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Ms. Chalstrom's Language Arts Class

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Chalstrom Last Week Of Kindergarten 2020

Hello Parents, 
Well, it's finally here. The last week of Kindergarten. This has definitely been an eventful year. I have loved every moment of it. I will remember the tears on the first day of school. The hugs each morning after that. I will cherish all of the "ah ha!" and "oh wow" moments that I was able to witness. I have loved spending my days leading your children to their own discoveries about themselves and the world around them. I am so grateful for all of the help, support, and patience you have provided during distance learning. Can you believe we made it through nearly 3 months of distance learning? It wasn't always easy...or pretty...or perfect. But darn it there was progress! I am so very proud of the grit, perseverance, and kindness that each student demonstrated during a time when their world was turned upside-down. Their smiles, giggles, silly faces, and sweet words brightened my day each time we met over Zoom. There were weeks that it was those moments that kept me motivated and driven. I will forever be grateful for the faith you placed in me when you entrusted me with your most precious possession, the hearts and minds of your children. 
Much Love,
 
Laura Chalstrom
 
**Please click the title of this post to download this week's schedule and additional resources. There are additional Zoom meetings and fun end of year activities that you won't want to miss out on. 
 
 
Thursday June 4th 10am - 11am Goodbye Parade at WCS Parking Lot, you can return school items at that time or on Friday
Friday June 5th - Last Day of School and Technology and School Items Returned to Westgate. 

May Advocacy Newsletter Wellness Week Four

For our final Advocacy newsletter, we would like to end our month-long focus on wellness with the themes of service and hope. Resiliency and empowerment grow when people are given the chance to help and make a difference. We have a unique opportunity to encourage students (and each other) to be helpers in our community. 

In Advocacy this year, students have learned about and practiced skills related to self-awareness, self-regulation, bullying prevention, optimism, gratitude, mindfulness, self-compassion, healthy relationships, growth mindset, environmental appreciation, and finally, wellness. As we conclude the school year, let’s take all of these lessons and put them into action! In this newsletter you will find a note from Ms. Novak and Ms. Valenza as well as links to local volunteer opportunities, a message of optimism and an article that makes the connection between "good deeds" and "feel goods." 

 

It has been an honor to share in social emotional learning with you all this year, and we wish you the best this summer. We can't wait to connect in the fall! Until then, remember that you can access the Social-Emotional Resources Page  for resources found in the May wellness newsletters. 

 

Sincerely,

 

Ms. Novak, Ms. Valenza, Ms. Washington, Mr. Chermak and Mr. Rowan

Week 8 Learning Mat and Resources

Hello Parents, 
It was so great to see you all at Parent Teacher Conferences last Friday! It is hard to believe we are rounding the bend to our final days of school. We will maintain our normal learning this week with Moby Max and the learning mat and additional resources. Please click on the title of this post to download the learning mat and resources including a fun new challenge...building a catapult! Please save a paper towel roll for our Friday field trip craft. Next week we will have alternative activities to celebrate our final week of Kindergarten. More details regarding our final week of school will be communicated later this week. If you have any pictures from school activities and field trips please feel free to share them with me via email [email protected]. 
If you have questions or need support please feel free to reach out via email or attend office hours via Zoom. 
Have a Great Week! 
 
June 4th - Goodbye Parade in WCS Parking Lot 10am - 11am.
June 5th - Last Day of School, Yearbook Pick Up, Return Equipment & Technology. 

May Advocacy Newsletter Wellness Week Three

As we continue to uncover the vast and complex topic of Wellness, it is important we continue to acknowledge that maintaining wellness during a global pandemic brings forth unique and unknown challenges. We are five weeks into distance learning and the routines are set, but even though there is a lot to do, we may be a feeling that things are getting to be “too routine” and the repetition is getting, well, boring. Boredom is not just a lack of something to do–because there is always something to do–but our inability to find meaning in a task and to pay attention to it.

With some of us now spending a lot of our time at or around home, where we used to find meaning– our friends, our work, school, clubs, going out to dinner, shopping or the movies–is no longer an option. But it’s just as likely that pandemic anxiety has also been shortening our attention spans. I like to think of boredom as a mindset where we are bogged down by our thoughts and can’t think of something fun to do. This can limit our thinking and lead to our attention wandering, having a lack of interest and feeling empty, tired and restless.

Luckily, we have the ability change our mindset and think about boredom in a whole new way. Crisis can bring out hidden reserves of human resourcefulness and times of struggle can bring out innovative solutions; constraints activate flexibility and scarcity of resources increases our creativity. If we let it, our boredom can help us be resourceful with what we have, it can lead to finding creative ways of seeing the routine in new and different ways, we can unplug and daydream, we can check in with ourselves and reflect on who we are, how we are feeling and find ways we can practice ways of being more resilient when we want to give up. So remember, boredom is ok and can be a good thing! So if you are feeling bored, 1) try to say to yourself, ”It is ok to be bored. How might boredom be a good thing?" 2) Try something totally new this week. 3) Check in with our feelings and see what you need. Get creative and feel free to share a picture with me about what you did as a boredom buster at [email protected]

Week 6 Learning Mat and Resources

Hello Parents, 
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed some time outside in the beautiful weather. This week there are a few small changes in our learning mats. I have mixed up some familiar activities and added a few new activities for students so be sure to check that out. Also, I have included a chore chart as part of this week's Glorious Kindness Challenge. To access all additional materials just click on the title of this post, download the PDF, and print at home! 
Enjoy your week and please reach out via email or during my Zoom Office Hours. 
Thank you for partnering with me in support of your child's learning! 

Week5 Learning Mat and Resources

Hello Parents!
Can you believe we have been chugging away at this distance learning thing for over a month now? I know there have been ups and downs. Days where kiddos are engaged and excited and days where it is a struggle with meltdowns. All of this is normal! Change is not easy in the best of circumstances and there is an ebb and flow as we power through this last full month of the school year together. I am so proud of the hard work and dedication students and parents are demonstrating during this time of uncertainty. 
Attached to this post is our weekly learning mat and additional learning resources. Just click on the title and download the file. These activities are not required, but are an additional source of learning and support for your student. If you have any questions or need support this week feel free to reach out via email or attend my Zoom Office Hours. 
Keep up the good work! 

Week 3 Learning Mat and Resources 4/20/20

Hi Parents, 
Over our first two weeks of distance learning I have received some really helpful feedback via Moby Max and parent emails. I appreciate your willingness to jump in and continue to use a resource that is new and pushes all of us out of our comfort zone.
 
I have made a few small changes and improvements to our weekly learning calendar to include more play based engaging learning opportunities in literacy, math, and general exploration. I have also included additional math, literacy, and online resources for those families that wish to print them off and use them. These additional resources are not required and will not be graded, but do provide learning opportunities for students struggling with being on the screen for extended periods of time. 
 
Also, I have made some small changes to Moby Max to include a more game based platform which will hopefully increase or maintain engagement. So, students will complete 10 minutes of the learning module (click on the books icon and select the subject area) followed by 10 minutes of Fluency Board Games (found in the assignments tab). 
 
This week I will also be emailing a link to a read aloud and fun activity that connects to our reading. Keep an eye out n your emails for that. 
Remember to check in on the classroom pages for our specials teachers as well! I know they have set up some fun learning activities and the chance to Zoom with them as well. 
 
Have a great week and feel free to reach out at any time. Thank you so much for partnering with me to support your child's learning!

Week Two Learning Schedule 4/13/2020

Hello Parents,
Congratulations! We all survived week one of distance learning and placement tests. I loved seeing all of the smiling faces on Zoom and watching their progress on MobyMax.
Attached is this weeks learning calendar with added interactive learning opportunities. These activities are not required, but are an option to break up the amount of time your student spends on the computer.
This week you will notice a few things on the MobyMax Page. First, we will be assigning minutes to various subject areas. This will help support goal setting and keeping track of what should be completed each day. Don't forget to check in on the classroom pages for our Specials Teachers! They have come up with added learning opportunities that will help break up some of the academics on MobyMax. Below is our assigned specials class based on advocacy:
Matthews: P.E. with Mr. Wise
Rollman: Art with Ms. Cox
Chalstrom: Technology with Ms. Pederson
Also, Ms. Valenza emailed all families with some really fun and engaging advocacy lessons for the week. Be sure to check your email for that! Finally, we will be uploading some engaging read alouds for students this week so keep an eye out here for those to pop up! 
Remember that this is a journey we are all taking together and there will be bumps in the road. Be patient and flexible and if you need anything or have any challenges please reach out via email or attend one of my Zoom office hours.
Thank you all for your hard work!

Distance Learning and Office Hours

Hello Parents, 
 
From now through the end of the school year we will be participating in Distance Learning. Below is a list of times that you can contact me via zoom for immediate support. I will also be hosting an  Advocacy Zoom meeting twice a week for students. These are not required, but are a great way to set the tone for the week and then wrap up and reflect on the week. It also provides a time for students to connect to their peers and visit with me! 
 

Office Hours ​(Where I can answer direct questions via zoom)

Tuesday:  9:00am-10:00am

Click Here:

Meeting ID: 957 824 216

Password: See Email

 

Friday: 4:00pm-6:00pm

Click Here:

Meeting ID: 893 040 577

Password: See Email

 

Advocacy Morning Circle:

Monday: 9:00am-10:00am

Click Here:

Meeting ID: 642 332 665

Password: See Email

 

Advocacy Closing Circle:

Friday: 6:00pm-7:00pm

Click Here:

Meeting ID: 665 559 729

Password: See Email

You can also reach me by email at any time.

[email protected]

 

Book Bags Being Sent Home Today! 3/13/20

Dear Parents, 
In your student's backpack you should find a red book bag with 3 days of student work to complete at home next week. Each packet contains work to meet students at various ability levels so please pick and choose what feels most appropriate for your student. While we cannot require that this work be completed next week, we do want to make it available to all students. If your student was absent today, or left prior to book bags being handed out, you may pick up your student's bag at the front office Today before 4:00pm or Monday between 8:30am-3:30pm. Please be sure to return the book bag and other materials when we return from Spring Break. 
 
Conferences
As previously communicated, all parent teacher conferences have been canceled. Please look for individual emails regarding your student's progress no later than Tuesday at 4pm. You can also login to the Infinite Campus Parent Portal for your student's grade report.
 
As always, we appreciate your partnership as we work to hard to maintain student health and safety. Please enjoy your time together and take care of yourselves! We will continue to post any updates as necessary. 
 
Thank You :) 

UPDATE: Conferences & Concert Canceled!

Families,

Out of concern for the health and safety of our community, we are canceling the 7/8th grade concert this Friday, March 13th as well as the spring conferences that were scheduled for next week.  We are using an abundance of caution and heeding the call for limiting group gatherings and practicing ‘social distancing’ in order to keep our students, families and staff safe.

We realize that the feedback provided during conferences are important for families so teachers will be providing detailed information of student progress via email to families.  Our ‘Specials’ teachers (Music, PE, Tech and Art) and ELL teachers will send emails to families of students who are currently participating in a specials class or ELL instruction. 

Additionally, while we appreciate and value the commitment of our volunteers and families, we are asking that you please refrain from requesting entrance into the building unless you have a scheduled appointment. 

This is a difficult time and the decision to limit access and cancel the concert and conferences was not taken lightly.  We appreciate your support and understanding.  We will continue to communicate with our families when we have any new information or as decisions are made.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me or the team leads.  

Sharon Collins
Executive Director

Literacy 3/9/2020

Hello Wonderful Parents,
 
This week in literacy we are moving on to Unit 19 in Superkids. 

Children will learn to name and write uppercase P and lowercase p. They will learn the sound p stands for in words like pancakes, pizza, and pencil.

We’ll read all about how the Superkids go on a picnic adventure. When the class listens to the read-aloud Pack a Picnic, children will learn how to plan and make food for a picnic.

Students will continue to write their procedural writing pieces as well. 
 
Please continue having your child read to you at home!  The Superkids portal is updated and the students love to explore it.  Teach Monster is also a love of our students. 

Literacy 3/2/2020

Hello parents, this week in literacy we are continuing Unit 16. 
 
Children will learn to name and write uppercase N and lowercase n. They’ll learn the sound n stands for in words like nest, nail, and number, and talk about words with multiple meanings, such as bat.

We will read about how the Superkids choose a leader for their club. When the class listens to the read-aloud United States Presidents, children will learn what the leader, the U.S. president, does and historical facts about a few famous presidents.
 
In writing, students will continue their work on procedural writing. The students are focusing on 3 main steps on "how to" do something.  We are working on transition words, such as first, next, second, finally and last. 
 
Please continue to read the sight word passages with your child.  Read for at least 20 minutes a day, asking them to find sight words and having them predict what is going to happen in the text.   Superkids is update, please continue to logon.  
 

Rescheduled Field Trip Next Week!

Great News! We were able to reschedule our field trip to the Boulder Recycling Center! On Tuesday, March 3rd we will be going with our Service Learning Group to the Boulder Recycling Center. Ms. Valenza and our service learning buddies will be joining us, so we will not be needing chaperones this time around. Please click the link below and fill out the digital permission slip for your kindergarten student. If you have any questions please feel free to email your student's advocacy teacher!