Team Meadow Update
May 11th, 2020
Team Meadow-
I hope everyone had a good weekend. I hope your Mother's Day was extra special this year! Considering our circumstances, I'm sure it had to be slightly different from past years, but hopefully the extra love you all received made up for it
Once again, thank you for the engaging and positive conversation on Friday's staff meeting. You can’t deny that there are some silver linings found in our current journey that will impact our future endeavors which will influence how we “do school” in the future. Collaboration, new skills with technology, coupled with distilling out priorities with relationships and time provide a plethora of applications.
This week's "need to knows":
- Team Meetings w/ Tom and Lauren: Our end of year schedules are adjusting a bit, and unless we plan a date/time separately, I am canceling ALL of our Grade Level & Team Meetings for this week. Of course, if you or your team needs to meet with Lauren and/or me, please let us know and we'll get it on the calendar. (i.e. 2nd grade - we will get a date of calendar this week in order to review tentative class lists)
- Team Meadow T-Shirts: I've heard from a couple of you that your shirts you received might need to be swapped out for a different size. No problem - just let me know if you need to swap yours out for a different size, and we'll take care of you. So that I don't lose track, please click here to let me know what you need. Click HERE
- EOY checklist – HR plans to send next Wed (5/13). Will be due by 6/1
- End of Year Events and Access: In the coming days (most likely early this week) you should receive more details regarding the logistics of teacher workdays in the classroom/building, student materials pick up, and potential Team Meadow parade as we discussed on Friday.
- Report Cards: I’m including an excerpt from an email Chris Squier shared to assist with district position. Hope it helps provide direction. Any questions, check in with Tom and/or Lauren.
- Social Distance/No Unforced Errors guidance- Please read the guidance provided below as a reminder of this important information we discussed on Friday. Thanks in advance.
School-Wide Dance Party - WIll is coordinating a fun-filled experience by "hosting" a virtual dance party. Video submissions are due Friday, May 15th. See the details in the Friday Flyer/Community Update.
Dine For Dollars - Hot Box Pizza in Whitestown on Tues, May 12th! 20% off your check will be donated back to the BME PTO!
Family Field Day begins May 15th - Garrett and the rest of the ZCS Wellness team has pulled together an opportunity for families to engage in our annual field day events. Once again, see the details in the Friday Flyer/Community Update.
Have a great day everyone! Keep your eyes open for more end of year details.
Grateful for you and all you do,
Tom
Physical Distance/No Unforced Errors Guidance
- Social distancing of 6 feet per person should be maintained to the greatest extent possible.
- Face coverings should be worn in public settings.
- If you choose to wear gloves, ensure that they are changed frequently.
- Practice good hygiene through frequent handwashing and/or use of hand sanitizer.
- Social gatherings cannot be greater than 25 people and must follow the CDC social distancing guidelines (six feet per person, at a minimum).
- If you are showing signs/symptoms or are at a higher risk, remain self-quarantined.
During this unusual time, we know that the typical distinctions between home life and school life have become more fluid. Out of necessity to teach from your home, students have now seen a little more of your life outside of the school building. However, even while students may know what your kitchen cabinets look like or the color of your couch, there are professional and physical boundaries that need to be maintained. Please reach out to Lauren or myself should you have any questions.
School-Wide Online Dance Party
“In times like these we could all use a little more fun,
and what could possibly be more fun than a school wide online dance party?!?!"
Next week Mr Doublestein will be putting together an end of the year celebratory video of our students dancing their way into summer. It’s a video you won’t want to miss, and he needs your help!
- If you’d like to participate please upload a 10-20 second video clip (one per family) of all your best dance moves to the following link https://dan395.typeform.com/to/npzsvS.
- Make sure you’re doing more than one dance move (we can’t all floss all the time after all...), and have fun with it!
- All submissions must be uploaded by the end of the day on Friday, May 15th. For music to dance along to, follow this link: https://youtu.be/q1ULJ92aldE.
Technology Corner with Kyle
- Best Practices for Securing Your Virtual Classroom in Zoom
- Zoom has compiled a resource that provides information about several settings available within Zoom that you can use to secure your virtual classroom.
- Tips and Tricks for Teaching with Zoom
- Just as you began the school year developing classroom expectations, this is a good time to develop expectations for your online classroom. This document has some great ideas as well as links to additional resources.
- Canvas Web Conferencing Resources
- Canvas has also been working hard to prepare resources that will help you utilize the Canvas Conferencing Tool (Big Blue Button). This guide has resources for teachers as well as students and is a great place to visit if you are experiencing any issues with this tool.
- IDOE Continuous Learning Challenges
- The Indiana Department of Education is creating Continuous Learning Challenges that will be published each week for each grade level. Take a look at the challenges that you may want to use with your students, or as an opportunity for extension activities
- Flipgrid Updates
- Many of you have been utilizing Flipgrid with your students. This is a FREE service that students can use in Canvas or logging in with their Office 365 account. They have added some new features for your online learning including Screen Recording, 10 minute Video Responses, and Remote Learning Resources.
As always, Carly and I are here to support you with your digital lesson plans. Remember to create a CANVAS HELP TICKET for any issues you experience with Canvas. This will allow us to escalate the ticket to Canvas engineers if we are unable to assist. Create a ZCS Help Ticket with any other questions or concerns. ~ Kyle
Family Input Survey
Simply an FYI of what was communicated with BME Families.
Dear Boone Meadow Families,
Thank you for taking time to provide feedback regarding your child's learning experience. Your input provides us the opportunity to reflect on our strengths and areas to strengthen. We readily admit that we, as a staff, must always strive to grow in our work and practices.
Please note:
- Our staff is committed to continuity in relationship with students and families whenever possible. In doing so, we believe we can serve students and families better. Therefore, it is our goal for students to remain with their classroom teacher for more than one year when possible.
- For the upcoming 2020-21 school year, we plan to continue a looping model with 1st grade to 2nd grade. Likewise, we desire to do the same with 3rd grade to 4th grade. Please note: As enrollment changes or other placement needs must be considered, continued placements are not guaranteed.
- Please, do not include requests for specific teachers.
Should you desire to share input and feedback, please complete the survey by Monday, May 18th. This will allow us the opportunity to adequately review your input before the end of the school year.
To access, click here: Family Input Survey
Team Meetings
- Kindergarten -Wednesdays @ 2:00
- First Grade - Tuesdays @ 9:00
- Second Grade - Fridays @ 9:00
- Third Grade - Tuesdays @ 9:30
- Fourth Grade - Wednesdays @ 1:00
- Related Arts - Mondays @ 9:00
Contact Us
Email: thundley@zcs.k12.in.us
Website: http://www.zcs.k12.in.us/bme/
Location: 5555 S Main St, Whitestown, IN, United States
Phone: 3178732226
Twitter: @ZCSBoone_Meadow