Thanks to all of you for your efforts this week in pulling off, by all accounts, a successful virtual week of learning. It was enjoyable to get in many virtual classrooms this week and see solid, genuine teacher/student interaction and student/student interaction even though it was through a screen. In some ways it seems like a very long 9 weeks of school, and in others it has seemed to fly by. I think a fresh start and a fresh quarter will be a good thing for everyone.
COVID
As of this writing, we are planning to be back in school on Monday. We will continue to monitor student symptoms, close contacts, test results and all of those factors go into the decision-making of whether our doors are open for in-person learning. Information can come in at anytime that could change things quickly, and I'll do my best to communicate in a timely manner those decisions that impact your planning. We have not seen any evidence of virus spread within any of our buildings in the district.
The one thing that doesn't change and remains at the top of our priority list is keeping everyone safe. Our mitigation efforts continue to be the top priority while we are all in the building. If you see or hear of any student with symptoms or a student that has been around an ill family member, please notify the office right away so we can investigate the circumstances and make appropriate decisions.
Resource of the Week
Thanks to Mrs. Velazquez for sharing the resource this week. The post provides tips for how to conduct an effective "one-on-one" session with a student. Our students need effective feedback to help them grow their knowledge and skills, and there are strategies that can really help students get the most out of that precious time with teachers, even in a virtual meeting space. A great post with impactful information for every discipline.
Virtual Learning Experience
I was able to get out and join a number of virtual classrooms this week, and I absolutely enjoyed hearing the dialogue between teacher and student and student to student. I have been trying to read and attend online webinars to learn about the best practices in virtual teaching and learning. From these experiences and talking with both teachers and students this week, it is very apparent that having interactions, even if it's through a screen, is critical for student learning.
The "Break-Out" rooms feature is so important to make this interaction happen in a much more engaging, meaningful way. We know that student discourse is critical for engagement and developing an understanding for students. Break-out rooms allow for this to happen with small groups of students. While visiting virtual classrooms, and checking in on break-out rooms, students are eager to talk with one another...at times in the large group, students don't say anything and there can be an awkward silence or one/two students dominate the conversation. Utilizing this feature is a critical piece to make the most out of the online learning experience. Below are some quotes and applications that our teachers have shared.
"In 8th grade band today, I used breakout rooms to utilize their assessments. They had a playing opportunity today and I know it can be hard to play in front of peers so I broke each of them off into their own rooms and popped into them to hear their assessments. At the end, I brought them all into the main room and did a poll (1-5) on how they felt they performed. Overall, great success and will use this in the future in virtual situations."
"I've used the breakout groups in both of my math meets as well and they are going great."
A "Must Watch"
Lucy Calkins is the main author behind the Units of Study curriculum that we use in our ELA classes. She delivered a message last weekend that I thought was so important for all of us in our field to hear. What we are going through is challenging to say the least...in so many ways. I highly recommend taking the time to listen to what she has to say in her closing remarks from one of her PD sessions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=hVOUj1j6YUk&app=desktop
End of Quarter 1
1st Quarter grades are due by Thursday morning...we'll run report cards then. If you need more time or have a couple of adjustments by that time, please let me know. 2nd Quarter offers a fresh start for our students and monitoring and keeping an eye on our kids that we know struggled in the 1st quarter...if we can help them avoid falling in a deep hole from the start, it could make all the difference in the world.
Images from the Week
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