Dear Belfast Families,
As this period of ongoing learning at home continues, we
recognize that pressures on families continue to build. Moving forward, as we
assign the government mandated five hours of work per week we are open and
willing to make modifications to the tasks to meet the needs of each student.
It is common practice for teachers in a classroom setting to adjust task
expectations on the fly based on observations of the student engaging with the
work. At this time, we are all emergency teaching and learning; there is no
expectation for parents to recreate the school experience at home.
These suggestions may help to reduce stress and support learning
in the home environment:
Chunk the activities: Attention span can
change throughout day; be mindful of the cues that your child may need a break.
Break up activities into smaller amounts.
Use a timer Help your child set time
limits for tasks. It
is acceptable to submit a partially completed assignment;
students will not be penalized. We understand students all work at
different paces and task completion may also look different for each student in
the class.
Reach out: If you or your child need
help or are feeling overwhelmed, please contact the teacher. Google Meeting
times are great opportunities to get teacher support, but an e-mail to the
teacher to set up a phone call also works.
Wellness: Remember to include
activities that you and your child enjoy together in your daily schedule.
Include your child, as able, in everyday activities, to promote connection (e.g.
making a meal, walking the dog, putting away the laundry, etc.). Remember that
parent well-being is equally important to child well-being; be kind to
yourself!
There are many supplemental resources available online to
support learning at home. For support with math, the website https://thegetitguide.com
is a good resource for math tutorials. Students can choose a topic related to
their assigned math work i.e. calculating the circumference of a circle, and
access a slideshow and instructional video to understand the concept in greater
depth.
This week you will also see a fine arts assignment in your
child’s Google classroom. This assignment is optional and will not be assessed,
but could be a nice way to break out of routine this weekend with your
family.
Finally, the CBE has made the decision to cancel all graduation
and year-end celebrations for this year. As a school, we will have an
online farewell for our Grade 6 students. Stay tuned for more information in
the coming weeks.
Wishing everyone a lovely weekend ahead.
Warm regards,
Jacqueline and Jana
