Thursday, November 19th, 2020, Volume 15 Issue 68
Virtual Learning
Principal Katie May This school year has been nothing if not unusual! Hopefully this will stand out in our memories as the strangest one any of us will ever experience. This week, we heard both that cases of COVID-19 are at an all-time high and increasing more quickly than ever, but also that a new and effective vaccine is just on the horizon. Talk about highs and lows… I wanted to share some of the ways that we have been working to support learning during this time, as you are now intimately familiar with what is happening in your child’s class, but may be interested to know about other parts of the school.
First and foremost, our staff has been working hard to make sure that family’s basic needs are met. Many TM parents lost income throughout the pandemic and needs are higher than ever. Our Family Support Worker, Danny Hawkins, has been an invaluable source of support to families as he connects them to resources for food, housing, clothing and other types of emergency assistance. Many of you have supported our TM Community Cares Fund, which we have drawn on to pay for rent, utilities, and help with groceries. Also, the Thanksgiving Meal-in-a-Bags are being dropped off by TM families every day. Together, with your help, we expect to be able to provide Thanksgiving meals for 60 families! I would also like to thank Ms. Matsui, (school counselor) and Ms. Lorow (Assistant Principal) for their hard work supporting families. Schedule – Pandemic learning is new to all of us! Teachers quickly realized that more live instruction is not always better for students. They have continued to tweak their schedules since the start of the school year to find the just right balance of live whole group instruction, small group support and independent blocks of learning. While we are working hard to maintain consistency, you will likely continue to see small changes to class schedules as the year progresses. We have heard from parents and teachers that you want students to have breaks from screen time and more independent work. Teachers are trying to assign work that can be completed in a typical school day so that students have time to move when school hours are done. Even with movement breaks built in, we are all sitting more than we have in the past. Small Groups – Teachers have made time for small groups in each of their daily schedule. This makes it easier for students to participate in meaningful ways, give more opportunities for responses, and it also makes it easier for teachers to assess student progress. In the younger grades, teachers are meeting with small groups of students as they deliver the SIPPS Curriculum. SIPPS stands for Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Sight Words. In the past, SIPPS was used as an intervention, but this year many schools in Seattle are using it to support all students in systematically acquiring skills that will lead to reading success. In the older grades, you may see teachers meeting with small reading groups or book clubs, that will help teachers to more closely monitor reading progress than they could with whole group instruction. While a classroom teacher meets with one small group, other students are generally working independently – reading, completing work in Seesaw, journal writing, etc. Social opportunities – We have heard from both students and parents that children are missing out on social opportunities. Virtual school does not lend itself to casual interactions that typically happen on the playground, in the lunchroom, or in the hallways. School staff are trying to remedy this in different ways. Ms. Matsui and her counseling intern, Ms. Ssu, hold regular lunch groups. Some teachers invite small groups of students to visit at lunch on a rotating basis. Our specialists sometimes allow students to stay behind after a class to visit with them or other children. Some teachers have created clubs – either academic, interest-based or purely social to allow for more interaction. We have even had a few parent volunteers organize social time for students at lunch. We understand that this virtual time is not the same as being together in person, but for some students it is a worthwhile substitute until we can be together again in real life. Ms. Lorow and I continue to visit virtual classrooms to observe learning and instruction. Despite technology issues that arise, I am constantly delighted to see the strong, caring classrooms that teachers have been able to develop. This was my biggest concern of starting the year virtually – that teachers who had never met students in person would have a hard time building relationships with them. While it is not the same as it would be in person, I see students engaging in kind and respectful ways with each other and their teacher. I am in awe of the work-arounds teachers have developed to teach students in a virtual setting. Whether low tech use of white boards, or using more sophisticated app and websites, our teachers are working so hard to hold student interest and to provide meaningful instruction. I hear from parents every day about how much they appreciate the hard work of our teachers. I know that you see the work they are doing and how they are trying to engage your children. Your positive feedback to teachers helps keep them going during this really tricky time – please keep it up! We also want to hear from you when you feel things could be better or when something is not working as smoothly as it could be. We want to keep streamlining things for families as much as possible, to provide the resources you need, and to appeal to student interests. Although we may not be able to incorporate every suggestion, your thoughts and ideas help us to keep improving. Finally, as we will not have another Pup Press going out before the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to let you know how grateful I am for our TM Community – for our kind students, our hard-working teachers, and for you – our parents that right now are holding it all together. I appreciate you! Whatever you are doing to mark Thanksgiving, I hope you find moments of relaxation and joy with your families.
New Flooring for TM – we need your input! Our school will be getting new flooring throughout the building, as our old tiles are reaching the end of their life span. We are looking for a few parents, students and staff who are interested in working with the district architect to give input to color scheme, materials and design. No experience necessary – just opinions! Please email me if you are interested at kjmay1@seattleschools.org. We expect to have our first meeting the first week in December.
For Community and Families
Affordable Health Care Open Enrollment November 1 to December 15, 2020
It is open enrollment period for affordable or free (for those who qualify) Health Care Insurance in WA state, Apple Health.
WA state has a new option for individuals, Cascade-Care. We are the only state offering this type of option for health care access. 2021 is the first year it is available.
You can find information on the WA Healthplanfinder home page in the links below.
You may contact me; I can do my best to navigate this with you.
"Note: Children and pregnant individuals may qualify for Washington Apple Health coverage regardless of their immigration status."
Links to Healthplanfinder Apple Health and new option for individuals, Cascade Care.
English Link Here
En Espanol Link Here
Non Citizens:
Must meet all requirements for Apple Health except immigration status requirements, and have a qualifying emergency medical condition, including COVID-19 assessment & testing.
https://www.hca.wa.gov/health-care-services-supports/apple-health-medicaid-coverage/non-citizens
Calendar ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– NOVEMBER 21st, 23rd/24th Fall Parent Conferences 8:00am - 3:30pm ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– NOVEMBER 16th - 29th Scholastic Book Fair ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– NOVEMBER 25th - 27th There will be no school on Wednesday, Nov. 25th as our staff is trading this day for Saturday, Nov. 21st. School will also be closed on Thursday, Nov. 26 and Friday, Nov. 27 for the Thanksgiving Holiday. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Volunteer
Opportunities
Volunteering for our school definitely looks different this year! Please let us know if you would like to help by emailing our substitute admin secretary Cherese Williams at cnwilliams@seattleschools.org. Here are a few ways we could really use parent support:
Social Supervision – Even though we cannot have students together in person, we know that our students really value time to interact with other students outside the regular classroom setting. Consider hosting a lunch time hangout with a small group of students to give them an informal place to talk to others. In a virtual setting, we must have at least 2 adults together with our students for everyone’s safety.
Tech support – Are you tech savvy? Can you be on call to help troubleshoot tech problems for parents helping their children for one or more hours per week at a set time? If so, let us know your availability.
Deliveries – Some of our families find it difficult to come to school to pick up supplies and books that teachers are trying to get to them. If you are willing to help deliver these materials to our families’ porches, please let us know. As little as 1 hour per week will really help us out!
The Scholastic Book Fair is open! Join your kids in exploring titles and plots and discovering inspiring characters. Empower them by letting them choose the books to purchase—and bring on the joy of reading!
Remember, every dollar you spend will benefit our school directly (25% back in rewards!).
Be sure to visit the Fair during our allotted dates:
11/16 – 11/29
https://www.scholastic.com/bf/thurgoodmarshallelementary
Some amazing features of our online store:
Over 6,000 items, including new releases, best sellers, and value packs
A Virtual Fair shopping experience
All orders ship direct to home
FREE shipping on book-only orders over $25
We can’t wait to “see” you at the Fair!
FTME Autumn Challenge
This school year is looking very different than years past but the Friends of Thurgood Marshall (FTME) are still supporting our children in every way they can.
Our Autumn Challenge is beginning. Our annual goal is $61,000 this year. It is critical that FTME raises enough to fulfill our budget to continue to fund our librarian, remote learning supplies, classroom grants, enrichment activities, and so much more. This year is very different than years past, but the needs of our community continue. Our staff and community are putting in an amazing effort to meet the challenges of this year but this year, more than ever, we need your help.
FTME will spend $150 per student this year. Every donation, of any amount, will help our students. You will have a direct and positive impact on programs and resources that help all our children have the best possible school experience.
At Thurgood Marshall Elementary, there are no auctions or fundraising sales. Instead you will hear from us several times over the year, asking you for a gift. You can give anytime online at www.tmlink.org.
Don’t forget to pay for remote learning/classroom supplies (pay what and if you can!) Link here.
Give today by:
- Writing a check payable to Friends of Thurgood Marshall and mailing it to the school.
- Donating by credit card - link here.
Thank you for your consideration. If you have any questions, please contact us at giving@tmlink.org.
Thank you for considering a donation to the Thurgood Marshall Annual Giving Fund.
