creating a community of calm, creative, and caring learners
Dear Families,
Sharing with you a message Mrs. Jordan posted on our Google classroom last night:
Your student probably already knows how to get into Google classroom. Our mission this week will be for students to get in the habit of checking it each day for work. There will be short, fun assignments each day to get students comfortable with the platform. Keep me posted on how it’s going! Thank you for all the hard work you all are doing, and stay well.
Hello Families,
We have made it through two weeks of social distancing. It has meant so much to connect with you during this time, and you are doing an amazing job, even though this is not an easy time. Moving forward, it will be important for students to go to Google classroom each day to find their work for the day.
Here is a video about our first official learning assignment for tomorrow. (Sharing with families a preview tonight). Students’ first expectation will be for everyone to:
This will be a virtual version of our morning meeting. We need to re-connect as a classroom community, the best we can, even though we are online.
Email me if your student has any trouble getting onto Google classroom. I will be here to help tomorrow! Thank you again for all your support and for all you are doing to keep your family healthy, safe, and well. Keep in touch!
Hello, Families!
This has been quite a week and a half! Last Monday hit me hard… the reality was setting in that things are going to be different for a while now. I am trying to reach out to every family. If I haven’t gotten to you yet, know I haven’t forgotten about you. This time has been hard for me, as well, and I will keep reaching out to you. Also, I welcome emails and updates on how you are doing! Are you healthy? How are you managing the stress?
I can only imagine the challenges of those of you trying to care for family and somehow keep the learning going, or worrying about working (or not working) and caring for family, all while trying to stay healthy and not get too stressed about the news… this is such a strange time.
Thank you for all you are doing in this confusing situation.
Teachers and administrators are meeting right now to pull together a clearer idea of what learning will look like going forward. We will be in touch with you as soon as we know more.
I wanted to share this video with you from Maine’s Education Commissioner Makin. The video is made for educators, but it has important messages about this time. I think it speaks to all of us.
Hello families,
Thank you for understanding about me sending out three messages in one afternoon! I am honestly not trying to explode your inbox, I just want to front-load students and families with resources in the hopes of helping you have what you might need during this time of social distancing. This last post is about a schedule suggestion and an idea for writing.
This is also a time for taking care of ourselves and each other. Hopefully, we all can get a little more sleep, remember to eat well, drink water, and move each day. It’s also important to stay connected with others, either with phone calls, emails, letters, or other ways of communicating.
This suggested homeschool schedule was helpful to me in figuring out what my days might look like. It sounds like some of you already have good routines that work for you. If so, that’s great! In case it’s helpful, here is one possible way someone might schedule their days.
I also wanted to share this video from author Kate DiCamillo. She talks a little about the writing routine she is setting for herself during this time of social distancing. She also is offering a daily writing suggestion. You can follow her on YouTube, and I am posting her video on Google classroom. I’m planning to try it out – and maybe it will inspire students – or families – too!
Dear Students and Families,
While I miss seeing everyone at school, it’s exciting to think about the ways you can keep learning over the next weeks. I am well, and I have been spending time reading teacher books and books for reading groups, writing about my experiences, and investigating learning resources for you to use. I have also been doing learning work that our school is asking teachers to do from home. And it’s always great to hear about the learning that you are doing at home. Keep the updates coming!
Here are some resources for keeping the learning going during the school closure. It would be great to do something for math, reading, writing, and science each day.
Also, students check out our “Fabulous Fifth Graders” page on Google classroom. I will put links there. Students can also respond, post updates about their work, and ask questions on Google classroom. Here is how:
Scholastic Learn at Home: You can choose the grade levels that are the right fit for you. There are great stories to read, with links to related stories and projects. There are also fascinating science and math activities. You can use the link below:
Khan Academy: They have lessons in so many subject areas. You can use the link below to access their main page:
They also have a link specifically offering schedules responding to Covid-19 school closures. You can use this link:
Khan Academy Learning Schedules
Pearson Realize: Our math program has a game center with some games that review math concepts. Students can also access some learning videos called “Visual Learning.” All students who do math with me know how to log in. Their username is the same id they use to sign in to google. Every student’s password is “password1”. Here is the link:
Mystery Science: We have been exploring this new science resource at our school. This page lists many recommended science lessons that are easy to do at home. Use this link:
Mystery Science School Closure Lessons
MobyMax: My students are familiar with MobyMax. They sign in as a student, and our school code is ME164. Most students know their usernames and passwords, but if you have forgotten yours, just email me and I will let you know what to use. Here is the link to MobyMax:
And here is a document explaining how to use the website:
Newsela: This site has so many great news stories about current events, history, science, and lots of topics of interest for our students. I especially love the way students and adults can adjust the reading level of the stories to make it the right level of challenge for all learners. Go to the link below. Sign in with Google, and then use the code CAGB77 to join my class, if you haven’t yet.
As always, I am here for you! Email me with any questions or ideas.
Hello Students and Families,
I hope you all are staying well – or taking care of yourselves if you are sick.
Talking to Children About COVID-19 (Coronavirus): A Parent Resource
“Feel free to email Mr. Wheatley cwheatley@aos92.org or Mrs. Barre sbarre@aos92.org if you would like some examples, or if you want to share a video of you playing!
“Music can be a great escape and provide entertainment – play on!”
Click here to access the video message from Ms. Jeni.
(Link should be active soon – posted at 10:36 a.m.)
Click the link to access the video message.
Dear Families,
Learning Through the Next Two Weeks:
You have probably received the message from Eric Haley, our school superintendent, about our schools being closed to students for the next two weeks. He assured us that this was not due to any suspected or confirmed cases of covid-19 in the area, but rather an overabundance of caution and a wish to do all we can to keep everyone healthy.
On Monday, the teachers will work together to determine how we will provide distance learning for students to do at home over the next 2 weeks. The district understands that this will not fully replace what we would do in the classroom, but we will do our best to offer meaningful ways students can continue their academic growth. You will receive more information from our school as soon as more details are known.
Parent-Teacher Conferences:
At this point, I am assuming we will still have parent-teacher conferences at our regularly scheduled times. However, we will communicate via phone or online. While we can confer over the phone, I am also happy to try conferring via Google Hangouts, if you prefer. Our schools will keep us posted on any new developments.
Providing Food:
Our superintendent has let us know:
“The Waterville Food Service Department will be providing breakfast and lunch, Monday through Friday, during this closure. The program will be modeled after the Summer Meals Program. These. meals are available to anyone 18 years or younger and, unlike the summer meals program, may be taken off-site. The meals can be picked up at the following 8 sites between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m:
“GJMS – Curbside
WJHS – Curbside
Armory Road Housing
Home Place Housing
Chaplin Street Playground
North Street Playground
Western Avenue Play Area
South End Teen Center – Curbside”
Please know that you can keep in touch with me over this time, as well. This is such an unfamiliar situation, but I know we will make it through.
Jeni Frazee
jfrazee@aos92.org
Dear Families,
Our second trimester ended on Friday, February 28th. Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday evening, March 18th and 19th. I will also try my best to accommodate parents’ schedules at other times.
If your child receives special services in reading, writing, and/or math, your child’s reading/writing teacher has probably scheduled a conference time with you already. You do not need to sign up for a separate time with me, as we will all meet together at your scheduled time.
A form will come home tomorrow for you to indicate your first, second, and third choice times. To help make this smoother, I’m also sharing below a link to my available times. Feel free to email me any time to let me know the times that work for you, and I will put you on my schedule in the closest available time. I plan to keep updating this link as spots fill. Hopefully, this will help us create our schedule smoothly.
You will also get a sheet asking for your input about how your child’s year is going. I welcome your thoughts! Here is a copy of the sheet:
Your Thoughts Matter. Parent Questions
Sincerely,
Jeni Frazee
jfrazee@aos92.org
Ms. Jeni's Classroom Blog 