December 14

Hey families! Thank you so much for all your continued support during remote learning. I am so thankful for all of you. Please reach out via e-mail if you need anything or have any questions and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Daily Schedule:

Below you will find the daily schedule that we will follow again this week. These are the times they will need to be sure to connect with the whole class (I've also posted this photo and information in their Google Classroom):

9:00am - Class Meeting 9:45am - Read Aloud, ELA lesson, Daily 5 rotations and Reading Groups 1:00pm - Math lesson 1:45pm - Math Workshop and Math Groups (this week we will also be throwing in some science)

This week, we are also adding in enrichment opportunities provided by our amazing team of itinerant teachers, Mr. Pfahler (Physical Education),  Mrs. Richards (Music), Mrs. Warsow (Art), Mrs. Bacolor (Media), and Mrs. VanHekken (Social Emotional Learning). The hour block before lunch (11am to 12pm) is allocated to one of these asynchronous lessons per day. Not to worry, they've thoughtfully created lessons that do not require specific materials. Please refer to the remote schedule below.

We are also spreading some holiday cheer this week with some special dress up activities each day this week:

Monday - P2 shirts & Holiday Hat Day Tuesday - Mismatch Day Wednesday - Holiday "Bling" Day (think necklaces, earrings, tinsel, etc).) Thursday - Pajama Day Friday - Ugly Sweater/Holiday Shirt Day

Drive Up, Pick Up Event 

We are holding a book pick-up/drop-off event on Thursday, December 17 from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm in the front parking lot of Brown School.

Having books of interest to read is essential to continued growth. Therefore, we are encouraging all students (remote & virtual learners) to order a couple of books to borrow over the break. Please be sure and use Destiny Discover and the BookHub to place your orders.  All orders should be made by Wednesday, December 16 at 9 pm.  

To find books you might like to order:

https://search.follettsoftware.com/metasearch/ui/69499

Be sure and use the collections to find some great book ideas! 

To place your orders (include title and call number) go to the BookHub!

https://sites.google.com/stjoebears.com/sjpselementarylibraryeresource/home   

Please note: you should also return any checked out books you have!

At this time, you will also be able to pick up Holiday Shoppe orders. And, there will be a bin for any holiday cards you may have made for the distribution to our community.

We will follow the same traffic pattern that we use for the MAIN OFFICE AREA student drop-off (see map below) for this event. For the safety of all, please remain in your vehicle. Materials will be brought out to you. We look forward to seeing you Thursday!

Remote Learning Spaces (from Mrs. Bawks):

We would like to thank you for your continued support with remote learning.  Our attendance has been phenomenal!  This is due to your assistance, encouragement, and commitment. 

Please be sure your family has established a quiet work place in your home that will lead to heightened productivity and limited distractions. Students should sit upright and be engaged in learning, just as they would in the face-to-face classroom.

Thank you for your help in reminding your child to mute his/her microphone during class meetings to limit background noise. This helps the class to better focus on the teacher's instruction. Thank you for your help with this. 

Digital Learning Commitments

As we approach the holiday break, we would like to ask for your partnership in reviewing the Digital Learning Pledge all students agreed to with their teachers when the Chromebooks arrived last month.   You will notice there is a family commitment portion at the bottom of the pledge designed to help you and your child be successful with digital learning. 

We encourage you to talk with your child about setting limits with technology use at home, especially over the holiday break.  An excellent resource that may be helpful for your family is Common Sense Media.  Our Digital Learning Pledge was adopted from their educational materials, and they have numerous resources available for families.  Now that school devices are coming into your homes on a daily basis, you may find this Customizable Device Contract to be helpful as you set limits and guidelines for technology use at home.  As always, please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Bawks or Mrs. Dirlam if you have any questions or concerns.  Thank you and have a wonderful holiday break with your family.

Mrs. Bawks' Brown School Family Blog:

Please don't forget to take a peek at Mrs. Bawks' Brown School Family Blog each week. CLICK HERE to read it.

Important Upcoming Dates:

Wed. 12/16 - NO LATE START

Fri. 12/18 - Winter break begins at the end of the school day

Mon. 12/21 to Fri. 1/1 - Winter Break

Mon. 1/4 - School resumes

This week's learning:

Positivity Project (P2): This coming week we will be focusing on the character strength of "Self-Control" - You have the ability to control your emotions and behaviors. You think before you act.

ELA: This week we are focusing on identifying comparisons and contrasts in picture and passages along with identifying and using the signal language for comparing and contrasting.

Math: This week we will continue learning about fractions by comparing fractions with different numerators and denominators and comparing fractions in number stories.

Homework:  Since we are focusing on learning through remote instruction this week, homework expectations will be different. There won't be any math home link pages but we would still like students to be reading 20+ minutes per night and practicing their multiplication facts.

Thank You,

Mr. Hernandez