Week of 10/19 - 10/23

 

TEAM NEWS

THURSDAY / FRIDAY MORNING MEETINGS: We will be arriving at our Atom/ Bond morning meeting on Thursdays and Fridays at 8:05. We are busy at BRMS  taking attendance and getting lunch orders all squared away. We really look forward to seeing everyone and laughing together.  MONDAY/TUESDAY VIRTUAL WITH MR. MARTIN (10/26 & 10/27): This week begins with an EVEN number, therefore students should expect to be meeting with Mr. Martin on their virtual mornings: Monday or Tuesday.  CELEBRATIONS: The past couple of weeks we have begun our traditional “You are a POSITIVE ION trophy” awards. This past week we honored Judah who has been participating in a positive way during our in person and virtual meetings. Bravo Judah!  SCIENCE: Hydroponic gardens have been built either at home or at school. Yay home experiments! These should be kept in a space that gets sunlight and away from our furry/scaly extended family members. We will (hopefully) watch these beans grow, grow, grow! (This helps with the BIG idea, how energy helps plants grow & that plants’ essential needs are water, air, sunlight.) MORE SCIENCE: Students began their science assessments this week. They plan to finish them in the beginning of our week together. They are ROCKIN’ it. These are in-person only assessments.  SURVEY: ICYMI…. Check the email for our communication survey! We appreciate your feedback.  PHONE CALL CONFERENCES: We are still at it so don’t think we have forgotten about you. We have about 12 more phone calls to make. Thanks for your patience and feedback! SMILES: Please check out our Instagram and Blog for some fun photos and videos of our in person days together!

BRMS NEWS

RAIDER NEWS: Here’s the link to the BRMS homepage. Lots and lots of BRMS news is found here.  MENU: Look on the BRMS webpage for delicious menus.

Week of 10/5... OCTOBER!

TEAM NEWS

WEBSITE WEDNESDAY EXPECTATIONS: When teachers are in meetings on Wednesday mornings, students should be opening their Google Classrooms and opening the assignments they have in their core content classes: math, ELA, social studies, science. This is super important, as many students are showing up not knowing the assignments and missing out on the opportunity to get help on hand. When it comes time for scheduled office hours we expect all students to join up at the start and stick around if they need specific support. It is also during this time that we are checking in about social studies/ science assignments. We will reiterate this with the students during our in person morning meetings this week.  VIRTUAL DAYS: they are still school days! If your student will be missing a virtual day, including important assignments, it is their responsibility to check their Google Classroom/ Slideshow to see what they missed for the day. We highly recommend they have a peer they can connect with regarding an assignment. This will help diffuse any overwhelmed feelings when joining us again, in person.  THURSDAY / FRIDAY MORNING MEETINGS: We will be arriving at our Atom/ Bond morning meeting on Thursdays and Fridays at 8:05. We are busy here taking attendance and getting lunch orders all squared away. We really look forward to seeing everyone and laughing together.  MONDAY/TUESDAY VIRTUAL WITH MR. MARTIN: This week begins with an EVEN number, therefore students should expect to be meeting with Mr. Martin on their virtual mornings either Monday or Tuesday.  AT-HOME-SCIENCE: ION students have been supplied with a baggie of materials to construct their interacting spheres projects. Please help us get non consumable materials back (markers, scissors, glue) by encouraging them to clean up their materials after they use them and put them back in the baggie. We will continue to reuse and reuse the baggies. When they return the classroom supplies they can do so in their materials baggie. Thanks. PHONE CALL CONFERENCES: We are still at it so don’t think we have forgotten about you.  SMILES: Please check out our Instagram and Blog for some fun photos and videos of our in person days together!

BRMS NEWS

PICTURE DAY RETAKES: Monday and Tuesday on the 19th and 20th there will be an opportunity to retake pictures: absence, black eye, bed head.  RAIDER NEWS: Here’s the link to the BRMS homepage. Lots and lots of BRMS news is found here.  MENU: Look on the BRMS webpage for delicious menus.

Week of 9/28/2020

TEAM NEWS

FIRE DRILLS: We had a fire drill with the ATOMS and were rained out with the BONDS. Next week we will have one with the Bonds for sure.  FIELD TRIP: One was a sunny one and one was a wet one and both were filled with lots of smiles! MATH CLASS DANCE PARTY: We start each virtual math class with a movement activity to get blood flowin’.  Sit back and watch your students get their blood flowing. Here was today’s!  AT-HOME-SCIENCE: ION students are tasked with engineering water filtration devices. Students came back from the MRP water science activities, filled out an order form of what they wanted to use to make their device, and were sent home with a plastic baggie filled with those materials. Those At-Home-Science-KITS (aka Ziplock plastic bags) will be used over and over so making sure they get back into their backpacks is important.  GOOGLE CLASSROOM: Please take a look at this hyperlinked document composed by Ben White, MMUUSD Director of curriculum, communications and Innovation. SMILES: Please check out our Instagram and Blog for some fun photos and videos of our in person days together!

BRMS NEWS

PICTURE DAY: Tuesday and Thursday are picture days! Regardless if you want the picture package or not every one of our 5th graders will have their smiling face in our yearbook. RAIDER NEWS: Here’s the link to the BRMS homepage. Lots and lots of BRMS news is found here.  MENU: Look on the BRMS webpage for delicious menus.

Week of 9/21/2020

 

TEAM NEWS

SCHEDULE: Math/ SS/ Sci/ ELA have all had links in the schedules changed so that teachers now have control of the settings even if students enter the meeting first. The updated links are automatically showing up on their calendars and the Google Meet homepage. Of course the links can still be found in the digital schedules families were sent.  MISSING SCHOOL: If your child is not going to be able to come to school in person or virtually it would be great if grown ups would send kate.roberge@mmuusd.org , martha.erickson@mmuusd.org and holly.nicolle@mmuusd.org an email so we know how to best support them. We are required to take attendance M-F. We have an ELA, Math, Science and Social Studies curriculum planned for the virtual days. These classes reinforce skills and set students up for the next in-person academic day.  GOOGLE CLASSROOM: Because we are teaching so many routines and using different programs to enhance our students’ learning experience, much of the work is done in real time and not posted to our Google Classrooms. Some of these ways we are learning are; sharing notebook entries on a screen, writing on Jamboards, Whiteboard.fi,  other paper copies and soon to be more fun things! This means that even though it may show no missing assignments, there may be assignments that they had trouble completing that are not on Google Classroom. Virtual and in person assignments both hold importance in the growth your student has in 5th grade. EMAILS: If there is time sensitive notification you want us to have it would probably be best to call the office (899-3711)  and Theresa Robinson, our head secretary, will get in touch with us at an appropriate time. We may not check emails until later in the day and we don’t want to miss anything SMILES: Please check out our Instagram and Blog for some fun photos and videos of our in person days together! We had a GREAT all school (virtual) assembly on Thursday and Friday, practicing our team cheer and checking out the other grades (and rooms) in the school. These kids are amazing!

BRMS NEWS

A letter from music land: Thank you for filling out and returning surveys about the music department. All interested parents should be         receiving information, including contracts, for enrollment. The Chorus and Prep Band Programs are being launched virtually on Wednesday October 7th, and Monday Oct 12 for Strings. That means there are no virtual chorus, Prep Band or String sessions next week! Please take the time to look over all the information and discuss the expectations necessary in order to be successful in the BRMS music ensembles. For more information please reach out directly to: Berta Frank (instrumental music) berta.frank@mmuusd.org  or Victoria Rosales victoria.rosales@mmuusd.org (chorus).  SCHOOL MEALS: Breakfast bags, snack bags and lunches are all free. Look on the BRMS webpage for menus.  PICTURE DAY: Forms have now gone home to both Atoms and Bonds in their Home - School folders.  RAIDER NEWS: Here’s the link to the BRMS homepage. Lots and lots of BRMS news is found here.

Week of 9/14/2020

TEAM NEWS

SCHEDULES: We had our first all virtual week as you know. We are facing internet signal loss, microphone ins and outs, smiling faces in the meets when we get there, chats that are filled with thoughtful answers, and a learning curve that is pretty steep but flattening every day! There are HOTSPOTS available for families if internet connection is a problem. Feel free to email helpdesk@mmuusd.org with any questions you may have. You can also call us @ 802-899-4690. Shout out to Ms. Roberge who came to the rescue on Wednesday and fixed the World Language link troubles! These schedules are updated in our ION Community Google Classroom but here they are again.   ATOMS        BONDS LIBRARY happened for the first time this week. ION is famous on Mrs. Thompson’s BRMS Library Instagram page! Mrs Thompson and Mrs Hernandez have bent over backwards to give books individually wrapped in brown paper packages (not tied up in string), a cart filled with goodies, incredible knowledge and a Bitmoji virtual library with links that is to die for! Check it out!   Morning meetings with Ms Roberge, Mx. Erickson and Mr Martin began this week. It’s so fun to see everyone at these fun filled times. We are so lucky to have such a great group! It’s a great way for us to start our day and keep connected.  Hungry? Breakfast bags, snack bags (aka breakfast bags held until 9-10 when the first pangs of hunger hit) and lunches are all free. Look on the BRMS webpage for menus.  Ms. Roberge and Mx. Erickson will be checking in by phone with families this month. Think about what is working and what you are wondering so when we talk we can really use our time well. We look forward to having quick and really important conversations with everyone. Please check out our Instagram and Blog for some fun photos and videos of our in person days together!

A photo check in!

Here are a few images of our activities we did inside the classroom. Don't forget to follow the Instagram page to check out more, including some videos! Have a great, restful weekend everyone!!

First Week Back- 9/11/2020

HAPPY FIRST WEEK! 

TEAM NEWS

SCHEDULES! Below are the hyperlinks to each group's schedule. Bonds got a reprint today and Atoms will have a reprint Monday. We’ve had to make some changes (just which class goes first), so that the students who wish to partake in orchestra can do so without missing the same class each week!  ATOMS BONDS Supplies are slowly coming in… woohoo! Although we cannot allow home supplies to be brought to school, books are ok to bring! We have plenty of reading opportunities for them to indulge in their books. We will have Library next week (Thurs/Fri) where we will learn how to check out library books. In the meantime we have an awesome classroom library to use! Students will learn how to check out books from our classroom on Mon/Tues, while at school.  Snack reminders! We are a nut safe school, not nut free. This means you may bring in snacks and lunches that have traces of nuts in them. We clean our tables and hands a lot and we don’t share food. Woohoo for protein filled goodies! Next week we start with virtual classes on Monday for the BONDS group. They learned in-person today how to access all of the links and Google Classroom apps, as well as how to be prepared for our synchronous learning experience.   Thanks to all (students and families) for your patience as we navigate teaching both in person and hybrid. Your kind messages and encouraging words have been so warming to receive. We are excited to continue to make this experience as positive as possible for all. Please check out our Instagram and Blog for some fun photos and videos of our first in person days together!