PRAIRIE POST
May 1, 2020
Message from the Principal
Prairie Families,
This upcoming week is Teacher Appreciation Week! Here’s a shout out to all our amazing Prairie teachers! It has been different meeting people virtually, but I sure am impressed by the quality of teachers and overall people that make up the Prairie staff. They sure have huge hearts as well as a huge willingness to learn and adapt. When Albert Einstein stated, “it is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge,” I don’t think he ever thought we would be doing this in a virtual world! Thanks parents for being such great partners as we continue on in this virtual learning experience. We can’t do it without YOU!!
We've seen so many amazing things come out of our learners during these past few weeks. They have shown us they can be independent, they have shown us their perseverance, and they've shown us just how capable they are at adapting to new situations. Kudos to each of them! As always, in schools / life, there may be situations that arise where students are not making good choices. Please make sure to closely monitor your child’s technology use; check histories, go in their WebEx spaces and make sure they are focused on academics. Just as in the classroom, when staff hear, or in our present situation see, something inappropriate they quickly respond. Sometimes it is a comment, sometimes it is deleting the comment, sometimes it is a call to parents, sometimes it could lead to restricted use of technology. Whatever the case, we are all in this together, and we want to make sure all students are safe and respectful of one another. Thank you for reminding your child of their digital responsibility and help to reinforce the School District of Waukesha Technology Acceptable Use policy.
Mrs. Gannon
Acting Prairie Principal
Social Emotional Learning
This past week was our first week of scheduled virtual social emotional (SEL) lessons for all students! While teachers have been routinely incorporating social and emotional aspects to students’ learning, on Tuesday we learned about and practiced different tips for coping with the school closure, which undoubtedly elicits mixed feelings for many children. Students did a great job expressing and discussing their feelings related to this topic. As mentioned last week, each SEL topic will include an optional Friday Challenge for students to think about and apply on Fridays and over the weekend.
This week’s Friday Challenge:
* Identify a trusted adult and share your feelings with him/her each day
* If you feel sad or angry, choose one of the coping tips from the lesson and see how it works
for you
Parents, feel free to encourage your child to participate in this week’s challenge and consider creating some dialogue around it. Mr. Endsley and Mrs. Edwards also shared the following resources with you last week, and included them here again for your reference:
How to Help Kids Deal with School Closings
Classroom Placement Letter for 2020-21
Elementary Grading
Dear Elementary Families,
The School District of Waukesha is continuously responding to the COVID-19 pandemic to meet the ever-changing needs of our school community. Your support and partnership with our teachers has been amazing, and it is reflected in the authentic learning that continues to happen while our buildings are closed.
Beginning Monday, April 27th, 2020 the School District of Waukesha will be transitioning to a
4-day instructional week for the remainder of the current school year. This means new
instruction and assignments will only be pushed out from teachers Monday-Thursday each
week. Friday will be a catch-up and support day and optional meetings like virtual community
circles can still happen, but there will be nothing new required. Staff will be available for virtual office hours, conferencing opportunities with students or parents/guardians, and for staff collaboration.
While we are taking many steps to provide access to quality instruction and learning, we must
also consider the limitations presented by the virtual environment as we determine the best
ways to assess, grade and report the progress of student learning.
To support this unique situation, we are changing the way we report student progress. In a
standards-based environment we believe that providing feedback to the student encourages
continued growth. Our goal is to seek evidence of student understanding and provide feedback to students on lesson targets and objectives.
Feedback on Trimester 3 learning will focus on individual student feedback. Teachers will
provide feedback to students throughout the duration of the virtual learning experience across their learning experiences. Therefore, Trimester 3 progress reports will only include narrative comments. Grade-level benchmarks will not be scored on the report card in Infinite Campus or the SDW Continuum Portfolio.
We appreciate your continued partnership in your child/ren’s education as we work to provide
engaging and enriching experiences. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s
building principal.
Sincerely,
Melissa Yow
Director of Elementary Teaching & Learning
Moving?
Breakfast and Lunch Pick Up Available
Blessings in a Backpack
Prairie Trick Show Challenge 2020
Hi Prairie Families,
In these challenging times, I thought some of the students at Prairie might enjoy a FUN challenge. The challenge was to come up with a trick shot using any type of ball or item that they may have at home. Many have taken the challenge and sent me their videos, which I would like to share with everyone. It is so fun to see how creative they can be when they are given the opportunity and I hope that you enjoy the video.
If this inspires anyone to take the challenge, as it did for Mr. Haynes' and Mrs. Ferguson’s family, please send me your video and I will update this movie in a couple of weeks.
Have fun,
Mr. Booth
Technology Assistance
http://sdw.waukesha.k12.wi.us/virtual-student This page also includes a link to the Virtual Help Desk which is being monitored by our support team.
Learning Outdoors
Our Environmental Education Department has created a weekly newsletter entitled "Learning Outdoors". Each week we will provide a few small learning or just for fun activities to engage students in nature and outdoor play.
Fox 6 Educational Programming
FOX 6 is offering educational programming on Monday through Friday at noon. The station will be airing a variety of Xploration shows. These half-hour programs are designed to inspire kids to become interested in STEM and may provide some fun and interest for families.
Here is a link to programming information:
Playworks "Play at Home"
Playworks has launched a virtual recess. It will happen 3 times a day (11am, 1pm, 3pm), Mon-Fri through Facebook live! All you have to do is like Playworks on Facebook and log on and follow along!
Do you want to play right now? Check out this link for youtube videos to all of our favorites as well as a bunch of play resources:
https://www.playworks.org/get-involved/play-at-home/
It is a great way for our students to break up the day, get moving, and refocus for learning! Do you have a favorite game? Take pictures and tag with #PlayAtHome or #PlayworksAtHome to teach other people your family's favorite!
*Air High Five* Coach Courtney
Message from Mr. Endsley, School Psychologist
Prairie Elementary School
Email: vanderso@waukesha.k12.wi.us
Website: www.waukeshaschools.com/prairie
Location: 1801 Center Road, Waukesha, WI, United States
Phone: 262-970-2205