Welcome Back Letter

August 31, 2020

Dear Families,

Welcome to third grade! My name is Mrs. Harb and I will be your child’s third grade teacher. I hope you had a fabulous and restful summer with your family, I know I did. We are going to learn many things and have a lot of fun. It is my mission to instill a love for learning in my students. Third grade is an exciting time as your child embarks upon new adventures in learning. This is a year of important transitions, as well as new skills are accelerated.  It is essential to maintain your child’s self-esteem and build a secure foundation for future growth and success. This virus has taken a toll on us all. We need to continue to be patient through this difficult time. My goal is to build a relationship with your child first and foremost. It is crucial to build trust and comfort the first few weeks of school. 

I teach with a passion so that my students will develop a desire to become life-long learners. I have been teaching in Dearborn for  17 years. I am very excited to teach your child and look forward to meeting each and every one of you. In order to make your child’s school year a successful one I will need your support and cooperation. Please feel free to email me  with concerns or questions through remind, harbd@dearbornschools.org  , Zoom , iblog or Schoology .It is very important to have open communication together. I am very excited to be a part of your child’s educational success and look forward to a great year together! Let’s take this adventure day by day. 

Mrs. Harb

 

Mrs. Harb’s Class Syllabus 

August 31, 2020

Dear Parents,
Welcome to third grade! I am happy to have your child in my class this year at Becker. I promise to ensure that your child will have an amazing and positive learning experience. Let the adventures begin! Please read the following information below to help further your understanding of my classroom expectations.

Newsletter: I will send home a bi-weekly newsletter on Schoology. Please zoom in to read. It will consist important information. Please read the newsletter and save important dates/events. Also, it will consist what we will be learning about in every subject.

Communication: Please contact me through remind,  schoology, email, iblog ,student planner, or phone. I will respond within 24 hours.

Email: harbd@dearbornschools.org
Phone: 313-827-6950

Attendance: Please make sure  your child is login by 8:53  on time. School bell rings at 8:55 and ends at 3:55. Please let me know when your child is not attending school and the reason why. It is your child’s responsibility to make up any missed work.

Take Home Folder: Your child will be taking home a purple take home folder every day. Please look through the folder daily for important notes, newsletters, homework, and school work. ( when we go back in person to school)

Student Planner: Your child will be getting a student planner. You are required to look at it and sign below. ( once we go back to school) If you don’t sign your child will lose points. It is essential for you to review that day what is accepted to be completed. Many times there are important reminders in the planner. Feel free to write comments or notes. We check planners every morning.

Homework: Your child will receive homework daily. Please make sure your child understands the homework. If your child does not complete the homework he/she will have consequences. 

Blue Reading Bags/Homework: I will be sending home a blue reading bag that will include leveled books and a reading response journal. Please listen to your child read and ask your child questions after he/she finished reading. There will be questions in the journal you can use to help your child. Your child is responsible to read all the books every day or any assigned books and chapters. If your child forgets to read, he/she will clip down  and other consequences. For example, no recess, no fun activities, etc. ( once we go back to school)

Schoology: I will be using this app to communicate with you; we can share instant messages, updates and photos, and videos from class. It’s the easiest way for you to keep in touch with me and see how your child is doing at school. I will send you a form to fill out. The instructions are easy to download the app for free. Many of you already have it connected.

Behavior Chart: I use a behavior clip down chart to help monitor student behavior especially with a substitute. At the end of the day, your child will record what color they are on and you’re responsible to sign the chart daily.  If your child clips down to red, he/she will be sent to the office and phone calls will be made to parents. I will send a think sheet home when needed. There are rewards and incentives. Also, we have stone for the whole class to earn parties. Please continue to speak with your child about school rules and how to behave. There are no exceptions to any misbehavior. 

Snack Time: Your child will have two snack/brain breaks in the morning and afternoon. Please send healthy snacks only! The following snacks are not allowed in my classroom: candy, cookies, donuts, cakes, chips, pop or juice, etc. Please send any of the following snacks: fruits, vegetables, crackers, Cheez-its, Goldfish, Cheese and crackers, yogurt, pretzels, veggie straws, etc. (once we go back to school)
Lunch: Please go over the lunch menu with your child before school begins. Please make sure your child’s name is on their lunch bag. When you send money for school lunch, make sure it’s in an envelope with your child’s name and teacher. Third grade lunch starts 11:15 . (once we go back to school)

Water Bottle: Students are only allowed to bring a water bottle with a spill proof lid. Please write your child’s name on it. (once we go back to school)

Birthdays: If you plan on celebrating your child’s birthday, please let me know a couple days in advance. Please do not send cupcakes or cakes because they are messy. You may send sugar cookies, snacks, juice, treat bags, etc. (once we go back to school)

Volunteers: I am looking forward for volunteers to help during field trips, parties, and school events. I will let you know when help is needed. I will need two homeroom parents that can assist during events, field trips, and so on. Please let me know if you are interested. You must fill a iChat form first. (once we go back to school)

Translation: Please let me know if you need translation.

Thank you for your understanding and support. If you have any concerns or questions, please contact me. Schoology and email is the best communication, but phone calls and notes are fine.

Respectfully,
Mrs. Harb

 

 August 25, 2020   

 Dear Becker Families,

 I would like to welcome you to the 2020-2021 school year! Although this is definitely an extraordinary start to a new school year, I am optimistic that we will get through this school year together and that it will be a successful one! I look forward to working with the entire Becker community to navigate our children’s’ social, emotional, and academic learning. As a parent of three children, I understand and can relate to feelings, thoughts and concerns of parents during this difficult time. I will do my best to answer some questions you may have based on common, trending questions in the key points of this letter. I appreciate and welcome all the two way communication! 

 

Becker Remote Start Learning

As you may know, we are implementing 100% online learning until the week of October 1st, at which point the Covid situation will be reassessed by the district. Keep in mind, traditional grading will be implemented and the students will be accountable for their learning. 

• Platforms: We will be using Schoology and Zoom for all remote learning. More information will be shared soon.
• Online Hours: Full days will now run from 8:55 am -3:50 pm and Half days 8:55 am-12:00 pm
• Schedule: A consistent & structured schedule will be shared during the first week of school. The schedule will include live instruction,breaks, and independent work times embedded throughout the school day. Your child will be expected to be online at 8:55 am on August 31st (your child’s teacher will be contacting you with instructions on Friday, August 28).
• Attendance: Students are expected to be online where they will be live with their classroom teacher at 8:55 am daily. Please communicate with your child’s teacher regarding potential absences.
• Home Routines: It is essential that you establish routines with your child that include consistent bedtime and morning practices, and inform them that they will need to be online daily at 8:55am for live instruction with their teacher. I also encourage you to identify and create quiet spaces or work stations for your child(ren) to support online learning. 
• Learning Labs: Learning labs will begin Sept. 21. They will be virtual and/or optional in-person support, both 1-1 & small groups. Students will be selected based on academic need. Stay tuned for more information regarding logistics and protocols. All safety protocols will be in effect as children begin to attend learning labs.

First Week of School 

The 2020-2021 school year will begin on Monday, August 31, 2020. The entire first week of school will be a half-day beginning at 8:55 am and ending at 12:00 pm. Due to the pandemic, your children WILL NOT be physically reporting to school as they have in the past. Rather, by the end of the day on August 31st, your child’s teacher will be personally calling or sending out a text message on REMIND to set up an appointment for one parent and one student to come in for a brief orientation. During this orientation, the student and parent will be introduced to the teacher, receive log in information for Schoology and Zoom, and receive books and supplies that will be needed for all remote learning. It is essential that your email and cell phone number are accurate in Parent Connect to receive this phone call and other important communications. Directions to update your email and phone information are here: https://sisweb.resa.net/ParentPortal/

 

During the first week of school (beginning August 31), your child(ren) will work on some independent learning activities, or connect with their teacher online, while they wait for their appointment to come in for an orientation. These activities will be available on my school blog at  https://becker.dearbornschools.org/ This information will also be available on teacher blogs. 

 

School Supplies

A list of suggested school supplies will be made available on my blog this week. Please refer to this list to help you prepare your child with what they may need. https://becker.dearbornschools.org/

 

Registration 

If your child is still not registered, please be sure to complete this immediately. Here is the district link to registering. https://dearbornschools.org/services/enroll/ Please contact the Becker school office if you have any questions at 313-827-6950.   

 

School Year Calendar

Below is the link to the 2020-2021 school year calendar. Please refer to this for all half-days, late starts, and vacation days. https://dearbornschools.org/services/district-calendars/

 

Please know that our district and the Becker team are still working diligently and more answers will be forthcoming. Please be sure to subscribe to our school blog to stay connected and updated on important information https://becker.dearbornschools.org/. Thank you for your continued support, patience, and flexibility!  I look forward to meeting you all soon.

Thank You,

Zahra Zreik

Principal
Becker Elementary School