Hi Everyone,

Dear Families,

Welcome to first grade! This is by far the most unique welcome letter I've ever written. As we get ready to start off the school year, I know there is still a lot of uncertainty, unanswered questions, anxiety and frustration among families. I completely understand and I am right there with you.

I am anxiously awaiting a final class list so I can begin to reach out to families and welcome students to my class. As you know, we will be starting off the school year with remote learning. The district is planning a phased-in hybrid, beginning with grades K-2 on September 29th. One of the things teachers will be working on during the Superintendent Conference Days is a schedule for the days where we will be learning remotely. As soon as I know this schedule, I will be sharing it with families. I will also help you get set up with Google Classroom and everything you will need for a successful home learning experience.

Please know that I am here for you and your children in any way I can be. I sincerely wish that we could be starting off the year in person, in the classroom, the way we have every other year. My number one priority is making sure that although we're not physically together yet, your child feels welcome, safe, excited to learn and like an integral part of our first grade family. The first few weeks we will be focusing a lot on your child's social and emotional well-being, while creating our classroom community. We will also be learning about all the technology necessary to be online learners. I look forward to getting to know each of you better so that I can meet everyone's individual needs and provide you with the best learning experience possible.

Rest assured that no matter what our classroom looks like throughout the year, whether it be remote, hybrid, in-person or a combination of all, we're going to have a fantastic year, full of lots of learning and lots of fun. I look forward to having you on my team and welcoming you to our second grade family.

Love and lots of virtual hugs and high fives,

Mrs. Seablom

**We are navigating uncharted waters and we will get through it together! Feel free to contact me through email if you have questions.

patricia.seablom@wcsdny.org