Herbert Mills STEAM Weekly News
April 3, 2020
Herbert Mills STEAM Elementary is a globally focused K-4 elementary school that is committed to developing culturally competent, critical and creative thinkers through rigorous STEAM best practices rooted in transdisciplinary problem-based learning. Our program prepares students to be competitive in the 21st century global marketplace, and to be critical and disciplined thinkers who are able to investigate problems thoroughly and effectively to understand their potential to drive meaningful and sustainable innovations.
Dear Families,
As you read in the e-mail message sent from the district yesterday, we will be distributing Chromebooks to families that need them to allow students to work online from home. Please note that you will need to have Internet access at home to go online with our Chromebooks.
If you do not have Internet access, Charter is offering free Spectrum broadband and wi-fi access for 60 days to households with K-12 students who do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription at any service level up to 100 Mbps. To enroll, please call Spectrum directly at 1-844-488-8395. They will waive installation fees for new student households.
In order to protect our families and staff by limiting contact, Herbert Mills STEAM will be distributing paper educational packets and Chromebooks on one day only – this coming Tuesday, April 7 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. In order to prevent crowding and long waits, we are again staggering the packet pick-up according to alphabet. Families whose students’ last names begin the with letters A-L should pick up their packets from 8:00 to 11:30 a.m., and families whose students’ last names begin with letters M-Z should pick up their packets from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. We would like to reserve 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. for families who are unable to come earlier in the day.
We are happy to be able to provide one Chromebook per family. If you are planning to take home a Chromebook, please bring your own pen (not pencil) and come ready to sign the form. To help the line move quickly, please see below to read over the “Portable Technology and Use Guidelines" agreement before you come to school. Only a student’s parent or legal guardian (an adult who has legal custody of the student) may sign the form and pick up a Chromebook.
Please click here to let us know if your family is planning to pick up a Chromebook on Tuesday. This information will help us get ready for you!
We hope you are all staying safe and healthy!
Mrs. Mary Ellen Weeks
Principal
Herbert Mills STEAM will be handing out paper educational packets and Chromebooks this coming Tuesday, April 7 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. only.
Students’ last names beginning with A-L
8:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Students’ last names beginning with M-Z
11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Families who are unable to come earlier in the day should come from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
If you are planning to pick up a Chomebook, please click on the link in Mrs. Weeks' letter above to let us know so we can be ready for you!
Staying Connected
Free Internet Access from Spectrum
Spectrum has announced that beginning on Monday, March 16, for the next two months they will be making broadband and Wi-Fi available to K-12 student households who do not already subscribe to Spectrum's broadband service.
If you are interested in enrolling, please call Spectrum directly at 1-844-488-8395.
Educational Resources for Families
bit.ly/ReynHomeLearning for lots of helpful links!
Mrs. Casperson, our amazing Herbert Mills STEAM social worker, has also designed a Facebook page to share resources and stay connected with families and students. Please like her page at "Mrs. Casperson's Corner" on Facebook.
Check Out BookFlix from Scholastic!
BookFlix is an online read-aloud experience that pairs 141 classic storybooks with 141 related nonfiction titles to reinforce early reading skills (including 38 Spanish pairs). Click on the document below to learn how to get BookFlix on your phone or tablet.
I hope everyone is staying home and being safe! Please remember to wash your hands often & keep your hands away from your face! This will be a habit we all need to develop for the year ahead, until a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available. It is also just a good practice in any circumstance-- no one likes to be sick, no matter what disease is causing it!
I know this can be hard for younger children, so you could turn it into a game and count how many times you catch each other touching your face with your hands. The one who touches the least wins!
Mrs. Sandra Kageorge, RN, BSN, LSN
School Nurse
Thank you to all of our families for continuing to support your child’s learning at home! We know it has not been easy, and it may look different from one family to the next, but you are all doing an amazing job.
On Monday, April 6, we will begin Day 10 in our Distance Learning Packet. Please remember to check Class Dojo each weekday for updates from Mrs. Cotner and Mrs. Deiderich. There they will post some additional resources, activities and ideas to supplement your child’s learning packet.
If you are not connected to your child’s class on Class Dojo, please send Mrs. Cotner (tcotner@reyn.org) or Mrs. Deiderich (rdeiderich@reyn.org) an e-mail and they can send you directions on how to connect.
Mrs. Cotner and Mrs. Deiderich LOVE seeing what your children are doing at home! Please message pictures on Dojo or send them through e-mail.
Hi first grade families!
We miss you! We love seeing that you are all working so hard at home. It has been so nice to see your work posted on SeeSaw and to see how much you are logging into the online learning at home. Keep reading books with your family and keep working on your at home design challenge! Please never hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher over the next few weeks during the extended school closure. We are here for you and we can help in any way that you need as we all tackle distance learning together. We miss seeing all of our student's smiling faces every day and we are looking forward to seeing you again!
The Herbert Mills STEAM 2nd grade team continues to thank families for the work they are doing in promoting the success of our students. This week, students used various platforms to show their learning, as well as an opportunity to express how they are feeling about the given situation. Students used Seesaw to respond to questions, videos, and pictures relating to spring topics. Students also had the chance to show their new ¨classrooms¨ as well as read-alouds with pets, family members, or stuffed animals. We continue to wish health and happiness to all of our families and appreciate everything being done to support each other. Continue to work hard and check from your students teacher daily!
Raiders and Tigers, we miss you so much! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you need anything! We are continually checking email, Twitter, Seesaw, Google Classroom, and our other learning platforms. We are so proud of the work you’ve been doing so far. You are doing a great job adjusting to this new normal. Thank you for the messages, videos, and comments you have been posting on Seesaw. They have been the highlights of our days! Please continue doing your best to read and get Reflex green lights, daily. Have a great weekend!
This week in Math, students practiced multiplication and division strategies. They also worked on AIR practice pages. In ELA, students read for 30 minutes each day and responded to reflection questions about their reading. They also worked on AIR practice pages/Mastery Connect. In Social Studies, students worked on civics material-the role of our government.
For the April’s work, we will be including a check-sheet for each week. The check-sheet will list math, reading, writing, social studies and science activities for each day of the week AND where to find the material online. All of the material will also be in a packet if students aren’t able to work online. Hopefully, this will help both parents and students stay organized.
If you have any questions about the packets or online work, please email us or message us on Seesaw. Each of us has emailed home to parents. If you have not received an email, we may have the wrong email address. Please reach out to us, so we can keep in contact.
We miss our families and students! Please stay happy and healthy!
Mrs. Annette Hawley ahawley@reyn.org
Mrs. Ronda Cram ronda.cram@reyn.og
Mrs. Denise Taylor denise.taylor@reyn.org
Ms. Rachel Mooney rachel.mooney@reyn.org
Hello boys and girls - greetings to all our Herbert Mills STEAM Tigers!
The music activities for the month of April will be included in your new educational packets! These are songs we have done in class and new songs too. There are links available for you to view if you have a device. Please try to do these once a week or more.
We have music class for 40 minutes every week. If you do this on your own, you can have your own music time as well. MAYBE you can get your stuffed toys in a circle and pretend that these are your students And YOU are the teacher! Read, sing and do your best!
Please let me know how you are doing by contacting me at sashton@reyn.org - I hope you are doing well as you possibly can during this time. Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands! DO THIS ALL THE TIME!
Hello Mills Steam Tigers!
I miss you. Sending you all a hug and reminding you to get outside and exercise! What kinds of activities have you been doing? Send me a quick email, or picture and tell me all about it. Agochenour@reyn.org
Today is Friday!
Do you know what that means?...
Friday dance! https://youtu.be/qCoc_qx3VY8
Come on you can do it! Show me those moves!!
How are your Fitness Challenges coming?...have you been filling out your Exercise Journal? I hope so.
Here are a couple things to check out if you are looking for something to do to get active
Here is Mrs.Gochenour exercising with her daughters! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FRZh0ddxqy8Z1g5LZH_46RfhnHx3IT-w/view?usp=sharing
Have you been getting my newsletters from classroom teachers?!
Newletter 1
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cVTxheCwMkpcalyQdEc0z41342Qx_Xumv47PRPJMny8/edit?usp=sharing
Newsletter spring break
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BpJpS39lF1da9okYSB3w31GLtjOHI18Kix86sZMn7Mo
Newsletter 2
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YajVDIZ9CvzTz5nAtCFZyrRsjWHSrQ7pqMRVqH532JA/edit?usp=sharing
Homework 1
https://docs.google.com/document/d/14DCQosLHiUhfIjS2BfsIn4wzVuxNuDch1lUd1_Kz89E/edit?usp=sharing
Homework 2 (This should be coming out first of next week!)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/173Wm8nMx9IgNzfyh2r0TgX6coewW2nErLOTUSP6BN5M/edit?usp=sharing
Keep moving and be well,
Mrs Gochenour
STEAM Activities You Can Do at Home (from Miss Sherman in the ICE Lab!)
Would you like to “visit” Buckingham Palace, The Great Wall of China, or even Mars?! All you need to do to use this technology is follow the link and you’ll be well on your way to someplace new! https://freedomhomeschooling.com/virtual-field-trips/
Draw With Steve Harpster (Harptoons): Visit Harptoons Publishing’s Facebook page and draw with Steve Harpster using letters and numbers!
Looking for more math support for your child? There are many online math programs available to families for free during their extended time at home. Check out ST Math - your kid will feel like they’re playing a game while they’re learning math skills!
https://www.stmath.com/coronavirus (Scroll down to FREE PARENT ACCESS)
ST Math allows students to manipulate objects before throwing in math symbols. Your child will think the only thing they are trying to do is get JiJi the Penguin across their screen. When actually they are learning math standards!
Hi Everyone!
I hope you're all staying healthy, doing your homework, and reading! I know the Columbus Metro Library is closed, but if you have access to a computer, i-phone, android, or Kindle, you can read books online! You will need an account, but you can sign up for one online as well.
Also, if you're free on Wednesdays and Fridays at 4 P.M., log-on to Facebook, look for the "Epic4Kids" page, and they'll be live, with cool projects that you can do!
Lastly, if you are like me, you've read your Library books a gazillion times already. Both The Reading Warehouse and JuniorLibraryGuild.com have tons of books to choose from, and you don't have to be a teacher or librarian to order!
So, stay safe, stay active, and keep on reading!
Mrs. Messick
Did You Know?
About Us
Email: maryellen.weeks@reyn.org
Website: http://www.reyn.org/herbertmillselementary_home.aspx
Location: 6826 Retton Road, Reynoldsburg, OH, USA
Phone: (614) 367-2160
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Herbert-Mills-STEAM-Elementary-School-182252721956795/
Twitter: @HMSTEAMTigers