Update from Ms. Samantha – April 24, 2020

Dear YCS Families,
I hope that you enjoyed participating in the “adventures” our teachers shared over the “Spring Break” week. I took a few tours of museums around the world, popped into a few national parks and tried to make sure the music was playing in my house, as often as possible.

Week five of remote learning has brought some new practices into our Google Classrooms, as well as continuing on established routines. Our main goal has been and will continue to be to support healthy home environments and stay connected. We understand that you are doing your best to teach your child(ren) when you may not be familiar with pedagogy and how to obtain learning objectives, and this can be extremely challenging. While Remote Learning cannot fully replicate a typical 6-hour day of school, the good news is that Remote Learning allows students to engage in a range of tasks and experiences and we are here to support students and families in prioritizing and completing meaningful learning. We are all collaborating in new and powerful ways, thoughtfully and supportively.

Remote learning is a balance of asynchronous and synchronous learning experiences.  Synchronous learning is education that happens in real time, whereas asynchronous learning occurs through online communication, such as instructional videos and power points without real-time interaction. Synchronous time is carved out each day to provide our students a time to see each other, connect with their classmates, share feelings and review the daily plan.

Asynchronous learning, which accounts for the idea that our students need to  learn the same material at different times during the day, due to varied family and home situations, provides learning experiences for students to work at their own pace and take time to absorb content.

Here is how we are working together to provide a balance of learning experiences to support students, families and staff:

Organization and Schedule

  • Easy to read Google Classroom page(s)

  • Students can work at their own pace to complete the work for the day/week

  • Online schoolwork balanced with offline, low-tech family time

Tasks and Assignments

  • Assignments posted include detailed directions and can be reread. Instructional videos can be paused and rewatched.

  • Multimedia materials are provided to create interactive lessons:

    • instructional videos

    • written instructions

    • tools to support organization

  • Students meet in flexible  groups to discuss assignments and ask questions

Morning Meeting

  • Start the day “check-in” and review of daily lessons and expectations

  • Daily time to connect with others

  • “Visitors”frequently attend and interact with students, (specialty teachers, administration, office support)

  • Consistent time to support a “schedule”

Feedback and Assessment

  • Feedback from students encouraged

  • Feedback to students provided within relevant timeframe

  • Google Hangout- provides opportunities to “real-time” feedback and questions

  • Office Hours

In addition to academic support, we are here to also provide emotional support to our students and families. We are constantly gathering information and resources to share, as needed. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your teacher who can then direct your inquiry to a member of our support team. While we want to encourage our students to attend to their academics, we are focused on the mental well being of our community. Child Mind, an independent, non profit , is dedicated to supporting families –  “We know parents are struggling to balance work, child care and self-care while keeping worries — both your children’s and your own — under control. You don’t have to do it alone. The Child Mind Institute is open and available for you and your child during this crisis. Our expert clinicians can do telehealth evaluations and treatment for ADHD, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, autism spectrum disorders and learning disorders. “https://childmind.org/

RULER, the social emotional learning approach integrated into our school curriculum can be a great resource to utilize at home. You can find RULER resources on our SEL Google Classrooms

-“Comfort and Connection Corner  SEL Classroom for Pre K -2”/ Class Code uxxom6b

-“Cool, Calm and Collected , SEL Classroom for Grades 3-5” /  Class Code 3hjr5fg

New York State Office of Mental Health:  https://omh.ny.gov/omhweb/covid-19-resources.html

Thrive NYC:  https://thrivenyc.cityofnewyork.us/mental_health_support_while_home

We are here for you. Together we will remain strong.

Warmly,
Samantha

 Reminders to support productive video conferencing:

  • Students must come to video conferences fully dressed.

  • Unless directed by the teacher, students should not use the “chat” feature.

  • Students should “mute” or “unmute” as directed by the teacher.

  • At the discretion of the teacher, students may be removed from a video conference.