The Wave
Coronado Middle School April 20-24, 2020
April’s Key of Excellence: Flexibility:
Be willing to do things differently. Recognize what’s not working and be willing to change what you’re doing to achieve your goal.
This week's mindset quote: “Be like a tree. Stay grounded. Connect with your roots. Turn over a new leaf. Bend before you break. Enjoy your unique natural beauty. Keep growing.”
Messages from Karin
Calendar This Week: National School Librarians Week
April 20: Karin: Office Hours Zoom Link 10:00 am-11:00 am
- CSF Telethon: Zoom Link: Triton Team Quarantine Moments 12:30 pm
April 21:
April 22: Administrative Professionals Day
- Karin: Office Hours Zoom Link 1:15 pm-1:45 pm
- Staff Meeting (20 mins) Grade level (55 mins) 2:00 pm
- Complete a Virtual Shout Outs before the meeting
April 23 Karin in Negotiations all day
- PTO Meeting PTO Meeting Zoom Link 5:00 pm
April 24 Karin: Office Hours Zoom Link 8:30 am -10:00 am
- Electives Applications Due at 3:00 pm
Happy National School Librarians Week, Megan Pettit!
We miss and appreciate you!
Thank you, Dollyanne and Lamarshell!! We're so grateful for all that you do for all of
us. We love you!
CSF Telethon: Please join us on Monday at 12:30 Zoom Link: Triton Team Quarantine Moments (more info below)use the terrific weekly counseling lessons from Paulina and Misty
Reach out to a few students just to say hi
PTO Meeting: There will be a PTO meeting on Thursday evening at 5:00. I shared the Zoom invite with you in case you'd like to join in. (you won't have to participate :)
Wednesday Staff Meeting at 2:00 pm: We'll have a brief (20-minute) staff meeting for some announcements and you'll then meet in grade level. Staff Meeting Link 4-15-20
April is the Month of the Military Child: Thank you for the terrific video, Kevin. Triton Purple Up Video
Being on Campus: It's critical that you follow safety and security protocols if you visit the site and any shared spaces (workroom, office, staff lounge). Please use wipes and sanitizer and avoid touching unnecessary surfaces. Please be sure that all doors are CLOSED and LOCKED.
Full Email Inbox! I suggest reminding students that you're receiving many assignments, emails, document, etc. and to please be patient while you get to all of them.
Link to a good read: READ THIS - You are not Alone
Links:
CMS TRITON NEWS April 20-24, 2020
Running Updates Doc check throughout the week.
8th Grade Distance Learning
8th grade Team - Thank you for planning engaging and meaningful assignments for your students and for sharing so much student work. Your PS pages are impressive for first time distance learning teachers!
Todd and Brian's Quarantine Feelings discussion board.
Kristina and Melody provided a guiding question about magnetism and gave students choices activities to answer the question.
Ananda and Kelly's students explored key inventions from America’s Industrial Revolution and explained their significance.
Linda's students wrote a monologue from their own or someone else’s perspective about spending time sheltering and some recorded it on Flipgrid. (see one below)
Haley, Allyson and Ramona's students analyze specific moments in a piece of writing that make the character someone a reader would care about.
Brooke and Kevin D. supported students in co-taught classes and Zoom meetings.
Elizabeth and Amanda created excellent videos to guide students through exponents.
Lisa's students are learning how to understand a narrative in Spanish.
Michelle's KCMS students started broadcasting from their living rooms!
This week, I'll be stopping into 7th grade!
Teaching and Learning
This week I’ll be focusing on 7th grade classes: 7th grade teachers, please let me know if there is a meeting, office hour, discussion board or activity you’d like me to attend.
Overlapping Classes: Last week I heard from several students and parents regarding some grade level classes holding discussions and or class meetings at the same time. To the best of your ability, please be mindful of overlapping office hours/live lessons and if possible, alter office hours to contrast grade level team.
Student Grades: Please see my email from Thursday, April 17th. More information to come this week regarding:
- Student and parent messaging
- Coding work completion in PowerSchool
Tracking Participation: ALL students are EXPECTED to do the assigned work. Please reach out to those who are not participating.
- Use this link Student Engagement Tracking which is in our shared distance learning folder, to mark an x next to the names of students who have not been engaging. We will monitor the document and support contacting students and parents.
Lesson Planning: Please continue to prepare weekly DL plans, and post one week at a time - try to hold off from allowing access until Mon. morning
Professional Learning Opportunities:
SDCOE archived many Innovative Digital Learning Zoom webinars in the past two week:
Share your distance learning best practices at this link Distance Learning Best Practices
Karin's Office Hours and Meetings
Meetings:
- Please continue to send me a Zoom invite to one planning /discussion meeting every week. Some meetings may overlap for me, but I’ll do my best to stop by.
- I’m always available to meet individually, as well. Please email Dollyanne and me to set up a meeting.
Recurring Link: Karin: Office Hours Zoom Link
Mon., April 20: 10:00 -11:00 am
Wed. April 22: 1:15-1:45 pm
Friday, April 24: 8:30 -10:00 am
Messages from Alison
Congratulations on completing Week 2 of Distance Learning! As general education teachers begin to plan instruction for the weeks ahead, please make sure to invite special education teachers to the planning sessions. They have all mentioned to me how valuable it has been for them to be a part of the process.
As always, please contact me if you need anything!
Messages from Ryan
MFLC: Many students may benefit from extra support at this time. Lisa Poli, our CMS military family life counselor (MFLC), is now available to support our military-connected students and families with video non-medical counseling sessions. Please consider posting this content block on your PowerSchool welcome page or distance learning page to help spread the word.
Referrals: Please continue to use this link for any disciplinary referrals you need to send to Ryan and Karin. I will review them at least once each school day and work with Karin on responding. If there is a more urgent or time-sensitive manner, please text or email me in addition to filling out the form.
Agenda: It’s time to begin preparing our student agenda handbook for the 2020/2021 school year. Please send me any suggested changes, deletions, or additions by the end of April. If you don’t have your agenda at home with you, here is a copy of the current handbook.
AP Office Hours: Feel free to stop by to share needs, ask questions, or just to say hello.
→ Tuesday 8 am - 9 am: link to Zoom meeting
→ Thursday 2 pm - 3 pm: link to Zoom meeting
Counseling Corner
The Key of Excellence for April is Flexibility - Be willing to do things differently. Recognize what’s not working and be willing to change what you’re doing to achieve your goal.
Weekly counseling lessons and resources for students will be posted on our PowerSchool page but also in the Wave for your reference. This week’s lesson focuses on flexibility of the body and the mind. Counseling Lesson for Week of Apr 20-24 2020
8th grade registration appointments have been rescheduled to May 4th – May 22nd. The appointments will be held via Zoom and parents will be able to sign up for a date and time through Calendly. We will send out the Calendly link in the parent newsletter soon.
Check out our Teacher’s Thrival Manual for some encouraging words and resources!
Mindset Quote of the Week:
“Be like a tree. Stay grounded. Connect with your roots. Turn over a new leaf. Bend before you break. Enjoy your unique natural beauty. Keep growing.”
CSF Virtual Telethon
On Monday, at 12:30 pm, Jennifer Stein, who is producing the entire telethon, will run a Zoom meeting with any CMS staff members that would like to share or show a "Triton Team: Quarantined Moment." Jennifer will open each individual person on the screen and they will have no more than 20 secs to share or show what you've been doing during this time. For ex. I've been reading.... I've been focusing on my joke telling skills. Wanna hear a joke?, I love wearing my slippers all day long, or do something like push-ups or play an instrument, The funnier, the better. We want to get people engaged and excited! Thanks for participating.
Once you do yours, you can exit the meeting. I think it'll be awesome, so the more, the merrier!
Zoom Meeting: Monday at 12:30 pm https://zoom.us/j/96480867288
Messages from Kevin and ASB
Thank you to everyone who participated in our annual “Purple Up Day” to celebrate our amazing military kids! ASB is working hard to create a special video to showcase our support.
Our CMS Triton PowerSchool page is now live! This has been a huge undertaking that couldn’t have been possible without Jennifer and Katey. Our CMS Tritons page will be a way for our students to participate in Spirit Week and special events by submitting photos and videos in a safe and straightforward manner. Thanks to Michelle, it will also host KCMS News for everyone to see!
We look forward to continuing to develop new ways to connect with our Triton Family.
Tech Update
The link that will answer many of your questions! bit.ly/CUSDTechnology
ZOOM: Safety tips:
- Remind students that they must have a recognizable name before allowing them to enter from the waiting room.
Message from Jason and Marshall in IT:
To ensure students have access to a device for online learning, and to keep track of our Chromebook devices, the Technology Department will offer “office hours” for parents still requiring to checkout Chromebooks. Parents should be directed to the district office, IT department. where they will be given instructions to adhere to social distancing protocols as we provide them with a device.
Office hours will be Mondays and Wednesdays from 10-12, if we have requests to fill. ALL requests should be forwarded to either Jason or Marshall and parents should continue to submit a request via the attached link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc7wEeasgTzM7nC2lbijS8OANYoYKXusay5MtIg4-H9gX2xmQ/viewform
We ask that during our office hours, the rear entry door from the parking lot be closed and secured to avoid anyone other than staff, entering the building. We also staff to park their cars closest to the fence during these times so parents have an unobstructed view to the back door.
Messages from Laurie - iLab
Hello CMS! I'm here and available to you as needed. I have created this sign up sheet in Google Drive for you to request my support. I know you are all rockstars and doing an amazing job already, but please know I’m here to help! Please allow a 48 hour turnaround on support requests.
Messages from MFLC Lisa Poli
Messages from Megan - Library
“Books, precisely because they are so demanding of our attention, might be the best antidote for the psychological toll of the socially distanced life.”
Do you ever notice that after reading, you feel differently, and thus, act differently? You may see people you love, your students, YOURSELF struggling to relax during this time. So how do we fill the void? Many of us are grasping for ways to not only feel normal again, but to maintain some routine. So, we’ve all binged Tiger King and learned how to make the best sourdough bread, now what? WE READ.
I’m going to hop on my soapbox real quick. I’m very good at suggesting books based on your interests. I’m here to help. If you think a student needs reading recommendations, send them my way! If YOU need suggestions, give me a shout! I’ve had a lot of kiddos send me emails for this very reason. We are in an interesting space right now, let's do something we can feel good about. Let's read!
Welcome Darla Grace Lively
KCMS News is up and running!
Flipgrid Covid 19 Monologue
Triton Shout Outs
Stacy Salimando. I really miss our across the hall check ins! You are a great friend! Laura
Thank you Michelle for helping me with my advanced art video! Tracy
Matt Smith for not only making himself available for Zooms with parents and kids, but being an integral part of those meetings and helping to guide our families on PowerSchool. -Amerling
I appreciate Meg Appel for her great work supporting our shared Math 7 students, her Zoom skills, and her positive attitude in this unusual season of teaching and learning. - Keller
Melissa Miller - Thank you for helping to create some amazing ways for our students to share their thinking and for working so collaboratively with me. You’re the best! Cara
Matt Smith- You have fully embraced distance learning and are making it fun not only for your students, but for your co-workers. - Katey B
Laurie Hikel for reaching out to our students, Zooming with them, and getting a parent to help me get our kiddo on board with Distance Learning. -Amerling
Todd! Adding more resources to the PE Online Workout Ideas for our Weekly Lessons! You are the Best! OxOx Bonnie
Kim Gomez for being so proactive during this transitional time. Way to look out for our students! -Amerling
Nancy, Tina, Eddie, Kim, Paula, James, Barb, and Shante: I appreciate your eagnerss to support everyone! You all are awesome!
Thank you, Dynamic Dual (Matt and Katey), for your awesome support with DL!!!
Thank you Paulina for your dedication and what a pleasure you are to work with. Mike
Michelle for just being the awesome! -Linda
Matt- bouncing music ideas with me AND for your live Facebook concerts! -Linda
Matt Smith- For always being open to working together for Junior Optimists and being such a supportive friend. -Ramirez
Karin for helping me feel less anxious about distance learning and for all the support and guidance you have given us!
Ramona for her friendship and support. You are the best!! Laura
Ananda-All your help, in general. You keep me sane! -Byrd
CMS Instructional Aides, we appreciate your can do attitude and willingness to support in so many ways. Karin
Jennifer Landry- You are a rockstar with all of this technology!
Amanda Gregory - Thanks for being an awesome partner and making some great videos for our kids! ~Elizabeth
Shout out to Kim Pittner for creating such great reading supports for our students!
Tracy, you just "ROCK" - thank you for ALWAYS supporting me!
Katie Martell: I appreciate the dedication you have to making sure every student on your caseload gets what he or she needs!
Jennifer Landry & Katey Bouwman for their tireless efforts in this time of distance learning. You all do so much and I'm really thankful for you.- Ramirez
Karin - Thanks for all of your communication, support, and creativity. I appreciate all of the hours you spend to make our jobs easier. Cara
Julia for jumping back in and joining us for our distance learning journey!
Katey and Jennifer: Thank you for spending many hours setting up my PowerSchool page!
To Amy Amerling, for the dedication to your students and the love you show them everyday! -Matt Smith
Brian & Eric! Helping me with the 6th & 7th grade Health Lessons the last few weeks! You guys rock! OxOx Bonnie
Melissa and Cara for being awesome teammates and problem solving and helping find new ways to streamline distance learning to best support our students and ourselves! for their can do attitude and willingness to support in any way needed. Karin
I appreciate Alison Keehan for her fantastic support of and encouragement for special education staff and students during distance learning. - Keller
Thank you Katey B. for all of your tech help! Tracy
Haley Leverton for always being positive and supportive. Thank you for all of your help! -Allyson
Kathy: Does this even need a reason?? Thanks for all your help with everything and letting me vent it out! -Byrd
Katie Martel for connecting with her T3 class on a regular basis!
Katey has been invaluable the past few weeks! I appreciate her taking on whatever I toss to her!-Jennifer
Kristina Byrd for FaceTiming and assisting me with distance learning! You work so hard to support us all!!Thank you! - Stacy S.
To everyone: Thank you for stopping by and visiting my house...virtually -Matt Smith
I appreciate the creativity that Kathy Cotten (Joan of Arc), Kelley Sailers (Queen Elizabeth), and Matth Smith (King... Henry?) are putting into their weekly video introductions to their course content. It's such a fun way to get students engaged. - Keller
Karin and Ryan- For your support during all of this transition -Ramirez
Amy-All your hard work for 7th grade science. Man, you are on it in ways I cannot comprehend!! -Byrd
Thank you, Stacy, for being a great communicator during this tumultuous time!!!
Katie M, Your dedication to your kiddos!
Sarah Cammann - for always sending me positive vibes! Meg Appel
Ryan Keller - for helping host successful Zoom meetings with our math 7 kids. Meg Appel Barb Jones & James McDowell - for helping out with a zoom call today for a math 7 student and for being our "on call" Zoomers. Meg Appel
Jules, so HAPPY to have you back!!!
Tina Tafuri - Thanks for joining my Zoom meetings! I appreciate having your smile, your input, and your fantastic support! - Cara
I appreciate all of our amazing instructional aides and their willingness to support staff and students however they can, as well as their great questions and ideas. - Keller
I appreciate Linda Kullmann and Amanda Gregory for reaching out to me regarding a student that may need more frequent check-ins for emotional support and engagement in his learning. - Keller
Amy, Brooke, Ryan and Alison for all the support and ideas shared as we work to help our Special Education Students.
Hum 6 Team for all the awesome collaboration!
Kevin Ramirez for keeping our spirits up and helping us connect to the students. Thank you for putting together the staff video & month of the military child message.
Laura Noonan: Thank you for all your work with your EXCELLENT screencasts! -Byrd
I appreciate MFLC Lisa Poli for her efforts to reach out to our military-connected kids to ensure their emotional well-being. - Keller
Melissa and Cara for being awesome teammates and problem solving and helping find new ways to streamline distance learning to best support our students and ourselves!
Calendar
Staff and Department /Grade Level Meetings will be on Wednesdays from 2:00-3:15
April 29, 2020 Staff
May 6, 2020 Staff (20 mins) / Department
- April 21, 2020
- TBD
April 28, 2020
Coronado Middle School
Email: karin.mellina@coronadousd.net
Website: https://cms.coronadousd.net/
Location: 550 F Avenue, Coronado, CA, USA
Phone: 619.522.8921
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coronadomiddleschool/