Monday Mail
Mashburn Elementary
A Message from Our Principal
“Do It Heartily”
Have you ever seen someone sweep a floor half-heartedly? The result is the opposite of the desired purpose – and it remains half finished. To do something well, you need to put your heart into it. This is ALL of you, you have taken this situation in which is unfamiliar to us all and put your Whole Heart into everything you are doing for Students. Everyone is working together to make this work for all involved. Thank you for your enthusiasm even when it is difficult and discouraging- thank you for continuing to put your WHOLE HEART into Everything you do. In 4 more days, put your WHOLE HEART into Spring Break- relax, take time for you and your family, and enjoy every moment.
Love,
Carla
Teacher Shout Outs
Please fill out this for someone who has made their mark with you, parents, students, etc. over the last two weeks! Here is the Teacher Shout Out form for Monday Mail. Anyone recognized will get a chance to win a prize during our faculty meeting on Wednesday!
Action Item:
Fill out before WEDNESDAY's faculty meeting.
Parent Consent-EIP & ESOL
We have an approved process for running small groups. Send the email below to the parents of the children you are serving in small group settings. Their reply to your email will serve as consent for their child's participation. If a parent has a concern, remind them that the child may join the group with the microphone and video turned off. If the parent denies service through a small group then provide learning through alternative methods: post assignments,1:1 conference, or use an adaptive program (ex: Dreambox).
Special Education teachers must send a formal document and get a signature to serve in small groups. As of now, ESOL, EIP, and Title I can use the email approach.
Copy this template:
Parent Consent Email Template for ESOL/EIP Small Groups
Action Item:
Use the template linked to email your parents of ESOL/EIP students so that consent to allowing their student to meet virtually in small groups.
Parent Consent Forms--SPED
Consent Form for Parents During Online Learning
I form needs to be signed and returned if you would like to host live group sessions online with your SPED students. Please know, these sessions are not a class requirement and any lessons that are for instruction are recorded for student to access at a later time. Teacher also need to be advised to not disclose any student’s specific disability information, and all live group sessions will be general in nature and focused around educational instruction.
Click here for a copy of the PDF consent form.
From Lisa for SPED
Once you receive parent consent to participate in small group instruction during online learning, we will need to upload the form into IC.
To upload, our document has to be in PDF.
Parents taking a pic and sending it back to you?
You can save the pic as a PDF (These are instructions from my work laptop):
*Open photo
*Click print icon
*Choose the printer to use, but then actually select Microsoft Print to PDF
*Click print
*Save the PDF to your computer
OR…If you have a paper copy, you can use a free app, Genius Scan, to essentially take a picture of the document and it will convert it automatically into a PDF. You can then email the PDF to yourself (or anyone). I use this app all of the time and it is super easy to use!
“Parent Consent for Online Learning”.
Action Item:
Obtain a parent signature on the consent form linked above if you would like to hold live small group sessions with students online.
NEWSELA
Newsela is offering free access to all of its content for the rest of the school year. It offers text passages and current event articles that can be modified by reading level. If you haven’t used it before, it’s a wonderful resource!
Jamboard
Jamboard is a whiteboarding application that is located in our FCS apps for google drive--the waffle. This application would be very useful to Google Jamboard is a whiteboard-like touch display you can use for meetings, collaboration projects, and presentation purposes. Turn it on, draw on it, flip through slides on it, or record yourself annotating on it. I love the sticky note feature because it reminds me a lot of Padlet--since we can't use Padlet anymore. For instruction purposes, use it as a whiteboard application and then use Screencastify to record what you are doing. Send the recording to your students.
Jamboard Tutorials:
Carol Ann's Jamboard Introduction & Tutorial
PAWS
Please remember to add the weekly PAWS ITSLearning Page to your ITSLearning Page.
If you send a blurb home to your parents, please use the below message:
Hey Blue Bears! This week’s challenge is Showing a Positive Attitude. Make sure your parent snaps a picture of you showing a POSITIVE ATTITUDE! and send it to your teacher through email or class dojo!
Action Item:
Send blurb to parents.
7 Mindset Activity-We Are Connected
During your Mindset Lesson, please encourage your students to participate in Thanking our 1st Responders. Please have your parents snap a pic of their child holding a card or a Thank You Sign and send them to you. If you get any, please send them to Katie .
Action Item:
Send pictures to Katie
Virtual Tug of War
Theoretically, in class you would present a fairness dilemma to your students and they choose a side to support by adding "tugs" to their side.There are two ways you can do this. One way is to tell them they have to pick a side and that is the only side they can add their responses to. The other way is to have them add their thinking to both sides and in the end we will see which side wins.
How can you do this virtually?
Use a Google Drawing and have each student add to either side. Google Drawing Tug of War (MAKE A COPY)
Use Jamboard and have students collaborate on it: Jamboard Tug of War Template (MAKE A COPY)
Devices for Students
Carla and Carol Ann will be at Mashburn tomorrow from 9:00-2:00 pm to check out Chromebooks to any family that might need one.
Comcast is offering their Internet Essential program for free for low-income families. More information can be found here https://www.internetessentials.com/covid19. Not all students will be eligible for this program. Please share with any families that may benefit.
Action Item:
Share Comcast offer with parents that might need it.
Parent Help Guide
Here's a little help guide for parents that will help you with these troubleshooting emails:
Frequent Problems with Online Learning
Action Item:
Please reference this guide if parents are having any issues
OTHER Parent TIps:
If parents are having issues with google accounts “sticking,” they can do one of the following:
- Try clearing the cache:
https://www.technipages.com/google-chrome-clear-cache - Have their student go into Incognito Mode:
Full directions are HERE.
Incognito Mode
Teach & Record Tools
Each grade level should have at least one document camera for recording. Please let me know if your grade level does not have one. There are six doc cameras in the Media Center that are available for check out. You are also allowed to take home a Chromebook to use as a webcam in the event of an extended learning day.
Teach & Record Tools:
5 Ways to Use Flip Grid in the Classroom
Activity Log
We are starting something new this week in PE. I know it is hard to stay active when your practices have been cancelled, you are doing online work, and you do not have recess. So, we are starting a way for you to get rewarded when you are being active each day for at least 60 minutes. View the video below and visit my itslearning page to get more information.
Have fun and stay active.
Action Item:
Share with parent distribution lists.