MYES Family Newsletter
WEEK OF 9.14.20
Myersville Elementary School
Email: dana.austin@fcps.org
Website: https://education.fcps.org/myes/
Location: 429 Main Street, Myersville, MD, USA
Phone: 240-236-1900
Twitter: @MYESFCPS
September Calendar Updates
Friday, September 25
Schools Open (Fair Day Is Canceled)- Students Participate in Full Virtual Instruction
Monday, September 28
Schools Closed- No Instruction for Students
Need help during the school day?
Learning Lab mentors will be available daily for any student who needs extra support from 9 am-4 pm. Go to meet.google.com and enter team-myes.
Myersville also has a tutoring google meet hotline 2 hours every evening and 2 hours on Saturdays. A staff member is available to assist from 5-7 pm on Monday-Friday and 10-noon on Saturdays. Go to meet.google.com and enter team-myes.
Also, check out this guide for troubleshooting tech tips:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1luIE44b-l8yHKvtSDQF_Vvd_g0kt2dg4/view
Performance Series Assessment
Now that students have begun learning in the virtual model, teachers will begin assessing students to determine their current performance levels. Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) staff made adjustments to the assessment program this year in order to have a comprehensive picture of student performance. This is very important after the spring Continuity of Learning and summer break.
At the elementary level this means the expansion of our adaptive assessment called Performance Series. Performance Series is a computer-based, adaptive math and reading assessment. We have been successfully using this assessment in FCPS in Grades 2-10 for several years, most recently in grades 2, 5, and 8.
This assessment is different from many of the assessments that are administered by their classroom teacher as it is computer adaptive. In adaptive assessments, students are assessed on a broad range of math or reading concepts to measure overall performance. We will use this assessment to measure student performance at the beginning, middle and end of the school year. It's a tool that is used to show academic growth; students are not graded on these assessments.
When taking an adaptive assessment, students are often presented with questions about topics that have not been covered in instruction, but that students may already have background knowledge in to answer successfully. The computer will continue to adapt the questions based on student responses. Questions may span content in multiple grade levels. This process continues until the assessment platform has enough information to determine a student's current performance level.
For our youngest learners this may be a new experience; it’s important to know how you can help to make the experience a positive one. First, let your child know that they may receive some questions on content or topics they haven’t learned before. Let them know it's okay to simply do their best on that question even if they don’t fully understand it.
Second, please do not assist your child with the answers on any of the questions in the adaptive assessment. Our goal is to have a good measure of your student’s performance at this one point in time. It is just one measure. Your child's performance information will be used by the teacher and school staff for the purposes of providing supportive instruction.
Thanks in advance for your support of this important process. Please contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions or need assistance.
Specials Menu on Wednesdays
The specials team appreciates all of your hard work and patience as we navigate the full virtual model together! We'd like to clarify the directions and expectations for specials this year. Each students will have one live art class, one live music class, and one live P.E. class per week. In addition to that, students will be expected to complete one "On-Demand" activity per specials class per week. There is time in each student's day on Wednesday to complete this On-Demand work during the same time block as their live specials classes the rest of the week, but the assignments will be due at the end of the week to allow for some flexibility.
The On-Demand activities are being sent out as a menu of choices. Students need to complete one art choice, one music choice, and one P.E. choice. These activities are designed to take about 10 minutes each in Kindergarten-2nd grade and 15 minutes each in 3rd-5th grade. The menu can be accessed through Schoology by navigating to your student's art, music, or P.E. page (the same menu is in each of the three locations). The menu has the directions for each choice as well as any needed links. Often something needs to be submitted back to Schoology after it is finished. This is indicated in the menu. When submitting an assignment, please make sure it is going to the right teacher.
The access to the menu will always be the same:
Go to art, music or P.E.
Click on the month we're in (it should be at the top.)
Click on the week that we're in (it should also be at the top.)
From there you will see everything you need! In P.E. and music you will just see the on-demand assignment and any materials from our live session. In art you will see that plus a media folder where you can submit work.
Here is a video about how to access the On-Demand menu each week.
Reminder: All students will receive a grade in Art, Music, and PE for 2020-2021.
Square 1 Art
For years our school has participated in the square 1 art fundraiser. The fundraiser is where every student in Myersville creates a piece of art and has the ability to purchase items with their very own art on it! The timing of the fundraiser is in the fall so there is time to order gifts for your student, family, or friends for the holidays! All funds go towards purchasing art supplies to benefit all students.
This year poses a little different, but square one has offered a fabulous virtual option! This will be a weekly menu art assignment for all students, however optional for parents and guardians to submit photos if seeking to order from the catalog. The assignment will be posted in the September 21st-25th folder on your student's art Schoology page.
I did not want to miss out on tradition so I’m still trying to make it happen! See the message below from square one. More details to come!!
-Ms. Romagnoli, Art Teacher
Dear MYES families,
Welcome to Square 1 Art! We are excited to keep the tradition of partnering with your child's school to celebrate creativity and raise funds for the school! This year, we are celebrating 20 years of helping schools raise funds for education through the visual arts.
Wouldn't you love to share your child's artwork with family and friends? The Square 1 Art fundraiser provides you the opportunity to purchase keepsakes and gifts featuring your child's art! Every order profits your school.
Your 4 Simple Steps:
1. Your child creates art. Art Creation instructions and art/order deadlines will be provided by your Square 1 Art coordinator.
2. Take a photo of your child's art with your phone or tablet.
3. Upload the art online at square1art.com/shop/upload
4. You may then begin to shop for keepsakes!
Together, we can help support the school, and create keepsake memories of your child's art to enjoy for years! More detailed instructions coming soon...
Square 1 Art
888.332.3294
Myersville Elementary will serve as a Meals To Go Location starting 9.14.20
School is starting on August 31st and breakfast and lunch will be a little different this school year. As always, you can expect GREAT meals!
WHAT:
FCPS Food and Nutrition Services will provide “to-go” breakfast and lunch at 26 schools following the National School Breakfast Program (NSBP) and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).
WHO:
All children enrolled at an FCPS school.
WHEN:
Starting Monday August 31st, meals will be provided from 11am-1pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays using the following schedule.
- Mondays – “To-go” breakfasts and lunches will be provided for Monday and Tuesday
- Tuesdays – Kitchens are closed
- Wednesdays – “To-go” breakfasts and lunches will be provided for Wednesday and Thursday
- Thursdays – Kitchens are closed
- Fridays – “To-go” breakfasts and lunches will be provided for Friday
CLICK LINK BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Farm Applications
All students received a paper application in their Student Material Kits. If you are unable to complete the application online, please complete the paper application and return it to the school. You can return it in person, fax it to (240)236-1901 or scan and email the application to marsha.meredith@fcps.org.
Counselor Corner
Google Meet Recordings
Frederick County Public Schools staff is providing live virtual instruction as an important part of the Full Virtual Model of instruction. In the event that students are unable to attend live virtual instruction via Google Meet, these sessions or parts of these sessions will be video and audio recorded. The recorded session will be available for students who would like to review that content and instruction. We are balancing student privacy and the need for flexibility during this unprecedented pandemic.
The Frederick County Public Schools Parent Guide to Google Meet Recordings, Student Privacy and Security sent via a system Find Out First (FOF) message this morning provides an overview of how the Google Meet recordings will be used and the methods used to ensure student privacy and security (LINK). Please review this Parent Guide to help understand how Google Meet recordings will be used in instruction and the security safeguards in place to protect student privacy.
Parent permission is required for teachers to record your student in the Google Meets. Teachers may begin recording beginning the week of September 8, 2020. Parents have two ways to let schools know whether or not their student has permission to be recorded in Google Meets.
Option #1: PDF form (MYES Google Meet Recording Form Link) that can be filled out and returned via email to christine.umberger@fcps.org
Option #2: Google Form that can be filled out and submitted online provided by your child's school or classroom teacher- https://forms.gle/4qycXSLmysYHL9u66
MYES Vision Statement
Myersville Elementary is a place where students and staff are engaged learners. They feel safe to take risks and all contributions are valued. Here we have fun while we learn in our school community.
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