Weekly Update #35

Inspirational Quote:

“My mama always said, Life was like a box of chocolates. You never 
know what you"ll get.”
                                                                                                            ― Forrest Gump

                                                                 This Week                                                                           

Monday, May 18, 2020                                                              Working from Home 

Tuesday, May 19, 2020                                                              Working From Home                                                                                      

Wednesday, May 20, 2020                                                         Working From Home                     

Thursday, May 21, 2020                                                            Working From Home
                         
Friday, May 22, 2020                                                                 Working From Home     

                                       Things to Be Aware of and Keep in Mind                                                

• Staff Appreciation Raffles - Check in daily to see if you are a winner!
• Request from Dr. Tutwiler - Please share the following information:
• We need as many people as possible to fill out the census, it is going to impact our future educational funding.  Please share the following flyer with families:
• Census Flyer
• Dr. Tutwiler shared, "I am asking for family feedback on the potential early start to the school the school year. The survey is posted and an all call and text went out yesterday afternoon.   We have about 2,000 respondent thus far.  Hoping you can share through your platforms as well." - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/sy2021earlyopening
• Expectations for ESL in SY21 - Please see ESL Expectations.  We will use these guidelines to create a schedule that meets the needs of our students and these guidelines.  We are fortunate to have made a shift this year, as there will be little impact to our school as a result.
• ACCESS test will be in dropbox on May 15th and then on Ellevation.
• Student Materials - Ms. Powers has instructed us to wait for her communication before we pack up our classrooms.  This will most likely be the week of June 8th.  This will be in agreement with Dr. Tutwiler and Joe Smart.
• Those who wanted to pack up next week will have to wait.
• Moving On Ceremonies
• Grade 5 will occur on June 17th district wide
• Certificate presentations on Zoom and/or a slideshow presentation.
• Grade K will occur on June 15th district wide
• This will be classroom specific and led by the classroom teachers.
• Glenda and Liz are willing to support.
• Parents are welcome to attend on Zoom.
• Zoom Session Procedures - Please share rules and procedures with families in order to have the best possible sessions on Zoom. This will avoid concerning behaviors or incidents.  Here is an example:
• When I attend class online, I will...
  • Look at the screen. 
  
  
  • Mute as soon as entering. I can give a wave to my friends/teachers. Keep my microphone on mute until my teacher asks me to turn it on. 
  • Talk only when it is my turn to speak. 
  
  
  • Do what my teacher tells me to do. 
  
  
  • Stay in one spot/area while on Zoom, preferably at a spot you can sit up straight and do your best work (like you’re at your desk at school). We will do our best not to lay down, lounge or move around 
  • Refrain from eating any food or drinking any beverages.
• Material & Packet Information - Please see Class Dojo post.
• Volunteers Schedule:
• Monday - Su, Candice, Bill
• Tuesday - Candice, Jen
• Wednesday - Bill, Rosemary
• We are also looking for a volunteers to help with instrument collection as well.  Please let me know if you are available.
• Aesop - If you are not available on a work day or plan to take a personal day, please post your absence.  This is also the case for medical appointments or procedures.  If your appointment is for a short time, connect with Glenda.  In most cases, shifting hours of work is not a problem.  However, you should be communicating this information.  If you are not available, you need to complete the following expectations:
• email the HR department, email payroll, complete Aesop, and email Glenda, Liz, and your CIT.
• EBT - Please share this with families:  If anyone receives EBT benefits, they will begin to receive an additional $28 per child.
• Ways to support families with new packets: Do a Zoom Meeting specifically about the new packet, choose one of the activities to do for a Zoom Meeting, Post a sample 
• New Packets -  Available at schools from May 18th-May 20th from 9 am - 12 pm.
• We need volunteers for this round as well. If you are available, please let Glenda and Liz know.  Thank you!
• Parent Communication Document - This document is from the SEL department and is meant to support communication with families having a difficult time with social isolation. 
• Class Dojo Expectations - Expectations for Class DoJo have been thoughtfully put together and can be found here. Please read this as there are changes to postings that were recommended to us by admin after a recent School Committee Meeting.
• Zoom - Always have a clear plan for zoom events. Feel free to invite support staff to present a lesson too!  This can be a fun shared experience.
• Team Planning - Please ensure that lessons are going into a 2020-2021 folder.
• Technology - Laptops for special ed students were handed out last week.
• Communication - We have updated the tracker to include students from the meeting that we held Limited Contact Tracker.  Please go back and clean up the tracker with the information below.
• Important Information about Tracker - Please do not add any additional information or unnecessary lines in the document.
• When regular contact is maintained, please highlight the whole line red (see sample in document).
• Notes are allowed under the Contact Made section.
• If you documented something on the log, please update it to meet the expectations in this update.
• Communication Log - Please make sure that you are completing your logs regularly.  
• Liz and Glenda will be checking in with teachers about communication, so that we can support you and our families as best as we can.
• Connery Facebook Page - If you haven't already checked it out, please check out the Connery Elementary Facebook page.  
• District FAQ Sheet - Here is a link to the district FAQ sheet.  This is also locate on the district website.
• MCAS - MCAS is officially postponed.  
• Guided Reading Documents - Here!
• Recess - recess resource 
• Connery School Year Calendar
• Food Pantry Flyer
• LPS CORE VALUES - Inclusiveness, Shared Responsibility, High Expectations, and Inspiring Life Long Learning.

                                                           Looking Ahead                                                                         

School has been officially designated to be remote learning until the end of the year.