Monday Memo
Week of April 13th, 2020
Touching base after Week 1 of Distance Learning
I really hope that you will all take some time over this Easter weekend to just stop. Turn it all off. Find your favourite things to do. Chat and video conference with your favourite people. But most of all, just stop. This is a marathon we're running, not a sprint. You need to take care of yourselves so you don't hit the wall :)
I wish you all the happiest, safest and calmest of holidays -
Jenn
A little something to make you smile....
A few other bits of information......
Building the Norms of Your Online Classroom
One thing that has become a little clearer to me, is that distance and online learning are very different than the classroom (really, Jennifer?!). I guess the part I hadn't thought about, is what does setting up distance learning look and sound like? At the beginning of the year we set our norms and expectations with our students, and even our parents. As you continue in this brave new world, a few thoughts:
- What are your norms for distance learning?
- What behaviour are you expecting?
- What is the parent role?
A reminder that it is really critical we engage parents as partners. They may not know all the educational jargon that we do, so be careful in how you phrase assignments. A reminder as well, that work should be able to be done through either hands-on learning at home (with materials families would have on hand without having to go out) or online using Google Classroom, etc. Sending worksheets and then trying to have families adapt onto paper (whether they print or try to write down the answers) can be very hard. One of the most challenging pieces to distance learning is letting go of ways we used to do things in class, when we were face to face.
As you set out tasks for the week, please make sure the learning goals and success criteria are evident. For some tasks, you might need to break it down into chunks so there is a clear "to do" list. Parents are helping as much as they can, but they need this too!
Speaking of "to do" lists - do your kids know how to block out their time? Are they quickly completing a task that might normally be worked on in several sessions in class? You may need to guide them into learning how to chunk their time and wait to submit their best work after they've worked on it over time.
Online Platforms
I'm so impressed with all of the different learning and platforms that you're working with right now! Many of you have created an additional Edsby group so that students and parents can post, respond to each other and "like". There is no obligation to do so, but feel free to add me to your new groups if you'd like. I'm happy to jump in, respond to learning and questions and just generally chat when I can - hoping to share the load a little.
Technology
SEA Technology and General Technology has now been distributed to most of our students who requested it. Below is an overview of the General Technology pick up from today. There are some families who decided in the end that they didn't need it - and a few others that didn't come for pick up for a variety of reasons. I'm going to try one more day next week - after that, I don't think I'll be allowed back in the school. For the most part, all our families should now be up and running.
Survey results
Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to the survey I sent out last week. It's really helped to guide us forward! I thought you might be interested in the results:
What are we most happy about?
- connecting with colleagues families and friends
- still working but being safe at home
What are we struggling with?
- getting our heads around next steps
- staying on top of everything
How often should we meet?
- 56.3% of us would like to meet once or twice a week. For now, let's keep meeting weekly as a staff, and if we get to the point that we don't have as much to share, we can scale back.
What other meeting options would be helpful to you?
- 50% thought division meetings are helpful
- 43% thought staff alike meetings are helpful
- 71% thought learning group meetings would be helpful
For now - see the poll in Edsby about what learning group platforms you are most interested in. I'll then plan a time in the coming week or so for anyone that would like to pop in.
As for how I can best support you - 94% felt virtual office hours are the way to go. I'll keep it up, but I'll still bug you by calling and texting sometimes :)
Here are the things you'd really like to see us continue:
- communication, MS Teams, chats, updates on Edsby, sharing resources and the Monday Memo
Here are the things you'd like us to let go:
- TENSION
A few other things:
- there was a question around whether we could combine email, Edsby and MS Teams all in one place, so you didn't have to check three separate platforms. Unfortunately, this is not possible, as they are three distinct and different platforms, used for different purposes. If there was any one platform that could do it all - I would be all over it!
- there was a recognition of the sheer volume of information that I post in the Edsby Staff room, and I completely get that it can be overwhelming at times (it can even be overwhelming to post!). That being said, I sincerely feel that it is my duty to keep you up to date the best I can, and having one spot where this happens makes sure that nothing gets lost. I really apologize for the volume some days.
- there was some discussion about primary students having access to Edsby like the Juniors. Good news - they do! However, they access Edsby (as a student) using their KPR email, which you may not have given them. If this is something of interest to you, let me know and I'll explain more.
Thank you also for your kind words and encouragement - I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! And please don't wait for another survey....if there is something you need or want me to know, just holler :)
Just one more thing....
Jenn
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