Dear Families,
The
District curriculum coordinators are pushing out grade level
assignments for this week. I'm not sure yet what they will look like.
They are providing tons of resources.
Karen
sent an email out this morning suggesting a daily schedule. I strongly
suggest this as well. The kids really count on checking the schedule on
the whiteboard, maybe you could post one on the refrigerator or in a
visible spot. Better yet, have the kids make the schedule to post.
Set
reasonable stretches of time for work at home. If there is resistance
for a task, set a timer for a time you think they can handle. Times can
be stretched as you go, but kids don't really realize that accomplishing
something, even if it's not your favorite, has its rewards. Also, best
not to tell them that and watch for them to begin to discover it
themselves.
I raised 4 kids as a working
mom. No matter how much you love them and want to do for them, it can be
hard sometimes. I found that my worst days were when I set too many
goals for myself raising my stress level. On the days I let go of some of my expectations for myself,
I often got more done. Funny how that works. Prioritize, let things
go. Sometimes the solution to a problem is the opposite of what you are
doing.
Encourage your child to email me. I
want to engage with them. I'll let you know when I figure out google
classroom which would be a platform we could use to have class
assignments and discussion. Also, I encourage you to email me as well. I
am more than willing to maintain a dialog with you, be it specific or
general.
I will be posting all of my notes
on the blog, so if you don't want to wade through emails to find my
letters, just bookmark the blog. Address in my signature.
I'm
just letting you see what a Monday school day might look like.
Obviously, adjust to your needs. There are lots of at home schedules
being published. I have attached one that's very colorful.
Mondays at school:
Attendance and community discussion
Everyday edits-
PDF attached. It's 2 of the same thing. Let me know if you can't
print., we'll come up with something else. Substitute writing if needed.
Writing if time
Swimming- Maybe just an exercise break, since you probably don't have an indoor pool;)
Math- I made sure each child that came on Friday had a math practice packet. Hopefully I'll figure out how to get fancier.
Community Circle-
We form a circle so that there is equitable participation and talk
about issues on the kid's mind. Everyone gets a turn to speak, but it's
ok to pass.
SQuirT- Many of you know this is our sustained reading time. Our class is really good at this. They love to read.
Food for thought: Some of the kids will read indefinitely. They lose
track of time, (or don't want to do what's next). Since it looks like
this might be a long haul, I think it would be a good idea to set
boundaries so they don't tend to get bored and lose their initiative to
do anything. . For this age group I think it's best to alternate mental work and physical activities.
Lunch
Library- Tech- This
is where Christine instructs kids on programs and skills on computers.
Sometimes they do a typing program, sometimes she shows them other
opportunities on the computers. Ask your child to make you a list of the
things they have done in "Library-Tech". All this time at home is going
to challenge the battle of screen time. I suggest you set specific
times and tasks. Stand your ground, the fight for screen time is
powerful.
Handwriting
Read Aloud-
Choose a book to read out loud. I know many of you already do that. You
don't have to follow this schedule, but you should create one that
works for you and your family and try to stick to it. You might consider
audio books as well, which would be a good way to get down time on both
ends.
Clean/Pack/Dismiss I think it is important to have a specific time for "school" to be over.
Tracey found this cute list of things to do.
Bette
