Hi, Team Remote Families! I hope you had a chance to enjoy Winter Recess and are feeling recharged as we get closer to spring. This week's Positivity Project character strength involves the "Other People Matter Mindset" of cheering others' success. This means that when other people succeed, you are happy for them and cheer them on. Take a look at this example from the world of sports in which Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts was benched at halftime and backup quarterback Tua Tagovaiola led the team to a national championship back in 2018.
Success can be measured by the score of a game, but it can also be measured in other ways. In the world of social media, for example, the number of likes, retweets, and views can shape how we perceive success. Take the Marsh family, for example. You might remember them from a song parody I shared in a previous blog as they sang about their experience during the initial outbreak of the covid pandemic to the tune of One Day More from Les Miserable, generating over 6 million views on YouTube. Well, they are at it again. This time, they pay tribute to the '80s classic Total Eclipse of the Heart as England is dealing with a new strain of the coronavirus and is enforcing more lockdowns. They have racked up over 1 million views in just one week! Enjoy "Totally Fixed Where We Are" from the Marsh Family!
All kidding aside, I am cheering on all of you who have persevered over the course of this school year to help make remote learning a success for our students. Anyone who has had to support a remote learner knows just how stressful it can be. I recently came across an article from the Washington Post that acknowledges the stress that comes with supporting remote students and offers advice on how to tame the anxiety and thought I'd share it with you. Hang in there!
District Updates
I don't have much information to share that is grade-level specific this week as we return to remote learning after a week-long break. Be sure to check out your home school's Principal blogs (links on the right) for more info.
Elementary Update
Elementary Fine Arts Lessons
Just a reminder...K-4 Fine Arts lessons are available via the link below:
With these home-grown lessons from Mrs. Ta (music) and Mrs. Moser-Voger (art), your children will have access to weekly asynchronous lessons with the added bonus of turning work in for feedback from the teachers. Please consider taking advantage of this opportunity...Mrs. Ta and Mrs. Moser-Vogler are top-tier educators! Please feel free to contact the teachers if you have any questions:
Mrs. Ta: kta@westgenesee.org
Mrs. Moser-Vogler: kmoser-vogler@westgenesee.org
Something Fun From Spirit Week
Team Remote K-4 students participated in "Spirit Week" prior to Winter Recess. Check out some of the blasts from the past from Time Travel Day! Thank you to all who participated!
Hocus Pocus
Toga Toga Toga
Princess Diana
A Pirate!
Queen Victoria
A Flapper!
Grandpa!
Fun fact--Eddie's grandpa started the bocce ball tournament at the Festa Italiana in Syracuse!
Thank you to all the teachers, students, and parents who participated and are making remote learning a fun, memorable, and worthwhile experience. We know this isn't easy and appreciate all you are doing.
Teens, Tweens, and Friendships During the Pandemic
I grew up in the '70s and '80s when free-range child-reading was the norm. Give me a bike and a curfew and everything would be fine! Even before the pandemic, however, kids these days seem to socialize much differently, relying more on technology to socialize with friends through texting and video chat. Isolation from living during a pandemic, however, may be having an impact on our kids' social lives. I recently came across an article from the Washington Post that offers parents some ideas for helping teens and tweens renew their social relationships with their peers and thought I'd pass it along to you: 5 Ways to Help Tweens and Teens Refresh Their Friendships During a Pandemic.
Podcasts for Parents
I may have mentioned previously that I have enjoyed listening to Brené Brown's "Unlocking Us" podcast. Click here to visit her website. Note: Brené's language is occasionally "colorful" (i.e she casually swears--you may want to use headphones if you have little ones at home!). If you enjoy podcasts, feel free to check out this list of 100 "Parenting" podcasts--not everything is "pandemic-related", but there's something for all types of families with descriptions and links.
