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ACCEPT
As we all are aware of, this shutdown has gone on far longer than we anticipated. I miss being with your children and can honestly say, school is more fun when we are all together. I don’t miss sitting in traffic, but I do miss the children. Your children have been a source of great joy for me. So being without them is not pleasant.
I know they miss being with us, too. They miss the friends, the lessons and seeing the challenges that await. I also know this has been a scary time for all of us. We worry about our health and that of loved ones. We worry about work and jobs and realize the government cannot provide a constant cushion. We all need to get back to a normal routine.
However, we also learned that our families are our constant source of belonging and comfort. So as we work on ending this school year, let us realize we are all responsible to make this a truly growing, learning and loving period. We will get through this. .
If you are experiencing unusual problems, please let me know how I can help. Shoving things under the carpet just builds a mound of problems. However, when we work on resolving the problems, we have a cleaner life. I promise I will help if I can. I might help find a way for you to get help. Either way, I will be more understanding if I know there is a problem.
email me. I know you realize I will answer you to the best of my knowledge and ability.
I hope this letter finds you well. Please know I am praying for you all daily. I realize this is a difficult time for all of us. However, with the help and grace from Our Lord, we will get through this stronger than before. We learn resilience, ingenuity and to refocus our lives on what is truly important.
In order to not have this time pass meaninglessly, I urge you to be sure your children are doing and submitting their work. We are all working hard to make sure your children are learning and growing during this difficult time.
Check your child’s emails to see their progress. Here you will find messages from me. Check their Google Classroom pages. Here you will see their work. I try to answer all their questions and respond to their comments. Many of you know this already. Please stay vigilant. We are almost done. June will be here before we know it and I fervently wish to pass everyone into sixth grade. However, if they are not submitting work, I am in a difficult position. They are to attend all weekday Zoom lessons.
You also have received progress reports from me. These are not final grades but are letting you know how your children are doing. Most of the children are doing well, however, some need to improve. If they need improvement, they must work harder to get caught up. They must submit all their work and attend Zoom lessons. I am recording and taking attendance. Also, Mrs. DeLuca has been monitoring classes.
We have come a long way, and are working towards the end of the school year. So with continued effort we will achieve worthwhile learning during this time.
May God bless you all and stay well. I am sending virtual hugs to all of you.
Religion 5-2
Completion of Honoring Mary Paraliturgical/May crowning Paraliturgical. Slide shows, videos or written liturgy honoring Marynis due on Monday. Be prepared to present your liturgy to class in Zoom meeting Monday.
Science 5-1 & 5-2
Bean lab is due. It must follow lab format
Hypothesis
Material
Procedure
Observation Chart
Conclusion
Answer question 3 from page A43
Also, answer why a seed does not need sunlight to grow.
May 1, 2020
Statement by Superintendent of Brooklyn and Queens Catholic Schools Regarding Remainder of 2019-2020 School Year
Dr. Thomas Chadzutko, Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Brooklyn, which includes all elementary Catholic academies and schools in Brooklyn and Queens, has issued the following statement following Governor Cuomo’s school closure announcement:
“We just learned of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s decision that all elementary and secondary schools shall remain closed for the duration of the current 2019-2020 school year, as New York continues efforts to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. As such, the Catholic academies and parish schools within the Diocese of Brooklyn, which includes Queens, will remain closed through the end of June. The distance and digital learning platforms in place will serve as the instructional program for our schools for the remainder of this academic year.
I am very proud of our schools and academies, who were successfully able to transition to a distance and digital learning platform almost immediately upon our school buildings being shut down. This would not have been possible without the hard work of our teachers and the leadership of our dedicated principals, who rose to this enormous challenge. Our Catholic schools and academies have continued to provide each of our students with a faith-based academic program, ensuring that they are being challenged to learn every day. Our parents have also contributed immeasurably to the success of this new digital learning environment.
We will be working with our principals and teachers to ensure that our milestone celebrations (graduations, step-up ceremonies, and other achievements) will be honored and recognized. As we have done so far during this pandemic, we will continue to assemble and share resources for our families as we confront this challenging end to the school year.
The Coronavirus statistics indicate that both Brooklyn and Queens have been the hardest-hit areas in New York City and State. As a Catholic school community in the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, we May 1, 2020
Statement by Superintendent of Brooklyn and Queens Catholic Schools Regarding Remainder of 2019-2020 School Year
Dr. Thomas Chadzutko, Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Brooklyn, which includes all elementary Catholic academies and schools in Brooklyn and Queens, has issued the following statement following Governor Cuomo’s school closure announcement:
“We just learned of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s decision that all elementary and secondary schools shall remain closed for the duration of the current 2019-2020 school year, as New York continues efforts to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. As such, the Catholic academies and parish schools within the Diocese of Brooklyn, which includes Queens, will remain closed through the end of June. The distance and digital learning platforms in place will serve as the instructional program for our schools for the remainder of this academic year.
I am very proud of our schools and academies, who were successfully able to transition to a distance and digital learning platform almost immediately upon our school buildings being shut down. This would not have been possible without the hard work of our teachers and the leadership of our dedicated principals, who rose to this enormous challenge. Our Catholic schools and academies have continued to provide each of our students with a faith-based academic program, ensuring that they are being challenged to learn every day. Our parents have also contributed immeasurably to the success of this new digital learning environment.
We will be working with our principals and teachers to ensure that our milestone celebrations (graduations, step-up ceremonies, and other achievements) will be honored and recognized. As we have done so far during this pandemic, we will continue to assemble and share resources for our families as we confront this challenging end to the school year.
The Coronavirus statistics indicate that both Brooklyn and Queens have been the hardest-hit areas in New York City and State. As a Catholic school community in the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to pray for everyone’s health and safety. Our faith, love, and hope remain central to all we do now and in the future.”
to pray for everyone’s health and safety. Our faith, love, and hope remain central to all we do now and in the future.”
As distance learning continues, please let me know if there are some extraordinary circumstances going on I need to know about. I have been in contact with many of you and know how hard both parents and students have been working to make sure your children are keeping up with their learning experiences. We are facing some interesting challenges, but working together I know we can conquer all of them.
I am often available from 8AM to 8PM at my email address: asmolenski@olphca.org. Please do not hesitate to tell me of needs you are experiencing. We are all working very hard to try to help you. However, mind reading is not one of my strong suits. I need to know what you are going through. Together we can work out solutions.
For those of you who might be experiencing technology difficulties, let me know and we might be able to figure something out that is helpful.
Mrs. Guerrero’s work will appear on Google Classroom.
Also, a reminder that we are working on a four day work schedule. However, the children are to report for attendance Monday to Friday and use Friday as a catch up day on missing assignments.
We will be having Zoom lessons twice a week for Science and Social Studies for both classes.
The work for this week is listed below:
Religion 5-2
Monday
Read pages 220-221
View video on Mary from the Basilica of the Annunciation
1) What does hail mean?
2) Why did the Angel Gabriel greet Mary using hail?
3) How can we say “yes” to God?
Tuesday
1) read pages 222& 223
2) view video on the Visit of Mary to Elizabeth
3) view video of Song of Canticle of Mary
4) Answer these questions: 1) What is the Immaculate Conception?
2) What is the Assumption
3) How do these two things make Mary special?
Wednesday
Read pages 224&225
view video Mary, Mother of Jesus
Answer the question, How is Mary our Mother?
Thursday
Read pages 226/227
view video Rosary for Kids
Answer the following questions:
1) What do the joyful mysteries remind us of? The sorrowful, the glorious and the mysteries of light?
2) Name two feast days based on the visitations of Mary.
Science
Monday
Read pages 30-33
Answer questions 1&2 on page 41
Tuesday
Read pages 34&35
Answer questions 3&4 on page 41
Do celery activity and write up a lab report.
Wednesday
Read pages 38-41
Answer question 5 on page 41
Thursday
Read pages 43-49
Answer questions page 49#1-5
Social Studies
Monday
Create a government for the thirteen colonies based on rubric described in Google classroom.
Tuesday
Read pages 312-315
Answer questions on page 315#1-5
view video on BrainPop on Articles of Confederation. Submit the quiz.
I hope you all had a blessed, if different Easter. I think we all needed time to just get caught up and relax a bit. I also hope you are all well.
It is a good time to refocus on things that matter in our lives. Our family starts becoming more valuable. Unfortunately, we don’t always have the time to get to know our family members. So, as difficult as this time is, hopefully you are also experiencing close moments with your children. I miss them immensely. I always extend your children into my family. I miss their silly moments, funny stories and the things that interest them from LEGO building , to drawing, to reading their favorite books.
As you might have heard, we will be continuing distance learning at least until May 15, 2020. This is an uncertain time for all of us. Please know we are working very hard to make sure the children have a quality education even if we can’t be there together.
I will be doing at least two zoom 1/2 hour sessions with the students. We had our first dry run before break. During this time I will be trying to give some real time instructions for the lessons ahead. It will also give us a chance to gauge areas of uncertainty the children might be experiencing.
Please know this is to be actual learning, and I am here for you. I think a lot of you are aware of this already. Hopefully this will be a good experience for all of us and we will see each other soon,
Stay well, stay strong and get ready for another week of sharing. I also want to thank all who join me in prayer each day. We may not all share the same faith, but you are all welcomed to join me. If we have learned anything from this pandemic, we have learned that though we are apart, we are still together.
May God bless all of you.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Smolenski
Pardon my less tech savvy approaches. I am working on it.
I thank you for all your cooperation in getting classwork done during this difficult time. My office hours are from 8AM to 8PM. Any work that comes in after that will be marked late -5 per day late.
At this point I have contacted people falling behind in their work. I thank those parents who are working with their children to keep them up to date. This work all counts towards the third trimester. We are working hard now in order to enjoy the summer vacation later. Please keep viewing homework pages and Mrs. DeLuca’s sight for any new updates. Think of all the paper we’re saving in not sending notes home!
The pandemic has changed ALL of us. Hopefully we remember, we are stronger together, virtually, if not actually. We also know that not even a virus can keep us apart from Our mighty Lord. I thank all of you for joining us in prayer. No wonder whenever Mary has a message for us she always tells us to pray, especially the rosary. Prayer is our powerful weapon to fight any crisis in our lives. It strengthens us and comforts us. We thank God for keeping us safe.
I am looking forward to seeing all of you soon. May you have a Blessed and prayerful Easter celebration. We have several televised outlets to view each Holy Day celebration. View them with your family. Cherish this wonderful gift of spending time with those who matter in your lives. Know that when you are in prayer, I am with you in spirit.
assignments for April 6-8, 2020
Monday
Religion
5-1
Chapter 20 Lent
read pages 232-235
1) What do we do during the season of Lent?
2) Why do we have a joyful procession on Passion (Palm )Sunday?
5-2
Continue watching Jesus of Nazareth for this week from 3:00to end this whole week. Watch at least one hour each day.
Read pages 214-216
Do word search 216 and find the message from remaking letters.
Tuesday
Religion
5-1 read pages 237-241
1) What is the Easter Triduum?
2) When do we celebrate the Triduum?
5-2
Answer the questions on page 218 in full sentences.
Math
Monday
Read and study pages 344-347, textbook
Answer page 123 in work book
Tuesday
solve the mathematical problems on page 124, workbook
Wednesday
Solve the mathematical problems on page 125, workbook.
Grammar
Monday
Read, study and answer pages 196-199
Tuesday
read, study and answer pages 200-201
Wednesday
Read, study and answer pages 208-211
Science
Monday
View video on organelles then answer the following questions:
Education by its very definition is moving us from one way of thinking to another. While the way we learn, teach, live, and commune with each other is different, we in education live in a continual state of flexibility, and therefore can navigate what comes next while allowing ourselves to have a range of emotions in the process.
As remote learning becomes part of the fabric of our current reality, it is important to create structures and expectations, which help all involved succeed and stay healthy and sane. To that end, as we move into the 3rd week of providing teaching and student learning experiences from our homes, it is important to establish schedules, but also allow for the schedule to change…
Effective Friday, April 3, 2020, a proposal to move to a four-day instructional week will be implemented. Friday’s will provide faculty and staff the opportunity for:
Planning/Networking:to have a designated time to devote to planning lessons and learning activities, and to be able to collaborate with colleagues remotely using technology tools (such as: Zoom, Microsoft Teams conference, Google Classroom).
Professional Development:to be able to receive support in the further development around such topics as: integrating more direct instruction through video conferencing; providing assistance with differentiation strategies in student groupings and the delivery of content in a remote learning environment.
Student Assessment:to be able to maintain and review student work/videos/photos uploaded to the Google Classroom and provide feedback in writing or by video.
Parent Outreach:to be able to contact and communicate with families the academic progress of their child(ren).
Superintendent of Schools Thomas Chadzutko, Ed. D., has announced that all elementary Catholic Academies and Parish Schools in Brooklyn and Queens will remain closed until April 20, 2020. This follows last week’s announcement that the schools would be closed this week, March 16-March 20, 2020, out of an abundance of caution. The decision mirrors the New York City public schools announcement.
“The decision to close is based on the interdependency of services between public schools and Catholic schools,” said Dr. Chadzutko.
Many families that attend Diocesan schools depend on the New York City services such as bus transportation, meals, nurses, and crossing and security guards.
“If there was a safe way for us to open sooner, we would, but we cannot function without those essential services,” said Joan McMaster, Associate Superintendent for Principal and Teacher Personnel.
The latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control is to restrict gatherings of 50 or more people. Clearly, the school environment would be in violation.
The contingency pandemic plan, which is part of the Office of the Superintendent school crisis management plan, includes digital, distance and alternative instruction for students so that their education is not disrupted. A complete transition to that model of instruction will take place this week.
The Office of the Superintendent is in daily communication with city and state officials and is part of the Coronavirus Education Task Force of the NYC Department of Education. During this time, there is a constant reassessment of the situation and the necessary response in an effort to keep our school community safe.
