Comet Connection
Kellogg Family Newsletter | February 1, 2021
Here's the Scoop!
SCOOP ONE
Session 3 of Middle School Afterschool is now underway! Make sure to sign your Comet up for one of these awesome programs!
Student Advisory
Anime Club
Young Writers Club
Comet Connection
Math Center
GSA
Homework Help
Among Us
Art Club
Yoga
D&D Willow Creek (Kellogg’s D&D club is currently full!)
Sign Language
Over the past week, we have had a few Instagram concerns pop up. I thought it was a great time to remind you of a few things that will help keep your child safe in their virtual world.
- Stay connected to your child in whichever platforms they are using. Recently, Instagram, What's App, Discord & Snapchat seem to be the hot places to be. Connecting with them serves a few purposes: It's a good reminder to your child that you are present and watching. You will see suspicious activity so you can intervene. It will teach you the technology so when a concern arises, you know the platform. And best of all, it will give you a glimpse into this ever-important sphere for your child!
- Remind your child they should NOT chat, friend or follow people they don't know. In addition, they should secure their account so that others cannot follow them without permission. Not all followers are who they appear to be. This is a real and present concern, especially on Instagram.
- Location is revealed on a variety of social media platforms, sometimes as a default setting. Check your child's settings to be sure they are not revealing their location to friends (or strangers.) Taking time to check security now will save time and concern later.
DL Feedback Results
Thanks to the 144 individuals that participated in our most recent Distance Learning Feedback survey. Survey results are below.
- The rater questions are ranked 1-4, dissatisfied to satisfied.
- I included some of your open-ended responses to give you a sense of the themes from the survey, but I did not provide the full list of comments.
What have been the strengths of the Distance Learning model?
These are direct quotes from the survey, but many answers have been omitted based on repeating themes.
- 4 classes per day has been nice.
- Chromebooks over ipads.
- Classes have been engaging.
- Clear expectations & a predictable routine.
- Connecting with peers online.
- Consistent schedule made a big difference.
- Daily teacher contact has been nice.
- Due dates are clear to parents and students. The parent email from Google Classroom is wonderful.
- Good communication.
- Google Classroom gives great insight on student progress.
- Google Classroom has worked well.
- Kids sleep in longer.
- Learned new technology skills (kids and parents).
- Less anxious and stressed, not having to navigate typical middle school things.
- Live lessons and all the face to face time with teachers has been good for my child.
- Live teaching.
- Longer periods have been helpful.
- Much better organization and planning than last spring.
- My child is able to focus and is not distracted by peers.
- My child is more flexible and efficient.
- My child is more organized.
- My child is more self-motivated.
- My family has been healthy and safe.
- No class disruptions.
- Not being exposed to COVID.
- Not much homework.
- Teacher know my child. They have built good relationships despite the distance.
- Teachers are doing a great job.
- Teachers have gone out of their way to be available to my students.
- Teachers show up every day and continue to stay motivated to make a difference for kids.
- The Google Classroom To Do List is great for my daughter.
What have been the obstacles of the Distance Learning model?
These are direct quotes from the survey, but many answers have been omitted based on repeating themes.
- Big struggles to stay focused and engaged while on a device all day.
- Block scheduling. Feel this limits valuable instruction time daily. There seems to be a lot of unused time.
- Certain areas like orchestra has been really hard to catch up, learn..
- Children dont stay on task when they are home.
- Classes are too long. My child checks out.
- Classes out early, limited contact time.
- Completing work during given class time.
- Finding assessments when they are missing.
- Home internet lags.
- I don’t feel the full curriculum is being taught. Writing and math have been quite weak with regard to content.
- Isolation.
- It's hard to reach some teachers for help unless you ask live during class.
- Kids have too much time to sit around and do nothing.
- Kids need reminders and holding them accountable takes work.
- Lots of homework
- Mental health
- Missing out on social opportunities
- My child is done with her work prior to class time being over. My general feel is there isn't enough work to keep my child busy for an entire school day.
- My kids only complaint is that they dont get to see their friends as much. They still chat online .
- My son is not being challenged enough.
- No hands on class time.
- Not enough work, too much idle time during day
- Not many "fun" things. My child really likes the Kahoot and some of the recent lessons with pear deck where there is some interaction.
- Peer to peer interactions. She is an only child, so talking with peers is huge!!
- Teachers can’t see when students are struggling and they (students) may not want to admit it
- Technology issues (unable to login to meeting or audio trouble.)
- Time management and staying on task
- Too little exercise or movement.
- Too little interaction with teachers and students.
- Too many other online distractions during class
- Too much time on devices. No incentive to stay on task for those without home supervision.
Art Contest Winners
Oliver Huelsbeck
Click the image to enlarge.
Catherine Sit
Click the image to enlarge.
Hengxu Liu
Click the image to enlarge.
High School Registration
(Repeat)
Registration deadlines are either passed or coming SOON, depending on which high school your child will be attending.
- Use this link to access the digital Course Registration Guide.
- If you would like a hard copy, stop at Kellogg to pick one up from the little blue library at the main entrance OR complete this form and we will mail you one.
- If you have any questions about regisration, please feel free to connect with our 8th grade counselor, Mr. VanWinkle. You can call the office 328-5800 or email him davanwinkle@rochesterschools.org.
1:1 School Devices
(Repeat)
We still have about 250 kids that do not have school devices. If that's the case for your student, please make arrangements to get a device ASAP!- You are welcome to stop by Kellogg any day 7am-3pm to pick up a device.
- You are also welcome to complete this form and we will make arrangements to deliver a device to you. https://forms.gle/ZJyceRF3PSnEFAeS9
Need Help?
Target support to complete homework or troubleshoot technology
8:00-3:15 daily
Google Classroom Code oklycwx
Kellogg Math Center (including math retakes)
Tues & Thurs 3:15-4:45pm
Google Classroom Code epmrd6w
Homework Help & Retake Center
Tues, Wed & Thurs 3:30-4:30pm
Google Classroom Code pfkmobf
1:1 Support
Contact a teacher directly if you are interested in arranging 1:1 virtual or in-person support for your child!
Student Government
Here are a few upcoming activities from Kellogg Student Government:
Kellogg Middle School is having a snowman building contest.
Between now and February 28, build a snowman or a snow family, or whatever you want.
Build it with your friends and family. Have Fun. Be Creative. Take pictures of the fun.
Submit all pictures of the fun and of the final product and send to erwidman@isd535.org.
Voting for the most creative 3 snow pictures will take place the first week of March.
Cookie Decorating Contest
By February 16th, students will bake and decorate sugar cookies. After decorated, students will send a picture of their sugar cookie to erwidman@isd535.org or ERWIDMAN@rochesterschools.org.
The pictures will be entered into a google form, where all students and staff can vote once per category. There will be one final winner for each of the 3 categories: Best looking cookie, Best valentine-themed cookie, and funniest decorated cookie.
**Please state which contest you would like to enter
**Dunkin Donut gift cards for the winners
*Participants must decorate their cookie(s) by themselves
*Participants may enter no more than one cookie per category
*Participants must come up with designs from their own imagination. They can look online for inspiring ideas, but they can not completely copy an online image.
Among Us Tournament
Learn more here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13eiz27pHEDpfwgp8F7JzJlHqK3-pTpkg/view
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/J5VN1frxvWcBJ5UB6
Sign up by 2/5/21
Preparing for Second Semester
Students sometimes feel like they’ve run a marathon when the first semester of school ends. With the extraordinary change in school, students may feel the stress of this change along with their parents. Students may feel anxious about the end of the semester and starting a new one.
Regardless of grade level, most students feel they can improve something about their first semester performance. Here are some tips to help your child prepare for academic success the second semester.
- Write Term Goals: Talk to your child about how they feel they’ve done so far this year. One of the best ways to improve performance is to create academic goals and write them down. The goal might have one sentence that lists exactly what they want to improve and three steps they will take to make this happen. Encourage them to set other school related goals if they can’t think of a class related goal. Each week they should re-read their goal and steps to accomplish the goal.
- Reflect on the First Semester: Encourage your child to unplug from technology and spend some time reading and thinking creatively. Think about first semester successes and reflect on how to continue that success into the new semester. Create a list of things that went well for them but may seem unimportant to children - like participating in class or connecting with their teacher during their advisory class - in the list.
- Re-organize School Supplies: Remember how prepared your child was when school started in the fall? You made a trip or two to the store and got everything on the supply list. Treat the start of the second semester like the start of a new school year. If your child is like most students, it is now time to clean out their folders and notebooks. Replace lost, broken, or damaged items with extras you may have or old ones from previous years that are still in good shape. Once students are organized, they will be able to find what they need to get their work done.
Some students may feel anxious about the start of the second semester for various reasons. Adults can help their children improve by encouraging them to set short and long – term academic goals, thinking about their first semester successes, and re-organizing and replacing school supplies for the second semester. Hopefully, second semester will be more like a mile run than a marathon.
PAST COMET CONNECTIONS
Dec 14 https://www.smore.com/cbke2
Jan 4 https://www.smore.com/8xnfv
Jan 11 https://www.smore.com/9ym5v
Jan 18 https://www.smore.com/48crd
Jan 25 https://www.smore.com/wn52s
For assistance in (your language), please call 328-XXXX
Para asistencia en español, por favor marque al 328-4241.
Za pomoc na bosanskom jeziku pozovite 328-4243
"إذا رغبت في الحصول على هذه المعلومات باللغة العربية يرجي الإتصال بقسم الترجمة علي الرقم 4246-328"
Haddii aad jeclaan lahayd in aad hesho macluumaadkaan oo ku qoran Soomaali, fadlan la soo xiriir waaxda EL(bartaha ingariiska) 328 4247.
“如果需要中文援助请拨打电话 :507-328-4238 (办公室) 或者 507-398-9448 (手机)
“ Để được giúp đở bằng Tiếng Việt xin Gọi đến số 271-8366
LET'S CONNECT!
Administration
Angi McAndrews, Principal
507-328-5817 anmcandrews@rochesterschools.org
Mike Widman, Assistant Principal
507-328-5815 miwidman@rochesterschools.org
Teri Linander, Assistant Principal
507-328-5816 telinander@rochesterschools.org
Health
Lori Dietrich, School Nurse, LPN
507-328-5813 lodietrich@rochesterschools.org
Sara Gnagey, School Nurse, RN, LSN
507-328-5814 sagnagey@rochesterschools.org
Office Staff
Robyn Davis, Office Manager
507-328-5801 rodavis@rochesterschools.org
Lydia Ewing-Green, Registrar & Attendance
507-328-5810 lyewinggreen@rochesterschools.org
Amy Clark, Receptionist (afternoon)
507-328-5800 amclark@rochesterschools.org
Kellogg Middle School
Email: anmcandrews@rochester.k12.mn.us
Website: www.kellogg.rochester.k12.mn.us
Location: 503 17th St NE, Rochester, MN, USA
Phone: 507-328-5800
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Kellogg.Middle.School/
Twitter: @KelloggMiddle