Mr. Tarigo´s Class: Distance Learning

Dear parents,

Tomorrow we will begin our distance learning program. This proves to be a unique experience for us all. Rest assured that we have been planning and preparing to ensure a quality learning experience for your child. We will be using our grade level blogs to post information about learning. Please be sure to bookmark the blog if you haven’t already. This will make it easier to access. Also, remember that clicking on the tab with my name will ensure you are receiving the content specific for my class.



Students will also be using GOOGLE CLASSROOM to receive activities and assignments. They are aware of their login information.  Here is a video tutorial on different ways to login to google classroom. However, should you need assistance logging in, please let me know. I encourage you to ask your child about Google Classroom and have them show you the work they are doing. 

The student schedule below outlines what each day will look like. The times listed are the times that activities will be posted for each subject area. Please add movement and nutrition breaks throughout the day as needed. We encourage students to have breaks from screens, so please complete the activities when appropriate for your family. We do however, need your child present for class meetings which will take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 9:30am. There will also be individual check-in times for each child during the week. This schedule will be posted below:

Individual Check-Ins
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
1:00 - Santi 1:25 - Kappy 1:50 - Patrick 2:15 - Nicco 2:40 - Catarina T.	1:00 - Bruna 1:25 - Catarina R. 1:50 - Lucy 2:15 - Nina	1:00 - Violet  1:25 - Thomas 1:50 - Paul 2:15 - Olivia	1:00 - Colin 1:25 - Theo 1:50 - Tiago 2:15 - Otavio	1:00 - Duda  1:25 - Maria 1:50 - Ryder 2:15 - Sofia

To prepare your child, please create a workspace in your home. This should be somewhere where your child is visible to you or other caregivers. Please also ensure your child has a device that has video and sound capabilities, and has all recent updates. We will send a link for a Zoom call for each class meeting.

The link for Wednesday’s meeting is https://zoom.us/j/803739793.

I will have two hours each day when I will be available online. This time is 10:00 to 12:00. Should you or your child like to connect with me, please send me an email at jeff.tarigo@graded.br.


Finally, regular attendance and completion of activities is important for your child’s success. Please ensure your child is available for all class meetings and completes activities (and submits assignments when due). Additionally, please ask your child questions about the work they are doing. Your interest in their learning is invaluable.

I look forward to continuing to support your child through this transition.

Sincerely,

Mr. Tarigo

Ms. Keane's Class: Distance Learning

Dear parents,

Tomorrow we will begin our distance learning program. This proves to be a unique experience for us all. Rest assured that we have been planning and preparing to ensure a quality learning experience for your child. We will be using our grade level blog to post information about learning. Please be sure to bookmark the blog if you haven’t already. This will make it easier to access. Also, remember that clicking on the tab with my name will ensure you are receiving the content specific for my class.

 

Students will also be using Google Classroom to receive activities and assignments and have bookmarked this page on their Chrome-books. We have also created this video tutorial to help you with logging in. They are aware of their login information. However, should you need assistance logging in, please let me know. I encourage you to ask your child about Google Classroom and have them show you the work they are doing.

The student schedule below outlines what each day will look like. The times listed are the times that activities will be posted for each subject area. Please add movement and nutrition breaks throughout the day as needed. We encourage students to have breaks from screens, so please complete the activities when appropriate for your family. We do however, need your child present for class meetings which will take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 9:30am. There will also be individual check-in times for each child during the week. The schedule is posted below. 

Individual Check-In Times
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
1:00 - Yuya 1:25 - Sofia 1:50 - Aidan 2:15 - Eva	1:00 - Emma 1:25 -Gabriela 1:50 -Joaquim 2:15 -Martin 2:40-  Viridiana	1:00 - Joao 1:25 - Malu 1:50 - Toby 2:15 - Carolina	1:00 - Catarina 1:25 - Max 1:50 - Nico 2:15 -  Kiara	1:00 - Xavier 1:25 - Gabriel 1:50 - Alisa

To prepare your child, please create a workspace in your home. This should be somewhere where your child is visible to you or other caregivers. Please also ensure your child has a device that has video and sound capabilities, and has all recent updates. We will send a link for a Zoom call for each class meeting.

The link for Wednesday’s meeting is https://zoom.us/j/893631617.

I will have two hours each day when I will be available online. This time is 10:00am to 12:00pm. Should you or your child like to connect with me, please send me an email at shannon.keane@graded.br.

Finally, regular attendance and completion of activities is important for your child’s success. Please ensure your child is available for all class meetings and completes activities (and submits assignments when due). Additionally, please ask your child questions about the work they are doing. Your interest in their learning is invaluable.

I look forward to continuing to support your child through this transition.

Sincerely,
Shannon Keane

Ms. Jessie's Class: Distance Learning

Dear parents,


Tomorrow we will begin our distance learning program. This proves to be a unique experience for us all. Rest assured that we have been planning and preparing to ensure a quality learning experience for your child. We will be using our grade level blogs to post information about learning. Please be sure to bookmark the blog if you haven’t already. This will make it easier to access. Also, remember that clicking on the tab with my name will ensure you are receiving the content specific for my class. 

Students will also be using Google Classroom to receive activities and assignments. They are aware of their login information, and have bookmarked this page on their Chromebooks. We have also created this video tutorial to help you with logging in. Should you need assistance logging in, please let me know. I encourage you to ask your child about Google Classroom and have them show you the work they are doing. 

The student schedule below outlines what each day will look like. The times listed are the times that activities will be posted for each subject area. Please add movement and nutrition breaks throughout the day as needed. We encourage students to have breaks from screens, so please complete the activities when appropriate for your family. We do however, need your child present for class meetings which will take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:30 - 10:00. There will also be individual check-in times for each child during the week, which are listed below.

Individual Check In Times: 

Mondays	Tuesdays	Wednesdays	Thursdays	Fridays
1:00 - Allegra 1:25 - Ana 1:50 - Alice 2:15 - Mila 2:40- Minami	1:00 - Alberto 1:25 - Ariella 1:50 - Eric 2:15 - Leo 2:40- Peter	1:00 - Gain 1:25 - Hannah 1:50 - Sofia 2:15 - Teo	1:00 - Augusto 1:25 - Case 1:50 - Jose 2:15 - Lucy	1:00 - Heelim 1:25 - Julia 1:50 - Takahiro

To prepare your child, please create a workspace in your home. This should be somewhere where your child is visible to you or other caregivers. Please also ensure your child has a device that has video and sound capabilities, and has all recent updates. We will send a link for a Zoom call for each class meeting.

The link for Wednesday’s meeting is https://zoom.us/j/660190438

I will have two hours each day when I will be available online. This time is 10:00 to 12:00. Should you or your child like to connect with me, please send me an email at jessie.stoll@graded.br.

Finally, regular attendance and completion of activities is important for your child’s success. Please ensure your child is available for all class meetings and completes activities (and submits assignments when due). Additionally, please ask your child questions about the work they are doing. Your interest in their learning is invaluable.

I look forward to continuing to support your child through this transition.

Sincerely,
Jessie

Personal Safety

Personal Safety

The Lower School Counselors will be delivering classroom lessons on Personal Safety. The information presented will be developmentally appropriate in content and concepts.  This curriculum will teach children the difference between safe touch and unsafe touch. They will learn the anatomically correct names for body parts, and that these parts of the body should never be touched by others except to keep one clean and healthy.  

Students will be encouraged to identify adults in their lives within the home and community that they could talk to if the “touching rule” is ever broken.  The students will learn how to say no in a “big voice”, how to run away and tell a trusted adult.  

At Graded we realize that these lessons are just a small piece of what we all need to do to keep children safe. Research shows that young children retain skills when they are practiced and reinforced at home so please help your child review her/his learning by asking questions at home and reminding your child about safe and unsafe touch.

If you have questions or would like further information, please feel free to reach out to Bobbie at bobbie.olio@graded.br, or Kevin kevin.kooienga@graded.br.  Thank you for the continued support to keep all children safe both inside and outside the school setting.

Regards,

Bobbie and Kevin

Lower School Update - March 9, 2020

Destination Imagination

Over the weekend, we hosted the Destination Imagination tournament here at Graded. We are so very proud to announce that Mr. Ro’s team and Ms. Murphy’s team won first place in their categories!

Congratulations to Sofi C, Clara M, Zoe K, Alyssa K, Stella H, Beatriz P and Nina C in Mr. Ro’s group and Pedro V, Gustavo F, Sebastian M, Joao F, Leonardo V and Enzo K in Ms. Murphy’s group.  We are so proud of you!

Community D Assembly

Please join us for the Community D Assembly on Thursday, March 12 at 8:15 am in the auditorium. Our students have some wonderful learning they can’t wait to share with you.

Student-Led Conferences 

On March 31 and April 1, we will have our Student-Led Conferences.  In these conferences, instead of students and parents talking about the children, the children themselves will share about their learning.  Please see the image below for more information. An email was sent on Friday, March 6 to sign up.

No School for Students March 19-20

Graded is hosting the Association American School in South America (AASSA) conference on March 19-21.  There will be no school for students on Thursday and Friday.  

Upcoming Important Dates

March 12	LS Community D Assembly
March 19-21	AASSA Conference at Graded (no school for students)
March 24	4th grade field trip to Santos
March 30	Report cards online
March 31	Student-Led Conferences (No school)
April 1	Student-Led Conferences (No school)
April 4	Celebration of the World
April 10	Holiday – Good Friday
April 14	All School Parent Coffee: Learning and Belonging
April 20	No School
April 21	No School: Holiday Tiradentes

Around the Lower School

G2 Curriculum Update - March 6th

Here is what is coming up in grade two:

Reading: The second graders are working on partner working in reading, discussing what they have read with their partners learning more about their own books through their discussions.  Students are also focusing on strategies they can use to keep track of their increasingly lengthy books.

Writing: Our students have been writing their final lab reports, as well as using their research skills to write about different landforms. Coming up we will begin our unit on opinion writing.

Science:  Through different investigations and discussions, students have observed how natural disasters like Tsunamis can change the land.  Students are working to understand the different types of erosion that shape the earth quickly and slowly.  Some examples are wind and water.  Students will be conducting experiments to better understand the different types of erosion.   

Math:  We will start a new module: Foundations of Multiplication and Division!

In this module, students learn to make equal groups, moving from concrete work with objects to more abstract pictorial representations. Finally, they learn about even and odd numbers.

   KEY VOCABULARY:

·         Array: Arrangement of objects in rows and columns

·         Columns: The vertical groups in a rectangular array

·         Even Number: A whole number whose last digit is 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8

·         Odd Number: A number that is not even

·         Repeated Addition: e.g., 2 + 2 + 2

·         Rows: The horizontal groups in a rectangular array

·         Tessellation: Tiling of a plane using one or more geometric shapes with no overlaps and no gaps

·         Whole Number: e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3,…

                 

How you can help at home:

         Using any number of small objects, challenge your child to sort them into equal groups.

        Practice skip counting by 2s. This will help as students work with odd and even numbers in this module.                 

            

Talking to Children About Coronavirus

Dear Parents,

We understand that the news of coronavirus COVID-19 in São Paulo and around the world can be very difficult for children to understand and even a little bit scary.  As you know, we spoke to the Lower School students on Monday during our Eagle’s Nest especially as it relates to how the virus spreads and things we should do as a community to stay healthy.  You can find the slides we referenced here.  NPR is a reliable source and these slides were specifically designed for children. 

Here is an article from the BBC that will help guide your conversations at home.  It’s important to keep it simple and stick to the facts, as this article states.  

At school, we have been emphasizing washing hands.  In addition, our first graders helped us with a great visual to remind us to cover our mouths when coughing or sneezing.  Ask your child to demonstrate “The Dracula!”  

Remember, updates about the virus as it pertains to Graded will come directly from our Superintendent, Rich Boerner so please be sure to check emails.

Thank you,

Lower School Administration