Welcome Back! 

I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving Break, spending time with family, friends & those you love — it may have looked different this year, but nonetheless I hope you were able to express gratitude. Now we move to the month of December, full of learning, fun, and special events…and a holiday break to enjoy in just 3 short weeks (and 2 days)! We have lots to do with our kids from now until December 22nd, and look forward to their growth when they return in January.

Be proud of what we’ve accomplished with our students so far this year — what an exceptional year it has been! You all continue to amaze us with your perseverance and innovation as you embrace changes and demonstrate flexibility and resilience and do EVERYTHING YOU CAN to make learning engaging and meaningful – despite taking place via Zoom. As we return from a restful Thanksgiving Break, I’d encourage you to focus on some self-care:

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, November 30th
E-Learning Resumes – Welcome Back Kubbies!
Happy Birthday Barbara Zawadzka 🙂

Tuesday, December 1st

Wednesday, December 2nd
Happy Birthday Lizbeth Hohmeier
Happy Birthday Lynette Aguirre
CPT Meetings

Thursday, December 3rd

Friday, December 4th
Happy Birthday Michelle Miro
5 by Friday! Have you made 5 positive connections with your families this week?

(12/05) Happy Birthday Becky Zora

Blog Posts Worth Reading:

Overcoming Engagement Hurdles with Remote Learners via Eric Sheninger

Connecting Students in a Disconnected World via Cult of Pedagogy

7 Morning Routines for Teachers via WeAreTeachers

It’s that time of the year…..Fall Parent/Teacher Conference Week
Goal: Strengthen the home-school relationship! 

You and the parents are both there to help create the best possible outcomes for the student 🙂

While the format is different this year, our goal is still the same! We all want to understand each student’s unique needs, skills and personality to help that child learn and grow the best we can. 

It’s important that parents know that we see and notice small things in their children (even virtually) — every positive is worth noticing and celebrating! Sharing positives with parents makes a huge impact on building strong relationships.

**Allow some extra time for tech issues! 
This is the first time parents are doing conferences online, too! 
Give a little wiggle room to deal with technical difficulties, especially for parents who don’t regularly use Zoom  themselves.
***Don’t waste too much time trying to resolve technical issues. If you need to fall back on a regular PHONE CONFERENCE this time around, that’s okay! 

Try to gather information that will be helpful to you:

What concerns or issues do you think your child is experiencing with school?
What successes have you noticed your child has experienced this year?
What do you see as your child’s strengths and weaknesses?
Do you have any specificity questions or topics you’d like to discuss?
In what areas do you need support at home from me?

Virtual Conferences will be different — but the goal is to give parents important information about the whole student, gather feedback from parents & create solutions together! 

Feel free to invite an admin (just like in-person conferences) to be present for a potentially difficult virtual conference. Donna and I are here to support you!

*Do share AND ask about students’ social and emotional wellbeing
*Remind parents and caregivers of school expectations (how to be a great remote learner)
*Inquire how it’s going from their perspective
*Highlight student work by screen sharing on Zoom ! 
*Offer suggestions, but don’t forget to be equally understanding, patient and encouraging. We may not know all of the struggles that families have been going through (job loss, illness, working from home while trying to help their kids with school, etc). Now more than ever, teachers & families are working as a team.

*Just like you would follow up after a conference (regarding something that was discussed, or a suggestion), follow up with an email, a text or a phone call to the parent — revisiting something specific you discussed in the conference. It shows your commitment to that child’s growth and development! 

Let’s make sure we make the most of Conference Week to learn and share to best help our Kubbies!

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, November 9th

Tuesday, November 10th

Wednesday, November 11th
Happy Birthday Julie Fister 🙂

Thursday, November 12th

Friday, November 13th
Happy Birthday Stephanie Polakowski 🙂
NO SCHOOL – Full Day Parent/Teacher Conferences

(11/15) Happy Birthday Sandy Montes De Oca 🙂

Thank you for your incredible flexibility and professionalism, as you shifted to full remote while our district executes an Adaptive Pause. The transition was seamless and your students did a wonderful job adjusting to the change. We appreciate YOUR flexibility as you continue to accept the changes and adapt as things evolve this school year. We are grateful for your attitude and positive outlook. Thank you for making the best out of situations, when life hands you LEMONS….and seeing them as a great opportunity to do amazing things!

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, November 2nd

Tuesday, November 3rd
Election Day – No School

Wednesday, November 4th
Institute Day – *All Staff Remote – No E-Learning

Thursday, November 5th
Happy Birthday Giselle Alvarez 🙂
Happy Birthday Sandy Montes de Oca 🙂

Friday, November 6th
Finalize Parent/Teacher Conference Schedule by today!