Dear Canarsie Cub Families,
We hope this email finds you well. As you know, we have begun week 2 of remote learning this week. Almost all families have been able to log onto Google Classroom using each scholar’s assigned, unique log-in credentials. Please click here more information on our remote learning attendance policy. If you have trouble accessing the content or navigating, please reach out to your scholar’s teachers and the Operations Team for more information and troubleshooting. We will do our best to support you!
As we continue to support our scholars in this new way of learning, we are encouraging all families to:
Establish a daily routine or schedule that includes breakfast, instruction, movement, lunch, independent reading, and play. Please lean on the attached K-2 and Grade 3-4 remote learning letters for guidance.
Reach out to your scholar’s teachers during their designated office hours, including for a video conference.
Utilize additional online resources that are shared on Google Classroom and listed below.
SCHOOL FOOD & REGIONAL ENRICHMENT CENTERS (RECs)
NYC DOE is continuing to make three free Grab-and-Go Meals available daily for all NYC children across 439 sites. Meals will be available from 7:30am to 1:30pm. Meals will be distributed at the main entrance, and student will be able to pick up one day’s worth of meals per day. No registration, ID, or documentation is required. Parents and guardians may pick up meals for their children. Please find a free meal location here.
To support our first responders, healthcare providers, transit workers, and other key personnel, the DOE has created Regional Enrichment Centers (RECs)—places where the children of these front-line workers can be safely cared for while their parents continue to serve the city in this time of need. Staffed by DOE employees and community-based organization partners, the centers will provide children with three hot meals daily, remote learning time with their teachers, activities like art and music, and social and emotional support. Eligible parents can complete the survey here.
WEBSITE UPDATES: FAMILY RESOURCES & NEWS AND UPDATES
We will continue to make our school website a consistent and reliable place for information. Since last week, we’ve added new information and posted a video from our Winter Showcase on the Family Resources page. We have also launched the News and Updates page where you can view a growing archive of the Weekly Scoop. Please check them out!
INTENT TO RETURN FORMS
We are looking to finalize our enrollment projections for school year 2020-2021. Please take 5 minutes to let us know if your scholar will be returning to your Ascend school by our *new deadline of 4/14*. Forms are available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.
FEATURED RESOURCE: IXL
As you may know, IXL.com is a supplemental, web-based resource for teachers and scholars to extend the learning. It is aligned to grade-level standards and adjusts to the student’s progress and areas for improvement. Teachers also receive information regarding your scholar’s progress. Since the start of remote learning, IXL has upgraded our subscription to include Science and Social Studies until 6/30 and Spanish until 4/23. Please take advantage of this resource!
Also, IXL offers webinars to support both teachers and parents in using IXL at home. We encourage families to sign up for “At home learning with IXL for families and parents” Please note that the session times listed are in Pacific Time. If you do not have your scholar’s IXL log-in credentials, please reach out to the Operations Team.
Lastly, we would like to encourage our families to check out the following learning resources for scholars:
Google Classroom Tutorial for Parents (video): https://youtu.be/JqxCfihxEVw
GoNoodle offers free movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts: https://www.gonoodle.com/
Tumble Books offers animated, talking picture books which teach kids the joy of reading in a format they’ll love: https://www.tumblebooklibrary.com
Starfall.com offers many free interactive phonics games and videos for early readers: https://www.starfall.com
Khan Academy offers a ton of free instructional videos for almost all K-12 subjects: https://www.khanacademy.org/
BrainPOP offers engaging, educational videos on a variety of topics [now offering free access for 30 days to families]: https://www.brainpop.com
Newsela offers adapted news articles and other nonfiction texts for different grade levels and that include comprehension questions [free student account required for access]: https://newsela.com
Scholastic Learn-at-Home offers day-by-day projects for a variety of grade levels: https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html
Dreambox offers interactive math games for K-8 scholars [sign up by 4/30 for a free 90-day trial]: https://www.dreambox.com/at-home
Audible Kids is offering free access to school-age audiobooks, including across 6 different languages: https://stories.audible.com/start-listen
CILC’s Community of Learning offers free, interactive, live-streamed programs until 4/17 for K-6 scholars in topics ranging from science to history [selected recordings viewable on their YouTube channel]: https://www.cilc.org/Interactive-Content/Community-of-Learning.aspx
For parenting and community resources for families, we have compiled these:
Canarsie Community Resources lists food pantries, mental health resources, and free legal services in the neighborhood.
CALS Family Association Facebook Group is a great place to connect with other CALS families and share tips and resources: http://bit.ly/cals-facebook
Giant List of Ideas for Being Home with Kids: http://bit.ly/being-home
NYT Parenting has several articles of interest to families, such as “11 Questions Parents May Have About Coronavirus” and “How to Talk to Kids About Coronavirus”: https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/parenting-kids-coronavirus
COVID-19 Parenting Tips is a collaboration among the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and other international organizations, offering 6 tips to guide families during this time: https://www.covid19parenting.com/
NPR’s “Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus” is an article and radio piece that features a kid-friendly comic about COVID-19: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/02/28/809580453/just-for-kids-a-comic-exploring-the-new-coronavirus
NYT The Daily’s “A Kids’ Guide to Coronavirus” is a podcast episode that features questions from kids about COVID-19: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/podcasts/the-daily/kids-coronavirus.html
Please be assured that we will continue to send you updates. If you have any questions, please reach out to us and be sure to include your scholar's name and homeroom in your correspondences.
In partnership,
Canarsie Ascend Lower School