Friday News - April 24, 2020
Hillcrest Elementary School
Friday News
April 24, 2020
Dear Hillcrest Families,
This past Wednesday was Earth Day and I know that many of our teachers posted Earth Day Read Alouds, Earth Day Art Activities, and Earthy Day Scavenger Hunts on their Google Classrooms. Now more than ever, turning to your recycle bin as a source of arts and crafts materials is a great way to keep your little ones engaged in learning and creativity! Add in a nature scavenger hunt in your backyard or in your neighborhood, and you’ve got a science and math activity, too!
This week, I had the chance to chat with several families about our Google Classrooms. Some of you were having difficulty getting logged into the classroom while others were simply curious about what the Google Classrooms have to offer. Some of the login challenges involved the need for parents to log out of their individual Google accounts before using their child’s credentials to login to Google Classroom. For more information on logging in, you can check out this link: Parents' Guide to Google Classroom. As far as the content of our Hillcrest Google Classrooms, you will find videos of your children’s teachers reading stories, suggested activities for at-home learning that are directly connected to grade level content, copies of familiar classroom tools such as Fundations resources and Bridges Math games, and links to some online learning sites like IReady. Please know that learning through Google Classroom does not mean that your children will be spending significant amounts of time in front of a computer screen. The Hillcrest Google Classrooms are similar to real classrooms in that they house a collection of learning materials and resources. Many of these resources feature off-line, hands-on learning. Family members can visit the classroom with their children, review and select resources, then pursue learning off-line. For a more direct connection to your children’s real classroom, I encourage you to connect your children to their classroom’s weekly Google Meet, a brief on-line session where students can see, hear and talk with their teachers and classmates.
With Governor Baker’s announcement that we will not return to our Hillcrest building for the rest of the school year, I want to strongly encourage families to visit their children’s Google Classrooms and take advantage of the engaging resources that are regularly uploaded by our Hillcrest teachers. While our building may be closed, school is still in session and teaching and learning will continue through June. Our teachers are busy planning learning experiences for our students and incorporating opportunities for connection. We continue to hold our weekly grade level meetings and monthly staff meetings via Google Meet and we are collaborating through email daily to continue to provide excellent learning opportunities for our students. Please stay connected with us and please don’t hesitate to call or email me or your children’s teachers. We miss you!
Wishing you a wonderful weekend --
Sarah Burstein, Principal