Month: April 2020

Good afternoon friends and families!

Wednesday Daily Update:

For your list of things to do this week, please read Tuesday’s daily message at our SharePoint page, but be reminded of the following:

• I’ve now assigned a Homework Tracker so that you can know what assignments and work you’ve completed and what you still need to work on. New week means new work, but it doesn’t mean that last week’s assigned work isn’t still important. Please work through ALL your assignments, to the best of your abilities.
• New lit circle books need to be decided on this week. I will dissolve old lit circle books. If your book group gets dissolved and it’s the only lit circle group you’re in, you’ll need to find a new group to join. Please start new sections this week.
• This week I’ll be hosting Tribe meetings instead of our Friday Community Circle. This will be your time to connect to your Tribe and also ask any technology/assignment questions you may have. Mr. Wong will be joining us! 🙂
• This week you will begin writing your Final Report for your Science investigation. Please complete the assignment that prepares you for that; also use the Final Report template to begin your writing.
• I’ve included a fun, new activity in the FLEX channel. Please post your Getty Museum Photo Challenges there. (Go to FLEX channel for more info!)
• Don’t forget to do your Daily Physical Activities. I will repost the Yoga with Adriene link because I think it’s so good! Click here.

Tuesday Daily Update:

My apologies for forgetting to post about our Pro-D day yesterday. This gave me a chance to update my knowledge on some of the technologies we’re using as a class, as well gave students an extra day to catch up missed work.

I’d like to reintroduce Division 4’s teacher candidate from UBC, Warren Wong, who will be joining us once again to continue his practicum work. Mr. Wong will begin joining discussions, continue to connect with our class, and once again will be leading lessons in the virtual classroom. Together as a team, Mr. Wong and I will be supporting students in their on-line learning and assessment.

Students:

• Please view Mr. Wong’s Daily Message on the Monday, April 27th SharePoint page.
• Today’s Daily Message has also been posted and includes this week’s Home Learning Plan.

Parents: you can also access the learning plan by clicking it on this link: Home Learning Plan_Div4_Week4.

Last week saw a drop off of student engagement and I have found that only a handful of students are regularly checking the daily plan (posted to the SharePoint page). Some students have been hard to get hold of and are not checking into the virtual classroom daily. I would like to remind students that they are to read these morning messages EVERY DAY and in the morning. I strongly encourage families to support their children in creating a regular routine of signing into Office365 and going to the Team to check for announcements and other communication. This should start their day, which begins for me at 9:00am.

To help with students keeping up to date on their assignments, I have created a homework tracking sheet. Students will be expected to submit this tracking sheet at the end of each week. I will be using this tracking to support and inform me come assessment time.

Regular, daily attendance and participation is expected. This includes 30-40 minutes each of Literacy, Numeracy, and FLEX time per day.

Find last week’s tracking sheet here: Homework Tracker_week3.

Stay well (and stay tuned)!

~ Ms. L

Good morning, friends!

We’ve come to the end of Week 3 (April 20-24) and I wanted to recap the work we’ve done this week, including some of the “due dates” that, as usual, fall to the end of the week.

This week we started up Math Groups. Students are now working with their previous Math teacher and are to be working on Math work assigned by their teachers. Most are working with a learning platform known as Sumdog, which begins with a diagnostic tool to assess their current understanding of Math concepts and facts. From there, teachers assign work based on their curriculum learning objectives. Most teachers are beginning with a review of concepts last worked on before Spring Break. Teachers can see how much time students have spent on their Sumdog work and reminded that they are to be spending a suggested minimum of 100 minutes a week. This week reminders were sent to families.

Language Arts work this week included:

• The Canadian Reader, Assignment #3 (due today Friday, Apr. 23)
• Reading Log and Daily Journal entries (due today Friday, Apr. 23)
• Daily Haikus (to accompany photos taken outside) – one per day (please post today!)
• Lit Circle meetings and discovery of a new novels. Ongoing throughout the week.

Flex work this week included:

• Wrap up of Science investigations; post picture to TEAMS of experiment, including the “testable question” and a hypothesis statement. (due today Friday, Apr. 23)
• Photo Journal Haiku – one a day posted to the FLEX channel.

Further to this, I’ve been posting additional “Daily Physical Activities“, such as yoga and Tai Chi exercises to our Team SharePoint page, in my Daily Messages. Students, go here!

Student participation has been sporadic, with some students forgetting about their commitments to their Lit Circle group, and some not responding to student or teacher contact/email.

Please remind your child to login to Teams every morning to check on the activities required for the day. A routine that begins in the morning is best, so they students and their families can plan the day accordingly. I understand we are all doing our best in the unprecedented time.

Families, I wish you all a happy end of the week and time together outside, if you can, over the weekend.

Stay well (and stay tuned),

Ms. L

Maywood’s team has rounded up a list of good websites to visit as you search for your next novel! It’s not an exhaustive list, but its been checked out and certainly gives many options. When you find a book, please show the title to a parent to ensure it is an appropriate choice.

Please let me know which sites you prefer. I’m curious to know where you’ve been finding success!

Refer to my External Links and Resources page in the Lounge.

Today not only marks the day we collectively celebrate Earth Day around the world, it also marks the 50th anniversary of these celebrations!

Even though I think EVERYDAY should be Earth Day, I think it’s great that people celebrate the Earth – a reminder to us all to protect what gives us life!

Many believe that the earth is a “synergistic and self-regulating complex system” in which all living and non-living things are interconnected and together create and maintain life. This known as the Gaia Theory, where all things are connected and when the Earth suffers, we all suffer. The fact that COVID19 has affected us all is a testament to that! This is a time to consider all that the Earth has to offer – water, sun, the air we breathe, and all the life that supports us!

Happy Earth Day!

To help celebrate, join me and many others as we enjoy friend and famed environmental educator from the Yukon, Remy Rodden for a concert through the National Art Center (NAC)’s Canada Performs series, which brings Canadian artists into people’s home via online streaming events on popular social media platforms.

Tune in today, Earth Day, on Facebook Live at 12 pm NOON PST— a Facebook account is not required! It will be a lot of fun for kids of all ages… and informative too!

Click here!

You will also hear the first official “single” Let’s Get Drastic With Our Plastic — off the upcoming new album Think About The Wild.

Tuesday day, April 21st

Good afternoon! I’m really looking forward to seeing your Photo Journal Haiku’s posted to the FLEX page. I’m hoping for one a day. I’ve posted two of my own today (as I missed yesterday). Please take a look and add your own!

Monday, April 20th

Good afternoon! 

I’ve been busy getting our Math groups up and running this morning, so it’s taken me a bit longer to get my regular Morning Message out to you. Remember to find these on our SharePoint page. This is where you go to find detailed instructions for the day. 

Every Monday I will also post a Home Learning Plan for that week. Students can find it in the Files section of our Team. To get into these pages, the student needs to sign into OneDrive. 

This week, students are choosing new books from Epic or Raz kids, deciding as group which book to read next. Lit circle groups will stay the same for now. They will also continue to read daily for 30 min and are encouraged to write in their daily journal, which should be turned in to me at the end of the week.

As mentioned, Math groups are now up and running. Please look to your child’s Math teacher for what’s next. Most teachers are using Teams, so your child should now have a new Math Team to join. I will no longer be posting daily math challenges.

I hope all this makes sense and families are getting a better sense of what home learning looks like for them. 

Stay well (and stay tuned)!

Ms. L

Daily updates:

Thursday, April 16th

Ms. Lanaway continues to hone her TEAMS skills, and I imagine all of you are too! What’s new? I’ve placed today’s Math Challenge in the Math Challenge channel on Div. 4’s Team page and students can now post their responses to the challenge right in the post (hit reply). I’ve also figured out how to make announcements in the general page that links to today’s Morning Messages found in our SharePoint page.

Student continue to work on the Home Learning Plan for the week. If they’ve finished all due assignments (usually due at the end of the week), they can look to the daily math challenges and daily physical activities posted to morning messages in SharePoint.

Wednesday, April 15th

This week’s Home Learning Plan has been posted to the Teams sight and can be found in Files. As usual, students are to sign into their Office365 accounts, check email, respond to requests, and then go to Teams to look for chats they’re a part of (Ex. lit circle groups and Tribe groups that have been set up as Channels).

Everyday students should be going to the SharePoint page where I have set new tasks if they are done all of their week-long assignments. They will find daily math and DPA challenges. They are reminded to write a new Daily Journal entry.

Parents/families: please check your email for an invitation to sign into your new Epic! Books account. On the Language Arts page of the Lounge, I’ve explained how you can get into your RAZ kids account. Email me if you have questions!

Getting into your reading accounts:

I have set up two reading accounts for each student in Division 4. Visit our Language Arts page for instructions on how to get into RAZ Kids and Epic! Books.

Tuesday, April 14^th

Good morning, Division 4 families! This week we start Phase 3: Implementation of our home learning program. The district has suggested that Grade 5 students do a 30/30/30 ratio of literacy (Language arts), numeracy (Math) and flex time (integrated studies focusing on well-being and connection). For Grade 6, the ratio is 40/40/40.

Each week, I will provide the following:

• Daily updates for families in the blog (here in Lanaway’s Lounge). Each week, I will make a new post labelled by week, such as this one – Week 2, which will be updated daily. Students and families can check the Lounge for updates.
• a Home Learning Plan that lays out the suggested activities for the week. Students are to find this in Teams, uploaded to Files.

Students are expected to log into Office365 and check the Div. 4 Team site for assignments and further communication, including my Morning Messages (posted videos).

If you have any questions as to the expectations and process, please do not hesitate to ask!

This week…

We will start the week with a class meeting, Tuesday at 1:00 pm, in TEAMS. Students have been sent an invite. I hope to see many of you! (So far, only 9 people have responded).

We will continue to hone our technological skills and will be discussing Digital Citizenship, something we’ve already talked about as a class, but will revisit. Students are reminded that communication through Office365 is shared and viewed by multiple teachers, include Ms. Yamamoto. Communication should be respectful and focused on shared learning within the “classroom”.

We will also be starting our Lit Circle and Tribe meetings this week by Team conference. These are being organized by the Lit Circle leader and Tribe Captain. Please respond to their emails so they can find the right time for everyone.

These conferences are not to start without me, so that I can moderate. Students can choose to use video or just audio, as they wish. If video is used, students are asked to be mindful of what they have in the background. I suggest they find a quiet place and consider what is behind them.

I hope everyone had a nice long weekend!

Stay well (and stay tuned!)

Enjoy your time off! Celebrate family! Connect with those you love (safely)!

Take a look at Richard Louv’s “10 Nature Activities to Help Get Your Family Through the Coronavirus Pandemic“. Lots of ideas for the family. (scroll below the important links to find the article)

I’ve posted a “Positivity Game” to the Division 4 Team. Have your child share that with you. It’s a game of Snakes and Ladders. Find it in Teams.

Today’s Update!

Thursday, April 9th

I’m slowly populating our Lit Circle and Tribe tracking sheets and I’ve heard from all Tribes, except ORANGE. If you are part of the Orange Tribe, please let me know!

I’ve scheduled a *LIVE* meeting event for next week. Students, you should have received a message in your Outlook email. Please look for it and RVSP (so it can go into your calendars).

I also posted another “assignment”. This is the Lit Circle Tracking sheet to help you record your answers and submit to me. Don’t forget to “turn in” (blue button on the right side of the assignment).

I’ve now posted a Morning Message for every day this week and have had very few views. I think I will not continue these. If you want me to continue to post Morning Messages, leave me a comment below the video. Maybe you don’t know how to find these? I suggest you read the document Getting started with Office365 Teams and Sharepoint for Division 4

To get to the SharePoint homepage, where I post our daily tasks and Morning Messages, visit this link: https://sd41.sharepoint.com/sites/O365-Maywood-Division4/ 

Sorry parents, this is for Div. 4 team members only. But feel free to have your child share this site with you!

**Parents and Students:

Please read the document I prepared to help you navigate MS Teams and SharePoint. I posted it in Tuesday’s message below. It’s called: Getting started with Office365 Teams and Sharepoint for Division 4

Wednesday, April 8th

Please make sure you go to Lanaway’s Lounge EACH DAY and look for the day’s heading (today’s update). I will update this post (Week 1) every day this week. Next week I will make a new post (Week 2). 

I’m still waiting to hear from some people. Information I am looking for (or tasks you are to do this week):

• a complete list of all the lit circle books out there. So far I have these books: Bunnicula, Unwanteds, Everything on a Waffle, Mockingbird, Belly Up, Loser, Ice Drift, Breadwinner, and Masterpiece. If your book is not in this list, I need to hear from you, please.
• I have only heard from one Tribe Captain (Yellow); I still need to hear from the Captains of Orange, Green, Blue, and Purple. I would like to set up meeting times for each Tribe.
• Last Friday I asked students to share something that they made or did and post it to their blogfolios. This tells me you are able to get into your blogs and remember how to make a post. Remember to include a picture.
• Assignment #1 – The Learning Conditions Survey. Please complete and “turn in” through the “assignments” page in Teams/SharePoint. Try to complete this this week.
• Assignment #2 – it is up, but the due date is in the distant future. Get started on that ONLY if you have done the above things.

Tuesday, April 7th

Hi friends! I’ve added today’s Morning Message to SharePoint. Many of you have logged in and are beginning to use Teams and access SharePoint. Good for you!

I’m still waiting for many more of you to turn in your first assignment. No worries! We’ll get there! In the meantime, I’ll be posting some extra activities to keep you busy before I post a new assignment. To keep up to date on these assignments and activities, please check SharePoint every morning to help you get started. Remember, this link takes you directly there: https://sd41.sharepoint.com/sites/O365-Maywood-Division4/

Here’s another document I made to help you navigate MS Teams and our homepage on SharePoint.

Getting started with Office365 Teams and Sharepoint for Division 4

Tasks for the day:

• Find your first assignment! Complete and turn in.
• Find my Morning Messages (there are three now). Leave a comment.
• Find new links and activities posted to SharePoint: 1) Exercise task (YouTube link), 2) Canadian Reader PDF (reading and follow-up activities), 3) a weekly journal assignment is coming up later today.

Hi Friends!

I have spoken to most of you by now and have a better idea of how we can work together. Microsoft Teams will become the hub of information for you, while we’ll keep the Blogfolios for  posting work that you want to share with me and your parents.

Last Friday, I gave you some start up tasks:

• Logging into Office365. Start by emailing your lit circle group members. Go to Outlook, compose an email, type the name of your classmate into the “To” section – their name should come up; you have to know your teammates first and last name.
• Logging into your Blogfolio (parents too!). Post something you made or did recently. Take a picture and write about it. Publish to your blog.
• Team leader from each lit circle book is to contact me to let me know who is all in the book group
• Team captain from each tribe groups is to email me to let me know who is all in their tribe group
• Daily activities have been given to you via the learning.burnabyschools.ca page. This will help you to create routine and activity in your day.

Monday, April 6

You should still be working on the tasks I’ve given you above. Once you’ve done that you can also start teaching yourself how to use MS Teams. I’ve shared some documents on that (see below; they were also emailed to parents). I’ve assigned one assignment so far, and also gave you the suggestion to play a game with your family – the Positivity Game (find in class materials in Teams). 

Getting into MS Teams:

• Sign into Ofice365, the way you normally do
• In the waffle board you can select Outlook (for email), Teams or SharePoint. There are multiple ways to navigate your various options. Please go straight to our SharePoint for the Div. 4 Team by going directly to the link (below). It is the quickest way to the home page for our Team. 
• Once in SharePoint, please find my intro video message (Saturday, Apr 3) and leave a comment letting me know you watched the video. Also, find the first of my Morning Messages posted there (Morning Message Apr 6). Please leave a comment. Thanks!

https://sd41.sharepoint.com/sites/O365-Maywood-Division4/

This is all for now!

Stay well (and stay tuned!) ~ Ms. L

I have been really enjoying my conversations with students and their families. It’s been so nice hearing your voices and learning what you’ve been up to during this extraordinary time! I MISS YOU!

Two documents for you:

• Quick Notes for Signing into Office365 and Blogfolios
• Student Guide to MS Teams

Student request:  I am in the process of setting up “Teams” and would like to hear from ONE person (if possible) from each LIT CIRCLE book to contact me to let me know who is in their lit circle group. Unfortunately I don’t have my lit circle duotang with me so I don’t know how many reading groups we have going! I think there are a lot of books going! Please email me at my district email address. Thank you!

Stay well (and stay tuned), everyone!