refund for a dropped course, it must be dropped by September 30th.

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Q17. May courses be transferred from other institutions toward QHA graduation requirements?
A17. Yes.  QHA requires a minimum of 23 high school credits to graduate.  One credit is equivalent to one year of study.  A student may transfer any number of credits from other institutions (accredited or non accredited with proof of completion) to apply toward graduation requirements. The number of QHA course credits required toward graduation are evaluated on a case by case basis taking into account if the student transfers in as a sophomore, junior, or senior. Generally, a student needs 17 credits from QHA courses in order to graduate unless they are a transfer student. Transfer students need fewer than 17 credits.

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Q18. Do you offer honors and AP courses?
A18. Yes. We offer AP preparation for Latin, Chemistry, Physics, and Calculus. There is an additional tuition charge of $250 for AP preparation courses. Upon completion of the AP exam with a 3, 4, or 5 the course is designated as an AP course on the student's transcript. Students may take a CLEP examination on any discipline (English, History, etc.)and upon receiving a score of 50% or above, the course is designated as an honors course on the QHA transcript. QHA also offers honors Algebra 1 and Geometry.

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Q19. Why must students pass the standardized AP or CLEP test to receive AP or honors designation on their transcript?
A19. The AP College Board requires passing of the examination before AP designation can be noted on the transcript. Many schools claim their courses are honors level when in reality they are a basic high school course. QHA believes that grades should not be inflated. Testing prevents grade inflation while ensuring the integrity of our program.

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Q20. May college credits be used toward QHA graduation requirements?
A20. Yes. Generally, but not always, two college semester courses from a community college equal 1 QHA credit. For example, Calculus 1 and Calculus 2 offered in two semesters at a community college is equal to 1 high school credit. (QHA's one-year Calculus course covers the same material as the community college two-semester course.) QHA's students must enroll in a minimum of 3 QHA courses during both their junior and senior year in order to meet QHA graduation requirements. QHA students must have a minimum 2.8 grade point average to receive recommendation letters for college-level dual enrollment programs.

NB: Some college courses are designed to meet college diploma requirements for their specialized graduation programs. For example, a student may enroll in a Chemistry course designed for non-science majors at their local college, but it will not prepare the student for further study in the field of science. Courses of that nature fulfill that college's science requirement for non-science majors but it may not fulfill all college admission requirements. This type of course may receive partial transfer credit from QHA because students are doing less study in the discipline, Chemistry in this case, than a high school level course. In terms of college preparedness, college admission requirements, and further academic study, it would be more beneficial for the student to take the QHA high school level course than the specialized college course. 

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Q21. What are the QHA graduation requirements?
A21. One credit = 1 academic year of study

• Religion - 3 credits
• Philosophy - 1 credit
• English - 4 credits
• Math - 3 credits
• Science - 3 credits
• Foreign Language - 2 credits
• History - 3 credits
• US Government - 1 credit
• Electives - 3 credits

17 of the above credits (unless transferring in as a sophomore, junior, or senior) need to be obtained through QHA classes in order to graduate from QHA.

View 4-year plan options

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Q22. May I opt to make my own transcript?
A22. Yes. To assist you with making your own transcript, QHA will provide official documention of final grades for courses completed.

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Q23. If a student does not graduate from QHA do they receive an accredited transcript?
A.23. Yes. 

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Q24.  May a transfer student obtain a QHA diploma?
A24.  Yes.  QHA evaluates student transfer requests on case by case basis. The transfer fee is $100.

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Q25.  What is QHA's College Board School Code and Address of Record?
A25.  

CEEB Code:
442487

School Address:

Queen of Heaven Academy
3000 S Hulen Dr. #124 - 135
Fort Worth, TX. 76109

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Q26.  How can I determine how my student is doing?
A26.  QHA provides parents with 24-7 access to student grades and records via the course management system (Populi). Additionally, every Monday an email is sent to the parent email address on record with the week's upcoming assignments that are due and the student's overall course grade in each course.

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Q27.  Does QHA maintain records and provide documentation of courses?
A27.  Yes.  All course records are maintained in the course management system (Populi).

While courses are in progress, QHA provides grade reports upon request. When course grades for the year are finalized, students may print unofficial transcripts from the course management system. End of year official transcripts and documentation are provided upon request after June 15th.

NB: Official transcripts are sent to institutions upon graduation, at the end of the term, or upon withdrawl when financial accounts have been cleared.

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Q28.  At what major universities have QHA and RCA students been accepted?
A28.  Students have been recently accepted at the following universities with substantial scholarships:

• Abilene Christian University
• American University
• Amherst College
• Arizona State University
• Baylor University
• Belhaven College
• Belmont Abbey College
• Benedictine College
• Canisius College
• Case Western Reserve University
• Catholic University of America
• Christendom College
• College of William and Mary
• College of Wooster
• Defense Language Institute
• Drake University
• Duke University
• Flagler College
• Florida Institute of Technology
• Franciscan University at Steubenville
• George Washington University
• Georgetown University
• Harvard University
• Hillsdale College
• John Hopkins University
• Liberty University
• Loyola College
• Mary Washington College
• Marymount University
• McNeese University
• Middlebury College
• Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design
• New York University
• Notre Dame University
• Northeast Catholic College
• Northern Arizona University
• Our Lady Seat of Wisdom
• Oxford College of Emory University
• Purdue University
• Rhodes College
• St. Austin College
• St. Olaf College
• Scripps College at Claremont
• Swarthmore College
• Texas A & M University
• Texas Christian University
• Thomas Aquinas College
• University of Arizona
• University of Delaware
• University of Dallas
• University of Dayton
• University of North Florida
• University of Illinois
• University of Mary Harden Baylor
• University of Maryland Baltimore
• University of Michigan
• Vanderbilt University
• Walsh University, Ohio 
• Washington and Lee University
• West Point Military Academy
• Western Washington University
• Whitman College
• Willamette University
• Wyoming Catholic College   

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Q29.  What hardware and software specifications are required to participate in QHA online classes?
A29.  See specification requirements for Windows PC, Apple Macintosh, and Linux, and google chrome books below:

• Apple supported devices: iPhone 5S, iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPad with Retina display, iPad 3, iPad 2, iPad mini, and iPod touch (4th & 5th generations)
• Apple supported OS versions summary: iOS 6 and higher
• Android supported devices: Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX, Motorola Atrix, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, Samsung Galaxy S3 & S4, Nexus 7 tablet
• Android supported OS versions summary: 2.3.4 and higher

Chrome OS (Chrome Book)

• No Adobe Connect Add-in is necessary. The Chrome Book will work with the Queen of Heaven Academy program.
• If purchasing a Chromebook for use with QHA, tech support is only given for that Chromebook if the student is enrolled in the SafetyNet. The Sisters have fine-tuned the use of the Chromebook for use with the SafetyNet and they provide tech support for connecting to our classrooms.

Students will need text editing software such as:

• Microsoft Word
• Open Office (free)

Regarding the adobe connect add-in, when the computer tries to connect to the software for the first time, if the computer does not have the add-in installed, adobe connect will automatically load the add-in with the correct version. (This does not apply to chromeChromebooksdents will also need to read a .pdf file which will require a PDF reader like Adobe Reader (free).