Bobcat Bulletin
May 11, 2020
This Week's Events
Monday, May 11th
- 2:30 - Quizizz PD & Review (for those that are interested) https://northville.zoom.us/j/96564424011?pwd=TjJNY3BJK0dWWm8wM1BOTWQ0WDRwZz09 Meeting ID: 965 6442 4011
- Password: 427018
Thursday, May 13
- LIM Surveys Due
Thursday, May 13
- Virtual PTA Meeting, 6:30 pm
Next Week's Events
Looking Ahead
May 25
- Memorial Day - No School
June 4
- ALPS Virtual Orientation, 6:30pm
June 11
- Last Day
To all of the Amerman Mom's, I wish you a very happy and relaxing Mother's Day!
No... I did not forget about you
You might be wondering (or maybe you are not) if I was going to do anything for the staff for teacher appreciation. The answer is yes, of course. But, my timeline did not go as planned. It took me two weeks to get the supplies I needed to make your gifts, not the two days I am used to with Amazon Prime. I knew it would take me about a week to get everything complete and finished.
I have been working every night for a few hours to finish your staff recognition gifts. The crafting has been a nice creative respite at night from work. I am hoping they'll be done this weekend. The current plan is to get them in the mail on Monday. Hopefully, it doesn't take too long for everyone to receive what I am sending.
Student Birthday Cards
Something else you will be getting in the mail.... Student birthday cards. The PTA would like to ensure that students still get their birthday cards as they usually would. The week the PTA dropped off a little over 100 birthday cards on my front porch for me to sign. The plan is for me the sign them and send them in an envelope to you. You will then sign them and send them to Karri Somers, our PTA parent in charge of the birthday club (postage already included). She will then send the individual cards to the students. It will be a bit of the process, but I know it is something the students and their families will appreciate.
Nell Duke - Small Group Literacy
Help for Billy By: Heather Forbes
I have had a few conversations with people concerned about the impact this pandemic will have on the social/emotional well-being of our students. People have asked for some type of training so they will be prepared for the start of the school-year in September.
To help with that I have decided to do a voluntary summer book study. I did not want to wait until the fall to starting using the book, because I feel we will need it at the start of the school-year. The title of the book is called Help for Billy (Thanks you to Denise Bryan at Moraine for the recommendation). It is a pragmatic manual to help guide families and educators who are struggling with traumatized children. Based on the concept of the neuroscience of emotions and behavior, Heather Forbes provides detailed, comprehensive, and logical strategies for teachers and parents.
It is an easy to read book, with tables, outlines and lists, clears the way for a better understanding of the true nature regarding traumatic experiences affecting the brain and learning. If you would like to join our summer book study, please click here. You can choose a paperback or Audible book. If you plan on joining us, please make your selection by Friday, May 22. I will purchase paperback copies and provide reimbursements for those of you that prefer the audible version.
Blended ET Update
The Office of Instruction recognizes that staff have participated in new blended learning during this transition, therefore, anyone who has not yet completed and/or logged their Blended ET may assume this requirement has now been met. Staff will not be required to provide any additional information to the Office of Instruction. If there are questions regarding the Blended ET requirements, please contact me in the Office of instruction.
Virtual Morning Meetings and Welcoming Routine Ideas
From limweekly.org:
Morning meetings build social and emotional connections, helping each student feel like a valuable member of their classroom team. The meetings provide a daily structure that sets the tone for a powerful day ahead—beginning with key academic and social-emotional learning and reinforcing a positive classroom culture where everyone contributes.
The same elements of in-person morning meetings apply when conducting them virtually. The eight tips below, along with the Virtual Morning Meeting template, are just what you need for your virtual morning-meeting makeover!
Check out the link below to the Leader in Me website. While I might not use the entire template they have provided...there are some cool and fun things you might use as a Welcoming Routine to your virtual meetings :)
Staff Leader in Me Survey
Sending Off Fifth Grade
We are obviously making some changes to our traditional fifth grade send-off traditions and we need your help! There's two main things we need you to do:
- Record your class "clapping" during a Zoom Meeting so we can make a Clap-Out Video for our fifth graders. You can record yourself clapping along with your class or you can record yourself separately.
- Record a farewell/good luck message during a Zoom Meeting. You might remember that at last year's final ROAR Assembly, we had a Fifth Grade Farewell video. A copy of the video is attached if you need a quick reminder of what type of message you made last year.
Once you've recorded your video, please add it to the "Fifth Grade Send Off" folder or you can e-mail it/share it with Katie. If you need someone to stop in during a Zoom Meeting to help you record, please let Katie or Elizabeth know. We are happy to help.
Thanks so much for helping to create a special send-off for our fifth graders!
Parent/Guardian Input - Student Profile Form
Due to our current circumstances, the traditional parent input form is not a practical way to get information. I have developed a digital version of that form. From what I understand, past practice is parents only get one if they request it during Parent/Teacher Conferences. Since PTCs are not 2-3 days this year, but spread out over multiple weeks, I have put the deadline for parents May 22.
If a parent K-4 requests this form, please feel free to email them the following link:
LC Corner - Curriculum, Literacy & Learning...oh my!
RESOURCES FOR YOUR FAMILIES ABOUT READING PART II
Recently some reading tips for families geared toward K-2 readers were shared. This week, I am sharing resources for our older students. (Some of these tips were shared in a recent Bobcat Broadcast for families and you may find them useful too.)
There comes a time in a reader’s life when they transition from learning to read to reading to learn. While these readers are very independent and capable of reading the words in the text, they still need guidance to make connections, search for deeper meaning and make sense of what they read. Comprehension conversations give us evidence of what a reader is thinking and understanding about what they have read. As teachers we naturally do this in our small groups, guided reading instruction, and even in our whole group discussion times. Students can learn to have these conversations and ask questions while they read and discuss in book clubs.
Here are a few tools to help you help your families continue these conversations at home.
Comprehension Questions to Ask at Home
SNEAK PEEK for SEL RESOURCES
We are doing an amazing job being mindful of the whole-child during this distance learning period and some of you may be looking for a few more ideas for your SEL times and moments.
Keely recently shared this link in an email. They have recently opened up 15 of their videos that could be used for breathing and body checks. It’s worth checking out again and sharing with your students as a class.
While your students know each other and do not really need ‘to break the ice’ these make for a fun way to start your sessions or at the very least they give your students some discussion starters while you wait for everyone to arrive. Ice breaker questions also give a structure and safe way and a chance for a reluctant speaker to talk and to be heard.
(MORE TO COME NEXT WEEK)
PTA Stipend Reimbursement - Extended to May 15
As a reminder all teachers are able to get a $225 classroom stipend reimbursement ($175 for part time). Currently about 2/3 of the teachers haven't yet submitted their request for reimbursement. The PTA has extended their deadline for turning in receipts to May 15th. Being a PTA member is a requirement in order to receive the stipend.However, that cost is small (I think it's $15) in comparison to the reimbursement. You can email receipts to amermantreasurer@gmail.com.
Zoom "How-To"
There was a question raised about how to use the chat feature in zoom more effectively in a classroom situation. Aaron's wife was gracious enough to create a quick screencast video on the chat feature.
NPS Zoom Chat Short Tutorial Video
I know taking attendance can be time consuming - here is a quick video made by Jennifer Lawson at Hillside on how you can use one of the features in Zoom to take attendance.
Just a little Something to make you smile...
Random Useless Facts
The coldest place in our solar system is not Pluto, it’s Triton, one of Neptune’s moons.
- Leontina Albina of San Antonio, Chile, gave birth to her 55th child in 1987, making her the world’s most prolific mother.
- The oldest known goldfish was 41 years old.
- Most burglaries happen above the first, but below the seventh floor in a hotel.
- A law in Fairbanks, Alaska does not allow moose to have sex on city streets.
- In Florida, it is illegal for single, divorced, or widowed women to parachute on Sunday afternoons.
- Every 45 seconds, a house catches fire in the United States.