CMS Remote Learning Information

On April 6th, CMS launched it's remote learning program for students.  As stated by the Superintendent, remote learning cannot replicate or replace the learning that occurs in the classroom.  We are also cognizant that many families cannot follow a "school day" schedule due to how their family is impacted by this pandemic.  Therefore we are using an asynchronous method of instruction that allows for students and families to create a schedule that works for them.  Within the structure, our teachers have designated Office Hours (OH) and live Google Chat (GC) or Google Meet times to connect.  Two major components that are different from the past three weeks are 1.  Assignments are required and 2.  Teachers will be covering new material.  We know that this is a big change and we will be moving very slowly.  Please reach out to your teachers, guidance, and administration for help, with questions, or for anything.

Supporting our CMS students involves caring for the whole child.  During the week of April 21-24th the CMS counselors will be sending out a Mindfulness Toolbox for students.  The toolbox is a choice board of activities that students can easily try on their own.  These tools can help them relax, focus, and clear their minds.  Mindfulness activities are important for a child's social and emotional well-being.  They cannot replace the important aspects of ordinary life that have been lost, but they can provide strategies for students to use when feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and frustrated by their current situation.  We ask that you encourage your child to try three of these activities and share about them in the Google Classroom titled "Exploring the Virtual World".  We have linked the toolbox below, so that students may access these tools whenever they may need them.

CMS Mindfulness Toolbox 

The Educational Plan

Your children should be receiving schedules for their teacher's office hours as well as for live "chats" and "meets" via Google.  Core subject teachers will be pushing out work via Google Classroom on Mondays and specialists will be pushing out assignments on Tuesday.  The general plan for each week is as follows:

• Teacher pushes out an assignment or series of small assignments that are due at the end of the week.
• A pre-recorded lesson or detailed step-by-step instructions are attached to the lesson to facilitate understanding.
• Teachers are available during office hours to answer questions via email.
• Teachers have scheduled Google "chat" or "meet" times to connect with students, answer questions, review lessons as needed.  The links for these meetings are posted only in their Google Classrooms for safety purposes (you may have heard of issues with hackers compromising meetings)
• Special educators will be reaching out directly to the families and students they work with to provide additional assistance to students - both academic and social-emotional.
• Additional meets are also set up by guidance counselors and administrators to connect with students in a more social and non-academic manner.   Students get links to  these meetings via their school email.

Schedules

The following are links to the grade level and specialist schedules.  These are master schedules and provided for parents to have an overview of when teachers are readily available.  Please know that these are minimum guidelines.  As many students and parents have already found out, our teachers are available beyond the hours listed.  I do ask that all our CMS families remember that our teachers have families at home with them as well.  They are doing infant and toddler care, teaching their own children, running households, and managing life in a pandemic while also providing your children with educational resources.  I have instructed all of my staff to make sure they have "off hours" during this time as well.  Maintaining everyone's mental and physical health is important!

Grade 6 Remote Learning Master Schedule
Grade 7 Remote Learning Master Schedule
Grade 8 Remote Learning Master Schedule
Specialists Remote Learning Master Schedule

Participation Rubric

While I am confident in our students ability to become independent learners, I am also mindful that this is a process and a skill that develops over time.  To the end, we have developed a school wide Effort and Participation Rubric, outlining what we expect from students.  Four categories are teacher assessed and three are student assessed.  A large part of being an independent learner is being able to reflect honestly about yourself.  Teachers will be taking this rubric and adapting it to their subject areas.  It is linked below.

CMS Remote Learning Effort and Participation Rubric
CMS Effort d'apprentissage à distance et rubrique de participation - Français
Esforço de aprendizado remoto e participação do CMS - Português
Rúbrica de participación y esfuerzo de aprendizaje remoto de CMS - español

Talk to Us!

This is the most important part of our Remote Learning PLan - communication!  Each family is in a different place.  Some of us are able to set up a schedule and help children manage it, others are working outside the home, others are caring for the sick or elderly, others have found themselves out of work.  We are NOT here to add more stress to your family.  If you find that what is being asked is too much - reach out.  Email your child's teachers, guidance counselor, or me and we will help you.  If we aren't providing enough for your child - reach out!  We have created a Classroom full of additional experiences for our students, we are happy to highlight a few that your child might find engaging.

We are all in uncharted waters, we don't know where this will take us or what we will each have to overcome to get to the otherside.  We just ask that you join with us as we navigate together!

 

Technology Support:

For Coakley Middle School students that have problems with their school-issued Chromebooks, please email our high school technician, Mr. Joe Sleeman, at jsleeman@norwood.k12.ma.us.  Mr. Sleeman will help troubleshoot your issue.  If he cannot troubleshoot your issue, he will set up an appointment for you to drop off your Chromebook at the Coakley for repair.  At this time, you will receive a spare Chromebook until yours is repaired and returned.

For any students and families that have any issues regarding the Aspen family or student portal, please continue to use the NPS Aspen support email at: npsaspensupport@norwood.k12.ma.us

For any students and families that have questions about accounts or accessing educational resources that their teachers send them, please contact Joe Kidd at: jkidd@norwood.k12.ma.us

Helpful Information:

Our counselors at CMS have found a couple of helpful ways to talk to your child about the coronavirus and the need for social distancing that I have linked here:  https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/02/28/809580453/just-for-kids-a-comic-exploring-the-new-coronavirus

and https://childmind.org/article/talking-to-kids-about-the-coronavirus/#.XmuWv7k7MT0.email

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