The Wolves Den
Week of April 13th 2020 Digital Learning Edition
Some fun up and coming days to celebrate at home...
April 10 National Siblings Day- Play a game with your brother or sister
April 11 National Pet day- Take your dog for a walk or give your pet some attention
April 12 National Grilled Cheese Day- Enjoy your favorite grilled cheese
April 13 No School Enjoy your day with family
April 14 National Gardening Day- Plant your favorite veggies or flowers
April 16 National Pajamas to Work Day- Stay in your PJs all day
April 19 National Bicycle Day- Get out and ride your bike around the block
April 22 Earth Day- Take a walk and pick up trash as you go
April 23 National Picnic Day- if the weather is great eat lunch outside today
April 26 National Pretzel Day- enjoy some pretzels today
April 28 National Superhero Day- Dress up as your favorite superhero
Please follow/ like Washington Middle School Facebook Page. We are sharing lots of information, challenges, fun ideas, and pictures with you all.
We want your feedback!
We Appreciate Your Feedback- Thank You
- Consistency in where assignments are posted: We have asked all teachers to post assignments under the "classwork" tab. By going to the "classwork" tab in the Google Classrooms, you will be able to see what work needs to be done and what has been turned in. Click this link for a video tutorial: Google Classroom Tutorial This tutorial is a great video to see how to best use Google Classroom as a student and parent (under your child's view).
- Specific feedback on student progress: Teachers have been asked to give feedback to students to clarify what students are doing well and what they can do to further improve. Teachers may post videos, add comments, hold Google Meets, etc. in order to give students feedback. Feedback will be posted within the completed assignments.
- Student Engagement: Students find short instructional videos from their teachers helpful and Google Meets have been beneficial (both for questions & social aspect). We have shared these tips with all of our teachers.
- My child is overwhelmed by emails: This is a setting in Google Classroom. Your child can turn off the notifications in each classroom and this will reduce the overwhelming number of emails. Please find a PDF here to help you turn off notifications. After doing so, your child can then just head to their classrooms each day to check out what has been posted.
What's Next?
Each week, we will be asking for your input via a parent survey linked in our newsletters. We will take your feedback, look for common themes and then make adjustments accordingly to make sure we are providing the best distance learning experience we can for you and your child.
"Encourage, lift and strengthen one another. For the positive energy spread to one will be felt by us all. For we are connected, one and all." -- Deborah Day
Homework To-Do List: A Quick Overview
GO TO THE DROP DOWN MENU
While in your Google Classrooms, click on the 3 lines in the upper left-hand corner (the Drop Down Menu).
CLICK ON TO-DO
This tab will allow you to see an overview of all of your assignments.
TO-DO LIST
In this view, you will be able to see a quick overview of all the the assignments you have for all classes or you can select a specific class to view the assignments for that particular class.
HOW CAN I GET A GUARDIAN SUMMARY FOR GOOGLE CLASSROOMS?
If you would like to sign up for a daily or weekly summary for your child's Google Classrooms, you can send your child's teacher an email letting them know you would like to be "invited" as a guardian to the classroom.
What to Do When Invited: Video Tutorial
Tips For Distance Learning
- Create a schedule for your children. Keeping a routine and schedule can help to bring some normalcy in an ever changing world around us. It brings comfort to know there is something that is consistent and something we can control in our lives. Maybe even have your children help create the daily schedule. A sample can be found in the "Getting Started" document from earlier in this newsletter.
- Turn off the News and Talk. The news can be upsetting, especially to our children. Continue to let your children know it is okay to feel however they are feeling. Empathize with them, listen to them and just be there for them. Many of them are frustrated because they can't be with their friends and to be honest- their friends/peers are highly valued for this age group. Be vulnerable with them as well, share how you are feeling too. What are you struggling with? What helps you?
- Stay Connected. It is important to continue to talk with teachers, counselors, administrators, and other parents. Join our Facebook page if you haven't already. We are trying to post daily videos. Join in the conversations. Post comments and send in photos of your kids working from home. Together we are stronger. Together we will get through this.
- Enjoy the family time. Take time to just enjoy the downtime. Embrace not having to run around to a million extracurriculars, appointments, etc. Play a game, talk, go for walks, cook together, play cards, look at old photos, tell stories about favorite memories, get crazy and have a dance off. The possibilities are endless.
- Be patient & give each other grace. There are going to be bumps in the road. We are all going to have bad days. Talk to each other about how you are doing daily. Check in and if it's a bad day, take more breaks. Ask for help. Rely on others.
Washington Middle School
Email: delsmanl@mpsd.k12.wi.us
Website: washington.manitowocpublicschools.org
Location: 2101 Division Street, Manitowoc, WI, USA
Phone: 920.663.9570
Facebook: facebook.com/WashingtonMiddleSchool