Welcome Back 23-24 Newsletter<----Click to open copy of Newsletter
Welcome Mrs. Allison Gould to our school family!
Links and information learning resources!
One-stop shop for a wealth of fantastic PBS Kids educational content
Bottom Line: Robust collection of learning resources covers an impressive array of topics.
Grades: Pre-K–4
Kid-friendly science and social studies info via videos, games, and more
Bottom Line: Large collection of approachable, fun multimedia resources about animals, habitats, countries, and cultures.
Grades: Pre-K–8
Smithsonian's History Explorer
Browse and use American history artifacts and activities
Bottom Line: This is a handy resource that, with some effort, will uncover resources for kick-starting curious learning.
Grades: Pre-K–12
Free hub for literacy lessons aims to deepen learning, engagement
Bottom Line: This is a trustworthy site that teachers of all grades/subjects could find a way to use weekly for lessons or professional development.
Grades: K–12
Social storytelling site helps kids create, publish storybooks
Bottom Line: A great fit for teachers looking to develop students' writing and digital citizenship skills through storybook creation.
Grades: K–12
Innovative combo of live instruction and adaptive online math lessons
Bottom Line: It's a great balance of online lessons, in-person instruction, and instructional resources, all for free.
Grades: K–8
Whimsical, kid-friendly intro to the wide world of art
Bottom Line: A wonderful, endlessly detailed way to get kids engaged in the world of art.
Grades: 1–6
Creative sandbox opens the door to coding in any subject area
Bottom Line: Scratch draws students of all types into coding and lays a foundation for future learning.
Grades: 2–12
Site for reviewing and sharing books makes reading a social adventure
Bottom Line: This safe, simple social network lets kids share their reading success with friends, creating healthy competition and confidence.
Grades: 2–8
Interest-driven reading
Image
Dotopedia
Good for: Reading, writing, creativity
Grades: 1-5
Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
Based on the character from the Dot. TV show and book, Dotopedia is a collaboration app kids can use to read about everything from butterflies to grandparents, or to create articles of their own.
Image
Libby, by Overdrive
Good for: Reading
Grades: K-12
Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
This app allows students to browse and borrow ebooks and audiobooks from public libraries for free. Families can set the audience preference to juvenile or young adult to put some limits on the content kids can access.
Math games
Image
ChessKid
Good for: Critical thinking, math
Grades: K-12
Platforms: Website
ChessKid teaches the game of chess with lessons and videos that cover topics including an introduction of each chess piece, opening offensive and defensive strategies, and common attacking patterns.
Image
Khan Academy Kids
Good for: Math, literacy, social and emotional learning
Grades: Pre-K-2
Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire
This collection of videos, songs, and activities covers a lot of ground in a creative, highly accessible format.
Math Snacks
Good for: Math, critical thinking
Grades: 3-8
Platforms: Website
This fun site offers older elementary and middle schooler students online math games and animations that will keep them engaged with action-packed graphics, witty storylines, and upbeat music.
Pet Bingo by Duck Duck Moose
Good for: Math
Grades: K-4
Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
Pet Bingo by Duck Duck Moose covers a broad range of math skills, from adding one-digit numbers to dividing double digits.
Mental health and emotional well-being
Image
Smiling Mind
Good for: Social and emotional learning
Grades: 8-12
Platforms: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Android
Teens can learn to focus on their breathing, body signals, and senses with hundreds of meditations for a wide variety of situations.
GoNoodle
Good for: Social and emotional learning
Grades: PreK-6
Platforms: Website, iOS, Android, AppleTV, Roku
GoNoodle's fun exercise program challenges kids to get moving, but their most interesting recent addition is entire section of videos focused on kids' mental health and wellbeing.
STEM and coding
Made with Code
Good for: Coding, creativity, STEM
Grades: 4-12
Platforms: Website
Google's Made with Code introduces students to the world of coding through resources including tutorials, videos, partner projects, and community connections.
Peep Ciencias: Colores
Good for: Science, Spanish
Grades: Pre-K-2
Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
Part of a series of free bilingual learning apps, Peep Ciencias: Colores engages young kids with animated videos about colors. Plus, grown-ups get guidance on how to explore key concepts with kids through questions, conversations, exploration, and activities.
Virtual Learning for Kids of All Ages
1. PBS Learning Media
These interactive lesson plans are curricular-aligned to meet standards from preschool all the way through high school. FREE
2. Museums with Virtual Tours Through Google Arts and Culture
Google Arts and Culture allows children to access world-renowned museums from home. You can tour the collections of more than 1,200 museums online through its catalog. Start with its top 10 virtual museum tour list, or just browse through the online catalog for top children's museums, or favorite periods or artist. Arts history hour, anyone? FREE
3. Khan Academy
Khan Academy is always free and provides high-quality content for kids (and adults) of all ages. Make sure to check out Khan Kids for the littlest of learners. FREE
4. Code.org
Since 2013, Code.org has been providing free online coding classes for students of all ages. Learn how to think like a programmer while completing online modules. FREE
5. Scholastic Learn From Home
The K-12 education powerhouse that is Scholastic has you at-home learning needs covered with lessons for kids from pre-K through sixth grade and up. Kids can dive into topics like the future of zoos and life science. It's all divided by age and grade level. Requires small monthly fee.
6. ReadWriteThink Printing Press
If your kids want to create newsletters, newspapers, brochures, or any other printable, then check out the Printing Press fro ReadWriteThink. They provide engaging lesson plans for kids in K-12 to bring the printed word to life. FREE
Preschool Online and Remote Learning
7. Starfall Education
This bright and colorful website will appeal to preschoolers and those in the early elementary years, from pre-K through third grade. The activities are easy to find and arranged by discipline, season, or curricular topic. (Some FREE options, also membership options for more content.)
8. The Cat in the Hat Invents
Everyone’s favorite Cat is the start of this STEM-based website that challenges kids to be engineers and problem-solvers. FREE
9. Cosmic Kids Yoga
*SSCD School loves to keep kids moving while keeping our focus on God. Challenge: set prayer intensions then practice poses clearing your mind of all things except the goodness of God.* The Cosmic Kids YouTube channel will get your kids moving for a little post- or pre-study yoga break. Kids follow the poses that also help to tell a story in these short (roughly 10 to 15 minute) yoga sessions. (It also streams on Prime.) FREE
10. Highlights
This popular kids’ magazine provides interactive through its wide variety of websites and apps. Play endless rounds of hidden picture puzzles, learn about shapes, listen to stories, and more. FREE
Elementary School Online Learning Options
11. Wow in the World
Wow in the World is a podcast for curious kids and their grown-ups brought to you by the folks at Tinkercast. These 20-30 minute episodes investigate factual real-world stories. FREE
12. Mystery Science
Mystery Science has opened up its most popular science lessons for FREE and easy for remote learning during the coronavirus crisis. Topics range from weather to who invented pizza. Head to your child's grade level for age-appropriate learning. FREE (as of publication)
13. DIY.org
Kids can watch videos and learn how to make something all on their own with DIY.org. Older kids will love creating their own videos to upload and share on the platform. A free 14-day trial is available.
14. Cool Math Games
This site offers tons of games that incorporate math into the strategy, from virtual Chess to more video-game like math games. Search by skill or take a break with some math trivia. FREE
15. National Geographic Kids
Explore the world through games and videos on National Geographic Kids. Take a quiz about Mars or explore current topics like Kids vs. Plastic. FREE
16. Rivet
Rivet is a free reading app that has over 3500 leveled books for kids. FREE
17. Dance Mat Typing
There is nothing all that exciting about learning how to type, but Dance Mat Typing somehow manages to make this tedious task fun! Four levels of play will have you typing like a pro in no time. FREE
Middle School Online Education
18. BrainPop
BrainPop began as a collection of short cartoons that taught students about difficult topics. Over the years, it added a number of interactive features, such as games and quizzes. Teachers can request free access to gain to BrainPop’s entire catalog of educational videos, and there is some FREE access to all during the coronavirus outbreak.
19. Minecraft Education
Minecraft Education is so much more than "just a game." This learning platform promotes creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving.
20. Scratch
Program your own interactive stories with Scratch. This free learning tool develops important skills like problem-solving, creative thinking, and collaboration. FREE
21. Prodigy Math
Sign up for a free account and start playing these standards-based math activities. FREE
22. Funbrain
Funbrain provides hundreds of free games, videos, and books that help kids develop their literacy, math, and problem-solving skills. FREE
23. Kodable
Type your first lines of code, learn javascript, and other programming concepts with this online computer science platform. Starting with basic drag and drop coding, Kodable provides lessons that will foster creativity and critical thinking. FREE
24. NaNoWriMo
Encourage creative writing with the NaNoWriMo 30-day writing challenge. Kids create a profile and will receive a variety of writing challenges as they work toward completing a novel! FREE
Need more math app-ortunities:
Calculation Nation From the NCTM
or use your. favorite search engine to explore:
Bedtime Math
Elmo Loves 123s
Reflex Student
Monster Math
SplashLearn
Marble Math Junior
Khan Academy Tree
Moose Math
Preschool Math Games
Montessorium: Intro to Math
Better Instructional/Assessment Practices
1-28-22
At the start of this school year, Catholic schools in the Diocese of Erie adopted the Professional Learning Community (PLC) model. The PLC model emphasizes the importance of educators coming together in school-based Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) to engage in meaningful discussions about how to best support all students’ learning needs.
Recently, teachers across the diocese have come together to focus on mathematics. The teachers serving on school-level mathematics PLT are working collaboratively to explore math standards and curriculum, analyze student assessment data, and explore best-practices and new instructional strategies.
In each of our schools a teacher has volunteered to be the PLT Curriculum Lead. The work and leadership these teachers are providing is impressive. They have risen to the challenge and are facilitating discussions, participating in ongoing professional development trainings, and learning about the new NWEA Map Growth student assessment data.
Currently, the PLTs are in the process of reviewing and organizing the most essential mathematics standards by grade level to ensure students are getting the foundational skills they need to be successful mathematicians. Also, the PLTs are analyzing student data from our new NWEA MAP Growth Assessment and using this information to guide their daily instruction.
According to building administrators and teachers, the work of the mathematics PLTs has already begun positively impacting change. Curriculum Leads also have been collaborating with the CSO directors and other lead teachers in the diocese through monthly networking sessions. During these sessions, Curriculum Leads have an opportunity to connect, pose questions, give and receive feedback about their progress, and gather the tools necessary to continue moving the work of their PLTs forward.
In just a few short months, the PLTs have made important and positive progress toward meeting the common Middle States accreditation goal of ensuring each school’s mathematics program is at a level where students are making a minimum of one year’s growth or are at benchmark for grade level by the 2027 school year.
To meet the individual needs of Catholic schools across the Diocese of Erie, the Catholic Schools Office (CSO) is updating its professional development model. The CSO is restructuring when and how these opportunities will be offered. Over the last several years, teachers participated in August workshops and a Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Day (CIA Day) in the spring. Moving forward, administrators and teachers will participate in professional development focused on meeting the diocesan Middle States goals and on the components of the Formula for Student Achievement and Growth. Additionally, the CSO has developed a three-year plan that will provide support for individual schools to identify and receive professional development specific to their needs.
Comparable to each diocesan school, the CSO directors also have created their own PLT. The CSO PLT meets weekly to ensure each member, in their role, is supporting all schools in the successful implementation of their mathematics PLTs. Each week the CSO directors work collaboratively to determine the best ways to provide meaningful professional development, resources, and collegial support so that our schools can successfully implement the school-level PLTs.
According to Jim Gallagher, “Implementing the PLT model in the office has reinvigorated my love for education. It reminds me of why I became a teacher in the first place ???? to focus on student learning and make a difference. The way in which my team can collaborate in the PLT and have the opportunity for meaningful conversation about mathematics education is refining the focus of our work. I am excited to see the positive outcomes in all of our schools.”
NWEA Parents' Guide for Grades 3-6 Sept. 20-Oct. 8