Miner Minutes
A Newsletter from ETE Principal Laurel Dumas
MM #15 -- March 24, 2021
Well, we made it to the 100th Day of School on Monday! It was definitely not the 100th Day Celebration we were planning, with a snow storm and a quarantine, but we still made the most of it. Over the course of he last week, the students in Kinder, First, Second, and Fifth grades brainstormed 100 Reasons we love school, and you can watch in the video below. School this year is different than ever before, and definitely poses its challenges, but we really are so lucky to have in person learning this year, for these hundred reasons and more!
Sincerely,
Laurel Dumas
Quarantine in the 2nd Grade
Over the course of the year, we have learned more about this process, and I want to thank our staff and families for working together to make this a smooth transition to remote learning. Families on quarantine have been meeting with the wonderful Ms. Kraus and Mrs. Ventura, participating in daily Community Circles and learning activities from their homeroom and Specials teachers. We have had meals available thanks to our Food Service Director Christine Thompson and tests available thanks to our School Nurse Laurie Meeker. We've loaned out some laptops and provided some paper materials thanks to the coordination between teachers and our School Secretary Beverly Rafferty.
The most important thing is that we are working to keep our families safe, and we are so happy that their learning does not need to be completely interrupted. Thank you to our quarantined group for all your cooperation! We look forward to everyone's return on Monday!
Trying to DO IT ALL from Home -- Mrs. Dumas's Quarantine Experience
Two days down, and I've gotten some work done and had some great experiences with my daughter. It's hard not to feel like a failure though. Is my daughter getting the attention and rich early learning education she deserves from a day home with her mama? No. Am I able to get all the things I need to get done at work done? Not even close. Is my house pretty much trashed all day long? Totally. Have I found time to fit in any exercise or self care? HA!
We are just getting through the best we can.
I will say, though, that having a schedule to roughly follow, talking through the ups and downs with my daughter and my colleagues at school, and just being kind to myself are what help get me through. And PATIENCE. It's just a week, and it'll make for a pretty impactful memory as we look back on this crazy school year in the future.
Some of you are going through this right now too, while others have already done it once or twice in the school year. I can imagine you've felt frustrated, angry, disheartened, proud, and so many other emotions between. We educators feel it too. It helps me to know that we're all doing our best, we're all in it together. And at some point, it will all get better!
I guess my point in reflecting today is that I'm definitely no better at this than anyone else. It really is too much. But, I can do it this week, especially when I know parents and educators all over the country deal with this every day! Maybe it won't go as well as I want to think it could go, and boy, will we all be relieved when this quarantine is over. I keep reminding myself that this quarantine is keeping others healthy and safe at school. It's stopping other quarantines from happening. It's worth it, and it's OK not to be quite able to do it all.
REMINDERS!!
- WATERBOTTLE (filled if possible, though students may use sinks at school)
- SNACKS (classes have snacks once or twice daily and gladly accept donations!)
- SNOW CLOTHES (our playground is covered with snow and keeps getting replenished -- students with jackets, hats, waterproof gloves/mittens, and snow boots are the most comfortable at recess!)
District Accountability Committee (DAC)
The DAC welcomes you to attend their upcoming meetings from the comforts of your own home. All meetings will take place vis Zoom. Upcoming meeting dates with Zoom links:
UPCOMING EVENTS
PIT (Parent Involvement Team) Meeting
Thursday, Mar 25, 2021, 08:30 AM
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March Character Counts Assembly -- Good Attitude
Or by calling in:
(424) 523-0671 PIN: 787 377 170#
Wednesday, Mar 31, 2021, 08:00 AM
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Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS)
Monday, Apr 5, 2021, 08:00 AM
3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Classes
Laurel Dumas
office: (719) 836-2949 / direct: (719) 836-4420