Principal Walker’s Weekly 3/24/20
The Kids Are Home...Now What?
Greetings Razorbacks!
With our best wishes for the health and safety of every member of your home,
Your Razorback Leader,
Principal Walker
We may not be in school, but... the learning doesn't stop! This week's theme is HOME
How to structure the day/week.
As mentioned in last week’s news, I will send you a newsletter with activities for the week. None of the activities will require a computer, though some might require your assistance (depending on the age of your children.) We encourage you to set aside two to four hour-long blocks of time each day for learning, and, to the best of your ability, stay consistent with these blocks of time for as long as we're out of school. I also shared a sample/suggested daily schedule for our Razorbacks as well as tips on how to prepare your home and family for RMS Remote Learning in last week’s news. In Addition to the following activities suggestions, you will begin to receive weekly communication from your child’s teacher(s).
I want to inform you that since school closings, all Spring ISD leaders, teachers, and staff have been working around-the-clock on ways we will ensure we support your health/safety, will provide home support, and will offer learning opportunities to keep scholars on track! My expectation was that teacher contact begins today, 3/24/20, and continue on a weekly basis. I’m proud to announce that many families have already received calls as of yesterday’s planning meeting with teachers. If you are concerned about communication, or the lack thereof, please do not hesitate to email me @ twalker@springisd.org. Please understand that this process is new learning for all of us involved; however, our Razorback teachers have been EAGER to speak with, share out, and connect with scholars. We miss you!
RECOMMENDED SCHEDULE:
- 20-40 minutes writing (2 times per day)
- 20-40 minutes reading (2 times per day)
- 20-40 minutes mathematics (2 times per day)
- 20-40 minutes science (2 times per day)
- 20-40 minutes history (2 times per day)
Check out our roll call below!
Literacy!
Writing Activities about Home
- Pick a room (bedroom, living room, kitchen, family room, even bathroom!) and describe your dream version of it. What would it look like? What would it have in it?
- Write a conversation between two people in your home, or two imaginary people, where one person is surprised by something in the conversation.
- Write a conversation between two people in your home, or two imaginary people, who have a problem or disagreement that gets solved.
- Describe your favorite meal
- Interview a person in your family about their childhood. Ask about their favorite: games to play, foods to eat, and music to listen to. Write it up in your journal.
- Write a journal entry about how you're feeling and what your day was like.
- Write down your dreams
Parents, you should feel free to have your child keep this as a portfolio to share with our English Language Arts Teachers upon our return. The great thing about Writing is that it is an on-going process! Writing can always be edited and revised which are skills outlined in middle school Writing standards. Again, this is not a requirement.
Reading
Are you struggling with how to expect your scholar to communicate and share out what they read and learn? If so, try one of our “Say Something” cards below! We use this strategy regularly to encourage appropriate habits of discussion in class. Scholars should be very familiar with the cards. You can even have them create anchor charts (paper-size posters) of each card to post in your learning area or on your fridge! They make great conversation pieces, and are easy to use. Now, can you, “Clarify,” what I just shared? Try a card below to help!
Say Something Strategy!
Say Something allows students to stop and think about what they read in a reading passage, or saw in a movie. They may say anything they want – make a prediction, ask a question, make a connection to their lives, clarify something confusing, give examples, etc. For movies, pause at various points for students to react and Say Something to their partners. For reading, follow the example below.
Procedure:
1. Students take turns reading.
2. Student A reads a certain amount (a sentence / some sentences / a paragraph), and then Student B says something about it. It can be a question, a summary, an example, a connection to his/her own life, etc.
3. The students switch and Student B reads.
Write Something
Write Something is similar to the Say Something strategy, but students write their thoughts instead of talking about them.
Procedure:
1. Partners take turns reading out loud.
2. The teacher or the students determine where to pause to write something about what they read.
3. They may write a brief summary, an opinion, a question, a connection they make to their own lives, or anything that they notice.
4. After both partners have written their comments, they share them with each other and discuss what they wrote.
5. Then they return to the reading until they reach the next stopping point, and repeat the procedure
Math
- Make a map of a room in your home
- Build towers and measure them
- Give your child a pre-determined weight or measurement and challenge them to find objects in the home that are that length/measurement and then check their accuracy.
- Play the Yes/No game. 2 Players. Use slips of paper or index cards and draw simple shapes or write numbers on them. Each player takes a card from the pile (face down) and holds it over their head. The object is to guess what's on your card, using only Yes or No questions (ex. Am I more than 10? Am I less than 15?). Keep asking questions until you get it correct.
- Play 24. Write down four numbers under 10, and try to make them add up to 24 using any mathematical operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division.) Write down all the solutions you come up with.
Ms. Powers Math!
Collaboration Can Be Cool at Home or School!
Let’s Monopolize This Money!
Don’t Snooze! Have You Heard the News?
Please be sure to check out learning opportunities through Empowered Learning At Home
https://www.springisd.org/athome
We’d Like To Know Your Needs
What’s That You Say?
Memory Crush Monday #MCM— Journal about your favorite moment or funniest meme you can recall since being at home!
Tik Tok Tuesday! —We are still doing Tik Tok around the clock! We are enjoying seeing some long our most creative family moments! Check out our twitter page to see some of your teachers, staff, and yes your principal completing a challenge. What a fun way to engage as a family!
Wild’n Out Wednesday— Whether you are a Performing Arts Community member or “not,” you can remember, “Hickory Dickory Dock...” Your challenge is to make a remix to a nursery rhyme with your family!
Throw back Thursday - How far back? Waaaay back! Gather some members and recreate an old family picture! Don’t forget to click!
Fun Friday- It’s Razorback Spirit Day! Take a pic in your Razorback spirit gear. Also, let’s make sure we do NOT forget...
RMS Daily Creed!
THERE is no one I’d Rather Be,
I've got RMS REMARKABLE DNA pride in me!
My mind's alert, my goal is high,
My aim for success can reach the sky, I am an RMS student,
I embrace my future TODAY!
I am an RMS Change Agent…
Agent of Success....
Ready, and on my way!
Our School
Email: twalker@springisd.org
Website: www.springisd.org/roberson2
Phone: 281-891-7700