School Closures - 16 March 2020 to ?????

Hey y'all,

There's a lot going on and a lot of questions that we don't have answers to. I already miss you all and hope very sincerely that you are staying home and staying safe and staying away from friends. As much as I'm sure you miss them, the safest thing for everyone is to quarantine and help slow the spread of this virus. We may all feel fine, but this is not about protecting ourselves; it's about protecting everyone.

My friends and I call each other our "quaranteam." Do you have your quaranteam? These are the people you talk with regularly and share creativity with so that you are not feeling stuck. We refuse to actually see each other in person, but we're supporting each other in finding ways to be creative and healthy. It is possible to stay connected with people without actually seeing them. We know and hope that the our loved ones are safe, but this is how we doubly ensure that. In watching the news, I saw an interview with a doctor who was asked if we were doing too much by isolating and closing everything. Their response was, "We will never know if we did too much, but we will know very quickly if we did too little." It's a weird time, y'all. I hope we get to see each other again soon, but not too soon.

As for Language Arts, I'm going to bullet point some information based on some of the questions I've been getting:

• I sent out two emails to parents (and students) on Synergy. Please read them. They contain a lot of information.
• Only assignments currently in the gradebook right now will be graded for quarter 3. All Ms. Black has left to grade are about 50 This I Believe videos and the ELA Journals. All Revision Requests are currently up to date as of Monday, March 16.
• ELA Journal grades:
• Period 1, 3, 5 - Four entries dated March 3 to March 13
• Period 2, 6 - Three entries dated March 3/4 to March 9/10
• We will accept Revision Requests until the end of the day on Wednesday, March 25
• COMMONLIT:
• Olympic Ski Racers is the ONLY REQUIRED ASSIGNMENT.
• All others given to you are OPTIONAL. You will get three each week, but they are not required.
• Please read a book or three or seven by the time we show back up to school in April.
• Please feel free to email us (including Mrs. H and Mr. Mello) about anything. Please know that if the email is "how do I do this one assignment that was due weeks ago now that I'm not actually at school to do it," I may not have an answer for you that you like. I'm sorry.
• We would love to hear about what you're reading! Please consider sending us emails about what you've been reading so that we get to hear from you and know how you're doing. We would absolutely love that.

Ms Black, why should I do optional CommonLit articles?

Because it's good for your brain. 

Because research shows that the more you read and practice critical reading while on breaks, the more confident and successful you are when you go back to school. 

Because we've got lots of time on our hands and it will make your families really happy. 

Because challenges are good for you. 

Because you want to show off your writing skills (RACE paragraphs, remember?). 

Because education is what makes us stronger, more informed, more critically engaged members of society.

Because education means PRACTICE.

Because you care about learning and growing.

Because you care about the world you live in.

What other things could I do to keep my brain engaged?

I'm going to let Ms. Keller take the reins here. She put up a whole bunch of ideas for you and your families on her class website, and she'll be updating it in the coming weeks.

CLICK HERE to go to Ms. Keller's class website!

I'll also be on Instagram sometimes, posting things in my stories for you. My instagram is @msblacktpms. See you there!

I love you all. Stay Safe,

Ms. Black

Mrs. H (Period 3)

Mr. Mello (Period 6)

Bonus: Here's a video from one of my favorite authors, John Green, about what it means to be together even when we're apart.