Monday Memo
Week of April 20th, 2020
Week 2 of Distance Learning .....Check!
I had the chance to attend a web conference with 3 professors from University of Windsor (Bonnie Steward, Dave Cormier and Nick Baker) yesterday who are the "gurus" on distance learning. I thought I'd share a few key points that they discussed on "remote emergency instruction":
1. Keep it simple - don't try to teach all you would in the classroom, and resist the temptation to add more. We're not doing the whole curriculum
2. Keep your communication simple - use clear, easy to use language for kids and parents
3. Although there are TONS of good free tools and apps out there, make sure you don't overwhelm yourself and others. Only use what you really need.
4. Have a back up plan - at some point, technology will go down. Do you have a back up plan (eg. a quick task that could be sent by email?)
5. Make sure you are planning for distance learning, and not retrofitting face-to-face materials. This is perhaps one of the hardest things to do, but working at home is just not the same as working at school.
6. Ensure that what you are using can be differentiated for students who are not working at grade level.
7. Keep the work engaging - the more kids are engaged, the more likely they'll learn. Engaging students with students is also really powerful!
As we head into another weekend, please make sure to stop, step away and rejuvenate. You're all working so incredibly hard, and learning so incredibly much - now take some time for you.
Jenn
A few other bits of information......
The Kawartha Heights Hub
As was "debuted" in our division chats earlier today, I will be posting our official "Kawartha Heights Hub" in the Edsby Staff Room, and also pinning it to the left hand side of our main page (in the staff room). Remember the purpose of this Hub is to have one central place you can go to, to find any key information about distance learning that you might need. I'll keep adding to this as more information comes out. Please let me know if you have anything that should be added. Think of this as your "go to" - before you look anywhere else, try the Hub.
Moving from worksheets to online learning
One of the hardest things about our brave new world, is that the way we used to do things face-to-face, doesn't always translate well to a virtual environment. As you continue to get your feet under you, please consider how you can move away from what might have been a worksheet in the past. Homes are not set up to print and have paper work completed, so how can this now look different? For example, instead of doing a page of math sheets, why not have students find as many ways as they can to get the answer 10 or 20? Or if it's multiplication facts they are practicing, then how about the game of War with cards - each person flips one card over, and the first person to multiply the two numbers gets to keep the cards. The more we can make our tasks and the language in those tasks accessible for kids, the more successful they will be.
Cougar ROAR for distance learning
Thank you to everyone for your ideas and input on our Cougar ROAR for Distance Learning. Posted below is the final version - recognizing that as we work with it, we may need to make some changes along the way. I will include it in the Parent Peek at the Week, but I ask that each of you also reference it in your work with students and families on Monday. You may need to refer to it from time to time to ground your students through their work - the same way we would use our Cougar ROARs at school. Hopefully this will become our "digital citizenship" Cougar ROAR that can be accessed, even when we are back to school.
Parent Survey
As part of the Parent Peek at the Week, I'm going to be putting out a survey this week. The intention of the survey is to check in on our families, see how they are doing and see what kinds of school supports they are accessing. The intention is to gather feedback at the school level about the school, not about individual classrooms. I promise to share the results when complete!
Weekly Meetings
Thank you to everyone for joining our Division Check-ins on Friday. The consensus from all is that we will meet every other week on Wednesday as a whole staff, and every other week on Wednesday in divisions. When we meet as a whole staff it will be at 11am. When we meet as divisions, Juniors will meet at 11am, Primaries at 12pm and Kindergarten at 1pm. I'll list all meetings in our Edsby Staff Room, but you can count on blocking that time aside each week.
Notes from Division Check ins
A few things that came up in our division check-ins, for your information:
- It's hard to know how much to push families of students who are not completing any work, especially if we don't know their home situation. We'll continue to chat about this next week. Continue to monitor for now.
- You do not need to respond to all messages, in real time, 24 hours a day. It is okay to block out times for lunch, prep, work, phone calls, etc. When we respond immediately all the time, that becomes the expectation. Give yourself the permission to block out your day, allowing chances to check for messages from time to time.
- IEP's will need to be "tweaked" for distance learning, and some areas might even need to be put on "pause". Don't worry! Heather and I will walk you through this process when we meet as a staff next Wednesday. For now, focus on core learning and IEP's will come next week.
Support Staff Roles
After connecting with you, support staff have an initial list of students they will be connecting with. They will then touch base with you around the conversations and any next steps. More details to follow soon! Please see list below of which students we will be contacting initially and who will be in touch. If a teacher's name is beside a student, that just means we know you've already been in touch or heard from the student and we don't need to follow up right now. Remember - if you have any students that are experiencing great struggle - let me know and Joe Hadzi can also get involved.
Sick Days
Yes - there may be days in the upcoming weeks that you are sick and need to "call in"' as you would in our regular building. Please enter any days like this in ATE - as you always would. If it would be helpful, you can let me know and I'm happy to post on your homeroom that you are not well and to contact me that day with any questions. You need to take care of yourself - if you are sick, please take care of yourself first.
Educational Leadership Magazine
I'm sure that you have more than enough reading right now, but just in case....I'm attaching a copy of the latest Educational Leadership Magazine below. Normally there are subscription costs, but due to the content of this edition (A New Reality - Getting Remote Learning Right), it is free. No pressure - but some interesting food for thought if you'd like to read a little more.
Communication
Communication is key and we are off to a great start!
Distance Learning Communication structures:
- Jenn's virtual office hours daily (posted for your reference in our Edsby Staff room)
- Division Check-Ins - once every other week (MS Teams)
- School Staff Meetings - once every other week (MS Team)
- Monday Memo posted each week
- Kawartha Heights Hub (all links here for important documents and sites)
- Edsby Groups & Email - all staff are asked to please check twice daily
- Other modes of communication include a text, call or email & Jenn will respond as quickly as possible
- MS Teams - a supportive tool to communicate, collaborate & plan with colleagues
Additional communication items to please note/consider:
- Add overlay teachers & support staff, SERT and Principal to Edsby Classrooms or Edsby chat groups
- I would love to be part of your Google Classrooms too - helps me feel connected and supportive to you if/when you need me. Feel free to invite me (as a student)
- Model digital citizenship & professionalism at all times
- Post weekly plans in Edsby, including your "real time office hours"
- While most communication will be through Edsby/email (which provides an electronic record), when you call families please remember to block your number and keeping a log of these phone calls for your reference (info about blocking your number is listed here)
Just one more thing....
This weekend, please take time for yourself - to do something you love or nothing at all. Hugs to you all!
Jennifer Sampson
Email: Jennifer_sampson@kprdsb.ca
Website: KawarthaHeights.kprdsb.ca
Location: 11 Kawartha Heights Blvd, Peterborough, ON, Canada
Phone: (705)742-7521
Twitter: @KawarthaHPS