Panther Tech Tips Newsletter
Panther Tech Tips Newsletter
“Gratitude, Growth, and Getting Ready for the Return”
As we head into Thanksgiving break, this is a perfect moment to pause and appreciate the growth we’ve seen in our students so far this year. When we come back, we’ll all need smooth tech routines, quick resets, and tools that help students re-engage.
This week’s tips focus on ways to support students the moment we return.
Create a “Back From Break Check-In” assignment to help students refocus.
Include: feeling check, quick recall, poll of needs, and a place to upload missing work.
Steps: Create → Assignment → Add prompts → Set as Ungraded or small completion grade → Topic “Welcome Back.”
Kids are wild the week after Thanksgiving. You already know.
Use SMART Pass Zones to keep things calm.
Try these student-facing tips:
Tell students to pre-request passes during warm-up time.
Encourage them to use the Need Help? tool built into SMART Pass if they want to check which zones are open.
Remind them passes expire automatically if they don’t start them. Cuts down “accidental wanderers.”
Students create a 6-box grid:
• One thing I learned before break
• One thing I’m proud of
• One classmate I appreciate
• One thing I want to improve
• One tool that helps me
• One question I have
Use Canva’s blank grid templates. Quick, reflective, and good social-emotional reset.
What is one small routine you can set for the first two days back that helps students feel grounded and ready to learn?