Hello Everyone! I was so happy to see so many smiling faces and hear so many familiar voices on the Google meeting this afternoon. What a great turnout! I am sending out the notes from todays meeting because it is very important information.
School is not closed for the year, the building is. We are all still working hard together to make sure your child is making growth and progress to get them ready for next year.
On Monday April 20th we launched into the required learning mandated by the State of Michigan and Dearborn Public Schools.
Part of the requirements are that we are hearing regularly from our students and families. I will continue to send home lessons, learning ideas, and extensions. I need a minimum of 2 contacts a week with you for proof of your child’s learning.
Ways to show me your child is learning:
- Send pictures of your child doing the activities on Remind!
- Call me! I am more than happy to talk with you and your child on the phone <3
- Schedule a Google Meet on Tuesdays… we can talk about any concerns you have, your child’s learning, or even just so your child can see our smiling faces!
This is not just for attendance, but also for comfort. Ms. Abdellah and I miss you and your children. It has been so difficult not to see their smiles coming in to school in the morning, or hearing their stories at lunch time. We hear how much your child misses us and school, but we miss them too!!
I will be keeping a log of all communication with you that is shared with our principal, the district and the state.
Office Hours
We will have set office hours to respect our own time and our own families. Our office hours will be Monday-Thursday 9:00 to 4:00.
- Please message me on Remind101,
- Email me at stafiej@dearbornschools.org,
- Or schedule an appointment with us (call, Google Meet, etc)
I am very flexible as I respond to most messages throughout the day (even outside of office hours) but within office hours time, you can expect a reply. Thank you.
Adjusting to the “New Normal”
Somedays are going to be harder than others. We are all still adjusting to this new routine. Somedays I clean my entire house from top to bottom and the next day I can barely get out of bed. It is okay.
Children feel the same way too! One day your child might not want to do their school work, and the next day you can’t find enough things for them to do. This is okay.
You can combine parts of daily lessons that your child wants to do and do them all together. You can let your child just pick one thing for that day. If your child starts with a science experiment I send out and then wants to continue only doing science experiments all day, its okay! We are flexible. We understand what is going on, it is going on in our homes too!
Google Meet
We will meet on Thursday afternoons, I am trying to make this work for everyone. For right now we will just have our whole class meet at 2 pm. I am doing this time to accommodate for Ramadan and be respectful of those who are observing.
To access Google Meet
- In a web browser, enter https://meet.google.com.
- Make sure you are logged in using your preschoolers information
- Enter nickname (will be sent out before each meeting)
- Click “Join”
Lesson Plans
Daily lesson plans (Monday through Thursday) will be sent out via iBlog. I will then send the link out on Remind.
Work Time
The addition of Work Time has been added. Please read through the description of Work Time and incorporate it into your child’s day. It is “free play” in which children tell you their plan, follow through with their plans, and then recall and tell you what they did during that time.
Ready for a Challenge?
Academic Activities on the lesson will incorporate a “challenge” option. This is to extend their learning. If the lesson was too easy, it gives other ideas to make it more challenging for more learning!
At Home Learning Page on Blog
Please check out At Home Learning on the iBlog which has great extensions such as Virtual Trip to Disney, field trips to museums, live cams for zoo and aquariums, ballet classes, gymnastics classes, and much more!
Lesson Ideas
I have been trying to send activities that do not require much preplanning and are simple enough to do with basic supplies from home. If you need other ideas based on what materials you have, please reach out and let me know!!
As soon as I can get into the building I will gather supplies, personal belongings, and deliver them to you.
Meal Distribution
To accommodate for Ramadan, Fordson, McCollough, Woodworth, and Salina Intermediate will be distributing meals on Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 12 to 2pm (until Memorial Day).
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits due to school closure… if you already have EBT cards for SNAP you should see additional funds added to your card for school closure from March until June.
https://firstbell.dearbornschools.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/04/Pandemic-EBT-Michigan.pdf
We are here for you…
This is not easy.
You are not alone. If you need help, we are here for you.
If you need outside help, please let me know. I am working on adding community resources to our iBlog as well for various sources of assistance (food, technology, financial, and emotional support)
*If you are an “essential worker”, THAW fund is helping to pay utility bills. Here is the link for more information.
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