Weekly Update

Owl #23

This Week's Schedule

This Week's Schedule



  • I look forward to seeing Cohort 1 in school on Monday and Tuesday.
  • We'll all meet for a 1/2 day of synchronous teaching and learning on Wednesday in Zoom followed by a 1/2 day of independent work time for the students.
  • I look forward to seeing Cohort 2 in school on Thursday and Friday.



The schedule for concurrent teaching/learning will remain the same this week. You may have noticed that I have been keeping the class in a whole class math lesson from 9:30 to 10:30 or 10:45. The lessons have involved partner work and small group work. The students have done pretty well maintaining their focus and engagement. While I will sometimes dismiss them at 10:00 in favor of joining a small group Cohort 1 Zoom session at 10:15, I will keep them with the whole class when appropriate. I hope this additional concurrent learning works for all students.


The specials schedule is:


Monday - Library

Tuesday - Technology

Wednesday - Read Across America Day

Thursday - Music

Friday - PE

This Week's Schedule
Read Across America Day

Read Across America Day

Clough will be celebrating Read Across America Day on Wednesday, March 3rd this year. This event is sponsored annually by the National Education Association (NEA) to focus the country’s attention on the importance of motivating and helping children to read. Typically, we celebrate on Dr. Seuss’ birthday which is March 2nd. Since we cannot enjoy this day in person, Mrs. Trimble thought it would be fun to do it when all the students can join remotely. Each grade will be joining their friends in the same grade in one large zoom class with Mrs. Trimble. The fourth-graders will meet at 11:30 on Wednesday.


The students will join Mrs. Trimble's Zoom link and listen to a community member read one or two stories to them. Some community members will be from our school community and some will be from the larger Mendon community. The fourth-graders will be read to by mystery readers from MISCOE! The stories should take 15-20 minutes. After this time, the children will leave the zoom meeting. There will be a seesaw assignment that they can work on for the remainder of their 40 minute specials time. Also, if your child would like to dress up as their favorite Dr. Seuss or any storybook character that day, that would be great. The children should all have Mrs. Trimble's Zoom link in their Clever accounts. If you need it, the link is: Mrs. Trimble's Zoom Room. The passcode is Trimble, but I do not think you will need it.


Mrs. Trimble and the students will be doing some fun Dr. Seuss activities during the students’ library times on the other days, as well. It will start on Monday, March 1st, and continue for two weeks so that everyone will get a chance to participate. Bingo and other games will be played on Seesaw with chances to win a prize. The prizes have been generously donated by The Mendon-Upton Regional Teachers Association (MURTA).


All of your kids are extremely respectful on zoom and love listening to stories. This will be a fun event! If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Mrs. Trimble.

Read Across America Day
March Conferences

March Conferences

Dear Parents,


The Spring Conferences are right around the corner, they will be held on Wednesday, March 17th & Thursday, March 18th (which will be strictly virtual). These two days are for anyone who feels they would like to talk with their child’s teacher to discuss their child’s progress. These conferences are optional.


On Wednesday, March 17th & Thursday, March 18th, students at the Clough School will be released at 12:10 P.M. to allow us to schedule conferences during the afternoon. There will be NO P.M. Pre-School on Wednesday, March 17th & Thursday, March 18th Lunches will not be served on Wednesday, March 17th & Thursday, March 18th.


WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY CONFERENCE SCHEDULE


Wednesday, March 17th & Thursday, March 18th, 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM by appointment only.


Please fill out this Google Form to secure an appointment. Please try to fill out the form by the end of the week so that I can establish a schedule and inform all parents of their appointment times. I'd like to get the schedule set over next weekend (March 6 - March 7).

March Conferences

Attendance

The students have been doing MUCH better in terms of logging in on time and attending all concurrent and small group synchronous learning sessions. Thank you so much for your support. We will continue to follow the below procedures in the near future.

  • Attendance will be taken at 9:15 and sent to the office digitally by 9:20 at the latest. If your child is not present, he or she will be marked absent. You may wish to call the office to alert them that your child was tardy should he or she log in late. Otherwise, the office will likely phone you to confirm your child's absence/attendance.

  • We will take a quick attendance at the beginning of every concurrent session (3 additional times per day). This attendance will be sent to the office at the end of the week. Should your child miss one or more of his or her remote sessions, the office will mark your child dismissed for those sessions.


The offer stands if you'd like me to work with your student to set iPad alarms for his or her remote days. It would be my pleasure to do so!

Important dates to remember

  • Clough 4th-Grade Yearbook Cover Contest - Entries are due on March 1st. The contest flier has been posted for the students in Google Classroom but you can also access them HERE.
  • Spanish Immersion Information Evening will be held on March 2nd at 7:00.
  • Morin's Studio will be coming to Clough School for picture retakes/make-ups on the following dates: Tuesday, March 2nd - 9:30-10:30 am for Cohort 1, Pre-K AM and remote students and Friday, March 5th - 9:30-10:30 for Cohort 2, Pre-K PM and remote students.
  • Day 100 is March 2nd. Can you believe it?
Packing for Hogwarts

Packing for Hogwarts

  • A fully charged iPad
  • Green Clough folder
  • Wonders Reading/Writing Companion (Unit 1-2) Workbook
  • Chapter 4 - Go Math!
  • 3 Composition Notebooks (Dear Harry, Math, Reading)
  • Pencil box containing things like pencils, scissors, glue stick, colored pencils, pencil sharpener, crayons, etc.
  • A spare mask in a ziplock bag
  • Snack and a water bottle


(Large white binders can stay at home)

Packing for Hogwarts

Second Step Lessons with Mr. Hanson

Mr. Hanson will be starting live Second Step lessons with the students on their asynchronous days every other week. For those who do not know, Second Step is the social-emotional curriculum that we use at Clough. Mr. Hanson was originally sharing pre-recording video lessons with the students but truly misses the personalized interaction with our students. Live Second Step lessons will allow for real social-emotional interactions with the kids which will facilitate a better understanding of the concepts. This live instructional time will also increase your child's access to live teaching which, as you know by now, is a demand of our state. Please find the below link to Mr. Hanson's flier. There is a link to his Zoom room on the flier.


Cohort 1 students: Every Week 1, Friday at 12:00

Cohort 2 students: Every Week 2, Monday at 12:00


Cohort 1 will have their next lesson this Friday (3/5)

Cohort 2 will have their next lesson next Monday (3/8)


LINK to Mr. Hanson's flier

Please dress in layers!

Winter will continue to hold us in her clutches this week. March comes in like a lion, right? In order to keep your child as safe as possible, classroom windows and even bus windows need to remain open at all times. Our classroom can feel truly bitter. I allow winter hats to be worn in class and thin gloves might be a good idea for some students. A small lap blanket would also be allowed if your child has low cold tolerance (as I do!).

Staying Connected

Let's continue to stay connected. Please reach out should you have any questions or concerns. Also, always feel free to share triumphs you're noticing in your child. We love hearing stories of growth and increased independence. We are committed to helping your child overcome obstacles and to set and work toward meaningful goals. As a parent myself, I know how tricky navigating parenting during typical days is let alone during a pandemic. Let's continue to keep the dialogue open as we move through the school year. Don't ever hesitate to contact us.
Professor Brigham

Professor Brigham

Professor Brigham

10 North Avenue, Mendon, MA, USA mbrigham@mursd.org 9508) 634-1580 mrsbrigham.org
Professor Griswold

Professor Griswold

Professor Griswold

10 North Avenue, Mendon, MA, USA agriswold@mursd.org (508) 634-1580
Professor Quimby

Professor Quimby

Professor Quimby

10 North Avenue, Mendon, MA, USA aquimby@mursd.org (508) 634-1580