Hello and welcome to the 2020-2021 school year! I am really looking forward to getting back “together” with all of you! Two major new opportunities face us this year. First, we are all 4th graders. Second, we are all online (again), HOWEVER,……..there is another. Our third opportunity is how we take the first and second and create an incredibly outstanding year! Even in the face of significant challenges, I know we as a community will persevere.
We have tools in our hands capable of bringing the world to our fingertips. We can get direct instruction on any topic and be in complete control of how that instruction is presented. We can investigate new information, practice skills, assess our progression toward mastery, and be able to easily track, monitor, and celebrate successes. Like they said in Six-Million-Dollar-Man, “We can do it, we have the technology”. Yes, I just dated myself like crazy, most of you will have to Google it, but I digress.
Bottom line is that the difference between Spring Break 2020 and Fall 2020 is we have a plan. It’s a great plan. It’s going to keep our students moving forward academically, socially, and emotionally. In order for the plan to succeed we need full buy-in from parents and caregivers. It has been printed on many posters about how my attitude as the teacher in the classroom has an incredible impact on the attitude and success of the students in that room. I hate to break it to you, but now, YOU are the teacher in the room, and it is indeed your attitude that will make or break the day.
It is very important that we all keep lines of communication open. One of the first events is Parent Night - a series of “Nights” this year. Hopefully you have visited the schools website and signed up for a time for said Parent Night. I will create the meetings and send meeting invitations to your emails. It will be a Google Meets meeting and one of them will be recorded. I will make clear which one prior to starting it, so cameras can be shut off and such. There will be an agenda and time for questions. I hope to see all of you over the course of my two parent nights.
Lastly I want to share that I have a Facebook page for kids and families where I post interesting stuff, usually about space or the environment. MrDante800 is the name you can search on Facebook and it pops right up! I can be emailed at dtorgersen@mra-k8.com and I will respond within 12 hours (usually a LOT sooner than that). Again, we have some incredible opportunities before us and I am really excited about getting started! Having said that, remember, we are purposefully and intentionally starting VERY slowly with all this, so keep breathing! You are amazing! You are resilient! You are strong! Together can do ANYTHING!