Important Information
Dear First Grade Students and Families,
We are so excited to be here with you on our first official day of Virtual School. We look forward to reconnecting with our sweet learners.
This is going to be a journey for all of us, and perhaps a bumpy one at times! This will be a hefty email; we recommend that you star it and refer back to it when navigating through virtual content.
By now you have all received the first week of district curriculum via email (it looks like a game board) and a sample daily schedule. Please let me know if you need any of your child's login information. At the end of each week, you will receive a new choice board for the following week. Curriculum for the upcoming weeks will be shared with you through your email either through the district or me. What this looks like may evolve, but be assured that it will be user and first grade friendly!
Our "school hours" will be from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.. I will send out more information next week regarding when my conference hours will be. Initially, I will start each day touching base with you either through email, Seesaw, or Zoom. Throughout the day, I will answer emails, troubleshoot issues, give advice on content or behavior, or any other questions you may have. Starting on Wednesday, I am going to send invites for small group Community Circles using Zoom. Once we are all comfortable using it, we can try the whole class!
Here are some platforms that we will be using, as well as directions for connecting.
Seesaw: This is a platform most students are comfortable using on their own. I will be using it to send videos. The students can add comments via text, audio, or video recording. In order to create a sense of classroom community, I will be making the comments available for the class to see. If there is a comment or video that is just for me, add a little note that you do not want it shared. Add the Seesaw Class app to your child’s device and use the attachment titled: download_classroom_printable_seesaw to get started. You will only need page 3 of the attachment. Please know that we will not require posts to Seesaw right now, but we want to give students an opportunity to show us and their classmates what they’re doing at home.
Zoom: This is a new platform for me, but I have been using it with staff members over the past week and love it! It is my goal to do a community circle starting on Wednesday using this platform in small groups. Once we are all comfortable using Zoom, I would like to do whole class discussions. I will be sending out the invites to your email. I feel it's important for the kids to see each other's faces, and rebuild our classroom community virtually! If you are using a smartphone or iPad, you will download the app in the app store. If you're using a desktop or laptop,
Mrs. Thompson made this video to assist you:
https://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cYeqDexSDz
Zoom Set Up Video https://youtu.be/d7xXZxRDFUU
District Directions
Please note that if you have privacy concerns, you are welcome to disable the video portion.
I-Station: The assignments are personalized by me for areas your child was working on before Spring Break. If you feel the lessons are too hard or easy, please let me know, and I can change them up. If they have completed all of the assignments, there are other free choice activities they can work on for the week. If you have not used I-Station at home yet, you will go to the I-Station website and download it. Search for Hazel S. Pattison when it asks for the school code. If you need your child's login information, please let me know. https://www.istation.com/IstationHome
Dreambox: This program automatically offers individualized instruction for your child based on answers they get correct or miss. It is important that you do not give them the answers or do it for them, because it will adjust the activities to a level that is too hard for them. The students can press the question at the top to hear directions. The app will provide videos and hints to help your child work through areas that they need assistance. This program can be downloaded as an app (IOS only), or accessed on the computer. You may also log in as a parent by following the directions that were sent out in the curriculum email from the district on Friday or by using the directions in the parent letter found here: https://tinyurl.com/PattisonDreamBox . When you are logged on as a parent, you will be able to track their progress, as well as see areas where they might be stuck. I can see how many lessons your child has completed at home, as well as areas they might be struggling. Once logged in to DreamBox, your student should be able to enter their username and password (the label on their planner).
Please let me know if you need this login information or email our math coach, Pennylane Lara for login information at [email protected].
My Katy Cloud: Google "My Katy Cloud," and it will pop up. Their username and password are on the label on their planner. If you need this information, let me know and I will get it to you. From here, your child can access Canvas, BrainPop, DreamBox, Discovery Education, Tumblebooks, Nat Geo Kids, and more. You can find them by either clicking on the magnifier glass and searching for what you are looking for, or click on the "Elementary" tab at the bottom of the page. The students are familiar with most of the content on My Katy Cloud since we use it in our classroom often.
Go Noodle: This is another great resource for physical activity that they students love! https://family.gonoodle.com/
Home - GoNoodle
GoNoodle® engages 14 million kids every month with movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts. Available for free at school, home, and everywhere kids are!
family.gonoodle.com
KISD Parent Tech Support Information
http://www.katyisd.org/dept/technology/PTH/Pages/default.aspx
KISD Parent Tech Support Form
http://www.katyisd.org/Parent-Student-Tech-Support/Pages/default.aspx
We know this is a lot of information! Please be assured that we will be here for you and your child during this journey! While nothing will take the place of face-to-face learning, we know that we will get through this together!