A New Normal

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I would say that all of us might agree that this is not how we had hoped the school year would turn out, and yet here we are...settling into a new normal.  Wishing it away won't help anything, so I'm just going to dive in and make the best of it!

A few things to keep in mind:
  • Student work - lessons and assignments - will continue to be posted in Google Classroom each morning at 7am.  
  • Every Thursday morning at 10am will be our class Zoom check-in meeting.  The goal of that meeting will be to stay connected to each other by sharing updates, playing some interactive games, and sometimes just doing a fun activity together.
  • Every Tuesday, students have the opportunity to sign-up for an individual or small group Zoom meeting with me.  This time can be used to go over some work, clear up confusion, visit, pray, or all of the above!  This is not required, but I will be pursuing everyone eventually! 
What do we do if an online assignment doesn't work or we run into technical glitches or my fifth grader is just super frustrated?
  1. Shutting down your technology, restarting it, and trying again is always a good first option.
  2. Our Google Classroom assignments seem to work best on a PC or laptop as opposed to an iPad, so if it's an option, try using one of those.
  3. In the case of frustration, I really don't want your fifth grader to spend a lot of time spinning his/her wheels and getting frustrated.  Encourage your fifth grader to 
          a.) email me with a question, 
          b.) walk away and revisit it later, 
          c.) print out the assignment and do it on paper (I do not need you to take pictures of assignments done on paper and email them to me.  Your fifth grader can just type right on the digital assignment: "I did this on paper." or they can email me about it.)
          d.) ask for a Zoom session with me.  I'd love to help, and we have the ability to share a screen so I can walk them right through confusing assignments!
          e.) skip it and let me know.

In our classroom, we began every morning by "filling our cup" with God's Word.  I have continued to build this practice into our at-home learning, starting each day with a suggested verse to read, ponder, and pray over.  At school they had a ring of index cards on which to write their thoughts and what God was teaching them about who He is, how He sees them, how He sees others, or the life He's called us to.  While your fifth grader may be out of index cards, encourage him/her to jot their thoughts somewhere.
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