The Oxford Update
Oxford Elementary School
What You Need To Know About Hybrid Learning
As you are aware, because of our recent YELLOW designation, our district is transitioning to a hybrid model of learning for our students in grades 4 - 6 starting Tuesday, October 13. Hybrid learning is a combination of in-person instruction for a portion of the week and at-home activities for the remaining time. At-home activities/assignments will be given to support the learning that took place during in-person instruction. Chromebooks have been ordered for all students and once they arrive, the at-home work will include live instruction, video lessons, and Google Classroom assignments for students to complete.
The district’s learning model beginning on October 13th will have students in Pre-K through grade 3 attending school five days a week. It also has students in Ms. Yanni’s and Ms. Grover’s special education classrooms attend school five days a week. Lastly, this new learning model has our fourth through sixth-grade students attending school two days in-person and learning at home the other three days. Pod A will attend school in-person on Monday and Tuesday while Pod B will attend school in-person on Thursday and Friday.
On Wednesdays, all grades 4 - 6 students will be learning from home, this will be a time for teachers to check-in with students and parents, hold office hours, and provide interventions as needed. Once student technology arrives, Wednesday will include some live remote instruction time as well.
Student attendance will be required during at-home learning days. Completion of work and/or participation in a video meeting/phone call with teachers are ways that will indicate if a student was “in attendance” for at-home learning days. The expectation is that all work is completed before the next in-person learning day.
Teachers of students in grades 4 - 6 will be sending home more information with your students over the course of the next week. Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions as we begin to navigate this new learning model.
Learning At Roberts Farm
The 4H Camp at Bryant Pond
For over 50 years the University of Maine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond (formerly the Maine Conservation School) has strengthened children’s relationship to the natural world with a combination of inspired outdoor fun, practical woods-wise skills, and “hands-on” conservation education. Helping young people learn to take care of our natural world and themselves when they are in it are our most important goals.
On Friday, September 25th, our sixth graders were able to visit the 4H Camp and work with staff from the UMaine Learning Center. They spent the day experiencing hands-on science and enjoying the amazing scenery of the Bryant Pond area.
Sixth Grade at Bryant Pond
Sixth Grade at Bryant Pond
Sixth Grade at Bryant Pond
Seven tips for setting up a productive learning space at home - Created by Khan Academy.
Here are some practical suggestions to help you set up a learning space at home for your child to study, do homework, or attend online classes.
- Choose a location based on your child’s learning preferences. If they prefer silence, a spare room or their bedroom could be good options. If they enjoy some background noise, consider choosing a spot in the kitchen or near your office if you’re working from home. If there are several location options, you can have your child try each one to see which works best for them.
- Eliminate distractions. Ask your child to turn off their phone and social media when they’re learning, and have the TV off as well. You can experiment with playing instrumental music to block other sounds or to break the silence. Some find this helpful and others do not.
- Make it comfortable—but not too comfortable. Choose a chair that your child can comfortably sit in for long periods of time, and ensure they have a desk or other flat surface that can accommodate their books, laptops, and other learning supplies. Note: we do not recommend using a bed as a learning space; you don’t want your child to fall asleep in the middle of their lessons! Also, doing things besides sleeping in bed can lead to trouble falling and staying asleep at bedtime.
- Ensure the learning space has good lighting. This can include natural lighting from windows or light from lamps.
- Have all of your child’s supplies—pencils, paper, calculators, for example—easily accessible in their learning space. Encourage your child to keep their space organized and clutter-free. Perhaps you could incentivize them with a small reward each week if they successfully keep their space clean.
- Encourage your child to personalize their learning space by adding decorations, artwork, or anything else that might help them to stay motivated and be inspired.
- If possible, the learning space should only be used for learning; this includes attending classes, doing homework, studying, for example. If this is not possible, and you’ll be using a shared or multipurpose space, do what you can to signal to your child when it’s time to learn. Clear away all other materials from that space, have your child’s studying supplies at hand, keep it organized, and ensure there is good lighting and no distractions. Having decorations that are only used when learning could also help signal to your kids that it’s time to learn.
If you have multiple kids and limited space, try staggering the use of the shared space by giving each child a schedule for using the space. Give each child a box to organize and store their studying materials. They can take this box and set up in various spaces as needed.
Oxford Elementary School
Denise Bourgoine, Assistant Principal
Arica Monahan, School Nurse
Jill Knight, Secretary
Christine Merrill, Secretary
Email: principal.oxford@msad17.org
Website: www.msad17.org
Location: 79 Pleasant Street, Oxford, ME, USA
Phone: (207) 539-4456