Distance Learning/La Educación a Distancia

Sophia J. proudly displays the artwork she created while learning from an episode with Mo Willems

Annalisa reads 'Mummies' to her baby brother

One of our school's resource specialists posted a list of resources available during our shelter in place. One of my favorites is the free art lessons being given daily at 10:00 am PT by children's author Mo Willems through the end of March.  Here's the link: https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/mo-willems/  Note that if you miss an episode, you can watch a previously recorded one. Thank you, Ms. Baena!  Also seen are photos of students reading leveled books in EPIC at home. Families, please feel free to email me your home schooling/adventure photos to be included in an upcoming blog post! In the meantime, please keep up the great work you all are doing at home. Many students have been reading, quizzing, and making excellent progress using our math program ZEARN. Please let me know if you have any issues/need assistance of any type.

Adrian enjoys 'Buzz Bee' at home.

Wishing you a safe and peaceful week.  

Uno de los especialistas en recursos de nuestra escuela publicó una lista de recursos disponibles durante nuestro refugio en el lugar. Una de mis favoritas son las lecciones de arte gratuitas que se imparten diariamente a las 10:00 a.m. PT por el autor de los niños Mo Willems hasta finales de marzo.  Aquí está el enlace: https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/mo-willems/ Tenga en cuenta que si se pierde un episodio, puede ver uno previamente grabado. ¡Gracias, señorita Baena!

Aquí hay fotos de estudiantes que leen libros nivelados en EPIC en casa. Familias, ¡no duden en enviarme por correo electrónico sus fotos de escuela / aventura para incluirlas en una próxima publicación de blog! Mientras tanto, sigan con el gran trabajo que todos están haciendo en casa. Muchos estudiantes han estado leyendo, cuestionando y haciendo un excelente progreso utilizando nuestro programa de matemáticas ZEARN. Avíseme si tiene algún problema / necesita asistencia de algún tipo.

Te deseo una semana segura y pacífica.

Mosaic Introduction

My class took a six month hiatus from major art projects. We have been very busy learning about how school children around the world cope with hardships such as natural disasters and poverty; we have been participating in activities for our fossil study that is making us feel like paleontologists- putting together fragments of skeletons and writing museum display labels for fossils found in tar and tree resin. 
This whole time I have been sneaking in art where it made sense, but I needed more inspiration (and materials!) to start something bigger. That's where the Richmond Art Center came in. They held an Art Educator workshop last month that exposed a small group of interested teachers to different art forms and how to make them accessible to their students. They even donated a full bin of art supplies to each participant teacher- including 50 pounds of mexo, an air-dry clay.  I know how time flies when you're teaching, and didn't hesitate to start using those precious art materials right away. Last Wednesday, I set up my whole class for our mosaic exploration activity. The students were jazzed about the little slide show showcasing ancient mosaics as well as local favorites such as the beautiful  San Fransisco mosaic steps.
The day after we created our beautiful bean and mixed gem mosaic pieces, we received the dramatic news that our school may be closing for three weeks due to the covid-19 virus we'd all been hearing about on the news. It was a time of uncertainty and confusion for our young scholars. It was very comforting to return to the art pieces we had put together the previous day. The students admired their work, and found solace in walking around and sketching their favorite pieces- which usually ended up being their own. At a time when it felt like the sky was falling, mosaics created by the students' own hands gave them a sense of control over their lives, and an appreciation for the power of creation.