August 31- September 4

 Hi All,

These kids are troupers! I made a quite ambitious schedule this week, and we got better at it as the days progressed. However, I am making some adjustments now that I am older and wiser! Lots of the kids—and I— are hoping for math Breakout groups, but I am holding off a couple more weeks until we get pretty clear on our transitions. For the most part, kids are navigating to and from the synchronous and asynchronous learning times, and also finding their way to the PE and Art Google Classrooms. 

Parents, I sent “invitations” for you to join the Google Classroom so that you can monitor your child’s work. Many of you have accepted, but if this was overlooked, I encourage you to seek that out. This will be a way for you to track your child’s work that is submitted through Google Classroom. Of course, not everything we do will be using that format, as I am giving the kids an opportunity to hand write in their Reading Notebook daily, and they also have math pages to do every day but Wednesday. We will have math quizzes using Google forms as well.

This week, I have no new materials for you to pick up in the cafeteria on Monday. I will alert you the next time that’s scheduled. I’ve learned that it’s a good practice to have your child completely shut down (not simply close) their Chromebook every few days. That way they will get the updates the tech team is working on to try to smooth out the glitches many people are experiencing.

Here is the Schedule for the Week of August 31- September 4. I will also share it in the Google Classroom, so the kids will have a digital copy. If you are making a master schedule for your child, please look for revisions on this week’s schedule. Ultimately, I plan on keeping it consistent! Please also note that the 1-1 Meetings are times I would like your child to check in with me. Each kid is on the schedule for 15 minutes in alternate weeks, and they do not need you to be present at the meeting. 

On Fridays, I will assign Mystery Science lessons, and the kids will have a week to work on them. Each lesson has videos, and then a model to understand the concepts more deeply. The supplies vary from week to week, and some are trickier to get than others. This week’s lesson has pretty accessible supplies (string, an index card or card stock,  and a paper clip), as well as the ability to print out a template. I will work on developing a supply list for those of you that wish to order materials ahead. However, I will not be holding the kids accountable for doing the hands-on activities. We will have some digital assessments for them to demonstrate that they are watching the video lessons, and attending to the concepts addressed. 

Kids were assigned to explore Studies Weekly last week, and many of them got right to work on the lessons in the first issue. I have also released  the test for this issue, and they should complete it after they have read all the articles. This will be due on Friday, September 4th. After this week, I will assign a new Studies Weekly lesson on Wednesdays, and kids will have until the following Tuesday night to complete the lesson and submit their responses to the assessment. 

Thanks for all your support during these challenging days, and please know that I am there to help your child and you as well.

All the best,

Carroll Mayer