Dear Lab Families,
You call access these newsletters online at lablearning.org under "Lab Family Resources" menu tab.
The Lab is still accepting NEW STUDENTS. Let your friends know! A child can attend virtual classes at The Lab without enrolling in a homeschool charter while their school is on hiatus. And homeschool charters are STILL enrolling new students through March 30th.
Have them email me at lyndee.knox@lablearning.org or submit an inquiry on our website lablearning.org and someone will reach out to them.
Virtual Classes and Classrooms at The Lab
Amazingly and against all odds, GREAT work is going on at THE Lab through its virtual classes and classrooms!
Virtual classes will continue to meet next week. The schedule is the same for Mr. T's class. We have a modified one for the K-3rd/4th grade class to fit their developmental level. T's students even "hung-out" in their classroom AFTER class was over working on Summit and Moby and laughing together!
The ZOOM classroom links will remain the same each day. See previous news posts for the ZOOM links.
How you can help us run GREAT virtual classes!
Parents we need your help to run great virtual classes. Here is a check list:
1. Please make sure your child has a quiet place to participate.
2. Households with siblings who attend different classes, please make sure they are seated far apart or even in separate rooms if possible (noise from one class bleeds over to the other classroom through the computer speakers)
3. Make sure your child has a book to read during Readers Workshop time
4. Make sure your child has paper to write on or a composition book, blank printer paper to draw on, pencils, pens, and crayons
5. Check on them periodically and make sure they are engaged. But also allow for some cutting-up, wiggling and giggling. This is a new experience and well... sometimes you just need to move about a little!
6. Encourage them to use their video whenever they can-this really helps create engagement and community
7. TRACK YOUR CHILD'S PROGRESS on their AWR (Epic). These are the requirements of your charter school. Consider using your child's AWR as a goal sheet and review it each day and mark down their progress on colored markers.
When your child attends the Lab's virtual classes regularly, you can cross off the reading, writing, Summit (older students), some Moby and PBL-related work just by showing-up online! For K-3rd/4th, you'll need to do Moby with them at home if you have that assigned by your teacher.
8. Have your child set an alarm on their phone (or set one for them on the computer or tablet if they are younger) to remind them to arrive online in the AM on time. And set a second one for when they are supposed to return to the virtual classroom from lunch.
Happenings in Mr. T's class
Yesterday, today and the rest of the week 4th-8th students will continue work on their new writing piece, work together during academic time on Summit and Moby Max, and put the finishing touches on their PBL project on Slavery.
Please SAVE THE DATE for Friday, March 27th at 12:00pm for their PBL Showcase! Join us for a virtual, on-line PBL showcase. Parents and students will join by ZOOM and students will present their amazing and heart rending work on Slavery, how it happened, and how to stop it in the future.
What is most amazing though about the week so far, is the community that T and his students are creating on-line. They laugh together, work together, and support each other. It is dynamic, noisy, and full of life! Listen in if you have a moment.
Happenings in K-3rd/4th class
This week K-3rd grade are getting used to engaging in virtual classrooms and learning. Students are working on their reading both independently and using a new engaging visual reading platform we are trying out. They have started their next writers workshop piece and are exploring "small moments", character development and story construction.
Today they experienced their first on-line art class! Ms. Kathryn introduced them to the work of Picasso, they read a book about his work, and then experimented drawing in his style. This is the second in a 5-session series on the Masters!
For PBL, students are finishing up their "life in the day of a bug" project. Tomorrow they will start building a model of their "adopted bug." Parents we need your help here. Please work with your child to gather items they can use to build their bug. It can be any size and as fantastical as they want. The close to final version is due on Monday when students will share their creations online with each other via ZOOM. Please click here for some ideas and instructions on how to do this.
Please SAVE the DATE for Wednesday March 25th from 1:00-2:00. Join us online on the Lab's K-3rd/4th ZOOM classroom where students will present their BUG projects in a PBL showcase.
LOOKING FOR PARENT VOLUNTEERS to TEACH ONLINE YOGA, DANCE, THEATER and more!
Since we can't go for park days, we are bringing park days to us! But we need your help. Parents, is there anyone out there who can "teach" a virtual yoga class, dance class, theater or other fun, move around the room type of activity that could be done via ZOOM? We need your help! Please email lyndee.knox@lablearning.or if you are able to help us out and share your skill with our students!