Thursday, May 13th, 2021, Volume 15 Issue 89
The summer is just six short weeks away, but we still need to maximize ALL our students’ learning time! We know that students tend to experience a loss of skill over the length of a typical summer. We need to keep our children engaged in learning throughout the end of the school year and into the summer and we need your help to do this! Since our learning schedule changed at the start of April, students have a half-day with their teacher – either in-person or remote. The other half of the day is the time to do work independently on Seesaw that teachers have assigned (or to work in a small group with an interventionist if that is part of your child’s learning plan). We have noticed a drop-off in student work completion on Seesaw, as well as a drop in attendance overall. Our average daily attendance for the school year is 97.3%. Last week, this number was at 94.5%. This may not seem like much difference, but it is a concerning downward trend, and when we look at the data for particular groups within our school, the difference is even more concerning. Although attendance last week was at 94.5%, our average daily Seesaw usage was at just 73.7%. While more work is being done in person, teachers are still assigning some work on Seesaw each day, but many students are not completing this work, which means they are not getting the skill practice they need to solidify new learning.
Teachers will continue their hard work to support students and reach out to connect with parents to be sure students are learning. Please ask your child to show you what they are completing on Seesaw. There will be some amount of work for them to do during their time at home EVERY day. One of the most important things our students can be doing is reading every day. This should continue throughout the summer. All of our K-2 students had the opportunity to order free books that will be delivered near the end of the school year, and 3rd-5th grade students will have this same opportunity this year as well – details will come from your child’s teacher. Mr. Zetterberg will be running a summer library program on Tuesday evenings, as he does each summer. Our goal is to keep books accessible to students so that each student can read at least 4 books over the course of the summer – the amount said to keep summer slide from happening. Our Thurgood Marshall Community Night is coming up on May 27 at 6 PM. This year our theme is “A Celebration of Literacy.” This event will be virtual, of course, but school staff will be offering a variety of sessions for both students and parents to attend. We will be sending out a schedule with meeting links soon. Parents will have the opportunity to learn more about the Science of Reading. This information will be presented in multiple languages so as not to leave anyone out! Please mark your calendars and join us. Help us keep the learning at TM going now – and ALL through the summer!
TM’s Move-a-thon is our annual fundraiser for Field Trips so that all students are able to participate without worry for the expense.
This year, we are asking students to participate by doing thirty minutes of consistent movement during the last week of May, any time between May 24 – May 31. Students can do this with their family, on their own or with Ms. Litton during a movement opportunity for students during Open Choice Time for PE on Wednesday, May 26th. Students can run, walk, dance, hula-hoop, or any other movement of their choice. The goal is to keep moving!
On May 21, we will have our Move-a-Thon kick-off assembly. Students will learn about how the Move-a-Thon will work and this is the day that teachers will send home the envelopes and sponsor sheets to all in-person students. Our remote students will be sent the information electronically to print off or they can pick up their materials in person. Students collect donations from family and friends, and every student who participates will be entered in a drawing for a prize. We are working out the details for on-line donations to make this more convenient for everyone. Keep an eye out for more information to come on May 21!
BLT Recruiting Statement: The Thurgood Marshall Building Leadership Team is looking for parent representatives from our General Education program, our AC Scholars (HCC program) and our Special Education Program. We are also looking for a representative from our Black Family Advocacy Support Group. The two-year commitment for joining the BLT is to attend a monthly meeting (Tuesdays from 4-5:30) and help us make decisions about our building budget, our Continuous School Improvement Plan, and Professional Development Plan. In addition, the BLT guides the climate and mission and vision of the school. Our meetings have typically been held one Tuesday each month from 4-5:30 PM, and it would be fine to attend these meeting virtually if you are not able to attend in person. We have a parent representative for each of our school programs: AC Scholars, PEACE Scholars and Scholars. We also have a position held for a member of our Black Family Advocacy Support Group and we are also looking to fill this position. If you are interested in nominating yourself to serve on the BLT, please send me a short statement of why you are interested in serving. You can also reach out to our current parent representatives, Tripti Balgi at triptibaliga@gmail.com, and Neha Lohia at neha@lohia.org.
Help lead Thurgood Marshall's Equity efforts next year! The Equity Action Teams are looking for people interested in joining their leadership team for the 2021-2022 school year. Open positions include: SECRETARY and EVENT PLANNER. People filling these roles will work with the support and collaboration of the whole leadership team and the general members of the Equity Action Teams. This is a great way to meet new parents/caregivers, learn more about working toward equity, and take action in the school community in concrete impactful ways. If you have any interest in these roles, have questions, or would like to explore other ways to get involved in the Equity Action Teams, please email the Leadership Team at equityactiontm@gmail.com. More information about Thurgood Marshall's Equity Action Teams can be found at: https://tmlink.org/info/equity-in-education-initiative/.
