No matter where we spend our days, we are still one big Super Spike Family! Check out this video, where the grown-ups of RES tell you how much we are thinking of our students and families!

Dear RES Families,

I am sure you have heard the news that Governor Wolf has closed all Pennsylvania schools for the duration of the school year. The staff and I were deeply saddened upon learning this development, as you likely all were. While times seem tough now, we have to stay positive and know that we will get through this. We are stronger together! The following information in this Super Spike Newsletter will describe our mission moving forward.

We hope week #1 of instruction on new concepts and skills went well. If you have multiple children at RES you may have observed that the activities will vary from grade to grade and teacher to teacher. Some lessons will be recorded videos while others will be virtual interactions through Zoom or Google Meet. While the RES staff is prepared and committed to providing the best instruction possible as teachers implement distance learning activities, these efforts also include continuing to support our families in every way we can during the challenging weeks and months ahead.

One of the most significant areas of focus for RES will be the social and emotional well-being of our students, families, and staff. As we adjust to this new normal, it is important to ask for help when needed and monitor the emotional health of our children and loved ones. Click here for a helpful article for supporting children's emotional well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lastly, we will be providing additional activities for staff, students, and families to virtually connect throughout the rest of this year. See below for more information on some of these activities! For purposes of consistency, on Friday of each week, beginning with Friday, April 24, you will receive a Super Spike Newsletter similar in format to what you will find within. Other activities and pertinent information will be communicated through the weekly Super Spike Newsletters.

Hang in there and don't hesitate to reach out!

Fondly,

Daneyelle

The teachers and I have been reflecting each day on how we can improve our practices. As you reflect on this week with your child, it may be helpful to ask:

• What were you most proud of?
• What was the most challenging part of distance learning?
• What moment made you laugh or smile?
  
• Did you complete all assignments?
• Did you give your best effort?
• What things can you now do independently?
• Did you ask for help when you needed assistance?

Over the next few weeks, taking time to reflect after each week will provide the most growth for the children and the adults.

April 24: School Spirit Day - Wear RES gear or white and blue

May 1: Freddy's Fighters Day- Wear Freddy's Fighters gear or blue and orange. Trust the process!

May 8: Animal/Safari Day – Dress up as your favorite animal or wear dots, stripes or animal prints

May 15: Be a Rainbow- Wear your favorite primary colors

May 22: Patriotic Day - Wear red, white and blue

May 29: Sports Day in honor of RES Field Day 2020- Wear college, professional or your own sports team’s gear!

June 5: Dress for Success Day in honor of our sixth graders!

June 12: Celebrate summer - Wear beach/Hawaiian outfits

*A Google Photos Shared Album has been created to upload your Spirit Day photos (link below). Pictures can also be emailed to djordan@crsd.org. The photos will be used to create a slideshow, to post to the RES website, and to go into the RES yearbook.

Now that we've been safe at home for almost 5 weeks, we may be close to running out of new picture books to read, and we know that there's nothing better than a good book before bed! The RES staff doesn't want anyone to miss out on the excitement of shared reading!

Each week in your Smore newsletter, you will find a link to FIVE stories, each read aloud by one of our super staff members. Spread them out over the week, and you'll have a new bedtime story each day!

In case you missed the Week 1 Collection last week, you can get started here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1IWpxtDLB2F-iOiMkWMr_2jUgYpn1gXOa

If you received last week's collection in your teacher's Google Classroom and you're ready for Week 2, click here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WHrWvCqBGwnLtF-HYJZfKQ8vEOcUJDSf

When growing brains are engaged in the hard work of learning, it is very important to include brain breaks in the learning routine. Although they take a little bit of extra time, research shows that these breaks not only reduce stress and frustration but also increase attention and productivity. Taking a brain break before working on a challenging task can make a child's brain more available to new learning. Taking a brain break after a challenging task is not only a great incentive to finish the task, but also allows the brain to process all the new information it just gained. In other words, brain breaks should not only be fun, but frequent!

Brief brain breaks can be as simple as getting up to get a drink of water, cuddling with a pet, or running up and down the stairs. But adding some mindfulness activities such a deep breathing, mindful movement, or visualization can add additional benefits in terms of stress management and creating a fresh start on their next activity. They not only help at the moment but practicing these activities now is a great way to create new habits that will help your child deal with challenging or stressful situations in the future as well!

Each week we will be providing a menu board of these extra-special brain breaks to help you add some of these benefits to your distance learning routine. The Week 3 link is below.

During our distance learning, there may still be times in which students may need the support of our guidance counselor, Mrs. O'Neill. She is available during this time to help students and their families.

Our distance learning is providing wonderful opportunities for children to connect with their classmates and teachers. However, the children may not be aware of the unwritten online “rules” in this digital age. The atmosphere of an online classroom is different from a normal classroom, and the children would benefit from knowing proper netiquette guidelines. Here are some areas to review with your child:

• There’s a time and a place for everything—BUT IN MOST SITUATIONS TYPING IN ALL CAPS IS INAPPROPRIATE. Typing in all caps can be interpreted the same as yelling at someone.
• What may seem like an obvious joke to one person could come across as off-putting or rude to someone else. As a rule of thumb, it’s best to avoid sarcasm altogether in an online classroom. Instead, students should lean toward being polite and direct in the way they communicate to avoid these issues.
• Chat boxes are incorporated into many online classes as a place for students to share ideas and ask questions related to the lesson. It is not an instant messenger for communicating with friends. It should be treated like the learning tool it’s meant to be, and students should avoid off-topic discussions.
• Always make an effort to use proper punctuation, spelling, and grammar.
• It’s good netiquette to use respectful greetings, full sentences and even the same old “please” and “thank you” that is used in real life.
• A passing comment spoken in class can be forgotten a few minutes later, but what is shared in an online classroom is part of a permanent digital record. A good rule to follow is think before typing.

Contact your child's homeroom teacher first. The teacher may be able to resolve the issue or find an alternative way to complete an assignment. If the issue is with regard to a Council Rock Chromebook being broken or not working, please send an email to chromesupport@crsd.org.

While Council Rock students are engaged in Distance Learning, the following procedures will be implemented to track student attendance:

• Beginning Monday, April 20, 2020, students/families will be responsible for recording their attendance each day.
• Students will click the link ONCE per day to record their attendance for that day.
• If a student is absent, parents/guardians to Mrs. Gluch at cgluch@crsd.org reporting the absence.
• Attendance is being recorded from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM on a school day. Students and parents CANNOT record attendance in advance - this must be completed each day.
• Parents/guardians of multiple CR children MUST complete this form once for each of their students; students CANNOT be combined into a single record.

Here is the link that will be provided by the RES Attendance Secretary and the homeroom teachers:

This past week, Dr. Fraser sent out an email to the community about our continued focus on Student Wellness in CRSD. Starting next Friday (4/24) and Every Friday for the remainder of the school year, students will have a WIN Day (WHAT I NEED). As a result, there will be no NEW LEARNING/ASSIGNMENTS from classroom teachers on Fridays. Please make note that there will be no Specials classes on Fridays (PE, Art, Library, Music). If your child has a Specials class on Friday, this class will move to your child's non-special day during the week.

Fridays can be used as:

• Catch up Days
• Exploratory Days---work on something that interests you! (w/your parent's permission of course!)
• Enrichment Days (perhaps you can go back to your classroom assignments and complete some of those optional activities that you may have skipped during the week)
• Visit those Specials sites that you just haven't gotten around to yet
• Work with your teacher in an area that you might be having difficulty
• Work with specialist/counselor in an area that you might need support
• Visit the Student Wellness Website that will feature activities and learning opportunities on health & wellness (physical, mental, social)

(This list is not exhaustive...but simply ideas for those WIN Fridays!)

Please read Dr. Fraser's email for more information.

On-Line Registration is now fully open! Please go to the CRSD site at www.crsd.org and click on the Student Registration tab.

You can submit your completed registration by using instructions listed on the site. Once your file is reviewed, we will be in contact to complete the process via e-signature. Please do not forget applications must be submitted by June 1st to guarantee a spot in your student’s home school!

If you have any questions please reach out to our registration department at registration@crsd.org.

RES is featured throughout this montage of dances from around the world. A huge shout out to Mrs. Nack, the Student Council, and the Dance for Kindness Captains for leading our school in this amazing kindness initiative!

Success for every student, every day!

Email: djordan@crsd.org
Website: http://www.crsd.org/site/default.aspx?domainid=1666
Location: Richboro Elementary School, 125 Upper Holland Road, Richboro, PA, United States
Phone: (215) 944-1900
Twitter: @RES_Bulldogs