April 6, 2020

Dear kindergarten families,

I want to start out out by thanking you all for your continued support with remote learning.  This would not be possible without all the work that you are also doing to help and support your child through this process. I feel that we have gotten things launched nicely and now we are all getting into a consistent routine. I want to thank you for your continued flexibility as I have added new things each week, such as Google Meet, Dreambox, morning meeting, and small group meetings.  As you know this is an evolving process and we all need to practice flexible thinking throughout this process. 

Over the weekend you should have received a new schedule to include morning meeting and small group meetings.  That schedule will definitely be in place through this week, however new information has come to me today, which may require me to adjust the schedule.  Any adjustments will not take place until the week of April 20th.  The week of April 20th, some small groups will be run by our Literacy Support (Mrs. Boudreau) or Math Support (Mrs. Allen). 

As we move into more Google Meet group time, are are some helpful tips that will help make the limited time we have together most successful.

•  Have your child sign into their meet a few minutes before their scheduled time, so we are not waiting for students.
• Set your child up in an environment that is quiet, with as few distractions as possible.
•  Prop the iPad up so that your child is not holding onto it.
• Once your child is signed into their meet, try to give them some space to interact independently with their teacher (and classmates).  Students need to be able to respond to questions and participate with out being prompted by their parents (just as it is expected in our classroom).  

Additionally, you should know that student attendance will be recorded moving forward.  Students must, have daily contact with a teacher or other adult support staff, either through morning meeting, small group meetings, 1-1 video chat or phone calls, submit daily assignments on Seesaw, or log onto their Zearn, Dreambox, or Lexia accounts.   Emails, phone messages, and phone conversations with parents will not count for student attendance.

Please remember the school offers a breakfast and lunch program available for pick up from 9-11 on Monday(4 meals), Wednesday(4 meals), and Friday (2 meals).  

There are no scheduled meetings or assignments next week as we will be on April break.

Again, thank you for your continued support as we continue in this unprecedented time.

As always, reach out if you need anything.

Sincerely,

Diane Nicholls

MES Kindergarten

Diane.nicholls@lsuu.org

888-3101 (leave a message)