Murphy Team Update
For the Week of April 27-May 1
Mission:
- Lapeer Community Schools is a dynamic community organization embracing our students with a quality learning environment, developing independent and confident learners for the future.
- Murphy Elementary School is united in learning for all children and focused on excellence, as we step into the future.
Vision:
To maximize the achievement of all Murphy students as they prepare for the future.
- At Murphy we're not just building things - we're building better people - in partnership with our families.
- We know that we are all strong individually but we are even stronger when we work together.
Murphy Minute (the Weekly Parent Update):
Week at a Glance:
- ELA and Math
- All Staff Optional "Happy Hour" at 3:15 (invite will go out at that time)
- Work in your PJs Day
- ELA and Math
- All Staff Optional "Happy Hour" Meeting at 3:15 (invite will go out at that time)
Wednesday, April 29:
- Science or SS
- All Staff Optional "Happy Hour" Meeting at 3:15 (invite will go out at that time)
Thursday, April 30:
- Weekly Packet 6 in bins for parents by 3:00
- Elective grades K-2 and *Weekly Read at Home Plan homework
10:00-10:30 K-2 PLC** ("Show and Tell Google Classrooms")
11:00-11:30 3-5 PLC** ("Show and Tell Google Classrooms")
- District Grade Level PLCs
- All Staff Optional "Happy Hour" Meeting at 3:15 (invite will go out at that time)
Friday, May 1:
- Elective grades 3-5 and *Weekly Read at Home Plan homework
- All Staff Optional "Happy Hour" Meeting at 3:15 (invite will go out at that time)
*Optional Zoom "Happy Hours" are to check in, share some good news, get some feedback, provide some feedback in place of our real-life conversations in the hallway :)
building access sign ups
Self Care Tips from the School Psych Team...
This less than 5 min article (click for article) talks about the essentials of self-care in this new 24/7 workplace we find ourselves in today. Three main take-aways are:
1. Optimize sleep and exercise
2. Practice mindfulness and keep learning
3. Stay connected with others
Distance Learning Logistics
PlanBook - You may create a new class or classes to record your distance learning plans or create a new "Year." Either option is fine.
PowerSchool - Enter participation grades by Friday at 4 pm each week. Instructions: under Homeroom, create an assignment week and name it "Week of ___ Participation." For Class work, under Points, select 1 point. If a student participates, they get 1 point. If they do not, they get zero. (There are no penalties for non-participation.) All participation counts: online and packets. Do not mark attendance in PowerSchool.
End of the Year Grading - At year-end, Rochelle Fritz will be pushing forward grades from the end of the 2nd trimester. You will be able to go in and raise any grades up for students who have participated in virtual and have made progress. Otherwise, grades are to remain the same. There will not be an option for kids to regress on the report card.
504 Accommodation Logs: Accommodation Logs will no longer be collected at the end of the month. Instead, logs will be collected at year-end. Please review the following directions in completing logs, as they have been adjusted for the closure.
- Week of March 16th - Mandated School Closure
- Week of March 30th - All Students on Spring Break
- Weeks of April 6th through End of Year - Covid-19 Mandated School Closure (write this in top left hand corner). Accommodations that are reasonable and appropriate to be provided for the student should be highlighted on April-June accommodation logs.
Any questions can be directed to me or Melissa Anderson.
Some "Talking Points" for common Questions/Concerns from parents:
For parents concerned with Zoom safety: Zoom is now requiring all accounts affiliated with a school to set passwords to allow participants to access meetings. Teachers also use the waiting room feature, so they are admitting only those that should be in attendance at the Zoom meeting. Ultimately, your child is not required to participate in the Zoom meetings if you are uncomfortable. Please just let your child's teacher know that you will be opting out of that portion of the online learning. Google Classroom lessons will still be posted and available for your child, as will the print packets and the Read at Home Plan.
If families express reluctance to engage: The state is requiring all schools to provide students with distance learning in a variety of modes, both online and print. We believe all students should engage in whatever way is possible for each family. If the online platform/schedule is not feasible, please spend at least 30-60 minutes (depending on grade level) reading at home and working on the print packets each day.
When the question of grades comes up: We are tracking participation and giving participation grades only. Students will not have to repeat their current grade if they don’t participate, but students are more likely to retain what they’ve learned this year if they spend the next few months engaged in academic activities. Engaging in the activities that teachers are providing will allow students to start school next year with a higher level of readiness than they would have if they did not participate.
Tech Support with Michele Pfeiffer Daily from 10:00-11:00am
Got Questions?
Click on the link below to join my Open Office Hour for Tech Support - 7 days a week
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/794549004?pwd=d2I1bUkxNnNoTmt6N041UkZ0L2h6dz09
Meeting ID: 794 549 004
From the Desk of Heather Coffey...
TECH SUPPORT:
Call or text (810) 240-0573 (I am available at a minimum, Monday-Friday from 8 am-3:30 pm. Just like when I was in the building, I will work above and beyond that time as I am available, to support my colleagues!)
Email: hcoffey@lapeerschools.org (Please also feel free to email me whenever you need help...no matter how early or late or what day it is
Grade level PLCs I am also available to participate in your grade level PLCs if you have tech questions. Just let me know if you'd like me to join, and I will add it to my calendar!
Parents You can share my email address with parents if they have technology issues that you think I might be able to help them solve. This includes resetting student passwords.
You can also share my Remind code @coffeyt for parents if it's easier for them to message me that way.
The Tech teachers are working hard to provide instructional tech support to staff. We've been collecting our how-tos in one place, so they can be easily accessed in one location. As we get more questions, we continue to tips on this page. Please share this information with your staff:
Staff can find Technology resources here:
http://www.lapeerschools.org/cms/one.aspx?pageId=6857187
(From this page, you see all of the district Tech resources available. Select the link titled "Virtual Learning Tech How-Tos for Teachers")
Staff can also go directly to the organized Virtual Teaching How-Tos for Teachers at this link: http://tinyurl.com/lcsteachertech
If there are things that would be a beneficial addition to the resource page or that need further research, please reach out to the Tech Teacher at your building (Heather Coffey).
Her's a few of the latest updates to the Virtual Learning Tech How-Tos for Teachers page (click the link to go directly to the How-to page):
- How to Use a Document Camera with Zoom
- How to create and use a Google Form to post in Google Classroom (great for participation, class surveys, quizzes, etc)
- How to see students in Gridview (like Zoom) while in Google Meet (Download this free extension)
- How to share video sound when screen-sharing in Zoom (if your students say they couldn't hear the video when you share your screen)
- How to change chat settings DURING a Zoom meeting (This is where students can type messages to you and/or other students)
Technology resources
Here's the link to the Staff Tech resources
http://www.lapeerschools.org/cms/one.aspx?pageId=6857187 (From here, you see all of the district Tech resources available. Select the link titled "Virtual Learning Tech How-Tos for Teachers")
Or to get directly to the organized list of Tech How-Tos: http://tinyurl.com/lcsteachertech
This list will be updated as we collect current questions from teachers working on virtual learning.