During the morning, your child will have assignments based on what was taught during the lessons. Typically, these assignments are shorter and check for understanding of the lesson. Students should complete these assignments independently so that I know what they understand and how to help them.

During the afternoon, your child will have assigned time on MobyMax for them to complete independently. If your child is absent or is working asynchronously, they are still expected to complete all daily minutes. We also use MobyMax to assign tests and to track progress through grade-level content. Students should complete these assignments and assessments independently so that I know what they understand and how to help them. If they don't know an answer, please do not give it to them. When they get harder questions correct with adult support, MobyMax will give them more challenging content and not teach them the skills they don't know.

Please have your child ready for our whole-group session on Zoom in the mornings. On Mondays, we will be meeting briefly for a morning meeting before they meet with their other teachers for various lessons and enrichment classes. Tuesday through Friday, they will be with me on Zoom from 8:40-11:30. They will have breaks during the morning sessions when they may leave the view of the camera for a bit or do some activities as a class, but they have the option to stay on the call so they don't need help logging back in. Students will submit assignments and end-of-lesson checks during the whole-group session through SeeSaw. I will be on Zoom while they complete their SeeSaw activities and will help them complete and submit the assignment.

After lunch, your child will have a thirty minute small-group session at a scheduled time. This time will be the same every day. Instruction during this time will be personalized based on your child's strengths and where they may need extra support. I may also use this time to periodically assess students. It is important that they arrive on time and stay for the full thirty minutes to make the most out of the instruction. Much like in the classroom, while I work with a small group, everyone else works on independent work to practice skills at their level. All independent afternoon work will be submitted through MobyMax. Students are responsible for completing all required time on MobyMax every single day.

For homework, I ask that your child reads every night. This can be a book you have at home, listening to a story through Storyline Online, reading or listening to an e-book through Epic!, or any other platform you prefer. My goal is grow your child's love for reading, so please allow them to try lots of platforms and pick their favorite. To learn more about these optional resources, check out the Resources tab.

If your child will be absent, please contact the main office, Ms. Chavez and Ms. Antico through ParentSquare. Please find the date they were absent on the Videos tab, have them watch the video. Then look on the Agenda tab to see the work they missed and have them complete it on SeeSaw and MobyMax. All missed work needs to be completed by Sunday to receive credit. It is extremely important to make up all work and watch the videos and we will be monitoring all make-up work closely.

The first grade teachers will be recording and sending out a video at the start of every week that previews what will be taught and practiced for the upcoming week. The video will be in English and Spanish and will be posted on both ParentSquare and on the Videos tab.

Your child will have weekly spelling tests on our weekly words and sentence writing. They will be practicing their spelling and writing during their independent work time on MobyMax and whole-group time SeeSaw work. You can support them by ensuring they complete all MobyMax and SeeSaw work every day, and by reading and practicing their words with them from the weekly word list.

When we finish a unit or chapter in ELA and math, your child will have an end-of unit assessment.

At various points through the school year, I will administer benchmark assessments or assign your child to complete them through MobyMax.

A combination of these assessments will be their grade.

We tried our best to simplify all of the logins and passwords for distance learning this year by using a Single Sign On (SSO) program called Clever. Students can access Clever by clicking on the Student Apps button on the homepage. It may require them to sign in with their school email and password, but once in, they can view all of the programs we use and click on each one to sign in password-free!

The only program that may ask for a class-code is an optional reading website, Epic! If it asks for a class code, ours is ijq1437. It should only ask you for this code one time, and then your child can click on their name to enter.

You can access our Zoom room by clicking the Zoom button on the homepage. The password for the Zoom room is on the printed page that was sent home with the beginning-of-year materials. Your child will be on Zoom for the whole-group session in the morning and for their scheduled small-group session in the afternoon. You can also request a conference time to meet with me on Zoom through a form on the Contact Info tab.

Please check out the following great video from Mrs. Oey about how to use Zoom (English/Spanish).

Many links and videos are restricted to Bright Star Schools access only. This means they are only available when logged in with a Bright Star Schools email address. To view the videos and links, please make sure you are logged into your child's school email address on their Chromebook.

It is to be expected that your child may have a hard time doing things on their own. Both you and I will work together to increase their independence. We will be having daily lessons during the beginning of the year where they can practice the various programs we will be using. I will also be online with them during the whole-group time when they will be completing their SeeSaw activities. If they need help during this time, I will still be on Zoom with them to help.

If they need help opening up the Zoom room, opening all their apps through Clever, or finding their work onMobyMax, please try to explain what they should do one step at a time. It may be helpful to show them where to click and ask them to click there until they get the hang of it. Distance learning may be harder for the younger children because they don't know how to navigate technology as well. Don't worry! We will be taking it slow during the beginning of the year and practicing basics so your child is set up for success. By putting in the work and teaching these skills early, we hope to have your child gain lots of independence and a lot of technological skills.