My heart is VERY heavy after yesterday’s announcement of our “in person” school year ending. 🙁 I was holding on to the hope that your children and I would have the chance to work together again in person. I miss their energy, hugs, high fives, smiles, and curiosities. I miss seeing their faces when that “AHA!” moment happens. I even miss their silliness! One of the things I have tried teaching “my” kids this year is that our mindset is everything. We need to have a positive mindset and always give our best, no matter the situation. So, I will do my best to follow my own advice! Please know that I am still a big part of your child’s life. I am here!! I honestly think about my class all the time and when I hear from you/them, it is what keeps me going as I figure out how to be a remote teacher!
So what does moving forward look like?
Starting Monday April 13th, the activities on the Penn Manor Remote Learning Website are now expected and will be marked in Sapphire. This means they are not optional any more . Students will not be getting a grade for these assignments, however they will be getting feedback and an “R” will be marked in Sapphire upon “receipt” of the activities. By the end of each week, students will need to send 2 completed activities in Math and 2 completed activities in ELA. There will be expected activities for every day of the week, but at this time only 2 math and 2 ELA of your choice are expected to be turned in. Please feel free to send as many as you want though! Right now these activities will still be REVIEW. However we will be moving on to new material since we will not be back in the classroom this year. I am available to answer questions or hold small learning groups through google meet to go over new material as needed. (I can hold 1:1 meetings as long as a parent is present). Please keep turning in work through email. New work will be posted on Monday. Here is the website link to access the activities:
https://sites.google.com/pennmanor.net/remotelearning/
What about SeeSaw?
Your child can continue to submit any assignments on the SeeSaw app. I am working to teach myself how to create my own lessons on SeeSaw so that your child can just complete it there if it is easier for you, however, the activities on SeeSaw right now are not required, just fun practice. I have loved hearing their voices and looking at their work, but I know that it can be overwhelming to do that stuff combined with the required work, so please don’t feel bad if your child needs to participate less on SeeSaw.
Next…
Starting Monday April 13th, I will have OFFICE HOURS from 12:00-1:00pm Monday-Friday. What does this mean? This means you can expect me to be on my laptop ready to get back to you promptly during this hour. I am here to answer all questions you have. If you email me any other time during the day, I will still email you back within the school day (8:50 am – 3:45 pm) it just won’t be RIGHT AWAY.
AND MOST EXCITING OF ALL!
I will be emailing an invite to a Google Meet with me on Tuesday 4/14 at 1:30. I will also invite a special guest from CM on this call!! This will be a chance for our class to get together virtually again! Just click on the address in the invite and when prompted, join the meeting! I attached a picture of the microphone so your child knows how to mute/unmute. Upon entering the meeting, PLEASE MUTE until I start the call! Now that we may use this a little more, I’m going to lay out the ground rules for them to have a successful meet. For this meeting, please have your child write a few sentences to share about his or her favorite “At Home” activity since being quarantined.
Report cards
According to my records some of you have already seen your child’s Third MP report card using your Sapphire account! This is wonderful! However, if you have not seen it yet, please check it out this week! I would love to have 100% of our report cards viewed by Friday, April 17th. No need to let me know that you saw it, that gets recorded electronically once it is viewed! If you need directions on how to set up a Sapphire account, please check the CM blog.
Finally, please remember…This is a new experience for all of us and we will get through this new way of learning together. Please know I am here for you. Stay well and stay positive. Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a wonderful weekend…and DON’T FORGET TO SEND ME YOUR 3-2-1!