Post date: Aug 17, 2020 9:42:50 PM
Dear Parents,
This will be a school year like no other! I hope you're excited to get back to learning. In all honesty, I am both excited and a little anxious because some things are going to be very different than we are all used to. As we begin our 1st trimester some of our students will be learning in-person in our classroom and some will be learning from home, tuned into our class through Google Meet at various times throughout our days. This is brand new to me as a teacher and to most of our students, so we will need to be very patient as we get accustomed to the changes. Besides new technology in our classroom, we will be following careful guidelines to keep each other safe in our class cohort. Learning and reviewing new routines will be a big part of our first few weeks of school.
Very soon all students will receive, through their very own school-generated gmail account, an invitation to "join" our Google Classroom and ClassTag. Once we have things in place this will be your source for announcements, assignments, and links to our digital resources. We will be connecting our reading, math, and science digital platform, Pearson/Savvas, as well as i-Ready, Raz-Kids, and other valuable learning tools. Until we have it all set up, please continue to visit my classroom blog daily on the St. Linus website for any important news or updates from our classroom. This is where you will find last-minute announcements and can click a link to any homework assignments.
As you are likely well aware, our first days of school are August 20 and 21. On these days, dismissal will be at 11:30 a.m. Students with last names starting A-L are to come to school on Thursday, 8/20. Students with last names starting M-Z are to come to school on Friday, 8/21. There will be no lunch break on these short days. 2nd graders should line up to enter school at the doors between the Church and school that lead into the red-tile vestibule on Lawler Ave. Of course they should be in their masks and socially distanced from each other - look for the Hawk prints on the ground when lining up! Parents will not be allowed to enter, so please take that first day of school photo outside! For dismissal each day, our class will leave through these same doors and be escorted to the Church parking lot, where they can meet you or their older siblings, if they are walking home. On days when the weather requires, such as heavy storms, we may reach the parking lot through the Church, so please do not park along Lawler Avenue and expect to meet your child there. Masks will be worn throughout our day from arrival through dismissal except for when we are at lunch or outdoor recess and can be safely spaced 6 feet apart. When we have an opportunity to take our classroom outside we can take a break from our masks then, as well.
SPECIALS - Here is our "Specials" Schedule.
Monday P.E. and Music Wear gym uniform
Tuesday Music
Wednesday P.E. Wear gym uniform
Thursday Library and Art
Friday Library
HOMEWORK - a light amount of practice homework or review may be assigned Monday-Thursday. It should not require more than 15-30 minutes to complete each day, and most often should require very little assistance. 2nd graders will learn to become responsible for writing down their daily homework assignments in an Assignment Notebook, bringing home needed books or materials for homework, and returning them the next day. Please help your child develop good homework habits, look over their work as needed, and help them to remember to pack it in their backpack, especially in the beginning. Also, please send in $5 for this Assignment Notebook at your earliest convenience. It should last throughout the entire school year.
LUNCH/RECESS/RESTROOM BREAKS - 2nd grade lunch is scheduled for 11:10-11:40 each day. Please be sure to send items that are easily opened, as lunch supervisors shouldn't be handling students' food items. When needed, please send disposable forks or spoons. We do not have a snack break in 2nd grade, but students may bring a water bottle (spill-proof please) to keep at their desk, especially during these first warm days of the school year. Bathroom breaks will be taken together as a class cohort 3 times a day - they are scheduled for mid-morning, after recess, and mid-afternoon.
OTHER ITEMS TO BE BROUGHT TO SCHOOL include a beach towel that we will use when we take our learning outdoors on occasion, and a paper bag (no plastic allowed, sorry!) labeled with your child's name to store their mask when they are eating or at recess. You might want to stock up on those and replace often! An extra mask to be used if the first one gets soiled or lost should be kept in your child's backpack. Masks should be washed daily if they are the reusable kind.
ILLNESS - If your child is feeling unwell and has any of the CDC-listed Covid-19 symptoms, please do not send them to school, even if they do not have a fever. If you child has a fever for any reason, keep them home. Our goal is to keep everyone healthy and our school open. If your child comes to school with a fever or reporting symptoms of illness, they'll be isolated and you'll be contacted to pick them up.
ALLERGIES AND OTHER HEALTH ISSUES - I'm aware of one student with a nut allergy in our classroom and we will take all safety precautions needed. If your child has any health concerns that I should be aware of, please be sure to send me an email or handwritten note to let me know. My St. Linus email is loconnell@stlinusschool.org
As I mentioned above, we will review our safety measures often in class until they become a normal part of our routine. As unusual and uncomfortable as these changes seem to us as adults, our children are resilient and will adjust quickly. Please pray for a cool start to the school year, so that we can be comfortable.
It's going to be a great year and I'm looking forward to partnering with you in your child's education. Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions or concerns and I'll always do my best to respond in a timely manner. I try to check my email at least once a day during school hours but sometimes it isn't possible to check until after school. If you need to leave a message that requires my immediate attention (such as a need to pick up a child early from school) it may be best to phone the office and ask Mrs. Delisi to get a message to me.
A special message to our eLearners -- stay tuned for more information about picking up textbooks/materials/devices, etc. I will post information and/or email you as things progress toward your start day of September 8.
I can't wait to meet all of you. Get ready for an adventure of a school year!