Dear Families,
I want to update you on what a great week we had in spite of all the media, decreased staffing and general concerns about what is happening in our world right now. Thank you for sending your children in happy, rested and prepared for each day. We had many conversations about the "virus", however most of our time was spent on task and persevering.
In regards to discussion about the virus, we focused on the fact that most people are experiencing cold like symptoms and the importance of not spreading germs. We have a 'no touching' without asking policy anyway and this week we practiced 'no touching' as a safe way to stop germs from spreading. During these discussions, often student initiated, students seemed informed and worked hard to follow this expectation. Thank you! Your home conversations were evident in their behaviors and comments.
Unfortunately, I did not know about the school closing until after school. So, I am feeling a bit sad that I did not get to say a few things. Please tell your child I will miss them. They are are a very important part of my life. They knew I was going to be out on Friday because I had appointments and then was heading on a ski weekend with Mr. Abbott. Let them know I will tell them about my weekend and look forward to hearing about theirs.
Tell them I said to keep reading and talking about books at a 'just right level' and spend time researching things they are interested in. Remind them they have accounts on RazKids, SpellCity, and Dreambox and they can access BrainPop, Pearson Realize (Math) and Foss Science. Don't tell them if they do all of this they don't need me! Haha!
Maybe your child will want to write an opinion letter about whether cancelling school for two weeks was a good idea or a bad idea. As you already saw in the GoogleDoc from Monday, we are in our opinion writing unit right now. I would love to get opinion letters during this break or upon our return. Opinions about anything!
Please email me anytime during the school closure with any questions about your child's social and emotional needs, access to on-line activities or general questions that you have after reading Arlington Public School district communications.
I wish you happiness and health during this challenging time.
Best,