The Mustang Minute
April 13, 2020 - Issue 32
News from the Bunker: Remote Learning Plan for CMS
Welcome to week 5!
I hope everyone had a wonderful three day weekend. This will be our first official Monday-Friday of remote learning.
Last week, I outlined the CMS remote learning plan that makes student work required. This week, I will outline how we plan to assess that work. Our goal was to provide the best answers we can to the following two questions:
- How will our students know how they are doing with Remote Learning
- How will parents and educators know where their student is at academically when we return to the school building.
As noted last week, we are only assessing students on effort during Remote Learning using the rubric posted on the website: Rubric. Teachers will assess students on assignments and put those grades into Aspen so that families and students can see their progress. This is definitely a work in progress! We want to show students that effort equals success without having them stress about grades. We also want to let parents know if their students are participating and to what extent.
Teachers will still be providing feedback to students on assignments, however, accuracy will not be the grade that is placed in Aspen. Feedback is important for students to make progress but does not need to be calculated and recorded to be meaningful.
Answering question two is more variable. If we return to school as planned, we will be able to assess students progress during those final weeks of school, providing us with information about where each student is at academically at the end of remote learning. Remote learning scores will be given a much lower weight than learning and activities that occur during face-to-face schooling.
If we do not return to school, this will be more of a challenge, but even more important. We will be looking at various way we can assess students' progress towards the standards. This will let educators know what we will need to provide to students when we are back in order to close gaps and ensure all students have access to the curriculum. For this scenario, students will not receive letter grades but information regarding their participating and effort during remote learning and their progress towards mastery of the standards.
It is definitely not a perfect system. As always, we will look at each student as an individual in an individual situation.
Talk to Us!
This is the most important part of our Remote Learning Plan - communication! Each family is in a different place. Some of us are able to set up a schedule and help children manage it, others are working outside the home, others are caring for the sick or elderly, others have found themselves out of work. We are NOT here to add more stress to your family. If you find that what is being asked is too much - reach out. Email your child's teachers, guidance counselor, or me and we will help you. If we aren't providing enough for your child - reach out! We have created a Classroom full of additional experiences for our students, we are happy to highlight a few that your child might find engaging.
We are all in uncharted waters, we don't know where this will take us or what we will each have to overcome to get to the otherside. We just ask that you join with us as we navigate together!
Your Xbox can be a learning device!
1. Home menu
2. My games and apps
3. Scroll down to apps
4. Go to the Edge application
5. Go to classroom.google.com and sign in
Need to Contact the School?
Recommendations to Support Children’s Emotional Well-Being during the Pandemic
Understand that reactions to the pandemic may vary. New and challenging behaviors are natural responses, and adults can help by showing empathy and patience and by calmly setting limits when needed.
Ensure the presence of a sensitive and responsive caregiver. Even when a parent is not available, children can benefit greatly from care provided by other adults (e.g., foster parents, relatives, friends) who can offer them consistent, sensitive care.
Social distancing should not mean social isolation. Creative approaches to staying connected are important (e.g., writing letters, online video chats).
Provide age-appropriate information. For example, adults might provide opportunities for kids to access books, websites, and other activities on COVID-19 that present information in child-friendly ways.
Keep children busy. When children are bored, their levels of worry and disruptive behaviors may increase. Adults can provide options for safe activities and involve children in brainstorming other creative ideas.
Increase children’s self-efficacy. For example, children can help by following safety guidelines (e.g., washing their hands), preparing for home confinement (e.g., helping to cook and freeze food), or volunteering in the community (e.g., writing letters or creating art for older adults or sick friends, sharing extra supplies with a neighbor).
Create opportunities for caregivers (which may mean yourself!) to take care of themselves. Caregivers must take care of themselves so they have the internal resources to care for others.
Seek professional help if children show signs of trauma that do not resolve relatively quickly. Emotional and behavioral changes in children are to be expected during a pandemic, as everyone adjusts to a new sense of normal. If children show an ongoing pattern of emotional or behavioral concerns (e.g., nightmares, excessive focus on anxieties, increased aggression, regressive behaviors, or self-harm) that do not resolve with supports, professional help may be needed.
Emphasize strengths, hope, and positivity. Children need to feel safe, secure, and positive about their present and future. Adults can help by focusing children’s attention on stories about how people come together, find creative solutions to difficult problems, and overcome adversity during the epidemic.
Grade 8 Families! Take the AP Capstone Class at NHS!
Rather than teaching subject-specific content, these courses develop students’ skills in research, analysis, evidence-based arguments, collaboration, writing, and presenting. Students who complete the two-year program can earn one of two different AP Capstone awards, which are valued by colleges across the United States and around the world.
Students can earn the AP Capstone Diploma™ or the AP Seminar and Research Certificate™.
Students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research and on four additional AP Exams of their choosing receive the AP Capstone Diploma™.
Students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research but not on four additional AP Exams receive the AP Seminar and Research Certificate™.
AP Capstone is an application-based program. Students who are interested should contact their NHS Guidance Counselor for further information. This program is capped at 20 students for the 2019-2020 school year. Applications will be reviewed by the Academic Credentials Committee.
AP Seminar (Grade 9, Embedded in World History Honors)
This course will equip students with the skills to analyze and evaluate information with accuracy and precision in order to craft and communicate evidence-based arguments. Students will have the opportunity to explore real-world issues from multiple perspectives and consider varied points of view to develop deep understanding of complex issues and topics in order to make connections between these issues and everyday life. Students will gain a rich appreciation and understanding of issues by reading articles, listening to speeches or broadcasts, and experiencing artistic and literary works.
The primary goals of the AP Seminar course are to help students understand how to study an issue from multiple perspectives, evaluate source information, and then develop and communicate effectively a logical, evidence-based point of view. Students will practice and apply these skills through the exploration of the complex topics and by examining a variety of and often divergent or competing perspectives.
This course will be taught within the students Modern World History experience in Grade 9. Students who successfully complete AP Seminar will move on to AP Research in Grade 10 and will be eligible for an AP Capstone designation on their transcript and also eligible to pursue an AP Diploma (successful completion of AP Capstone and 4 Additional AP Courses).
CMS Google Classrooms
Cradles to Crayons Drive
Clothing Size: Baby - Adult medium
Shoe Size: Baby - Adult 11
Winter Gear: All sizes! (Hats, gloves, scarves, coats, boots, etc.)
Yankee Candle Fundraising!
Grab & Go Lunch Options
During the school shut down due to COVID-19, The Norwood Public Schools will be providing Grab & Go lunches at all 5 elementary schools. These meals will be provided to all teens and children, 18 years of age and younger without charge and are the same for all children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. Meals will be provided at the following sites and times as follows:
Lunch will be served from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.
Meals will be bagged and ready for Grab & Go service. All teens and children 18 years of age and younger are eligible to get a free meal from the listed sites and take it with them for off-site consumption.
Please note that there will NOT be lunches served on Good Friday (April 10th) or Patriot's Day (April 20th) but lunch WILL be served during April Vacation.
Need Chromebook Help?
Need to Contact your Guidance Counselor?
Grade 6: Ashley McCaffrey amccaffrey@norwood.k12.ma.us
Grade 7: Meghan Mba mmba@norwood.k12.ma.us
Grade 8: Ally King acking@norwood.k12.ma.us
School Adjustment Counselors
Amy Riley ariley@norwood.k12.ma.us
Deana Norton dnorton@norwood.k12.ma.us
Raina Keenan rkeenan@norwood.k12.ma.us
Need Aspen or Access Help?
For any students and families that have any issues regarding the Aspen family or student portal, please continue to use the NPS Aspen support email at: npsaspensupport@norwood.k12.ma.us
For any students and families that have questions about accounts or accessing educational resources that their teachers send them, please contact Joe Kidd at: jkidd@norwood.k12.ma.us
PTO Corner
The PTO typically meets the third Wednesday of each month (at times our day varies due to conflicts) to hear an update from the principal and discuss planning related to enrichment, fundraising, activities and other topics of interest. You can also stay up to date with the CMS PTO by following us on Facebook. You can contact the PTO at coakleypto@gmail.com.
We are looking for people to be on the PTO board as Vice-President and Secretary to finish out the year. If you are interested, please email the PTO!
Meeting Dates (all meetings start at 6:00 pm)
March 18 - Presentation on Social Media
April 15
May 13
June 17
Dr. Margo Fraczek
Email: mfraczek@norwood.k12.ma.us
Website: https://sites.google.com/norwood.k12.ma.us/cms-principal/home
Phone: 781-762-7880
Twitter: @mfraczek