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PVMS Tiger Tuesday Update 10/6/2020
Tiger Tuesday Update
October 6, 2020
Happy Tuesday- I cannot believe it is October already! Have an awesome week, we look forward to hearing from you on Monday for student celebrations and parent-teacher conferences.
Health Screen & Safety Updates
Since we are no longer asking families to complete the district health screen, please make sure you are only sending you student to school if they are COVID symptom and fever free(see email sent from the district for details on this updated policy). We will continue to take temperatures and ask about symptoms upon arrival to school as well. Additional information will also be coming from the district. Thank you for keeping us safe and your understanding as we update systems and procedures in response to community needs and health guidance.
In an effort to keep the community as up-to-date as possible, the district has created a dashboard that tracks information about the numbers of confirmed cases in the district as well as staff and students out. Please check out that information here: https://www.sd27j.org/COVID
Please also be in the lookout for additional information being sent from the district about updated protocols for symptom tracking and return to school timelines.
Quick Ask
In the spirit of Togetherness (creating a sense of feeling of belonging) and with Integrity (making choices that you and others would be proud of), I also wanted to take an opportunity to remind our school community about the importance of keeping our values in mind when connecting with our staff. We are all trying to navigate through a time that feels overwhelming and uncertain. Changes to our old normal can sometimes create other layers of stress. We know our current schedule, new structures, and day-to-day procedures can be frustrating and straining at first. Our office team, teachers, and special service providers are here to assist you with any needs you might have related to the academic and social-emotional support of your TIGER. Please help us strengthen our relationship by being respectful and assuming positive intent when contacting a team member over the phone or via email. We will be happy to respond to you within 24 hours. Should you encounter a problem or need more assistance our administrative team would be more than willing to schedule time to chat with you.
Support
Please continue to support us at home by reminding your Tiger about the importance of hand washing, mask etiquette, and social distancing. Please know that while we all may have different views about these three things by choosing to be an in-person lesson we’ve committed to following the guidelines in place to keep everyone as safe as possible.
Learner Persistence
Last week I included some questions parents and caregivers could ask their students to help them self-identify successes and challenges in their learning. This week, I wanted to share an excerpt from the book, The Distance Learning Playbook for Parents. I feel like there are some awesome suggestions in this short read.
COMMUNICATE WITH TEACHERS:
Think of your child’s teacher as your partner. You are in this together. You do not need to be a subject matter expert of every academic specialty. We are not asking you to teach chemistry, algebraic thinking, phonics, or how to write an argumentative speech, even though you might be able to. The teacher is still the teacher. In studies of parent frustration regarding distance learning in 2020, it was common for family members to note that they needed more communication from their children’s teachers regarding schedules, tasks, and assignments. They also wanted their children to receive more feedback from the teacher and to spend more time with the teacher. So, let’s focus on communication. Teachers should send weekly schedules in advance. You should know when your child is expected to be present for live sessions and what the workflow is for the week. Let’s focus on the quality and timing of the contact between teachers and parents. We believe that your child, and by extension you, should be able to answer three basic questions for each learning experience (A focus at PVMS, we ask teachers to plan lessons with these three questions in mind):
What am I learning today? This is the content that students need to master.
Why am I learning it? This is the relevance of the lesson.
How will I know that I have learned it? This is the criteria that can be used to determine success.
If lessons are random collections of tasks, children are less likely to engage and thus learn. If the teacher does not make the answers to these questions clear, feel free to ask for clarification in a kind way. If you don’t get a satisfactory answer, you might have to step in and help your child figure out the answers to these questions. They really are that important. Talk to your child more about their learning than what they are “doing.” Welcome their struggles, their grappling with the ideas, because learning wasn’t meant to be easy. Any indication it is, is conveying to your child that they are not smart, not able, and denies them the learning that learning is hard work. Partnerships require strong communication to be effective. As such, you should establish a communication plan with your child’s teacher. Ask the teacher how they prefer the communication to work. Emails? Messages in the learning management system? Some teachers use one-way messaging systems and others provide cell phone numbers. There is no one right way, but try to honor the communication system that the teacher prefers. We encourage you to communicate with the teacher on a weekly basis (younger children) and to teach your child to reach out to teachers with questions (teens). That’s not to say you end your responsibility to monitor your child’s learning when they turn thirteen, but rather that they learn to accept some responsibility. Of course, you’ll still monitor their attendance and task completion. During distance learning, teachers are typically provided additional time for planning and communicating.
TALK TO YOUR CHILD MORE ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE LEARNING THAN WHAT THEY ARE “DOING.” You may need to be a bit more active in your child’s education during these times. As parent.com notes, parent is a verb. Teachers and parents need each other. These are the key messages: Remember, you do not have to be “the teacher” to ensure that your child learns. If not provided, ask for a weekly schedule so that you can build routines around it. Make sure your child knows what is to be learned, why they are learning it, and when they will know they have achieved success. Develop a communication system with the teacher(s). Be involved in your child’s education.
Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent Teachers Conferences will take place on October 12th virtually. You will receive communication from your Tiger Team in the coming weeks. Each grade will have a celebratory assembly via google meets in the morning and then conferences will take place throughout the rest of the day. More information to follow.
Not all students will require a parent-teacher conference. Our hope is to have virtual assembly celebrations to honor students who are on the honor roll or earned a TIGERS core value award. These are the times for the virtual assembly. If your student is being recognized at one of these assemblies, you will receive a link to the virtual assembly.
8:15am - 8:45am - 6th Grade Virtual Assembly
8:50am - 9:20am - 7th Grade Virtual Assembly
9:25am - 9:55am - 8th Grade Virtual Assembly
Helpful Links
Teacher Contacts
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1J3o9ynVe57qSLcGxOBd1m5faxlFnjiPfIjTKuG4ACyw/edit#gid=0
Apply for Free & Reduced Lunch
www.payschoolscental.com
Online Student Technology Help Desk
https://www.sd27j.org/Page/9366
PVMS Return to School Plan
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Fb4sjUXoV-TPPLalZY-6L9QteUa7jcUJ3ojzOVdM3Ns/edit#
Tiger Celebrations
https://forms.gle/hRChnxeuS8gAms5n7
Student Chromebook Trouble- Shooting Guide
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16_Ohttqh-jobPnRHBaftvXOdteb8dcTb5H0VqYpP5mE/edit?usp=sharing
October 6, 2020
Happy Tuesday- I cannot believe it is October already! Have an awesome week, we look forward to hearing from you on Monday for student celebrations and parent-teacher conferences.
Health Screen & Safety Updates
Since we are no longer asking families to complete the district health screen, please make sure you are only sending you student to school if they are COVID symptom and fever free(see email sent from the district for details on this updated policy). We will continue to take temperatures and ask about symptoms upon arrival to school as well. Additional information will also be coming from the district. Thank you for keeping us safe and your understanding as we update systems and procedures in response to community needs and health guidance.
In an effort to keep the community as up-to-date as possible, the district has created a dashboard that tracks information about the numbers of confirmed cases in the district as well as staff and students out. Please check out that information here: https://www.sd27j.org/COVID
Please also be in the lookout for additional information being sent from the district about updated protocols for symptom tracking and return to school timelines.
Quick Ask
In the spirit of Togetherness (creating a sense of feeling of belonging) and with Integrity (making choices that you and others would be proud of), I also wanted to take an opportunity to remind our school community about the importance of keeping our values in mind when connecting with our staff. We are all trying to navigate through a time that feels overwhelming and uncertain. Changes to our old normal can sometimes create other layers of stress. We know our current schedule, new structures, and day-to-day procedures can be frustrating and straining at first. Our office team, teachers, and special service providers are here to assist you with any needs you might have related to the academic and social-emotional support of your TIGER. Please help us strengthen our relationship by being respectful and assuming positive intent when contacting a team member over the phone or via email. We will be happy to respond to you within 24 hours. Should you encounter a problem or need more assistance our administrative team would be more than willing to schedule time to chat with you.
Support
Please continue to support us at home by reminding your Tiger about the importance of hand washing, mask etiquette, and social distancing. Please know that while we all may have different views about these three things by choosing to be an in-person lesson we’ve committed to following the guidelines in place to keep everyone as safe as possible.
Learner Persistence
Last week I included some questions parents and caregivers could ask their students to help them self-identify successes and challenges in their learning. This week, I wanted to share an excerpt from the book, The Distance Learning Playbook for Parents. I feel like there are some awesome suggestions in this short read.
COMMUNICATE WITH TEACHERS:
Think of your child’s teacher as your partner. You are in this together. You do not need to be a subject matter expert of every academic specialty. We are not asking you to teach chemistry, algebraic thinking, phonics, or how to write an argumentative speech, even though you might be able to. The teacher is still the teacher. In studies of parent frustration regarding distance learning in 2020, it was common for family members to note that they needed more communication from their children’s teachers regarding schedules, tasks, and assignments. They also wanted their children to receive more feedback from the teacher and to spend more time with the teacher. So, let’s focus on communication. Teachers should send weekly schedules in advance. You should know when your child is expected to be present for live sessions and what the workflow is for the week. Let’s focus on the quality and timing of the contact between teachers and parents. We believe that your child, and by extension you, should be able to answer three basic questions for each learning experience (A focus at PVMS, we ask teachers to plan lessons with these three questions in mind):
What am I learning today? This is the content that students need to master.
Why am I learning it? This is the relevance of the lesson.
How will I know that I have learned it? This is the criteria that can be used to determine success.
If lessons are random collections of tasks, children are less likely to engage and thus learn. If the teacher does not make the answers to these questions clear, feel free to ask for clarification in a kind way. If you don’t get a satisfactory answer, you might have to step in and help your child figure out the answers to these questions. They really are that important. Talk to your child more about their learning than what they are “doing.” Welcome their struggles, their grappling with the ideas, because learning wasn’t meant to be easy. Any indication it is, is conveying to your child that they are not smart, not able, and denies them the learning that learning is hard work. Partnerships require strong communication to be effective. As such, you should establish a communication plan with your child’s teacher. Ask the teacher how they prefer the communication to work. Emails? Messages in the learning management system? Some teachers use one-way messaging systems and others provide cell phone numbers. There is no one right way, but try to honor the communication system that the teacher prefers. We encourage you to communicate with the teacher on a weekly basis (younger children) and to teach your child to reach out to teachers with questions (teens). That’s not to say you end your responsibility to monitor your child’s learning when they turn thirteen, but rather that they learn to accept some responsibility. Of course, you’ll still monitor their attendance and task completion. During distance learning, teachers are typically provided additional time for planning and communicating.
TALK TO YOUR CHILD MORE ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE LEARNING THAN WHAT THEY ARE “DOING.” You may need to be a bit more active in your child’s education during these times. As parent.com notes, parent is a verb. Teachers and parents need each other. These are the key messages: Remember, you do not have to be “the teacher” to ensure that your child learns. If not provided, ask for a weekly schedule so that you can build routines around it. Make sure your child knows what is to be learned, why they are learning it, and when they will know they have achieved success. Develop a communication system with the teacher(s). Be involved in your child’s education.
Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent Teachers Conferences will take place on October 12th virtually. You will receive communication from your Tiger Team in the coming weeks. Each grade will have a celebratory assembly via google meets in the morning and then conferences will take place throughout the rest of the day. More information to follow.
Not all students will require a parent-teacher conference. Our hope is to have virtual assembly celebrations to honor students who are on the honor roll or earned a TIGERS core value award. These are the times for the virtual assembly. If your student is being recognized at one of these assemblies, you will receive a link to the virtual assembly.
8:15am - 8:45am - 6th Grade Virtual Assembly
8:50am - 9:20am - 7th Grade Virtual Assembly
9:25am - 9:55am - 8th Grade Virtual Assembly
Helpful Links
Teacher Contacts
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1J3o9ynVe57qSLcGxOBd1m5faxlFnjiPfIjTKuG4ACyw/edit#gid=0
Apply for Free & Reduced Lunch
www.payschoolscental.com
Online Student Technology Help Desk
https://www.sd27j.org/Page/9366
PVMS Return to School Plan
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Fb4sjUXoV-TPPLalZY-6L9QteUa7jcUJ3ojzOVdM3Ns/edit#
Tiger Celebrations
https://forms.gle/hRChnxeuS8gAms5n7
Student Chromebook Trouble- Shooting Guide
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16_Ohttqh-jobPnRHBaftvXOdteb8dcTb5H0VqYpP5mE/edit?usp=sharing
