There are a few updates regarding attendance given the addition of the concurrent teaching model.

• Attendance will be taken at 9:15 and sent to the office digitally by 9:20 at the latest. If your child is not present, he or she will be marked absent. You may wish to call the office to alert them that your child was tardy should he or she log in late. Otherwise, the office will likely phone you to confirm your child's absence/attendance.

• We will take a quick attendance at the beginning of every concurrent session (3 additional times per day). This attendance will be sent to the office at the end of the week. Should your child miss one or more of his or her remote sessions, the office will mark your child dismissed for those sessions.

Please let me know if you'd like me to work with your student to set iPad alarms for his or her remote days. It would be my pleasure to do so!

• Clough 4th-Grade Yearbook Cover Contest - Entries are due on March 1st. The contest flier has been posted for the students in Google Classroom but you can also access them HERE.
• Kindergarten Information Night will be held virtually on February 23rd at 6:00.
• Spanish Immersion Information Evening will be held on March 2nd at 7:00.
• Morin's Studio will be coming to Clough School for picture retakes/make-ups on the following dates: Tuesday, March 2nd - 9:30-10:30 am for Cohort 1, Pre-K AM and remote students and Friday, March 5th - 9:30-10:30 for Cohort 2, Pre-K PM and remote students.
• Day 100 is March 2nd. Can you believe it?
• Read Across America will be held on Wednesday, March 3rd. Mrs. Trimble will meet with all fourth-graders during their specialist block. A special Community Reader will read to our students. I know they'll make us proud during this special Zoom. Spoiler alert: The 4th-grade reader is usually someone from their future and our kiddos will want to make a good impression!

The district has asked elementary teachers to launch the mid-year iReady assessments in both reading and mathematics. We'll be wrapping up these assessments with just a few kids who either had absences or needed additional time. You can click on this LINK to learn more about the iReady assessment.

Additionally, the district has asked teachers to allow time for students to answer a 34-question survey that will be used to assess students' social-emotional learning. The Panorama survey was selected because it measures students’ perceptions of SEL, provides interactive reports, and suggests actionable strategies for educators to build students’ SEL skills. The survey will take students approximately 15 minutes to complete. Due to snow and the demands of the iReady assessments, this survey was pushed off to this week.

Mr. Hanson will be starting live Second Step lessons with the students on their asynchronous days every other week. For those who do not know, Second Step is the social-emotional curriculum that we use at Clough. Mr. Hanson was originally sharing pre-recording video lessons with the students but truly misses the personalized interaction with our students. Live Second Step lessons will allow for real social-emotional interactions with the kids which will facilitate a better understanding of the concepts. This live instructional time will also increase your child's access to live teaching which, as you know by now, is a demand of our state. Please find the below link to Mr. Hanson's flier. There is a link to his Zoom room on the flier.

Cohort 1 students: Every Week 1, Friday at 12:00

Cohort 2 students: Every Week 2, Monday at 12:00

Cohort 2 will have their first lesson THIS Monday (2/22)

Cohort 1 will not have their next lesson till NEXT Friday (3/5)

LINK to Mr. Hanson's flier

Winter weather has arrived and it is COLD. In order to keep your child as safe as possible, classroom windows and even bus windows need to remain open at all times. Our classroom can feel truly bitter. I allow winter hats to be worn in class and thin gloves might be a good idea for some students. A small lap blanket would also be allowed if your child has low cold tolerance (as I do!).

Let's continue to stay connected. Please reach out should you have any questions or concerns. Also, always feel free to share triumphs you're noticing in your child. We love hearing stories of growth and increased independence. We are committed to helping your child overcome obstacles and to set and work toward meaningful goals. As a parent myself, I know how tricky navigating parenting during typical days is let alone during a pandemic. Let's continue to keep the dialogue open as we move through the school year. Don't ever hesitate to contact us.