Greetings everyone. I have written a few posts on Edmodo, but I realize that not everyone has access so I am copy pasting all posts that I have recently written here:

March 25th:

Hello to all my wonderful students and families, ‌

I just wanted to write you message and let you know that I’m thinking about all of you during this time. I know many of you are probably feeling scared and anxious with all of the uncertain events unfolding around us. I hope that you are all taking time to connect with your families and that you are finding ways to cope with feelings of stress and anxiety. When I am feeling nervous or overwhelmed, I find that listening to music, doing some yoga, baking, and going for long walks is helpful. I try to limit my time watching the news as this can feel quite overwhelming.The best thing we can do right is to stay home and stay connected to all of the wonderful people in our lives. Call your friends, your grandparents, and others loved ones, and spread as much love, positivity, and kindness as you can. Even though I can’t physically see my family members, I call my mum, grandma, and sisters every day. Use your amazing creativity and bake, write poetry or a novel, create inventions, draw. Anything that helps to keep you in the present moment. Jason and I are working on building a crib for our future little one – I will let you know how it turns out. Wish me luck!

I’d love to see what kinds of things you are doing if you want to post a message on here. We are all in this together, and we will get through this difficult time. You are all such special people and know that even though I can’t be there in person, I am here for you. Please write me an e-mail or message if you want to chat or if you want someone to talk to. ‌ Every night, I try to do this exercise that I found online. It helps me to feel calm before I go to bed. Maybe this can be a helpful activity that you can incorporate into your daily routine? ‌ “Each night when you get into bed, take a few minutes to reflect on your day. Jot down 3 things that were good about today. It doesn’t matter how big or how small they are, you are not in competition with anyone, not even yourself. Don’t compare today to yesterday. Notice how it feels in your body to think of the good in your day. Hold this feeling as you drift into sleep. When you think a certain way for a long time, you strengthen the pathways in your brain that run these thoughts, and it takes deliberate attention and perseverance to form new pathways. This week’s practice is scientifically proven to forge new, more positive pathways in the brain, helping you be more naturally aware of the good that already exists in your life.” ‌

I also absolutely love yogawithadriene on youtube. She has so many amazing yoga lessons and has a wonderful, positive presence. Check her channel out if you are interested in learning yoga. ‌ Take very good care of yourselves and your families. Sending you all my very best.

March 27th:

Hello all, ‌ All of your parents should have received an e-mail from the district updating them with important information on how we are going to move forward in the coming weeks after spring break. ‌ In other news, I am overjoyed with excitement, as I became an auntie last night. My older sister Gabrielle gave birth a month early to a beautiful boy named Riker (they named him after a character in Star Trek- much to Jason’s excitement). He will be in the hospital for a few days to make sure that he is eating well, but he is a very healthy little boy! I am dying to meet the little one but will not be able to see him for some time. Until then, I will scrutinize every inch of the photos they are sending of him. I spent my whole night last night dreaming about holding him in my arms. I cannot wait until that day. Just needed to share the joy with all of you! I will be contacting your families next week and look forward to connecting with you all soon. Until then, take good care of yourselves!

March 30th: 

Hello again, ‌ I hope you are all keeping well. This week, teachers are spending time connecting with colleagues, learning digital platforms, connecting with students and families, and spending time preparing materials. ‌ I will contact your families a bit later on in the week and will be touching base to see how you are doing, what your needs are, and how I can best support you. I recognize that this is a stressful and overwhelming time for everyone, and we are going to take things day by day. Please know that I am here for you. We will figure everything out, and there is no rush. ‌

If you go into your office 365 account (the e-mail you use to send me all of your assignments) you should be able to find an app called “Teams”. This is what we will be using to communicate from now on. Today, spend some time trying to access this app. I have added a team called TaylorParkDiv4, and you have all been added to this team. Through this app, we will be able to video-conference (in big groups and small groups), write messages to one another, receive assignments and updates etc. Take some time to familiarize yourself with the app and to explore the different tools. You can try sending me a message, posting a message to the group, and tomorrow at 1:00 p.m., we will all try to log-in and connect through video conferencing. I have added you all to this event, and you should be able to see an invite for the video conference in your microsoft 365 e-mail. ‌

Information for students who forget how to access their microsoft 365 account: ‌

1) Go to Taylor Park website

2) Click on the top right hand corner where it says Office365

3) Your username is the same username you use to log-in to Taylor park computers + @edu.burnabyschools.ca

4) Your password is the same password you use to log-in to Taylor Park computers

‌ If you have trouble with any of this, you can send me an e-mail to miriam.arden@burnabyschools.ca. Please send me your phone number and I will find some time to call you/help guide you through the process. Before you e-mail me, you can also try asking your tech savvy friends. We can all help one another out. I will keep posting updates on Edmodo and our class blog as well until everyone becomes more familiar with Teams. ‌ Take good care for now.