AWESOME NEW WEBSITE FOR FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS

A friend shared this website with me and it's pretty amazing. You can go on yourself for your family or teachers can use to assign things for kids. I wanted to share it because it has lots of resources for all the different age groups. I especially liked going under the field trip section. I visited the National Parks. It was pretty incredible. Check it out!

WIDE OPEN SCHOOL

SOME PICS 3-30-20

 Lots of great work going on at home!

Keep it up!!

PARENT EMAIL 3-29

SUNDAY 3-29-20

Tomorrow we start our first “mandated” week of At Home School. However, I really feel we’ve been doing it for two weeks now. I think we are into a pretty good rhythm. I am going to try my very best to send you out a note on Sundays to let you know what you will need for the Zoom lessons. We will aim for M-F at 10:00. If this gets to be too much, we will reevaluate.

Realizing everyone is at a different place in how their family is dealing with this trying situation, I’m trying to plan for the middle. Some like lots of things to do, some like less. Some like online activities, some like paper and pencil.​ I DO NOT expect you to do every activity, everyday. ​You know your family’s stress level and what they can handle right now. I know this age group needs a lot of parental support to be able to do their learning...even getting to use zoom will take parent help. I know many of you are working from home and helping other kids. Do what you can, when you can. ​If you have to prioritize, reading, math and writing first. Science, Social Studies, Projects and Specials next. If you have access to books on your kids reading levels, feel free to use those instead of Raz-Kids and Epic. I’m just trying to give everyone access to learning. ​I will take attendance throughout the day and relay it to the school each night.​ This way you can participate anyway you can at any time. I can see that you clicked Mark as Done or commented on Google Classroom. I can see you logged into a Portaportal site. I can see a picture of you reading a book on my email (​lkimball@veaziecs.org)​ . I will count any of these things.

Looking ahead​...I have found a great site called ​Go Science​ that has a unit on the Rainforest. I have links to each lesson in Google Classroom. Once you see your child has begun it Lessons 2 and up should give you 20-25 minutes of your own uninterrupted time. I’m hoping your child will also be able to handle the sites I send which might also give you some time to work.

MATERIALS FOR ZOOM SESSIONS

These can be found in the Zoom folder in Google Classroom as well.

Monday - Function Machine math, stapled packet, Math book and pencil.
Tuesday - Math book and pencil.
Wednesday - Nick Helps THE RAINFOREST copied book, Amazon Rainforest Match sheet, scissors, glue or tape, pencil, something to color with.
Thursday - Math book and pencil.
Friday - Green construction paper that is stapled to one piece of white construction paper, The Rainforest Layer song - it's on one sheet of paper, pencil, scissors, glue or tape and something to color with.

ANYDAY - If you have something to share that you have worked on at home (ex. a drawing, story. math sheet ect.), we will try to take 5-10 minutes at the end to share them. It might be just a quick everyone hold it up to each other. It will depend on how much time we have. The quicker I can get through my planned lesson, the more time you'll have.

FIRST GRADE ZOOM SESSIONS WILL BE 10:00 M-F unless otherwise told.
LINK TO ZOOM SESSION:
Join Zoom Meeting (also posted below) https://us04web.zoom.us/j/7486434998
Meeting ID: 748 643 4998

SOME NEW PICS 3-26-20

 

NEW MATERIAL EMAIL 3-25-20

NEW MATERIALS

The materials that you are picking up either today or tomorrow from 8:00 - 12:00 will seem like a lot. I’m hoping to save you weekly trips to school. I tried to organize it a little for you. Some things I would like you to just put aside for your child to do with me. Other things will be for use during Google Classroom Assignments and then there are things you can use anytime you like.

WAIT FOR ME ITEMS

Math Book

Spelling Book

Math Packet with Function Machines

 Paper plate

Rain forest small animal outlines

Lizard

Frog

Rain forest copied book Green paper stapled to white paper 

Rain forest poem about layers

 Large blank storybook to write in

OKAY TO USE BUT WE WILL ALSO USE SO KEEP

Fairy Tale One Page Stories stapled as a book Fairy Tale 2 Person Readers’ Theatre Scripts Everyday Math packet of games (need dice)

OKAY TO USE

Small blank book

Writing Pages - I put in a lot so use some but save some for assignments.

Extra Math packets - any math that is not the book or a stapled in/out function machine packet

PARENT EMAIL - MANDATORY SCHOOL 3-25-20

INFO ON MANDATORY AT HOME LEARNING

So, you all heard from Mr. Cyr about how school learning is mandatory beginning Monday. What this means for First Grade is basically that I need to see or hear from your child daily, Monday through Friday in some type of way.​ It is important that you check into google classroom each day​ to see what the lessons are. Lessons are posted at 8:00 a.m. However, you can do them anytime during the day. ​Not all lessons will be online lessons​ you just need to get directions for activity.​ ​It will also give you a quick message in case there is new information.
​These are the ways your child can get credit for being at Home School: (Any of these will let me know your child was at school - just needs to happen daily.)

1. Do one or more activities on Google Classroom. When done each activity, make sure to hit the ​Mark as Done​ button on the right hand side of the screen. This lets me know instantly that they completed a lesson.
   
2. Using any of the following online sites: IXL, EPIC, RAZ-KIDS, ROCKET SPELLING, PRODIGY. These sites give me info daily on how your child is doing on the skills they work on.
   
3. Join a Zoom meeting. Our meetings will be M-F at 10:00. I will not be taping these due to FERPA regulations. However, I will leave what we worked on during it on google classroom under Zoom Sessions. I will send you the link each Monday morning as a reminder. It will be the same link each time.
   
4. Send me a picture of your child doing any type of learning activity: reading, writing, counting money, building something, painting, drawing, running, biking, hiking.
   

I understand this is difficult, some days more than others. Things will come up and zoom sessions and/or google classroom activities will be missed. However, I am very flexible. I value family time. I don’t mind when you plan your “school” time. The activities are there. You can go back to them. I do encourage you to create a schedule. Routines help tremendously.
You guys have been really great about staying connected. We just need to make sure it happens daily now and/or a weekly plan for your child if you are unable to do any of the online choices. If I don’t hear from you or your child, I have to try to connect through a phone call. Please make this easy for all of us and just find a way that works for you to stay connected.

PICK UP DAY

Our pick up day has now changed to two days. You may pick up your child’s work and Chrome book (if you still need one) on Thursday or Friday from 8:00 - 12:00​. It will be in

the lobby and you will need to get buzzed in. I have ordered the kids dice and cards to make sure they have some at home for math games but they haven't come in yet.

MATERIALS

You are not expected to buy anything. The school is in the process of trying to put together some crayon/pencil type kits for those that need them.​ ​I have ordered the kids dice and cards to make sure they have some at home for math games but they haven't come in yet.

If you want to buy things for home, these are some items that would come in handy for your child: pencils, paper, crayons, colored pencils, markers, glue sticks, stapler, staples, scissors.

If you are looking for some great board/card games: Farkle, Racko, Yahtzee, Monopoly, Sequence, Skipbo, Headgames, Scrabble, regular deck of cards, Connect Four, Clue...all games are great for social skills, some academic skills and family memories!

A FEW PICS TO BREAK UP THE EMAILS

I love seeing pictures of you all out learning and having fun!

PARENT EMAIL 3-24-20

Good Evening,

I want to take a minute to thank you for hanging in there with me as we navigate these new and stressful times. I know I have changed things up a few times already. We started with a huge, overwhelming list of ideas moved onto daily blog and emails and have settled in currently using google classroom. The reason for my changes have always been to try to streamline things, get organized and hopefully make your life easier with at home schooling. Technology has its strengths and weaknesses. Passwords have changed. Sites have gone down. And even more...the kids are first graders that have never done this much work on a computer. Everything was set for them to hit a button and it'd work for them at school. It's a different ballgame now. 

I am not a technology teacher but I am trying my best. I am ready to start trying to get the kids online together with me. We will try this Thursday at 10:00. I will be using Zoom. You will have to okay using it once you click the link I give you to join my meeting. I have gone to school and have some things at home I would like to try with the kids. I know not everyone will be able to make all of our meetings. I will try to tape them so people can try them at their convenience but I can't promise that will happen. 

Friday will be another School Packet Pick Up Day. I am warning you now that it is a lot of material. DO NOT GET OVERWHELMED thinking you need to do it all! Feel free to look at it. I tried to kind of group things. MUCH of it I will try to do with the kids online. I needed them to have access of the things I have so we can work together. I will also be giving some of the material sent home as at home work instead of just links on google classroom. 

As always, do what you can. DO NOT stress over what you miss or can't do. Children learn through life. They are learning every day in school and out of school. The days of them being this young are over so quickly. Take advantage of the uninterrupted time you are getting with them. Read books, go on walks, play board games, build a fort, play charades, learn a dance, tell stories about when you were little, write a book, look at old pictures...enjoy each other and make wonderful memories.

At home school is not going to be as long as in school time. Your child will go through lessons much quicker alone with you than s/he would in a class of 21. It's okay to set certain hours for school time and do what you can during them and then switch to family time. It's also okay to notice your child is stressed (or yourself) and take the whole day off! 

Now, this being said I know different people want different things. I will continue to put assignments on. I will begin video chats and learning. I have packets ready for you to go home Friday. I will continue with emails and blog. PLEASE, take and use what you can and feel comfortable doing.

Questions:  Does this all sound reasonable? What time of day would work best for zoom chats/learning:  (Planning for 30-45 minutes)

              The earlier the better,         mid morning               or mid afternoon?

I emailed you the link to the zoom meeting. I will send the link to you again Thursday morning to make sure you have it :).

Thank you again. I know I'm long winded. I like you to have as much info as I can give you. Please answer the above questions with your preferences or I will assume you are good to go :).

A FEW PICS TO BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY

I LOVE seeing you all!!

I'm working right now on how we can see and talk 

to each other on our computers!!

For now, keep checking Google Chat for

assignments. I love reading your comments!

Keep up the AWESOME work!

AT HOME SCHOOL WEEK 2 EMAIL 3-22-20

Good Evening.
I hope you were able to find some type of rest and normalcy over the weekend. I have set up my plan for Google Classroom. Each morning your child will find new activities to do for each subject when they log on. Hopefully, this will help keep them motivated as the activities change. See my previous blog post and/or email on how to get to Google Classroom. If you have any trouble with your child's email address, google classroom and/or passwords and usernames, just shoot me an email at lkimball@veaziecs.org. I'll do my best to help you. Once you get the computer you are using set up for all of your kids' info. things should get a lot easier! I will continue to put everything on the blog that I email. Google Classroom will be the place to go for all assignments.

All VCS staff are meeting tomorrow at 9:00 through Zoom to get updated on home school info. I will update you tomorrow afternoon. I'm also still working towards meeting with the kids on Zoom on Wednesday.

SOME COOL THINGS I FOUND YOU MIGHT LIKE

MWF - Kennedy Space Center FaceBook Page goes Live at 9:30 - 10:00 for Primary Age

Everyday - Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden FaceBook Page goes Live at 3:00 - 3:30

MO WILLEMS LUNCH DOODLES - all sessions are on Youtube

Here's looking a great Week #2!

EMAIL TO PARENTS

Our first week of At Home School is over and done. Great job everyone! Now that we know we are in it for even longer than anticipated, I have been working on better and easier ways to help you. If you have older children, you might be familiar with Google Classroom. If not, you can learn with me haha. I spent today setting it up for each of your children. I even went into their site to see what they'd see and to set it all up. This should make it way easier for them, and you, to start using.

Normally I would teach the kids that they have a gmail account with the school and how to use it. I would also be teaching them about google drive and google docs. Well, this virus kind of changed our plans. Now you get to show your child how to access their google drive. 

If they are using their chrome books, they can just go into google (it's the first page they see before hitting portaportal). Up in the right hand corner there will be nine little dots. If they click on them, it will give them lots of options. You want to hit the one that shows a chalkboard and says classroom. This will take them into google classroom. It will have a message there already from me. they can respond if they like. Remember, class comment will show everyone in our class, private comment will just let me see. Google classroom also has different subjects. I have left an assignment in each one. This is mostly for me to practice with but check it out so you get used to getting in and out. There are links on some or just directions. On the right hand side you can either send work back to me or just click the black done box. Most of our work will be hitting the done box. I'm not so sure they're ready to attach files at this point haha.

If your child does not have his/her chrome book, it will be a few extra steps to get in. First go to google.com and sign into your child's account. I will email each one of you privately with your child's usernames and passwords. Once they are in, just go to the menu (nine dots) and hit classroom like above.

I think this might be easier than giving you all tons and tons of things. I can give assignments daily with links. I will change up activities so they won't get stuck on one thing. However, I will still keep up with the blog and parent emails. You can definitely pick from some of the stuff I sent home day one. I just know it was a lot all at once.

Your child might need help reading directions and even getting to the classroom. This is all brand new. It would take me showing them on the projector as they do it a few classes to get them to feel at all comfortable. Be patient. Even I am learning. Also, older siblings can probably be a HUGE help because third grade up uses this. Our kids are going to be so advanced!

I'm still looking into using google hangout and zoom. I need to figure out which is easier. I will be holding online sessions hopefully beginning Wednesday of next week. With those I will pick a time and everyone that can get on will meet online. I know this will not work for all. However, I want to try as many different resources as I can to make this easier for everyone and to keep the kids feeling connected.

I'll be sending out the usernames and passwords within the hour. Thank you for your support! Say hi to your kids for me!

MORE AT HOME and a FIELD TRIP

Good Afternoon, First Grade!

We got some new pictures that I can't wait to share. The space picture comes from the app I was telling you all about during our Space Unit. One of your classmates tried it out. You can get it free on your family cell phone. The app is called Sky View Lite. It will tell you what is above you in the sky (stars, constellations, planets). It's really cool and fun! Try it out!

We have another classmate starting a garden!

A Field Trip to the Ocean to study tidal areas.

And five more classmates working hard at home!

We survived our first week of AT HOME SCHOOL!

Great job, First Grade Families!

I have set up a Google Classroom today. 

I will send out an email about it soon.

Feel free to check it out this weekend. 

I plan using this beginning next week. I think it will give you a more structured daily plan. It will also let me put links with each lesson assignment so everything will be in one place. I'm hoping it will make things less overwhelming. It will also let the kids communicate with me. I'm in hopes of figuring out Google Hangout or Zoom for us to begin using as well. This will let kids talk to each other and I will try to get a few lessons in. Again, be patient. I'm trying to learn all of this through my eyes and their eyes so I can answer questions. I'm sure it'll all get easier as we go. I will also continue to use email and our blog. Stay Healthy! <3

DEAR FIRST GRADE,

I just received the same news you did. We are out until April 27th.  I couldn't be more upset. I miss you all like crazy. I miss all of our little jokes, your stories, the excitement you bring into everything we learn together. I had so much more I wanted to do with you. I will try to do it online. I'm working on a way. For now, keep checking our blog. Keep reading. Be good to your family members. Everyone is trying their best. Show them what an amazing learner you are! Please know I am thinking about each and everyone of you all the time. Sometimes I look at the clock and think, "We'd be on our way to Phys. Ed." Then I would laugh because I'd remember you all saying, "It's Library today." Then many of you would offer me up some marbles that I had obviously lost. I think about all of our fun read alouds. I think about how you are all determined that I never win Guess Box (but I will)! I think about what awesome readers you are becoming, how you figure out tough math problems that are way beyond your years and how you always help pick up the huge messes we make! Take some time to remember some of your favorite things we've done. I hope it makes you smile like it did me! 

Love,

Mrs. Kimball

A VIDEO GREETING

Lots of Long I work going on!!

Awesome work!

I might have a surprise trick for us to 

try on Monday. Stay tuned...I really

need to keep ALL of my marbles in

place for this one! Speaking of marbles...

How many times have your At Home Teachers lost theirs'?

Hopefully, not as many times as I lose mine!

How will I ever remember which special we are heading to now?

Thank goodness, I'll have you all to help me when we

get back! I can't wait because I miss you all like crazy!

INCOMING PICS

I love seeing these pictures!

Keep them coming!

Lots of reading, Subtraction Bingo, Math Facts 

and even Recess happening!

What are you up to?