News Feed
FYI
1/22/21
Next parent pick up is:
Parent Supply pick-up will be held on
Tuesday, January 26th from 1-3 PM,
Wednesday, January 27th from 3 - 6 PM, and
Thursday, January 28th from 1-3 PM.
11/20/20
We have a few more important instructional materials that your child will need in the upcoming weeks.
Parent Supply pick-up will be held on
Tuesday, December 1st from 1-3 PM,
Wednesday, December 2nd from 3 - 6 PM, and
Thursday, December 3rd from 1-3 PM.
Parents just need to pull up near the library door, ring the doorbell and someone will be there to hand off your student's materials. Just give them your student's name and teacher's name.
Bonus: You can use our library book check out form to get books from the library at the same time. This form must be filled out the day before you pick up books.
10/16/20
We have a few more important instructional materials that your child will need in the upcoming weeks.
Parent Supply pick-up will be held on
Tuesday, October 20th from 1-3 PM,
Wednesday, October 21st from 9 AM - 6 PM, and
Thursday October 22nd from 1-3 PM.
Parents just need to pull up near the library door, ring the doorbell and someone will be there to hand off your student's materials. Just give them your student's name and teacher's name.
Bonus: You can use our library book check out form to get books from the library at the same time. This form must be filled out the day before you pick up books.
Thank you for all of your support!
9/11/20
Everyone did a wonderful job this week and I loved seeing so many friends in the different meetings! I think we have worked out most of the kinks and are on the right track!
One of the kinks was our small group math. The students did really well with their small group reading so we are going to keep that going. However, it was really hard to work on counting in the sit down format. Some of you might have noticed that small group math was replaced with “Counting Calisthenics”. This is where we are getting out of our chair and doing some controlled movements while practicing counting to 120 (a grade level standard) in a variety of ways.
Another area we are working on is getting the students materials they need to do work with paper and pencil and not just with their chromebooks. This week you will have an opportunity to pick up a supply bag from school. Mr. Bartlow sent out an email with information as to how to get the materials (https://storage.googleapis.com/pt04-1/messages/attachments/521ede8b7ea97ba582bf44abb8c3a34f/2020newsSept09.pdf). And I have created a video for you to watch explaining what will be in the bag (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V5xS9Ervegaiu3RecQfFC6Qi6m5UOie6/view?usp=sharing).
Another area you will notice this week is that you will see more than just me on the learning activities! The first grade team at Sunnycrest will be sharing videos with all of our classes so your student will not just get to know me, but also the other first grade teachers in their learning during the week.
Finally, we are starting one on ones this week. Please see our classroom website and the announcements on Seesaw for the schedule and a link to the meeting. Please make sure your child uses the correct link (different than the other meetings) and logs in at their time. If they log in early it will be during another child’s meeting and I will have to sign them off and have them resign on when it is their meeting time.
9/4/20
It has been quite a busy week! Thank you all for hanging in there with me as we got technology up and running and the students into their weekly activities. Remember we are easing into things so there are less activities now than what you can expect in the coming weeks. My main focus was to get everyone into Seesaw and Google Meets and comfortable in those platforms.
This week we are adding reading, social skills and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) into our learning path! You will also find a parent support video for helping your student on Google Meets. This video can be found on our classroom website or on Seesaw on the learning path page under announcements.
In addition, I had a lot of requests for how to organize the coursework. Some families want more details whereas others are looking for a checklist...well I have both! Please look at our classroom website under assignments or on Seesaw under announcements. Please pick whichever works best for you family to use. On the student end, the biggest things for them is to make sure they are completing all of the work under activities on Seesaw and attend our meetings (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 9am, 9:45am and 10:45am). I have changed it so there is only one link for all of these meetings and you can find it under announcements in Seesaw and also on our classroom website under First Grade Extras.
Finally, I was planning on starting one on ones this week in the afternoon. I am going to hold off for one more week because the specialists are still working out their schedules and I want to make sure I do not double book the students. Plus with Monday having no live lessons because of Labor Day, I thought we should start off on the first full week of school with these one on ones.
However, Red and Blue groups are ready and both in Seesaw under announcements as well as under group schedules on our classroom website. No need to set a timer for these small reading and math groups because I will just keep those students on after our live lesson!
Have a great three day weekend and I will see all of your wonderful children’s faces on Tuesday at 9am!
8/31/20
First off, I want to thank you for your patience with getting our systems up and running. I have been in touch with several of you through email or phone calls working through Skyward, Chromebook and Clever issues. I want to pass on that I spoke with Mr. Bartlow this afternoon about some of the problems encountered so far and he is letting the district office know about what is going on. Hopefully, we can have a resolution soon for the problems I have been unable to fix.
On that note, here is my plan for this first week which is a bit different than I had hoped.
Prior to the first day of school, please complete (or try the following)—some of these items may have been already accomplished for some of you:
1. Log in to your parent Skyward account (not the student one on their chromebook). Instructions here: https://mrsstrand.weebly.com/first-grade-extras.html
2. Sign up for a Family Connections Meeting in your parent Skyward. Instructions here: https://mrsstrand.weebly.com/first-grade-extras.html
3. Log on to your child’s chromebook. You will need their student number from Skyward (unless it is already saved on their chromebook) and they should still have the same password as last year. If you do not know your child’s password or they have not used a chromebook before, let me know right away so I can reset it.
4. Once your logged in to your child’s chromebook, sign in to Clever (should be right on the Google Chrome home screen). You should have received in an email from the district the new Clever log in information for this year.
5. Have your child access SeeSaw through Clever.
6. Make sure Google Meets is downloaded on whatever device you are going to be using for our Family Connections Meeting.
Please connect with me through email if you are unable to complete any of these steps (if you have not already) and I will try my best to solve the problem on Tuesday.
First Week Plans (9/2-9/4):
1. Have your child attend the Morning Meetings on Google Meets at 9am on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, The link to this is meet.google.com/hsr-mdkn-hes and it is also on our classroom website under First Grade Extras and on SeeSaw in the announcements.
*Do not use the Zoom link. I have one just in case Google Meets is ever down.
2. In SeeSaw there are three fun activities for your students to complete. The due date is 9/4 and all should be submitted in SeeSaw, however, these assignments are not graded and just a fun way for us to get to know your child so if you are having technical difficulties and can not access or complete them, do not worry.
3. Attend your child’s Family Connections Meeting. This will be a way for us to connect and also work through any technical issues you are having. We can also discuss the three small assignments if you need help with those. Tonight, you can expect a Google Meets invitation from me. In that invitation is your unique link to our meeting. I know some are concerned with the link not working when it is supposed to, so if you are more than five minutes late to our Family Connections Meeting, I will start calling the parent contact numbers in Skyward because I will assume Google Meets is not working. If you have not received a Google Meets invite by tomorrow morning, please email me.
Lastly, some of the feedback I have received is that families were receiving multiple emails and multiple assignments throughout the week last Spring. On my end, you can expect ONE email from me on Friday similar to this preparing you for the week ahead unless there is an educational emergency or you reach out to me directly. You can also expect that the following week’s learning will be posted on SeeSaw on the Friday evening of the week before it is due and that our website will be updated. My hope is that with all of this information coming at one time, you can have the weekend to process it and even begin working if that is best for your family.
We are starting off slow academically until we are comfortable with the three platforms (SeeSaw, iReady and McGraw-Hill Wonders) and how to access information.
8/24/20
Welcome to a new school year! I am so excited to have your student in my classroom and I am sure we are going to have a wonderful year together! In our class, I use three major modes of technology for parent communication. Those modes are our classroom website, SeeSaw and Skyward/Family Access.
Our classroom website is updated every Monday. On the website you will find important information for the week in our news feed on the home page. The website also lists contact information, assignment due dates and details about what we are learning that week. The classroom website address is www.mrsstrand.weebly.com.
SeeSaw is where your student will work from mostly. Think of it like a landing pad where they can find their instructional videos and their assignments for the day. You can also join the SeeSaw class (link in First Grade Extras) so you can get notification of what we are up to!
Finally, I use Skyward exclusively for their grading of assignments and assessments. You can expect that all assignments will be graded and uploaded within 24 hours of submittal. All assessments will be graded and uploaded within one week. If you need help acquiring your login information, please communicate with the front office as they can connect you with the resources necessary to get that information.
Please feel free to email me with any questions. I check my email regularly Monday through Friday from 8:30am-3:30pm.
Next parent pick up is:
Parent Supply pick-up will be held on
Tuesday, January 26th from 1-3 PM,
Wednesday, January 27th from 3 - 6 PM, and
Thursday, January 28th from 1-3 PM.
11/20/20
We have a few more important instructional materials that your child will need in the upcoming weeks.
Parent Supply pick-up will be held on
Tuesday, December 1st from 1-3 PM,
Wednesday, December 2nd from 3 - 6 PM, and
Thursday, December 3rd from 1-3 PM.
Parents just need to pull up near the library door, ring the doorbell and someone will be there to hand off your student's materials. Just give them your student's name and teacher's name.
Bonus: You can use our library book check out form to get books from the library at the same time. This form must be filled out the day before you pick up books.
10/16/20
We have a few more important instructional materials that your child will need in the upcoming weeks.
Parent Supply pick-up will be held on
Tuesday, October 20th from 1-3 PM,
Wednesday, October 21st from 9 AM - 6 PM, and
Thursday October 22nd from 1-3 PM.
Parents just need to pull up near the library door, ring the doorbell and someone will be there to hand off your student's materials. Just give them your student's name and teacher's name.
Bonus: You can use our library book check out form to get books from the library at the same time. This form must be filled out the day before you pick up books.
Thank you for all of your support!
9/11/20
Everyone did a wonderful job this week and I loved seeing so many friends in the different meetings! I think we have worked out most of the kinks and are on the right track!
One of the kinks was our small group math. The students did really well with their small group reading so we are going to keep that going. However, it was really hard to work on counting in the sit down format. Some of you might have noticed that small group math was replaced with “Counting Calisthenics”. This is where we are getting out of our chair and doing some controlled movements while practicing counting to 120 (a grade level standard) in a variety of ways.
Another area we are working on is getting the students materials they need to do work with paper and pencil and not just with their chromebooks. This week you will have an opportunity to pick up a supply bag from school. Mr. Bartlow sent out an email with information as to how to get the materials (https://storage.googleapis.com/pt04-1/messages/attachments/521ede8b7ea97ba582bf44abb8c3a34f/2020newsSept09.pdf). And I have created a video for you to watch explaining what will be in the bag (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V5xS9Ervegaiu3RecQfFC6Qi6m5UOie6/view?usp=sharing).
Another area you will notice this week is that you will see more than just me on the learning activities! The first grade team at Sunnycrest will be sharing videos with all of our classes so your student will not just get to know me, but also the other first grade teachers in their learning during the week.
Finally, we are starting one on ones this week. Please see our classroom website and the announcements on Seesaw for the schedule and a link to the meeting. Please make sure your child uses the correct link (different than the other meetings) and logs in at their time. If they log in early it will be during another child’s meeting and I will have to sign them off and have them resign on when it is their meeting time.
9/4/20
It has been quite a busy week! Thank you all for hanging in there with me as we got technology up and running and the students into their weekly activities. Remember we are easing into things so there are less activities now than what you can expect in the coming weeks. My main focus was to get everyone into Seesaw and Google Meets and comfortable in those platforms.
This week we are adding reading, social skills and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) into our learning path! You will also find a parent support video for helping your student on Google Meets. This video can be found on our classroom website or on Seesaw on the learning path page under announcements.
In addition, I had a lot of requests for how to organize the coursework. Some families want more details whereas others are looking for a checklist...well I have both! Please look at our classroom website under assignments or on Seesaw under announcements. Please pick whichever works best for you family to use. On the student end, the biggest things for them is to make sure they are completing all of the work under activities on Seesaw and attend our meetings (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 9am, 9:45am and 10:45am). I have changed it so there is only one link for all of these meetings and you can find it under announcements in Seesaw and also on our classroom website under First Grade Extras.
Finally, I was planning on starting one on ones this week in the afternoon. I am going to hold off for one more week because the specialists are still working out their schedules and I want to make sure I do not double book the students. Plus with Monday having no live lessons because of Labor Day, I thought we should start off on the first full week of school with these one on ones.
However, Red and Blue groups are ready and both in Seesaw under announcements as well as under group schedules on our classroom website. No need to set a timer for these small reading and math groups because I will just keep those students on after our live lesson!
Have a great three day weekend and I will see all of your wonderful children’s faces on Tuesday at 9am!
8/31/20
First off, I want to thank you for your patience with getting our systems up and running. I have been in touch with several of you through email or phone calls working through Skyward, Chromebook and Clever issues. I want to pass on that I spoke with Mr. Bartlow this afternoon about some of the problems encountered so far and he is letting the district office know about what is going on. Hopefully, we can have a resolution soon for the problems I have been unable to fix.
On that note, here is my plan for this first week which is a bit different than I had hoped.
Prior to the first day of school, please complete (or try the following)—some of these items may have been already accomplished for some of you:
1. Log in to your parent Skyward account (not the student one on their chromebook). Instructions here: https://mrsstrand.weebly.com/first-grade-extras.html
2. Sign up for a Family Connections Meeting in your parent Skyward. Instructions here: https://mrsstrand.weebly.com/first-grade-extras.html
3. Log on to your child’s chromebook. You will need their student number from Skyward (unless it is already saved on their chromebook) and they should still have the same password as last year. If you do not know your child’s password or they have not used a chromebook before, let me know right away so I can reset it.
4. Once your logged in to your child’s chromebook, sign in to Clever (should be right on the Google Chrome home screen). You should have received in an email from the district the new Clever log in information for this year.
5. Have your child access SeeSaw through Clever.
6. Make sure Google Meets is downloaded on whatever device you are going to be using for our Family Connections Meeting.
Please connect with me through email if you are unable to complete any of these steps (if you have not already) and I will try my best to solve the problem on Tuesday.
First Week Plans (9/2-9/4):
1. Have your child attend the Morning Meetings on Google Meets at 9am on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, The link to this is meet.google.com/hsr-mdkn-hes and it is also on our classroom website under First Grade Extras and on SeeSaw in the announcements.
*Do not use the Zoom link. I have one just in case Google Meets is ever down.
2. In SeeSaw there are three fun activities for your students to complete. The due date is 9/4 and all should be submitted in SeeSaw, however, these assignments are not graded and just a fun way for us to get to know your child so if you are having technical difficulties and can not access or complete them, do not worry.
3. Attend your child’s Family Connections Meeting. This will be a way for us to connect and also work through any technical issues you are having. We can also discuss the three small assignments if you need help with those. Tonight, you can expect a Google Meets invitation from me. In that invitation is your unique link to our meeting. I know some are concerned with the link not working when it is supposed to, so if you are more than five minutes late to our Family Connections Meeting, I will start calling the parent contact numbers in Skyward because I will assume Google Meets is not working. If you have not received a Google Meets invite by tomorrow morning, please email me.
Lastly, some of the feedback I have received is that families were receiving multiple emails and multiple assignments throughout the week last Spring. On my end, you can expect ONE email from me on Friday similar to this preparing you for the week ahead unless there is an educational emergency or you reach out to me directly. You can also expect that the following week’s learning will be posted on SeeSaw on the Friday evening of the week before it is due and that our website will be updated. My hope is that with all of this information coming at one time, you can have the weekend to process it and even begin working if that is best for your family.
We are starting off slow academically until we are comfortable with the three platforms (SeeSaw, iReady and McGraw-Hill Wonders) and how to access information.
8/24/20
Welcome to a new school year! I am so excited to have your student in my classroom and I am sure we are going to have a wonderful year together! In our class, I use three major modes of technology for parent communication. Those modes are our classroom website, SeeSaw and Skyward/Family Access.
Our classroom website is updated every Monday. On the website you will find important information for the week in our news feed on the home page. The website also lists contact information, assignment due dates and details about what we are learning that week. The classroom website address is www.mrsstrand.weebly.com.
SeeSaw is where your student will work from mostly. Think of it like a landing pad where they can find their instructional videos and their assignments for the day. You can also join the SeeSaw class (link in First Grade Extras) so you can get notification of what we are up to!
Finally, I use Skyward exclusively for their grading of assignments and assessments. You can expect that all assignments will be graded and uploaded within 24 hours of submittal. All assessments will be graded and uploaded within one week. If you need help acquiring your login information, please communicate with the front office as they can connect you with the resources necessary to get that information.
Please feel free to email me with any questions. I check my email regularly Monday through Friday from 8:30am-3:30pm.