2021 is here, and if you’re reading this post, you have probably realized that it is time to get your ducks in a row for the 2021-22 school year! Making your plans for your student’s online education now will secure big dividends in the fall, as you can be confident that no matter what happens you’ve got one of the most crucial decisions taken care of. We are so happy that you are considering iForward to provide your student with an excellent online learning environment! With over 14 years in online education, we think we’re the best school for the job.
With that said, you might be a little uncertain when it comes to actually applying. If this is the first time you’ve put in an application for an online school, it will be a new process for you. Or maybe you’ve done it before, but after the curveball that was 2020, you’d just like a helping hand to make sure everything goes smoothly.
We’ve written this blog to do exactly that! In this post, you will find 4 tips from our Open Enrollment Coordinator, Vicky Diffee, which will help you avoid some of the most common hiccups that can get in the way of a seamless transition to online school.
Before we get there, it is important that you know a couple of things about the online school application process in the state of Wisconsin. Think of this as an overarching “super tip”!
There are actually two ways to apply to online school in Wisconsin. Which one you choose depends on the time of year.
Option 1 - If you are applying for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year during the months of February, March, or April, you will actually submit your application through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. You can find the link on our home page, but we’ll put the link at the bottom of this article, as well. If you are currently thinking about applying to iForward to start Fall of 2021, you are going to be using this option!
Option 2 – If you are applying for the current school year, or for the upcoming school year outside of February through April (in the summer, for example), you can apply directly to iForward. To make it easy for you, go to the home page of our website and click the button that says “Apply Now for [Current Quarter]”. If it’s not there call our office 715-463-4900 to find out when we will be accepting applications again. We will be accepting applications for Kindergarten through 10th grade starting March 1st.
Since anyone reading this post right now is likely going to use Option 1 and apply through the Wisconsin DPI, we are going to focus on that for the remainder of this article. We will post another blog that outlines how to apply directly to iForward for the rest of the year.
OK – with that out of the way, let’s look at our 4 tips for applying to iForward for the fall school year.
Online School Application Tip #1: Make sure to select Grantsburg as your non-resident district.
Once you start the application, it is extremely important that you choose the right Non-resident school district. The Wisconsin DPI uses this to know where to send your application! iForward is a part of the Grantsburg School District, so make sure you select that in the application.
Online School Application Tip #2: Follow all instructions on the form carefully to prevent delays.
This is related to tip number 1, but it is worth saying. All the details on the form (not just the non-resident district) are important. As we’ve said above, if you pick the wrong district or school, we will not ever see your application because the DPI won’t know where to send it! Or, if you mistype your phone number or email, our staff won’t be able to contact you, leading to delays in the enrollment process. If your address isn’t right, our approval/welcome packet will get returned to us, which typically sets things back for a couple weeks.
More importantly, these sorts of delays will probably contribute to some worry and anxiety for you at what is already a stressful time. We want your enrollment to iForward to be as quick and stress free as possible, so please be sure to go through the application carefully – it will be worth it!
Online School Application Tip #3: Make sure that you add an email address that you monitor AND your primary phone number to the application
Once you successfully submit your application, the first round of communication that you will get from us is via email, which makes it very important that you use an email that you monitor regularly in the application. This will ensure that your application process moves forward as quickly as it can.
Online School Application Tip #4: CALL US if you have questions! We are here to help.
Even though your online school application routes through the Wisconsin DPI from February through April, our staff is still here to help with any questions that you may have. Our Enrollment Coordinator, Vicky, and the rest of the iForward staff have been helping students and parents make this transition for nearly 15 years, and we are here to help you, too! You can reach Vicky at 715-463-4905 or Becky at 715-431-1119.
We hope these tips help as you complete your iForward application. We can’t wait to have your student as a member of our school. See you in the fall!
iForward is an online elementary, middle, and high school serving students in grades K-12 across the state of Wisconsin.