Thursday, October 29th, 2020, Volume 15 Issue 65
Digital Citizens, Principal Katie May
This year, more than any other, helping children understand what it means to be a digital citizen is important! What is digital citizen? It’s a person who develops the skills and knowledge to use the internet safely and responsibly. If you attended PTA meetings in the past, you may have learned about what Mr. Zetterberg covers with students as part of his library curriculum. This year, teachers have been reviewing our schoolwide expectations for online learning and behavior with students. This is our 3rd-5th grade matrix:
Ms. Matsui and her counseling intern Ssu-Yu Chen have created short videos and lessons to remind students about how to stay safe online and how to be respectful to peers. Your child may have already heard this lesson this month, but if not, they will soon. Ask them what they learned! Common Sense Media is a great resource for parents and educators alike! At commonsensemedia.org, you can find lesson plans and resources to help you engage in these conversations at home with your child. In the “For Parents” section, there is a tab on Distance Learning that covers topics like “Ways to help your child socialize at a distance” and “Keeping kids motivated for online learning.” These are probably the two topics I have heard the most about from parents. Please check out this site for new ideas! Chat feature of Teams: Teachers have also been setting expectations with their students about using the chat feature. For younger students, this is generally less of a concern, but older students (3rd and up) have been a bit more excited about the chat and its similarity to texting. With the version of Microsoft Teams that we have, teachers are not able to turn the chat off, so instead we need to focus on helping students understand appropriate ways to use it. Teachers do use the chat as a way for students to participate in class, depending on the lesson. I was recently in Ms. Laughlin’s 4th grade math class and she had students solve a problem then on the count of 3, put their answer in the chat. This was a fun way for students to check if they had the same result as others in their class, and then to discuss why or why not. The private chat feature is a bigger concern. Because it is private, our expectation at school is that is it ONLY to be used for students to communicate to their teacher. However, we cannot see if a student sends a private message to another student. It is a good practice to check in on your child’s Teams threads at least once a week to check the content of their chats. This is similar to checking in on your child’s cell phone usage from time to time. Children at the elementary age need support in the virtual world to make sure they are navigating safely and only accessing the content you feel is appropriate for them. There are many virtual temptations out there, and setting clear parameters is important.
Calendar
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30th Book-o-ween ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11th Veteran’s Day – No School ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– NOVEMBER 21st, 23rd/24th Fall Parent Conferences 8:00am - 3:30pm ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– NOVEMBER 16th - 29th Scholastic Book Fair ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– NOVEMBER 25th - 27th Thanksgiving Break –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
The Scholastic Book Fair is back! While the Fair will be exclusively held online this year, we still plan on making it a fun and joyous experience for our kids. The Online Fair will include features such as Thurgood Marshall’s own online store, games for kids, virtual store walk-throughs and more. Remember, every dollar you spend will benefit our school directly (25% back in rewards!). Fair Dates: November 16th - November 29th , 2020 We can’t wait to “see” you at the Fair!
Thurgood Marshall Thanksgiving Meal-in-a-Bag Program Thanksgiving is right around the corner! In this challenging year, our community’s needs are greater than ever. I know many of us are looking for ways to help each other out -- here is a great opportunity. At Thurgood Marshall, we have an annual tradition of sharing the spirit and tradition of Thanksgiving by bringing families together through shared food. Through your generous donations, we will provide a Thanksgiving Meal-in-a-Bag to each Thurgood Marshall family in need. DONORS: Prepare a Thanksgiving Meal-in-a-Bag with the following items in a doubled paper grocery bag (or reusable bag): ● $20 gift card to QFC or Safeway ● 2 cans of green beans ● 1 bag or box of cubed bread stuffing ● 1 box of instant mashed potatoes ● 1 can of cream of mushroom soup ● 1 can of cranberry sauce ● 1 pound of yams or sweet potatoes ● 1 shelf-stable pie crust (graham cracker or boxed dry mix) ● 1 can of pumpkin puree ● 1 can of evaporated milk Please email Jen Gotanda at jgotanda@gmail.com to confirm you will be participating, then deliver your bag to school between November 9 - 17. The office is open 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM. Just ring the front door buzzer and someone will come out to get it. Thank you for your generosity! RECIPIENTS: The Meal-in-a-Bags with the above supplies will be available for pickup at Thurgood Marshall on Friday Nov. 20, Monday Nov. 23, or Tuesday Nov. 24 between 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM. If those times don’t work, please call the office to arrange another pickup time. To receive a bag, please email Trina Wright at trinabates@hotmail.com with the following information: Student’s first and last name Teacher Email Phone # Any questions? Email Jen Gotanda (jgotanda@gmail.com) or Trina Wright (trinabates@hotmail.com).
TM Library Checkout Days First and Third Wednesdays October 21st November 4th November 18th December 2nd December 16th January 6th January 20th February 3rd February 24th March 10th March 24th April 7th April 21 May 5th May 19th June 2nd will be the last checkout. All books must be turned in by June 16 (Last day of school is June 18) Reminder: You can turn library books in ANY day at our lunch site between 11:15 and 1:15 AM.
Volunteer Opportunities
Looking for ways to help out at Thurgood Marshall Elementary? Send an email to volunteering@tmlink.org for more information!
