Staying Connected in Distance Learning

It's no secret that one of the most important parts of student learning is the class community.  With school closures forcing us into Distance Learning, I wanted to ensure that my students still felt connected to our classroom and the strong community we had built!  Getting mail is so exciting when you're a kid.  Over the past few weeks, I've sent little things in the mail for students to let them know that I'm still here for them.  I got so many ideas from teacher-bloggers that I follow on social media!  Most of them were from Megan Fadal's TPT store.  The first week, I sent these postcards just to say hello and let them know that they were deeply missed! 

Another week, I sent a "top secret" math message to my students.  They had to solve the problems to figure out the secret message.  They LOVED this! I got so many happy parents messages with cute pictures.

The most recent mail I sent to my students was this "Flat Stanley" activity.  I didn't send the QR code with the story read aloud because the 2nd Grade classes at our school do a Flat Stanley unit and I didn't want to step on their toes.  Instead, I sent it with a "Bitmoji Bingo" card.  Students do the optional activities "with me."  Parents send me pictures to share with the class on our picture document that's in our Google Classroom.  It's a wonderful way for students to feel connected to me and a fun way to see each other's adventures!

This past week was Teacher Appreciation Week.  We did a drive-through parade in our school parking lot.  The staff stayed in our cars in our assigned parking spots while families drove through the parking lot in our regular school-valet line.  It was an amazing event but made everyone miss being together!