PIRATE PRESS
Fill yer sails with the amazing work of ye mateys at NP3!
May 4, 2020
CELEBRATE TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK
HAPPY TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK! YOU ARE LOVED! A continued thank you and bow in honor of your continued dedication, encouragement and love for all that you do every single day with our growing Pirates and families. You're appreciated and we are so proud to have you be part of this community. ARRRGH!
CELEBRATE AN EVENING OF TRIVIA
TECH STRETCH: BREAKOUT ROOMS
We had an great preview and experience with breakout rooms this week during PD. They are a great resource and tool to accommodate small groups, pair shares and more. And hey, considering what we know about student engagement and its impact on learning, how can we ignore the opportunity to integrate it within our virtual experience. Check out below info for more on this week's tech stretch.
There are two videos to check out; both provide an overview of breakout rooms, how-to's and tips. Why two videos? Well, we have different strokes for different folks and both explain things a bit differently. Additionally, the longer video, actually shows the breakout room experience from the organizer view. FUN, right? Yasss!
Steps & Tips to Consider:
1. Visit Zoom settings to activate breakout rooms.
2. You will have to choose to (a) pre-assign participants to breakout rooms (option when you schedule a meeting), or (b) do it manually during a meeting (with this option you can assign each participant or have zoom choose at random).
3. You will have to choose how to have participants to return to the main room (options for you to control or for participants to control).
Visit Google Classroom PD for your learning task! Arrrrgh you ready?!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
STAFF ONLY:
WE LOVE YOU PIRATES! Enjoy a Grid just for you. Feel free to add to it if you like, or just enjoy the show.
Enrichment: Week 6 enrich is ready to go! Please add the week 6 enrichment activity as a post within your Advisory classroom. The focus this week is on exploring a neighborhood in your city! As per our convo at PD, add some discussion time within Advisory around these activities and have some of the students share their work with others.
FlipGrid Treasured Pirates: This week we would like to highlight a SUPER fun FlipGrid from Ms. Phillips. It is titled Plant Flipgrid! Yes Pirates, this is a Flipgrid all about plants! Check it out! WE CAN'T WAIT to see what you share! See you on the grid!
Ask Your Advisory: Team Pirates! We need info and numbers! When you do your CPR this week with Advisory please ask kiddos library books and if they have anything in classrooms to pick up or not. This will help plan for what to do with student "stuff" in classrooms.
College Fair: 8th college fair projects are due Tue May 12. 6th/7th grades "visit" College Fair May 13 & 14.
Leadership Day: Leadership Day activities will commence the week of May 4.
Retakes Due: Past assignments (retakes from Q1-3) are due Fri May 15.
PD: Please continue to visit the Google Classroom PD for updates on PD preview and review. More items will be updated over the weekend. Thanks all!
PARENTS & FAMILIES:
- Counseling Team: How can teens protect their mental health during COVID-19? Here is a great read from UNICEF on 6 strategies for teens facing a new (temporary) normal.
- FlipGrid Treasured Pirates: This week we would like to highlight a SUPER fun FlipGrid from Ms. Phillips. It is titled Plant Flipgrid! Yes Pirates, this is a Flipgrid all about plants! Check it out! WE CAN'T WAIT to see what you share! See you on the grid!
- FlipGrid TEACHER APPRECIATION: This week is TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK! WE LOVE OUR TEACHERS! Join this week's FlipGrid on our very own teachers! Watch what some of your peers shared about our teachers and share your own experience on video! Visit the special link here. ARRRGH!
- NP3's Got Talent: Join us on Friday May 8th from 4:00-5:00pm as a participant to hang out and enjoy OR to share your talent! Are you interested in performing live for your peers? Coming together as a community and enjoying art, even at a distance? Then this event is for you! If you have a talent you would like to share with your peers for a night of fun the form for participation is attached. The deadline to sign up is this week, May 6. Email Ms. Silas if you have any questions at asilas@natomasunfied.org.
- Game Night Winners: Thank you for everyone who participated in Game Night! It was so much fun! We had Ms. Sakanari come in 1st place, TJ come in 2nd place and Alvin Ao come in 3rd place! Congrats pirates!
- Yearbook: 2019-20 yearbooks are on sale now for $25! Order yours online here and search Natomas Pacific Pathways Prep Middle School or see attached flyer. There are a limited number of yearbooks available so order yours now!
- Promotion Speeches: 8th graders! We love your share, inspiration and memories during promotion speeches! Would like to speak at Promotion? Click here for information on how to tryout!
- 6th Science Camp 2020: There is an update for families who were planning on attending Science Camp March 2020. Please view the update and survey here.
- 8th DC & NYC 2020: There is an update for families who were planning on attending DC & NYC March 2020. Please view the update and survey here.
- Save the Date: May 28th is reserved for MS return and pick up of all school and personal items. This includes school library books, textbooks, chrome books, PE clothing, yearbook pick up and more. More info to come.
- Save the Date: We are excited to share 8th Promotion is taking place May 21st! Save the date! Promotion will be a mix of virtual and in person, in accordance to social distancing of course. More details are on the way mid-May. WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU 8th GRADERS!