Weekly parent update

Hi Parents

Welcome to week 7 of isolation. We hope that you are doing alright and are getting outside to enjoy the sunshine we have been having. We know that mental health is a real concern as we walk through these difficult days. If your family is struggling, please reach out to us for help. We can reduce workloads or connect you with resources in our community that can provide support.

If your family is struggling or looking for support please note upcoming free webinars for parents.

• Kids Have Stress Too
• Crisis Survival Skills: Supporting your Child and Teen during Stressful Times
• Taming Anxiety Gremlins: Avoiding anxiety traps while promoting resilience
• Mindfulness as an Anxiety Management Tool
• Emotional Regulation Using Mindfulness

To access any of the above webinars please click this link and create an account.
https://community.hmhc.ca/sessions/?p=online&fbclid=IwAR1YlVL6AJM4Fu_yCI2LEvMVwFTOClEfSd5G05maOovsKVg02V5IEsFP5cQ

Here are the subjects and associated work being assigned this week:

Math

Going forward, students will be receiving 2 Jump Math lessons and a quiz each week. Please ensure that they go through the lessons and complete the work before attempting the quiz. In addition, students need to go to their Xtramath account to work on their basic fact speed.

Social Studies and Language Arts

For the next few weeks, we are integrating Social Studies into Language Arts. Your students will be doing research on Alberta regions. Students should continue to journal daily and be prepared to show their journal on Monday class meetings.
4D students will also be filming the puppet show they wrote last week into Fipgrid as well as doing a fun reading picture log activity.

Science

Students will be continuing to complete their observations of their experiment for the next few weeks. If you are following Mrs. Brophy’s mold experiment, the pictures will continue to be posted on your child’s classroom Stream. Last week's observation sheets were a bit wrong. Please only do up to day 6 and then turn it in. Week 2's observation sheet will start on day 7 and go to 13. Thank you for understanding!

Survey Results, Fairytale assignment, this Weeks Science and I Can Statements

Hi Parents

Thank you for your participation in our workload survey. From this survey, it looks like most families feel that the assignments that the Grade 4 teachers have been assigning are falling within the 5 hours a week time frame. We also know that not everyone felt this way. Please remember during this period of ongoing learning at home that you as parents are in charge of how much your child participates in the school work being assigned. If you feel that it is too much please know that you can pull it back for them and let us know what they can or cannot complete. We will be reaching out to families whose children are not turning in any work at all but will not be chasing down students to complete every assignment. Also, remember that if your child is keen to do more work they can go on the extra websites that we have provided.

Literacy Assignments this week:

The Fairytale writing assignment is complex and will be our writing for the next 2 weeks as we are taking students through the writing process. Please encourage your child to start this assignment early this week. We will available to answer questions at our scheduled meet times and will be providing feedback throughout the process. There may be several returns of one assignment to ensure that feedback is being incorporated into their scripts.

Science this week:

For science this week, we are doing an experiment about the decomposition of food. For this experiment, students will watch an instructional video about how to grow mold and how to set that up in their own house. This is completely optional for your family. Mrs. Brophy will be posting the photos of the mold experiment she has set up starting on Tuesday and students can use these pictures for their observation. The pictures will be posted each day by 9:30 am on the classroom stream. We know that families have a variety of health concerns and potentially limited access to the resources for this experiment that could make participation challenging.

I Can Statements:

Below you will find the “I can” statements that relate directly to the assignments we have been assigning. These are the specific things we will be looking for in student assignments.

Literacy:

• I can use talk, notes and personal writing to reflect on my ideas and experiences.
• I can revise my writing so that it makes sense.
• I can record ideas and information that are on topic.
• I can use strong (juicy) words to expand my ideas in writing
• I can connect the thoughts and actions of characters in things I read, hear and see to my personal and classroom experiences.  

Math:

• I can write, draw or tell about decimals.
• I can show that fractions and decimals are related to each other.
• I can add and subtract decimals.

Thank you for your continued support during this challenging season.

The Grade 4 Team

Hi Grade 4 Parents

We have noticed that there are some kids not completing or turning in work. It’s really important that parents be involved in reading what the assignment instructions are so that they can support and fully understand assignment expectations. All assignments for the week will be posted in Google Classrooms at 8pm on Sunday evenings and you will find a student schedule that might help keep things more organized.

• Daily Journals do not need to be handed in but students should have them available at our weekly meetings
• Other language Arts activities need to be turned in through Google Classroom
• Our weekly Monday meetings are mandatory (as long as you have access to the technology)
• Jump math should be checked by you at home with the provided answer keys and then students should click ‘turn in’ when completed. Please do not upload a picture of these assignments. There will be quizzes that students will complete for assessment.
• Other math activities like word problems should be turned in to be marked.
• Science activities should be turned in on Google Classroom to be marked

There will be regular Google Meeting times at 10 am and 1:30 pm every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. These times are available to provide support and to answer questions. We are also available by email if parents have questions or concerns. Our office hours are Monday to Friday from 9am to 12:00 and 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. If you have questions or concerns at other time please email us and we will get back to you during our office hours.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Erin Brophy ewbrophy@cbe.ab.ca

Meghan DeSmet mldesmet@cbe.ab.ca

Shannon Moncrieff sdmoncrieff@cbe.ab.ca

Reminder and the Great Pick up!

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The GREAT PICK UP
Just a reminder to check the Simons Valley School website for designated times of when you can pick up your child’s belongings.

Student last name (A-L) ONLY pick up on Thursday and Student last name (M-Z) Tuesday only.

  Please only come during your time. Wednesday, April 15th is an alternate date only to be used if you are unable to come in on this Thursday or upcoming Tuesday.

LIBRARY BOOKS and HOME READING BOOKS
All SVS library books/home reading books can be returned the day of your pick up.


FOOD DRIVE
In addition, to the ‘Great Pick Up’, we will also have boxes available for food donations.
The Salvation Army Berkshire Citadel Community Church has been at the forefront of supporting many of our SVS families and this is one way we can help replenish their supplies.  They are in need of canned fruit and vegetables but are grateful for any non-perishable items.

Be Brave, Be Kind, Stay Positive.

Office Hours and new blog day

Hi Parents

All of the student assignments were posted to your child’s Google Classroom last night. All assignments are posted for the whole week so that you are better able to plan out your week and make this as successful as possible. We have included a student schedule that might be helpful in keeping track of their progress. If it does not work for your family, please feel free to disregard it and do what will work.

Please reach out if you are needing help. You can reach us through email and then we can call you or reply appropriately. Mrs. Brophy will be having office hours Monday to Friday between 9:00am - 12:00 and Mrs. Moncrieff will have office hours between 1pm - 3pm.

We would like to thank you for your patience as we work all of these changes out together. There will be hiccups, but I know that with patience, flexibility, and understanding we can work through anything that comes up.

Going forward we will be posting on our blogs on Mondays. All other communication will be done within our Google Classrooms.

Erin Brophy ewbrophy@cbe.ab.ca
Shannon Moncrieff sdmoncrieff@cbe.ab.ca
Meghan DeSmet mldesmet@cbe.ab.ca

Google Meet Ground rules and other important details

Hi Everyone

An email has been sent to parent's email and student Gmail accounts with information on how to join our Google Meet. 

We ask that you review this information sometime this weekend in order to be ready to go on Monday as well as clarify any questions you may have.  

Ground Rules for Student Sessions

When participating in a Google Meet session…

• Join using the nickname provided by your teacher. The nickname will be emailed to your child’s Gmail account.  Join the session at the designated time. 4D students, please join the first time using the link that was sent to your Gmail (educbe) account. For future meetings our meetings will be called mrsbrophydesmet4d
• Mute (turn off) your microphone. 
• Turn on your video camera only at the direction of your teacher. 
• Wait until your teacher or another student passes you the microphone before turning on your microphone. They will say “Let’s pass the mic to [Name]” 
• Use a headset or find a quiet space to avoid extra noise or distraction in the background.
• Sign out of the session at the direction of your teacher.
• The teacher is the last one to sign out of each session.

Pick up schedule and today's assignment

Hello Parents

Hi Parents

We understand that learning from home presents many challenges for families and we want to assure you that we understand how those challenges are different for each of you. If you are finding the work that we are assigning too challenging for your child or if it is not fitting with your family's rhythm during this challenging season, please email your child’s teacher so that we can adjust the expectations to suit them better.

The Alberta government has directed teachers of Kindergarten through Grade 6 students to assign 1 hour of work per day. Each student’s ability differs and therefore that amount of time it takes each student to complete assignments also differs. If you are finding that your child requires more work we can provide additional websites that can challenge them in a variety of ways. Please reach out to us if you are needing extra help with finding these extensions.

4D parents, going forward we have another teacher supporting our classroom. Our music teacher Shannon Moncrieff has been assigned to support learning in Grade 4. When emailing please include sdmoncrieff@cbe.ab.ca along with ewbrophy@cbe.ab.ca and mldesmet@cbe.ab.ca

Today’s Assignment:

You will receive an email today with instructions about logging into Xtramath.com 

This website is an excellent tool to support student's daily practice of math facts and problem-solving skills.

Picking up Student Materials:

Dear Simons Valley Parents/Guardians,

Thank you for being the amazing parent group that you are! Your patience and support as we navigate through these uncertain times is so appreciated.  Our school mantra has been ‘We are all in this together!’  and truly what matters the most right now, is how we stay connected in uncertain times. 

Many of you have asked about when you are able to come by the school and gather your child’s belongings as well as, returning library books. We would like to offer you the opportunity to come to SVS on 

Thursday, April 9th   AM (only) for student last names starting with A-L 

Tuesday, April 14th AM (only) for student last names starting beginning with M-Z

ALTERNATE ONLY: Wednesday, April 15th 

Please see the schedule below:

IMPORTANT: In accordance with Alberta Health Services and social distancing:

• If anyone in your family is ill, please do not come to the school.  Student belongings will not leave the school and we can make arrangements at another time for you to come in when your family is healthy.  We prefer to be cautious and not endanger the staff and their families.
• Only one parent, (no students will be allowed) is invited to come to the school at their designated time. Please make sure you know your child’s/children’s teacher’s name.  Do not collect for any other families but your own. 
• Ask your child for the description of their indoor shoes. 

This is not a time to socialize and catch up.  We need you to be as efficient and quick as possible to help maximize the safety of everyone.  We do request that you promptly collect your belongings, not engage in conversation and respect social distancing for your safety and that of our staff. (We don’t mean for this to be so quick and impersonal but health and safety is our number one priority).

Kindly follow the schedule below with the first letter of your child’s last name and enter through the glass doors by the parking lot (Grade One doors) and exit by the front doors on Sandarac Drive. We ask you to try to make it on Thursday/Tuesday and only come on Wednesday as an alternate.

SVS staff is working hard planning and organizing learning materials. We ask that you check your emails and our website Simons Valley School, as it can be translated into a variety of languages. Please feel free to contact us at the school at 403-777-6660 or email your child’s teacher.  Although we have no idea when we will come out of this, if we stand by one another, we can somehow rise above it. After all, when this is all over, all that will really matter is how we treated each other.

Be Brave, Be Kind, Stay Positive,

Chris Snow, Principal

Gina Davidoff, Assistant Principal

Thursday, April 9th, 2020

Students with the last name A 8:00am – 8:20am

Students with the last name A 8:30am – 8:45am

Students with the last name B 8:55am – 9:10am

Students with the last name C 9:20am – 9:35am

Students with the last name D 9:45am – 10:00am

Students with the last name E/F 10:10am – 10:25am

Students with the last name G 10:35am – 10:50am

Students with the last name H-I 11:00am – 11:15am

Students with the last name J/K 11:25am – 11:40am

Students with the last name L         11:50am – 12:05pm

Tuesday, April 14th, 2020

Students with the last name M 8:30am-8:45am

Students with the last name N/O 8:55am-9:10am

Students with the last name P/R 9:20am-9:35am

Students with the last name S 9:45am-10:00am

                        10:10am-10:25am

Students with the last name T/U 10:35am – 10:50am

Students with the last name V 11:00am – 11:15am

Students with the last name W-Z 11:25 am – 11:40 pm

Alternate Only: Wednesday, April 15th

Students with the last name W-Z 8:30am – 8:45am

Students with the last name V 8:55am – 9:10am

Students with the last name T/U 9:20am – 9:35am

Students with the last name S 9:45am – 10:00am

                       10:10am – 10:25am

Students with the last name P/R 10:35am – 10:50am

Students with the last name N/O 11:00am – 11:15am

Students with the last name M 11:25am – 11:40am

Students with the last name L         11:50am – 12:05pm

Students with the last name J/K 12:15pm – 12:30pm

Students with the last name H-I 12:40pm – 12:55pm

Students with the last name G 1:05pm – 1:20pm

Students with the last name E/F 1:30pm – 1:45pm

Students with the last name D 1:55pm – 2:10 pm

Students with the last name C 2:20 pm – 2:35pm

Students with the last name B 2:45pm – 3:00pm

Students with the last name A 3:10pm – 3:25pm

Hi Parents

Please remember to go join our Google classroom as soon as possible. We will be having our first Meet on Monday at 11am. Students can access the invitation to join the meeting by going to their edu/google email accounts. If students only have a smartphone they can join the meeting by entering the phone number after they select the link.

Today’s assignment:

Log onto Quill (all students should have an account) and complete one of the lessons assigned. This program focuses on practicing typing skills, grammar, and sentence structure practice. We would like students to get in the habit of completing 2-3 Quill lessons per week. 

Link to access Quill https://www.quill.org/

4D students - your account name is (fill in your own information)

firstname.lastname@work-canvas

Your password is your last name with a capital.

Hi Parents

We sent an email this morning about Google Classroom. Please check for that update.