Thursday, October 22, 2020

Weekly Update #9

 Inspirational Quote:

"It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” - Eleanor Roosevelt

This Week's Schedule

COVID Survey - every morning before 8:00

Monday, October 26, 2020                                
Tuesday, October 27, 2020                                Weekly Staff PD- Tuesdays 2:30-3:30
Wednesday, October 28, 2020                            CIT and Math Teacher Meetings, Staff Meeting
Thursday, October 29, 2020                              Glenda - Supt Meeting
Friday, October 30, 2020
Things to Consider

Please read the weekly update carefully.

  • Important Messages from Dr. Tutwiler
    • Election awareness and support to staff and students
      • ​Many of you may recall the difficulties that some of our staff and particularly our students had with their feelings after the Presidential election in 2016. With the Presidential election coming up on Nov. 3, I am sure we can all imagine that no matter which way the vote goes there could be some strong feelings attached to it. While this was a much larger issue at the secondary level, it still resonated at all levels. The ask is to make sure that we are aware that there will be strong emotions attached to this election even for all of our students. Within their families, the outcomes can and probably will produce strong emotions connected to many issues including immigration status, deportation, and racial injustice to name a few. 
      • Dr. Tutwiler asked Carolyn Troy to prepare all clinicians to have a plan for supporting our LPS community members should anyone become upset with the results of the election. 
        • She has been asked to research some resources that could be shared with our community and parents on how to have conversations around these feelings. 
      • We remind you that while supporting students during this time, personal politics must stay out of the work we do with our students. This election in particular is emotionally charged and often ends in some allowing their emotions to get in the way.
    • Contact tracing of Covid- close contact of staff
      • The Covid numbers in Lynn are on the rise again and the few cases we have had in our schools typically originate from contact with someone outside of school and then brought into school between two staff members who did not keep 6 feet distance or sustained longer than 15 minutes of close contact. 
      • New guidelines just released today from the CDC speak to this 15 minutes now being cumulative vs. just consecutive. A close contact is now defined as someone who was within 6 feet of an infected individual for a total of 15 minutes in a 24 hour period. 
  • Prep Make Up - Your prep makeup for Columbus / Indigenous People's Day will be made up on our November 3rd PD Day.
  • Schedules - There is a slight errors in the wording of the math block.  There is no need to change anything if you have been following the expectations in the math lesson format.
    • We will be updating schedules with the correction in math.
    • Thank you to everyone that continued to follow the expectations despite the error.
  • Schedule Changes - If you have a concern with the schedule, please see Glenda or Liz.  Do not make changes to your schedule on your own.
    • Once the change has been approved, it must be changed on the ShareDrive.
      • Any change can impact multiple support personel.
  • Schoology Parent Access Codes - Access codes have been shared with you if Candice was made an admin to your Schoology Course. Otherwise, directions were delivered to you on how to retrieve this information. 
      • As shared via email, you may use your Wednesday outreach time to send the individual parent codes to the appropriate families, so that parents can also log onto Schoology.
      • This is necessary because progress notes and report cards will be shared and delivered through Schoology.  
      • Please complete this no later than next Friday.
  • Schoology Folders - Please create an assessment folder, where all of your completed data should live.  This should live unplished on the main page.
      • Thank you for those of you who have already set up your Schoology page in this way.
    • Sub Folders - Please make sure that YOUR Zoom Account login and Passwords are in your folder.
      • Please organize this folder so that it is easy to locate work.
      • VERY IMPORTANT!!!! - Please do not expect subs to open and know how to utilize SmartNotebook.  For your sub plan, please create a powerpoint presentation and/or tasks that students can access in Schoology.
        • SmartNotebook is not always dependable and can create unnecessary stress to those visiting our classrooms. THANK YOU!
    • Expectations -Every students should now log into and access Schoology on a daily basis.
  • SUB Information - ALL potential subs NEED to be added to your courses.  They will not have access to your Schoology until this is done.
    • These people are: Elizabeth Ruiz, Emily Englehardt, Gary Conn, and Jonathan Waldron.
      • Also, don't forget to add Glenda, Liz, Katie, Amanda, Cyndi, and Candice.
  • Students Struggling - If students are struggling with noise at home or not able to access Schoology, please inform the office.
  • Virtual Fall Festival - Everyone has been doing a lot of hard work.  Let's set aside 12:00-1:00pm on October 30th to have some fall fun.  Please do not show movies.  This time is an opportunity to connect and engage with your students and families.
    • We are looking for fun ways to engage families virtually throughout the year.
    • We have funds to support these activities, so please email Glenda and Liz with ideas.
  • Teacher Absences - While subs are no longer going to be posted on Aesop (Frontline), I do ask that you post your absence requests on Aesop so that the office and I are aware of your request.
    • Additionally, please make sure your CIT, Glenda, and Liz are aware.
  • PROTOCOL FOR FAMILIES with STUDENTS that have COVID or another ILLNESS
    • Connect with the nurse and teacher's child if a child will be out.
    • If a child is able to listen to the learning, they are welcome to log on with their video off for any portion of the day.
    • All student work and assessments must be made up once the student recovers.
    • A plan for make-up can be created in collaboration with the teacher, family, and support staff in our building.
    • Support staff such as (Building Sub, CITs, Math Teacher, etc.) can support w/ the make-up of assessments.
  • Student Tardies - please email or text LeeAnn so that she can change the attendance.
  • Progress Report - Please review the documents for Progress Reports sent via email.  The due date for them has been pushed a week later to November 6th.
  • Small Group Instruction - All small group instruction with supports should officially launch on October 26th.
    • Pleae remember to create small groups for math as well as ELA.
  • Imagine Learning PD - will be presented during our November 3rd PD Day.
  • Extra Curricular Clubs - We have only had 3 submissions for clubs.  I am happy to take submissions for the spring.  We would love to get our kids engaged with our school in fun ways.
    • Please email Glenda with you fun and exciting ideas for our kids!
  • Connect your Laptop to the School Printer
  • Book Inventory for Professional Development
  • Observation and Coaching Updates - Liz and Glenda will begin to join zooms regularly throughout the day.  Please do not stop what you are doing or worry about introducing us during your lessons.  We will be observers and do not want to distract you from your regular schedule.
    • Please note that our first goal when we begin observations this year is to ensure that everyone states an objective at the start of the lesson, refer back to it throughout the lesson, and circle back to the objective at the end.
      • Great Tip - In addition to their personal zoom, some classroom teachers have had their document camera or phone logged into zoom with a picture of the objective for that lesson. This is a great idea for you as the lesson facilitator to refer to, and for the students to see throughout the lesson.
    • Action Plans have been created and released.  These are due on Nov. 1st. Do not forget to add weekly, targeted phone calls to families during teacher outreach block for student learning goal. (Our Fall Festival can be added as Parent Engagement under your Student Goal.)  We will be checking them and signing them afterward.
  • Reminder from Rania - ESL curriculum is required by law, so please make sure that that instruction does not get interrupted.
    • Rania would like 30 minutes of ESL for all groups.  I will be meeting with the ESL team about doing this creatively outside of the 20 minute small group times.  For example, making use of the Opening Circle / ESL Lessons or Closing Circle Time.  
      • Much appreciation of your continued flexibility.
  • Food Bank - If you are able, may you please ask your local grocery store to donate bags to Connery for our Food Bank and share them with Candice.
  • Reminder - Academics ends at 1:00 and  except for Wednesdays the Closing Circle must be done.  This is an important part of the schedule.  Please make sure that this gets done.
  • RazKids Accounts -  RazKids has multiple uses.  This is the only tool that should be used and has been approved for genereal small group instruction /guided reading by the district.
    • We will have further PD on this; however, students may already beging to read text during the school or after school.  Please ensure that students are logging in and familiarizing themselves with this platform.
    • All other programs such as EPIC, Readworks, Etc should be used for Asynchronous Work.
  • Current Login Information - Zoom Logins - Connery Share Drive
  • No Contact List - Like last year, we ask that you add no contact or no attendance students to the following form: 
    • Limited Contact List
      • Please keep this updated
      • Once a student is contacted and regularly on lessons, you may gray them out
      • Our Wellness Team will be meeting regularly to go over student cases.
                                                                 District Updates
  • ST Math - Happy Halloween

    • We recently received an important question from a Kindergarten class in Peabody- What is JiJi being for Halloween? The answer is... UH OH- JiJi forgot about Halloween. 

    • Help JiJi come up with a costume! Have students design a costume as a class or individually. You can use these coloring sheets or have students draw their own JiJi.  Submit your answers by Wednesday, October 28th, so that JiJi has time to put the costume together! You can tweet your drawings and tag @missbirie or email your responses to me! 

    •  Stay tuned for a picture of JiJi in the winning costume…

      • Teacher Tip of the Week

        Wondering how ST Math can better align with what you are teaching students?  Find out in this week’s teacher tip video!

  • Windows were repaired in Connery and ISD will be working throughout the city to test and report air quality.
  • Teacher Resources - The website is www.boomlearning.com.  If you set it up as a school account, you can distribute points to teachers as needed, but there are a number of free options on Boom and Teachers Pay Teachers. 
  • Learning Support Centers - after school in person support for students least able to access remote learning,
    • 4 days/wk, 1 hrs/day
    • 3 sites (Shoemaker, LVTI, and Harrington)
  • Special Ed - all learning plans must be updated to reflect the schedule changes.
  • DESE Update - MCAS will proceed in the spring. EL accommodations continue this year even though we are teaching remotely. 
  • Report Cards / Progress Reports - TBD
  • Resource - Electronic Office Referral
  • Updated Class Assignments - Click Here
  • Connery School Calendar - Mentor dates are updated.
Looking Ahead
  • October 27th - Staff PD
  • October 28th - Staff Meeting
  • November 3rd - Teacher in-Service Day, Staff PD
  • November 4th - ILT
  • November 6th - Progress Reports Due
  • Novemeber 7th - School Site Council (we still need a few more staff members to join)
  • November 10th - Staff PD
  • November 11th - No School / Veteran's Day
  • November 12th - Mentor Meeting
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