First week of Kindergarten Virtual Learning

 Yay!  We survived our first two days of Kindergarten-virtual style!

By "we," I mean all of us....students, teachers and parents!

I want to give a big shout-out to all of you!  This isn't easy. I get that, I understand and I'm here to help.  This isn't how I'm used to teaching either, so we are all learning together. Patience and grace....with each other and ourselves.  That has to be our mantra during this time.

Every Friday I will post on this blog about what we learned that week.  I will also post reminders, tips/suggestions, pictures, etc.  I will send out an email once the blog is posted each week.  I typically post at least one other time each week, but that day is never a set day.  I will always send an email out when a blog is posted. To help you feel less overwhelmed and know how to support what your child learned that week, I highly recommend you taking the time to read the blog post sometime the day it's posted. I know you have many questions and I try to answer many of them in my blog posts.  My posts and emails may be lengthy at times, but it is only because I want to keep you 100% in the loop and make this easier on you! Communication is something I pride myself on and work really hard at.  

This week we:

*practiced the mute/un-mute button on Zoom 

*practiced the Pledge of Alliengce and the Beulah Ralph School Pledge (a copy of this is in the bag you picked up at the drive through pick up last night or tonight)

*learned how to access Seesaw on our ipad and post a few simple things.  Be sure to check out your child's Seesaw account to see the work they posted.  

*read many community building picture books, such as: The Kissing Hand, The King of Kindergarten, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Our Class is a Family and Chrysanthemum

*made crafts to go with a few books: a King/Queen of Kindergarten crown and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom trees with our name

*learned about our Fundations kit

*learned how to be a strong listener 

Any way that you can practice and review the above things at home, would be great! 

A few notes about Seesaw

Please know the "must do" work that is posted in Seesaw is the work that I am doing with the children during the school day.  I push it out at 7 a.m. every day so you can have an overview of what your child will be doing that day.  Just like the daily schedule I am posting in Schoology is an overview for you. It is not meant for you to do as homework after hours.  I have noticed a few children have had double posts because they are doing it during the day with me (when they should) and then again at night.  While I do hope that you look through the posts each night (as info for yourself or for a review of learning if needed with your child or just simply to see your child's work and compliment them), please know the assignments were already finished in class (or should have been) and are not expected for you to do in the evening. I am not trying to add more to your plate!  If you do notice that your child didn't submit their work during class, then yes, you need to help them submit it in the evening.  

The Benchmark Reading google presentations and the Fundations presentations in there are the presentations I'm going through with the children during the day.  The pages that say "must do"  are my lessons and there isn't anything you need to do with them at home, except look through them if you want to stay informed on what your child is learning or review it with them.  Just know that there isn't anything you need to send back to me, in regards to those.  There are pages that say "can do's" and those are optional things you and your child can do during the 1:25-3:00 time frame (or anytime!)  

So to sum all of this up, the only work your child needed to submit to me these last two days in Seesaw (which was hopefully done when in class with me) was the following:

*a picture of themselves in their "King of Kindergarten" crown

*the lesson where they wrote their name on the iPad

*a picture of their Chicka Chicka Boom Boom craft

*the Flat Stanley project (although this was optional)

If an activity says "optional," that's exactly what it is.  We DO NOT do these during class, but rather are things you can have your child do at home if you wish. Today I posted an optional activity that teaches your child about September 11th.  If you choose to do it, please submit the work to me so I can see it, but just remember this is optional. 

Management of school things

You were given a lot of resources for your child during the last couple of drive through pick ups and during the Kindergarten meet the teacher visit.  Please create a home-learning tub with your child.  In this tub, please place all of the materials we have given you so that your child is organized and always has things readily available. This tub needs to be right next to the desk or table they sit at. The quicker they can grab things independently, the more we can learn. If your child is learning at home some days, but a pod other days, this tub must go with them. If they are starting their learning in one room, but moving to another room later in the day, the tub must go with them.  I noticed many children having to run off camera  or yell to a parent to get something we needed for class because it wasn't next to them. Below you will see things that should ALWAYS be in their tub, but when we have more drive through pick ups, you will also need to add those items.

 

Reading Homework/Log

When you come through the drive through supply pick up this week, one of the items in the bag is a September reading log.  As mentioned in my virtual "Meet the Teacher" presentation, they only true "homework" we have at Beulah Ralph is completing any unfinished work and reading!  The expectation for grades K-2 is to read or be read to at least 4 times a week for at least 15 minutes.  Each time you do this, please record on the reading log.  At the end of the month I will ask you to turn the reading log into me.  The children who meet the reading goal will earn a small reward from me.  At the beginning of each month a new reading log will be sent home. 

Yay, you made it!  You read this SUPER LONG email!  Thank! I truly do appreciate it!  I promise as the year goes on they will get shorter.  I am just trying to be as helpful as possible and I hope it's working.  Please, please reach out to me if you need ANYTHING.  No question is silly and I'm happy to help.  Thank you for sharing your precious children with me.  I've enjoyed them so much and am so proud of them already!  I hope they enjoyed their two days with me and I will see them on Monday!