Eagle Updates
April 19, 2020
From Mrs. Barry:
I guess it really comes as no surprise that we won't be returning to the building this school year. Though we've all anticipated this, it's still hard. It's hard on the students, who miss their friends, their teachers, the routines of school. It's hard on the teachers, who know that, though they are working diligently and doing their best, virtual learning isn't the same as in-person learning. They miss their students desperately. It's hard for you, managing your job, your home, and your children's schoolwork. This whole situation is just plain HARD!
Though it's nice to finally have an answer, we know that there will be bumps in the road as we navigate the rest of the school year. We know that many of the things we try will not be successful. We know that we will need to change and tweak decisions along the way. We know we will make mistakes, but we also know we will continue to seek the best ways to connect with and continue the educational experience for your children.
Today, I do not have all the answers. Unfortunately, I probably won't have all the answers tomorrow. I know that, working together, we will make the best of this very hard situation. That is what this Meadow Wood community is all about! Thank you for all you are doing during this trying time. Thank you for your support and encouragement. PLEASE reach out with questions, concerns, or celebrations. We are here for you.
Welcome home to MWE!
Grading and Monitoring Progress
This week, we've seen a lot of questions and stress over the new "grading guidelines" from the district. First, let me say, that you all are doing an amazing job navigating all of this from home, while continuing with your "real" jobs and obligations. So many of you have reached out, letting us know how you are working through the digital backpack or how you are modifying to meet the needs of your children. Your children are connecting with their teachers, continuing to learn and grow, and adjusting to the social-emotional issues they are confronting. Our teachers are working hard behind the scenes to give your child and YOU what you need. Between creating materials, finding additional resources, looking for new ways to connect, and collaborating with each other, they are working diligently to ensure that, as crisis schooling is continuing, our Eagles have all they need to be successful.
That said, we have an obligation to you, the district, and the state, to monitor our students' progress. In doing so, we have priorities on which to focus. First, we will balance compassion, rigor, support, and flexibility. Second, we will focus on priority skills and checks for understanding that prepare students for the next grade level. Finally, we will allow students to show their understanding in varied ways. So, what exactly does this mean? Each grade level team will select the items that they would like to see completed each week, as well as a preferred method of submission. However, we realize that these assignments and/or methods of submission may not work for everyone. THAT IS OKAY!! If your child is working on reading, writing, math, science, and social studies, that is what we want! The intent behind this is NOT to cause you any stress! Our teachers are more than happy to work with each individual family on their specific needs. So, if your child has been reading a book that is not "assigned" and answers questions on that, great! If you were asked to submit on a certain platform but would rather email the work or have the teacher call for monitoring purposes, that is fine. The key is FLEXIBILITY. If you are struggling with any of the grading expectations, please reach out to your child's teacher to develop a plan together for moving forward! We are here for you. We want to support you in any way we can. We also want to ensure our students are continuing to engage in learning!
As a reminder, number grades will not be recorded for the last grading period. Monitoring of progress each week will be designated as: demonstrated, in progress, or no response. Student promotion to the next grade level will be based on first three nine-week grading periods, participation in this current nine weeks, and individual grade placement committee decisions. Please do not worry that the work currently being done will negate the work done the first three nine weeks. We know your children. We know their capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses. We also know what a strange and difficult time this is. We will work TOGETHER to get through this!
Important Info about Study Packets
Beginning the week of April 20, unless you opted out via the district survey, self-study paper packets will be mailed to your home address for each child in grades PK-5, as we discontinue our drive-thru packet pickup process. (Note the self-study guides distributed this past Friday included instructional material for week 3 and 4.) Please be sure your address is correct in Skyward!
If you live on Bateswood, we learned that you are not able to receive packages at the management offices. We have pulled your packets to be distributed Monday, April 20th, at Family Point.
Virtual Q&A Meetings with Mrs. Barry
Wednesday - April 29
10 a.m. - Pre-K/Kinder
https://zoom.us/j/96733334828?pwd=VE1pSDVZQVZocXZ2OWJlMDQ4a0FIdz09
Meeting ID: 967 3333 4828
Password: 031771
1 p.m. - 3rd Grade
https://zoom.us/j/99138939275?pwd=cEVPUzYxWGNlMWFLUDVRRDNjdWFPUT09
Meeting ID: 991 3893 9275
Password: 030024
2 p.m. - 1st Grade
https://zoom.us/j/95987144166?pwd=MEVtWmdGS0JSZlloRDJSc2RxSTdxZz09
Meeting ID: 959 8714 4166
Password: 003416
Thursday, April 30
10 a.m. - 5th Grade
https://zoom.us/j/95377553768?pwd=V1JhNW1xYjI1V1VSaCtuc0o3Q09QZz09
Meeting ID: 953 7755 3768
Password: 018491
11 a.m. - 2nd Grade
https://zoom.us/j/91774920962?pwd=dEhUT20vQk9VUEozS3NFdHJ1Z2pQdz09
Meeting ID: 917 7492 0962
Password: 006519
12 p.m. - 4th Grade
https://zoom.us/j/95296483171?pwd=SW1nMGdNSXlJd1V5NnNoeCtsUTQwQT09
Meeting ID: 952 9648 3171
Password: 031904
From the Counselors:
Responding to Anxiety, Fear, Panic
During this crisis, you play a critical role in combatting trauma and anxiety in your child. As we keep lines of communication and connection open with our children, we need to be prepared to respond to difficult questions from stressed kids. The unknown is scary and information can be magnified. We can help them come through this challenging time feeling resilient and supported. Here are some suggestions for best responses:
- Validate feelings. Before you make any suggestions, reflect back something like "It sounds like you're scared" or "I'm sorry you are so worried."
- Stay calm. Sometimes it's not what you say, but how you say it. Our kids are watching us. If we seem anxious, it could confirm their worst fears.
- Be truthful. Being vague or minimizing the facts can be unsettling to young children which sometimes creates greater anxiety. We want to make sure they don't overestimate the danger or underestimate their ability to protect themselves—or the need to do so. Tell them the basic facts, that washing hands and social distancing are the best courses of action.
- Reframe negative comments. When a child makes an inaccurate or overly negative comment like "We've been in the house forever" or "We can't ever see my grandmother again," respond with an accurate and more positive reframe: "You have been in the house for 10 days, but it's so nice you are all healthy and together" or "It's so important that you are taking care of your grandmother by staying away.
- Remind students to look for the helpers. Mr. Rogers famously said that when frightening information is on the news, children should look for the helpers. This positive focus helps deter negative thinking. A wonderful suggestion to give kids after they report an upsetting news story is to ask them to count the helpers mentioned, focusing them on the good that often far outnumbers the bad. Young children can be asked to list five helpers supporting people at this time.
Counselors Connecting with KIDS
Oh, how we miss you! We miss your smiles, your laughter, your hugs, and your cheerful voices saying hello! We miss your cheers when we come in the classroom for a lesson. We love hearing you shout, “Yay! Mrs. Luberger is here.” Or, “Yay, Ms. Waldrop is here!” We know that when we come to your classrooms we are giving you a little break from your school work and that we have lots of fun together. And, we know that we work hard learning things too; we just learn different kinds of things! In our lessons, we work hard learning how to show respect to others, we work hard learning to understand our feelings and the feelings of others, we work hard learning how to solve problems in assertive not aggressive ways. We work hard learning and practicing how we can be our best selves and doing what it takes to be a No Place for Hate School. We learn about the importance of kindness, understanding differences, and how to keep ourselves and others safe. We learn the importance of being a school family!
We sure miss our school family right now. We even miss your tears, your anger, your frustrations, and your confusion. We would love to be there with all of you right now helping manage all your big feelings. Remember: All feelings are okay. There are no right or wrong feelings. It is what you do with them that matters. We hope that you remember the skills we have taught you and put them into practice in your homes. Your parents would be so proud of you and you will be bringing peace and calm to your families at a time that we all need it!
And, speaking of a calm home…. we have a suggestion for you! We would like you to talk with your parents about setting up a Calm Corner or Calm Space in your home. We are spending so much time together right now and everyone needs a little time away and personal space. This Calm Corner or Space will become a cozy, warm area of your home that anyone can go to when they need a little break, even your parents. With your family you can discuss what to add to your space. Maybe a big pillow? Blankets? Lovies? Fidgets? Coloring supplies? Books? Handmade posters of positive statements? Pictures of your favorite places? Playdoh? Let all your family members help create this special space. Remember this is not a timeout space. This is a special place to help you and your family relax and get centered. Be sure to discuss with your family a few expectations for your Calm Corner/Space. One example would be that you do not bother another person while they are in the space. Discuss how to share the space and how to keep the space tidy and ready for the next person.
We have added a Mindfulness Choice Board below. Ask your parents if they will print it for you. You can cut and color the cards and add them to your Calm Corner/Space. We would love for you to post pictures to the MWE Face Book page to share your ideas!
We miss you!
Mrs. Luberger and Ms. Waldrop
Math Enrichment
Ms. Unger has her math enrichment itsLearning course ready to roll! She is adding all 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders to the course. Every school day, there will be a fun math puzzle, problem, game, or brain teaser with a discussion board for each. Each activity will be live for 48 hours. The focus is on fun and deep thinking. Questions? Email Ms. Unger at lisa.unger@springbranchisd.com
This week's library challenge:
This week’s library challenge would like students to explore at least one topic on PowerKnowledge or Gale. Tell me all about what you learned by sharing on social media with the hashtags #SBISD_readers and #SBISDlib.
https://sites.google.com/springbranchisd.com/sbisdlibraryresources/powerknowledge
What are the teachers doing during social distancing?
Nurse Rossi
I don't have any adorable grandchildren to share, but I have grand dogs who have taken me for walks at sunrise and sunset almost daily. I've Zoomed with my family (all out of town) and talked on the phone with friends a lot more than usual. It's amazing and heartwarming all of the thoughtful, funny and creative things people have done to support and uplift each other. We will survive!
Nurse Tyler
During my time away from campus, I am working in my yard and just appreciating all of the new growth and flowers that I see. I miss my daily hugs and smiles from everyone, but have had a chance to hear my granddaughter practice her cello (via phone) and to hear my grandson learning to play chess. I am spoiling my dog and doing less organizing in the house than I should all while enduring more bad hair days than I thought were possible!!! Hope everyone is well and stays that way!
Mrs. Hare
Hi MWE Eagles, I miss you all very much! During this time I’ve committed to going for a walk every morning, drinking endless cups of hot coffee, reading and sharing snacks with Pippa my dog. I am so thankful for technology and the ability to stay connected with our morning announcements, community circles and academic check ins. Stay safe, stay well and be kind. Remember, “When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.” With JOY- Mrs. Hare
Mrs. Pierce
During social distancing, I have spent a lot of time with family. We have spent a lot of time outside, watched caterpillars make their chrysalis and release them once their wings were strong enough, brought a virtual tiger into our house, completed several puzzles, worked on learning with my own kids, and enjoyed having lots of beautiful weather. We are also waiting very impatiently for our praying mantis eggs to hatch.
Ms. Tankersley
During my social distancing I have been going on long bike rides. I bought a bike a few weeks ago and have been riding an average of 50 miles a week. Getting out of the house and getting some fresh air has been one of my favorite things to do! I have also been reading, doing yoga and have completed about 10 puzzles. I hope you are finding ways to entertain yourself during your social distancing and staying healthy! Love you guys and hope to see you soon.
Ms. Dismukes
Hi everyone! The key word that describes what I have been doing since the last time we were together is "a lot". "A lot" of reading. "A lot" of long walks. "A lot" of eating!! Take care! Ms. Dismukes
Ms. Stone
I have been balancing school work/computer time with down time. I’ve learned a LOT of new technology on the computer! To balance that I have been on lovely walks, bike rides, and hanging out in my little backyard reading and soaking up the fresh air and sunshine. Yes, there has been some gardening work done too.
Mrs. Holland
During my social distancing I have been enjoying spending extra time with my family. We have been cooking together, playing in the backyard, practicing reading and writing, and playing with our dog Gwen. I am missing my students dearly, but I am taking advantage of wearing my Pjs all day .
Ms. Moffett
Mrs. Solis- Smith
During my time of social distancing I have been enjoying morning workouts with my husband and daily walks with our dogs!
Ms. Allen
Ms. Mortola
Ms. Golafshan
Ms. Maddox
Lily and I have been very busy at home. We spend the mornings doing school work for her and school work for me and then in the afternoons we spend the day outside. We have been going on walks every day and doing lots of sidewalk chalk, paint and a ton of shaving cream experiments. We also have been spending time baking and cooking lots of meals together. Which also means we’ve been doing a lot of dishes! YUCK! Sometimes to get out of the house we go on drives in the car with the windows down and the music on loud like it’s a little field trip. One of my favorite things though is not having to wake up as early, staying in my pajamas almost all day, not having to wear make up and having all this time to cuddle with my dog Lola and my cat Tucker. Find the Joy anywhere you can everyone. Happiness is all around you.
Picture Update
All class pictures and individual pictures were to be delivered the week after Spring Break. They are being held for us at the photography studio. We will receive them upon our return to campus! Thank you for your patience!
Morning Announcements!
We would love to start each day seeing all of you! We will have morning announcements LIVE on Zoom at 9am. Tune in daily to do pledge, birthdays, songs, read alouds and exercises. This is a great way to start your day and see your friends and teachers.
Also - please video your child saying the pledge and send to Mrs. McCracken at kathryn.mccracken@springbranchisd.com for a chance to be on morning announcements!
We look forward to seeing you!
Don't forget about Specials!
Specials activities can be accessed through ItsLearning or through the links below:
HEALTH FITNESS
Coach Hollmann is Here to Help: https://www.facebook.com/CoachHollmann/
ART
Mrs. Waggenspack's Art Room: www.facebook.com/Mrs-Waggenspacks-Art-Room-349020198819258/
Or check out her blog at www.elementaryartfun.blogspot.com.
MUSIC
Music at Meadow Wood: https://www.facebook.com/musicmwe/
A few pictures from Virtual Art!
2020-21 School Supplies now available for PRE-ORDER!
From Dr. Blaine:
Dear SBISD Families, Students and Staff,
As we work through the fourth week of learning from home, many of our teachers and students are staying connected online, using a variety of platforms to connect visually, learn together, and sustain a sense of classroom community. Some of you have questioned the safety of digital tools we are using like Zoom and Google. So today, I wanted to spend a bit of time sharing how digital tools are vetted and our expectations around their use to ensure the safety and security of all.
As we all are working together remotely at this unprecedented time, the district has vetted and approved various video teleconferencing tools including Zoom, Skype, Teams and Google. The district has used video teleconferencing for some time, but never before at this scale. Not all teachers are using these tools, and that’s ok with us. We have not made this a requirement at this time.
Software approval process
Digital resources provided by SBISD must meet our standards for privacy, safety and security. Our software approval process ensures digital resources conform to HIPAA, COPPA, CIPA and FERPA, which set strict standards for student privacy and data collection. In fact, SBISD is one of only a few districts that has a dedicated cybersecurity professional on staff.
Reducing risk
We know there are news articles circulating identifying the inherent risks associated with video teleconferencing such as “Zoom-bombing.” To reduce the risk in SBISD, we have provided our staff with the official guidance from the State of Texas Chief Information Security Officer and Department of Information Resources. These video conferencing best practices are included in district documentation and training. Best practices we expect our employees to follow include:
- Locking meetings once all participants have joined to prevent unauthorized users from gaining entry while the call is in session
- After locking the meeting, reviewing the list of participants and expelling any unknown participants before sharing content
- Expelling disruptive individuals from the meeting
- Disabling “Allow Removed Participants to Rejoin”
- Disabling participants' ability to record the meeting
- Disabling participant screen sharing or file sharing to prevent the sharing of unauthorized or inappropriate content
- Disabling the Chat feature prior to the meeting
- Muting all attendees and suspending privileges for participants to unmute themselves
- Pin or Spotlight Speaker Video to control the audio display
- Prohibiting the public publishing, posting or broadly disseminating meeting links; only direct emails to participants are authorized
- Requiring a password to join the meeting
- Enabling end-to-end encryption setting for HIPAA/FERPA compliance
SBISD has its own Google domain, and the district is the domain administrator. We use Google for Education which is specifically designed for educational use in the K- 12 space. Google for Education also conforms to our high privacy and data collection standards.
Staff training sessions
Last week, to re-emphasize the high priority we place on digital safety and security, we provided a training session for school leaders as part of our weekly Zoom conference. We also provided an updated Zoom training module that we expect all of our teachers to review. We reminded our leaders that teachers should not be using Facebook or other social media sites to connect directly with students for instructional purposes at this time, and our employees are always expected to follow our related policies. Principals were expected to share the best practices reminder training with their staff members this week.
Protecting student data and ensuring the safety of our networks is another key priority for SBISD. We were the second school district in Texas to have our cybersecurity training approved, with a requirement that all SBISD employees must complete the training. Based on the quality of our training, more than 70 other districts are using this training for their employees, too!
Resources for students
Another concern is our students’ safety as they may be spending more time online and on social media, too. In addition to digital citizenship lessons all students must complete annually at the beginning of the school year, we have posted on our Coronavirus resource webpage some excellent trainings provided by our partners at Crime Stoppers and others. Please remind your children to be safe and smart online!
Chromebook distribution - Making it happen!
Over the last two weeks, our Technology team, with support from many other teams, including our nurses, worked tirelessly to get devices in the hands of our secondary students across the system who had not yet received a device at school. I am proud to say that they distributed 1,086 Chromebooks to our students- a major feat- in light of current social distancing rules and more. I cannot thank these teams enough for making this happen.
WiFi access
We know hotspots and WiFi access continue to be areas of need. Like many other districts, our shipment of hotspots has been delayed due to overwhelming demand nationwide. As the district receives more devices, we will distribute these to families. We will have exciting news about a pilot WiFi project to share next week! Stay tuned for more on that in the days ahead!
Need additional tech support?
Should your secondary student have a broken device, be missing a power cord, or need other tech support, please email your teacher or principal to make an appointment for replacement equipment. Staff members are encouraged to contact the SBISD Help Desk to resolve equipment or access issues.
I hope you are well, and I hope you and your family are succeeding in this new thing we call learning from home. Please know we are here for you, and we hope you will reach out if you are struggling, need support, or if we can help you in any way. We know this is not easy, and we appreciate you so much. Give your kids a hug from all of us in SBISD.
District Information
Dear SBISD Families,
In alignment with Friday’s announcement by Governor Abbot that all Texas schools stay closed for the remainder of the school year, SBISD will continue our remote learning plan through the end of May.
With this in mind, we are pleased to share that week five instructional resources are now accessible in the Digital Backpack here.
If you are still getting familiar with the Digital Backpack, you may wish to view the “Unpacking the Digital Backpack” video series, posted on our expanded family resources section of the district website. Check out these resources and videos on a wide array of topics to help you help your children succeed. More resources will be added in the weeks ahead.
Elementary Families
In addition to the online Digital Backpack, the corresponding self-study packets for weeks five and six are in the mail to families who did not opt out of receiving print resources. If your family does not receive your self-study packet by the middle of this week, please reach out to your principal. We want to be sure you receive your learning materials.
Many of our teachers are hosting live class lessons, small group mini-lessons, and student conferences. Teachers may also be providing “office hours” so students or parents can reach out with questions. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher and/or principal if you have questions or need specific support in working with your child. Please also remember our teachers are doing their best to provide as much support as possible, even as they continue to support their own children at home.
Grab and Go Meals
Our Grab and Go Meals service will continue four days/week. Click here for specific times and locations. Please join me in thanking our SBISD Child Nutrition Services Team for serving over 100,000 meals in the last four weeks through this service.
Thank You
As we all continue to learn and grow as online learners and teachers, we thank you for your effort and your support for your children and for us at this very unusual time. We also thank you for reaching out to your teachers, counselors, CIS colleagues, principals and district leaders when you have questions, need help or just need a listening ear. We are here for you!