VALERIUS WEEKLY DIGEST

November 23-24

ASYNCHRONOUS LEARNING FOR TWO DAYS

There will be no live, in person or online learning these next two days. All learning was sent home with your student last week to do like an 'at home' learning day. Teachers will be taking this time to prepare for online learning to begin next week.

NEW INFORMATION

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JOY IN THE JOURNEY (sent via email on Friday)

Dear Valerius Families,

As we head separate ways for a while, we want to remind students and families, that while we will not be doing school together in person, we can still find JOY IN THE JOURNEY as we continue in a required continuous learning model.

On Monday, November 23 and Tuesday, November 24, students will be doing their learning like an “at home” day. This is called asynchronous learning. They will NOT be on zoom with any teachers those days. Teachers will be busy preparing for online instruction that will begin at 10am on Monday, November 30 (due to late start). You can expect an email from your classroom teacher before the end of the work day on Tuesday, Nov. 24 with information on how to find your child’s zoom link, and what their classroom schedule will be.

In order to find JOY IN THE JOURNEY at home, we need students to continue being RESPECTFUL, RESPONSIBLE, and SAFE. The infographic below came home with every student this week to reference during our time apart.

To be RESPECTFUL please help your student to be on time by 9am (10am on Mondays due to late start). Classroom zooms will open at 8:50am to allow time for students to have a soft start to their day. During class students need to raise their virtual hand to talk, mute themselves while they are listening, and be kind in their words and actions. Teachers have been practicing these skills with students this week and we are confident they are ready to go!

To be RESPONSIBLE students need to follow the directions and let their teacher know if they need help. You can help your student to set up a quiet space with all of their materials available so your student can concentrate. Learning from a table or a desk, is much better than sitting on a bed or couch.

Last but not least, to be SAFE students should still let the teacher know if they need to leave the meeting. This way your teachers don’t worry if the student is not there. Students should answer chats appropriately, and use the school materials as directed. Parents still need to call our health office at 457-6503 if your student is absent for any reason.

As we embark on this journey please know that student learning and well-being remains most important to us here at Valerius. We will miss our students dearly while they are at home, but look forward to seeing their faces every day on zoom.

We want to thank you in advance for all of your extra work at home to support your student(s). It takes a village, and we are very lucky to have such incredible, supportive families here at Valerius. As your student finds joy in online learning, feel free to capture some photos and send them to us here at school!

Be safe, be healthy, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Mrs. Cole

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MEAL PICK UP

Our Urbandale Community School District Nutrition Services Team will be providing FREE meals to children 18 years and younger over Thanksgiving Break. Meals are 'to go' meaning that they will be available for pick up (curb-side pick up) outside of the main entrance of your child's school and are not to be consumed on site. Children do not need to be present. No identification or paperwork required.

Due to Thanksgiving Break, all meals will need to be picked up on Monday, November 23 between 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Meals (one breakfast and one lunch per day) will be provided to cover 11/25/20 through 11/29/20. (Note: We cannot 'hold' meals so only sign up for meals if you're able to make arrangements to pick them up on Monday, Nov. 23 between 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.)

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Advice from parents of students who have been learning remotely since August 23rd

Set learning space: A desk or table that they learn at for the day with all their school materials at it.
Organizational system: Students will need a way to keep all of their items organized. Some kind of drawer organizer or color coded folder system can work well. Weed out items that are completed. If they are to be returned, have a folder for work to return to the teacher. If it has been put on Seesaw, recycle it or it can make finding work that needs to be done difficult.
Timers:

A visual timer/countdown timer for independent work time so students know how much time they have left to work.
Set an alarm on a phone/iPad/alarm clock for when it is time for their student’s reading/math group. If a timer can go off a few minutes before to signal that they need to finish what they are working on and pick up, that is even better.
Set an alarm for when to log-in to the Zoom in the morning and when to be back from lunch. This will help your student not be tardy.

Checklist: If the teacher provides a checklist for the day/work time. Go over the checklist before school and talk about what materials will be needed for that day.
Videos: If the teacher records a video for how to do something, they are very helpful so make time to watch them.
Emails from teachers: Read the emails from the teacher and ask questions if you have them. You might not be the only one with that question and then the teacher can improve in communication with everyone.
Student Work: What you as a parent might think the work should look like isn’t always what the student work will look like. It can be difficult, but just be their cheerleader and encourage them to do their best. This will make remote learning a more enjoyable experience than having to redo work. It will also help save your sanity as a parent.
Connect with other remote parents: Knowing other parents who can relate to what you are also going through can be helpful.
Breaks:

Recess Breaks- Make sure your child stops working and takes a break when given a break during the day.
Work Breaks- When working, it is okay to reward your student for doing their student jobs by giving them 2 minute breaks here and there.