Westridge Elementary Specialists
Weekly Newsletter - May 25, 2020
Hi Westridge Families!
We are missing ALL of our Westridge Knights! We hope you are staying healthy and enjoying this time with your families. We have loved seeing your awesome work these last few weeks and can't wait to see all the other amazing things you will do!
In this weekly newsletter, you will find the helpful resources from our Social Worker and weekly lessons for Art, Guidance, Library, Music, and P.E., as well as any announcements we may have. Our lessons will also be posted on our School Webpages or Websites. Please note that these are all optional activities.
If you have any questions, let us know!
Social Work
Dear Knight Parents,
This week’s focus for parenting help is The Child Mind Institute an independent, national nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders. The Child Mind Institute has specific Covid-19 resources (daily tips, autism, behavioral issues, anxiety, etc.) which support child and families.
LOCAL RESOURCES UPDATE
WEEKEND FOOD SUPPORT:
The Prince William County Community Foundation, Inc. Chow Wagon serves non-perishable and perishable foods each Friday to help families provide food for the weekend. The Chow Wagon will be distributing food from 9 to 11 a.m. on the following dates:
May 22 at Potomac View Elementary School; and
May 29 at Fitzgerald Elementary School.
Everyone is welcome.
I can be reached at moulha@pwcs.edu if you need assistance.
Take Care and Be Safe,
Heather Moul, LCSW
School Social Worker
Westridge Elementary School
Instructional Technology
Hello, your friendly neighborhood ITC here. I am available to help you and your students navigate this different and exciting learning paradigm. Please feel free to contact me if you have problems. My email is: samplejm@pwcs.edu
Students may be receiving notices that their password is expiring. Please follow the link below to reset the password. Students will need their username, student number and date of birth to complete the process.
Please have an adult, parent or teacher, contact me if there are any problems with the reset.
PWCS Password Reset
http://pwcs.edu/cms/One.aspx?portalId=340225&pageId=35869933
School Counseling/Guidance
For this week's lesson, go to the provided link and click on Guidance Week 5:
https://westridgees.pwcs.edu/departments/resource_teachers/school_counselors/this_week_in_guidance
K-2 Information:
For the next few weeks we be utilizing the Second Step program. This program is approved by PWCS, and it is an evidence-based program proven to be effective for children. While it isn’t necessary to create an account Second Step is offering free access (until June 20th).
Here’s how:
1. Go to www.secondstep.org
2. Under New Users, click “Create Account”
3. Complete the required fields
4. Add Program Activation Key: SSP1 FAMI LY71
K-2 Lesson:
These lessons will say for 1st grade this lesson is good for all students in the primary grades. We are going to be learning about emotions, specifically strong emotions. During this challenging time students may be feeling many emotions and at different levels of intensity.
Please read the lesson attachment for parents: https://cfccdn.blob.core.windows.net/static/pdf/lessons/grade-1/grade-1-lesson-13-families-support.pdf
Students will listen to both videos and follow along:
After you are done you could draw a picture or write a story about a time when you had strong emotions. Remember to include yourself and what was happening in your body when you had the strong emotion. Share with an adult at your home or send your picture or story to Mrs. Fasana at fasanaca@pwcs.edu.
3-5 Information:
These lessons will say for 5th grade, but they are helpful for all students in the upper primary grades. We will be learning about managing our different emotions (Lesson 9) and calming ourselves down (Lesson 10).
Please read the following attachments for parents:
While it’s not necessary, you may want to create a free account with Second Step
(account is accessible until June 1, 2020).
Here’s how:
1. Go to www.secondstep.org
2. Under New Users, click “Create Account”
3. Complete the required fields
4. Add Program Activation Key: SSP5 FAMI LY75
3-5 Lesson:
Students will listen to both videos and follow along:
After you are done, write down 3 ways you can calm down. If you have a recent time when you had to calm yourself after feeling strong emotions, draw a picture of yourself and your calming strategies. Share with an adult at home or email Ms. Alders at aldersmm@pwcs.edu
PE - Angry Birds Lesson
Objective: Perform overhand, underhand throws to improve accuracy.
K-5 Lesson: Angry Birds
Lesson: The activity is a throwing lesson this week. Your goal is to set up objects as a target so you can try to knock them down! In class we work on throwing by played a game called “Angry Birds” where we build structures out of hula hoops “hula huts” and put a stuffed pig inside. The goal of that game is to throw and knock down the other team’s huts while keeping up yours. This game is themed off the game/movies Angry Birds.
- Using household items build a fort for the “pigs” (stuffed animal of your choice) using unbreakable house hold items. Example Laundry basket, paper towel rolls, pillows, empty water bottles/cans, boxes, building blocks… and put you stuffed animal on top.
- If able to challenge someone in your household build 2 or more “forts”.
- Using safe throwing objects (stuffed animals, toilet paper rolls...) take turns throwing trying to knock down the fort. Challenge yourself, throw from different positions standing, sitting, laying down. Do not be close to your target back up if it’s too easy. If you’re playing against someone maybe they can play defense.
Remember to have fun! Please log on to our Flip Grid and let us know how it went for you.
PW: PEisthebest
Can’t wait to see and hear how you liked this lesson,
Mr. Gordon & Ms. Shaw
Library
Hi All!! I miss seeing your smiling faces! The first activity is a Flip Grid. Please tell me about what you are reading! Did you like the book or not?? Who was your favorite character?? What was your favorite part of the story?? If you really want to get creative, make a book talk telling others about the story you are reading! Look at the great videos your classmates have left!
Use this link to get to the flip grid
The Password is WRESlibrary
(Flip grid videos could be used for Book Talk Tuesday on the WKNT news)
K-2 Lesson
Go to pebblego.com Log in with User name (westrdigees) and password (read) both all lowercase letters. Pick a dinosaur to learn about. Listen to all of the fact pages about your dinosaur. Draw a picture of your dinosaur and/or leave me a flip grid message about a fact you learned about your dinosaur.
3-5 Activity
Go to think website https://www.netsmartzkids.org/videos/ . Scroll down and watch the episode 2 called T.M.I.
Write to a Character: Choose from the characters in the video and write a letter to them about being safe online. Visit NetSmartzKids.org/bios to learn more about each character. Send the letter to me at Machovkl@pwcs.edu
Music
Hello everyone! This week’s music newsletter features two new flipgrids, recorder zoom classes for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade and announcements for Canvas. Keep reading!
.
NEW LINK TO MUSIC WEBSITE:
I've updated the web address to get to my site. Please copy and paste the link below which will take you directly to my webpage. You should see a picture of me and my family at the top, and the title, "Music at the Ridge". All music lessons and guidance on those lessons can be found there. Review the information on the main page with your child, then go to 'files and documents' on the upper left of the page to get started.
STARS AT THE RIDGE
I’ve set up a specific flipgrid to showcase the work of our Westridge students. This is where your child can post their own video showing me their work on my online lessons or to share their thoughts/answers to those lessons. Copy and paste the link below and have them click the green button on that site to record when they’re ready. They’ll have 3 minutes to show me what they can do. Looking forward to seeing more of our Knights in action!
Password: Cisum@ridge
STAGE BOUND KNIGHTS
There are many students at Westridge who are quite comfortable getting up in front of their peers and family members and performing music. This is the site for you to ‘strut your stuff’ for your family and friends in the Westridge community.
If you have a musical skill you want to show off, like singing along with your favorite song, adding your own dance/choreography to your favorite music, acting out a scene from a movie (with the movie music, of course), or just playing an instrument that you can play pretty well, this is your chance.
You will have 5 minutes to record your performance. Please go to the link below to make your recording.
( For every recording I view on this site, I will respond with my own performance on ukelele, singing, piano, or drum set and of course, I’ll offer comments on your performance as well. Feel free to comment on my performance as well in another flipgrid or email, steimejf@pwcs.edu.)
Send me your best stuff!
http://flipgrid.com/steimer0949
password: stage@ridge
LESSON PROGRESS: (through May 29th)
All grades should now have at least 4 different but related lessons to work on through the end of this week. Remind them they can work at their own pace; the lessons are not timed. Please remember that there are also 'mini-lessons' designed to develop critical listening skills and make personal connections with music they encounter in everyday life, tv, movies, etc;. PLEASE SEE THE ‘FILES AND DOCUMENTS’ LINK ON LEFT OF MY WEBPAGE FOR LESSONS AND RECORDINGS, AND REVIEW OTHER LINKS ON THE LEFT SUCH AS THE ‘MUSIC PODCASTS’ AND MINI-LESSONS.
CANVAS
I have begun migrating lessons to my canvas page. All K-2 students have a mini-lesson on that site that they should be able to see by now. As I have more information on the canvas site and accessing these lessons, I will pass it along to you in this space.
OPTIONAL ZOOM RECORDER CLASSES
I would like to offer online recorder classes for any interested 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. These classes will be offered on Friday afternoons, and will be designated for 3rd only, or 4th and 5th grade only. This is necessary as our 3rd graders just began their recorder unit back in March, and most of our 4th and 5th graders already have those basic skills and can work at a higher level. The classes will be at 12:30 and 1:00 every Friday starting this week, Friday 5-29.
Please respond to my ‘recorder zoom class’ survey if your child would be able and interested in participating in this class.
(survey will be sent via student messenger)
ZOOM MEETINGS 1st-5th:
Zoom meetings with the music teacher have begun. I’m joining in with your child’s teacher every other week. Please check with your child’s teacher so you know when I’ll return to your child’s classroom meeting.
KINDER-ZOOM:
We will be meeting again with any interested Kindergarten students and family on Friday, May 22nd at 10:30. Copy and paste the link below to join our music meeting and have fun with your child!j
KINDER AND FAMILY ONLY
James Steimer is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89450316263?pwd=dVArNnBMUTIyUUhnQ0FKN0dKSzd0dz09
Meeting ID: 894 5031 6263
Password: 3ZSHvM