Olympic View Middle School

5/18 Update

Dear Families,

Last week students were engaged with some pretty amazing projects, making their own advertisements in ELA and learning more in-depth about a Westward Expansion topic of their choice in SS.  Much of their engagement and independence is thanks to your help and encouragement from home. THANK YOU!

Here are a few reminders as we head into our 6^th week of Distance Learning:

• My grade book in Qmulativ reflects only assignments from April 27^th on and has a grading scale that shows “engagement” in the form of participation on assignments. Please email me if you have questions regarding grades or missing assignments. Students may also turn assignments in late. The MSD district grading guidelines for Distance Learning are below:
• A: students who are consistently engaged in distance learning.
• B: students who are intermittently engaged in distance learning.
• C: students who are rarely engaged in distance learning.
• I (incomplete) may be assigned to students who do not engage in distance learning.
• Independent Reading is how I will take ATTENDANCE in Google Classroom. I will use this to take attendance for the week, after 2 pm on Fridays, so please encourage & remind your student to check, at the very least, by Friday before 2 pm. If a student is in need of a book, check out the OVMS Library. Our amazing librarian, Mrs. Peterson, has a whole website page called Socially Distant Library for those interested in e-books. She also hosts a Zoom meeting with Mrs. Wright on Wednesdays for anything books or technology. I will post the Zoom link and password this week in the “Stream” for those interested.
• Students should be logging in to Google Classroom daily, if possible. Assignments are due on Fridays, by 2:45 pm, unless otherwise stated. Parents who receive daily/weekly Google Classroom Summaries should now be able to check-in with their students about missing work before heading into the weekend.
• A weekly Assignment Game Board is posted every Monday morning and lists daily assignments & directions for the whole week (see this week’s at the bottom of the page). The Game Board style allows structure & flexibility and allows students to track their progress as they finish daily tasks. If you can, check-in with your student and ask to see their progress during the week!
• Zoom meetings will be held at 2 pm, on Mondays, and are OPTIONAL. Students will find the invite in the “Stream” tab of Google Classroom. Last week I tried combining my classes and it was a success. These meetings are for students who need a face-to-face check-in, help, or have questions. I encourage students to look over the week’s assignments and come with questions at 2 pm.

Until next week, please take care!

Anna Roberts

8^th Grade ELA & SS Teacher

Olympic View Middle School

5/11 Update

Dear Families,

I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day yesterday and that you were able to soak up some sunshine this weekend with your families.

As we head into our 5^th week of distance learning, here are a few reminders, announcements, and some changes to keep in mind this week:

Last week teachers were given new grading guidelines from MSD that align with state distance learning policies. With that in mind, I changed my grade book in Qmulativ midweek to reflect only assignments given from April 27^th on and shifted my grading scale to reflect “engagement” in the form of participation. It is a work in progress but is currently the best way I can communicate on how your student has been engaging in distance learning and what assignments may be missing or need to be “Turned In” late in Google Classroom. Please email me if you have questions regarding grades or missing assignments.

Below is what Dr. Brynelson, the Superintendent of Mukilteo School District, outlined in her email to teachers and families about this new grading shift:

Teachers should focus on engagement as the primary metric for assigning grades. We are asking for teachers to use their best professional judgment of a student’s engagement, and to generously assign grades while also considering the unique obstacles facing their students. As these are extraordinary times, the normal considerations that we give our letter grades must be amended.  Note that over the course of the trimester students should have multiple opportunities to engage with and makeup work to improve proficiency and enhance their learning.

• A: students who are consistently engaged in distance learning.
• B: students who are intermittently engaged in distance learning.
• C: students who are rarely engaged in distance learning.
• I (incomplete) may be assigned to students who do not engage in distance learning.

Independent Reading will be tracked and used as daily ATTENDANCE in Google Classroom. I will use this to take attendance for the week, after 2 pm on Fridays, so please encourage & remind your student to check, at the very least, by Friday before 2 pm. Students need to simply open the Independent Reading Tracker, select their class tab (AM/4^th/PM) at the bottom, and enter their book title and pages for each day. Email me if your student is having trouble getting a new book or check out the OVMS Library. Our amazing librarian, Mrs. Peterson, sent out an Independent Reading Survey and has already been hard at work getting books into the hands of my students. She also has a whole website page called Socially Distant Library for those interested in e-books. Check it out!

Students should be logging in to Google Classroom each day and working on assignments. Assignments are due on Fridays, by 2:45 pm, unless otherwise stated. Parents who receive daily/weekly Google Classroom Summaries should now be able to check-in with their students about missing work before heading into the weekend.

A weekly Assignment Game Board is posted every Monday morning and lists daily assignments & directions for the whole week (see this week’s at the bottom of the page). The Game Board style allows structure & flexibility and allows students to track their progress as they finish daily tasks. It is working well for MOST kids, but I’m still seeing plenty of students that really need parent check-ins, encouragement, and reminders to get assignments in. Since I am not there to do this myself, I appreciate any help and support you can give from home. 😊

Zoom meetings will be held at 2 pm, on Mondays, and are OPTIONAL. Students will find the invite in the “Stream” tab of Google Classroom. Last week I tried combining my classes and it was a success. These meetings are for students who need a face-to-face check-in, help, or have questions. I encourage students to look over the week’s assignments and come with questions at 2 pm.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have further questions, concerns, or feedback. I cannot thank you enough for supporting your student in distance learning while we have been away from school for the last few months. I know first-hand, having a ten-year-old son doing distance learning, a husband working remotely in our kitchen, and my 4-year-old daughter up in the mix, that this new juggle between school, work, and family is no easy task!  So THANK YOU for your help and support!

Until next week, please take care!

Anna Roberts

8^th Grade ELA & SS Teacher

Olympic View Middle School

Google Classroom Weekly Schedule (Please ignore SS if your student has Mr. Von for SS class):

 5/4 Update

Dear Families,

We are kicking off our 4^th week of distance learning and I want to thank you all for hanging in there! This new way of learning, communicating, and socially distancing is difficult for us all. That said, May the 4^th be with you this week!  

Here are a few reminders, announcements, and some changes to keep in mind this week:

• Students should be logging in to Google Classroom daily to work on assignments. Please encourage students that missed last week’s assignments to turn them in!
• ALL assignments from April 27^th on will be tracked in Qmulativ (SKYWARD) grade book, as per Mukilteo District and OSPI guidelines. Please check Qmlative regularly and remind your student of missing assignments. Typically, I grade assignments Friday/Saturday, then update my grade book over the weekend. Late work will be graded when am able to get to it the following week.
• A weekly Assignment Game Board is posted on Monday mornings and lists daily assignments/directions for the whole week (see bottom of the page). The Game Board style allows structure & flexibility and allows them to track their progress as they finish daily tasks. It is working well for MOST kids, but I’m still seeing plenty of students that really need parent check-ins, encouragement, and reminders to get assignments in. Since I am not there to do this myself, I appreciate any help and support you can give from home. 😊
• Starting this week, assignments are due on Fridays, by 2:45pm. I had to change my due dates, as I wanted to accurately convey assignment information for parents who receive daily/weekly Google Classroom Summaries.  This will allow more effective communication for parents, as well as provide a check/leverage for parents going into the weekend.
• Independent Reading will be tracked and used as daily ATTENDANCE in Google Classroom. From now on, students need to open the Google Sheets doc, select their class tab (AM/4^th/PM) at the bottom, enter their book title and pages each day. Email me if your student is having trouble getting a new book or check out the OVMS Library. Our amazing librarian, Mrs. Peterson, sent out an Independent Reading Survey and has already been hard at work getting books into the hands of my students. She also has a whole website page called Socially Distant Library. Check it out!
• Zoom meetings will be held at 2pm, on Mondays, and are OPTIONAL. Students will find the invite in the “Stream” tab of Google Classroom. Last week I tried combining my classes and it was a success. These meetings are for students who need a face-to-face check-in, help, or have questions. I encourage students to look over the week’s assignments and come with questions at 2 pm.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have further questions, concerns, or feedback.

Until next week, please take care!

Anna Roberts

8^th Grade ELA & SS Teacher

Olympic View Middle School

Class Update: 4/27

Dear Families,

This marks our third week of distance learning through Google Classroom. Of course, it has come with many challenges, but I’d like to thank you and your students for doing your best! The kids are working on assignments and communication with me and their peers in a whole new way, and likewise, I’m learning new things and doing my best to support them. I welcome feedback and suggestions from you!

Some reminders:

• Students are expected to log on to my Google Classroom daily, work on assignments, attend zoom conferences when they need to (mine are optional check ins), watch Loom lessons, and turn in assignments. Students that missed last week’s assignments are welcome to turn in work late.
• A weekly schedule of assignments for block will be posted in Google Classroom in the “Assignment Game Board” on Monday mornings. This allow students to highlight assignments and mark their progress as they finish daily tasks. It also paces assignments into smaller, more manageable chunks to do each day.
• All assignments are due by Friday, at midnight, unless otherwise stated. Please email me if you run into issues with turning things in, as technology issues arise.
• Independent Reading will be tracked daily on a Google Sheet Tracker that will be linked in Google Classroom. Email me if your student is having trouble getting a new book and I can direct them to Sno-Isle libraries or other e-book sites.
• I’m awaiting further direction from our district as they will decide what the grading will look like, but I have been tracking assignments in Qmlativ to show student progress. I also update as kids turn things in late.
• Parents that accepted my Google Classroom invite should have received a summary of assignments for their student.

Finally, This week’s Zoom meeting will be at 2pm today and is OPTIONAL. There’s an invite in Google Classroom. The turnout was small but good last week, so I combined my classes today for a quick 20 minute check-in to field any questions about Google Classroom or assignments.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have further questions or concerns!

Until next week, please take care!

Anna Roberts

8^th Grade ELA & SS Block Teacher

Olympic View Middle School

Class Update: 4/20

Dear Families,

First, I wanted to thank you all for your patience and support of myself and the students this last week as we dove into distance learning. I want to pause and celebrate them and share how proud I am of their resiliency and commitment. From the reading pages logged, to the thoughtfully typed Giver essay paragraphs, and the CNN10 summaries (*AM/PM), I was so impressed with what they were able to accomplish last week! 😊 That said, I realize that many of you may still be trying to get computers & connect, and also others that are struggling to juggle it all, and that is ok, too.  Please reach out if you have questions, or need resources, or support. 

Secondly, here are a few reminders for distance learning:

-Since April 13, the activities, learning, and assessments are no longer be optional. Students are expected to log on to Google Classroom daily, complete assignments, attend zoom conferences/lessons, and turn in assignments. Students that missed last week’s assignments are welcome to turn in work late.
-Assignments & a weekly schedule will be posted in Google Classroom in the form of a Game Board on Mondays and are due by Friday, at midnight, unless otherwise stated. Please email me if you run into issues with turning things in, as technology issues arise. This week's schedule is on the bottom of this page for you to review.
-Independent Reading will be tracked daily on a Google Sheet Tracker that will be linked in Google Classroom, so update frequently.
-Assignments are tracked and graded in Qmlative to show student progress.
-Parents that accepted my Google Classroom invite should have received a summary of assignments for their student.

Finally, as additional support, I will be offering optional Zoom meetings once a week to each class. Meeting times and invites will be posted in Google Classroom. There will be clear protocol and behavior expectations during these times.  Any students not demonstrating respectful behavior may not be invited back.  Hopefully, between Zoom class meetings, distance learning lessons, and the flexibility to take breaks on-demand in the beautiful Spring weather, your students will continue to be happy and thriving. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have further questions or concerns!

Kind Regards,

Anna Roberts

8th Grade ELA & SS Block Teacher

Olympic View Middle School

Google Classroom Schedule for April 20-24th: