Virtual Academy - Week 2

 Week two of Virtual Academy was a little more rigorous than week one.  We still all get to have lunch together and we truly enjoy that brain break in the day!

Everyone stepped it up and liked the challenge.  Kate and Max ran their full schedule the whole week with homework, projects, started a novel and quizzes! They were exhausted but proud!

Anna's schedule added in specials (PE, Art, Music, STEM, Media) and a session after lunch where they started a novel. They finished off the week with a fun art project.  Anna loved the autonomy of it all and was very responsible about checking in promptly for each live session and completing all her assignments each day.

Alex met all of his specials teachers this week and really enjoyed getting to know each teacher.  He is enjoying the morning meeting - greetings, calendar, and letterland. Then he worked on activities each day specific to the letter of the day including listening, speaking, writing and reading.  He had 1:1 assessments and wrapped up the week with an Annie Apple craft.   He noted there was a lot less time to play on his own now that he is in kindergarten but liked getting to know the different teachers.

 

We finish off each day with time outside - chalk art, tennis, foursquare, chasing Finn, bikes, bubbles, etc. - whatever makes out hearts happy!!!

Virtual Academy - Week 1

Virtual Academy - week 1 was a tremendous success overall. Everyone had abbreviated schedules and had lots of time to get organized and settled into new platforms and use new tools.

Alex spent time of Google Meets meeting his teacher, friends, and principals. He got to work independently on a few activities and was introduced to seesaw - a wonderful platform for doing work.  We did a drive-thru supply pick-up and his bag was absolutely bursting with FUN!  He has math manipulatives, white board, playdough, bubbles, tracing pages, playdough mats, craft kits, backpack filled with goodies from PTA, math and EL packets in addition to the supplies we had ordered from EduKit (crayons, markers, folders, notebooks, etc.).  

Anna got very good at hopping on and off google meets, doing work independently and submitting online, accessing new websites and setting up her accounts and communicating with her teacher by email.  It was an incredibly organized week of introductions and laying a strong foundation for the the schedule and tools they will be accessing throughout the year.

 

Max and Kate worked through their whole schedule, meeting all their teachers, "switching classes", drive through distribution, virtual Meet the teacher, organizing their emails, binders, google docs and planners, setting up their google classrooms and going through their drive-thru distribution.  Kate was selected by her homeroom teacher for the "Twitter Challenge" so she got her name posted on the MPMS website (very exciting moment in our house).

In our down time from school, we were able to organize binders and supplies, go to our schools for drive-thru materials distribution and do drive-by drop-offs of homemade cookies to our friends' porches.  All this gave us a chance to "see" our friends and teachers and holler to them from a distance - all of which got everyone pretty excited about the start of the school year!

Bird Feeders

 Papa D. made each of the kits a birdhouse kit and helped them assemble it when we visited Wilmington. Last week, we got a chance to hang the houses in trees around our yard.  They are squirrel and Finn proff (we think)!  Cross your fingers, we get some tenants!

Welcome Virtual Academy 2020-2021

 HUGE SUCCESS FOR EVERYONE! 

 I can not say enough good things about our schools, teachers, and administrators.  The planning, communication and schedules made the first day feel like a success for all of us.

 

Alex was up and dressed at 5am (school starts at 9am)! He was very patient, learned how to mute/unmute his microphone, start/end call in addition to connecting with his teacher and classmates as a whole group and in small groups.

Anna was ready to go and started early. She did her end of day work before her class met. She met with her class twice and had three independent assignments to complete. She got to use some new tools that will be useful the rest of the year.

Kate was so excited to see who would be in her classes. Kate's homeroom teacher sounded really nice and made the kids feel very welcome and comfortable. They will be adding a little more to their schedule each day this week.

Max is thrilled to be in middle school. He loves the autonomy of all this virtual learning. He is excited to see some familiar names in his classes. Max and Kate requested the same teachers/schedule and that is exactly what they got!

Prepping for Virtual Academy

Day before school starts...work stations ready, devices charged, google classrooms joined, nails done, hair cut,  curlers in, outfits sorted, supplies overflowing and lucky charms ready for breakfast! 

 

The schools and teachers have exceeded my expectations for preparing us for this day.  Their websites, google classrooms, virtual meet-and-greets, schedules and communication prior to the first day have helped us ALL feel like we can and will be successful.  We fully anticipate some hiccups and are ready to tackle those and make adjustments as we embark on this virtual adventure together.

Tie Dye Extravaganza

 The kids and I had a BLAST doing a tie dye project this week. We made t-shirts, bandanas, onsies, and face masks. The t-shirts were for themselves and the rest went into care packages for their cousins in Tampa, New Zealand, and Greensboro!

Mary Ellen in Maine

Lobster, Clams, Blueberries, Kayaking...life is good!

Eno River Finale

 We made our last trip of the summer to the Eno.

Beach Week: Sunkissed