MCAS, Illness, and Anxiety

The week at Coolidge was a busy one!  I will share two items from the week:

ELA MCAS

First of all, I was so proud with how the students did during the ELA MCAS!  They worked diligently, took it seriously, took their time, and handled the stress of standardized testing extremely well.  We appreciate the support from parents in terms of sending your students fed and rested and ready to test.  We also appreciate how you help your students balance the need to take the test seriously, yet not to the point of feeling tremendous stress.  This is a difficult balance for many students.  We saw a few signs of this stress at school, with students in tears when they didn't know all of the answers even though trying their best.  We reassured them that their effort is what counts!

ILLNESS

Secondly, I am not sure if the MCAS reduced the immune system of our students or if it was just a coincidence, but we had 31 students out on Friday with either a stomach bug or a fever/cough virus.  I am sitting with my own Coolidge child who now has the fever.  From his 6th grade perspective, I see that being sick is causing him anxiety.  He has homework he doesn't feel well enough to do (nor should he).  He knows that when absent tomorrow, he will miss more work and will have more homework.  All that work can be an overwhelming feeling for any student, especially if they feel too sick to do it.  I thought it might be timely to remind parents of what to do when your child is absent.

Absence Suggestions:
-First of all, I  want to remind parents that if your son/daughter is absent, you have the ability to request work when you call the absence in to the office.  If there is work that can be done at home without the student being present in class that day, the teacher will send the assignment home.  If there was learning in class that was critical in order to successfully complete an assignment, the teacher will often wait until the student returns in order to explain the material.  A parent can call the office at the end of the day to ask if work had been sent to the office, and if it has, it will be available for pickup.  If a student remains too sick to do that work, feel free to just let the teachers know in the form of an email or note.  Teachers are extremely understanding, yet communication is extremely helpful!
-Some teams have set up a defined expectation as to what to do if absent.  In 6th grade, the teachers have created forms for students to fill out to help them collect information as to work missed and to create a plan for making it up. The goal is to teach students how to advocate for themselves to collect work, and to support them with creating a plan for making up the work.
-In the higher grades, the responsibility of seeing teachers for missed work shifts to the student.  The #1 thing a student should remember is that it is the student's responsibility to see the teachers for what they missed.  This contact means a LOT to teachers, as it shows that the student cares about the work missed.  Teachers should not have to be the ones chasing the students about missed work.
-It also helps if a student come in a few minutes early to school when returning, as that gives the teachers time to focus on the student and the work rather than being asked during class.
-If a student says "Did I miss anything?", that is a bit frustrating for a teacher.  Of course something was missed!  :)  We try to coach them with this!
-In any grade or situation, it is important that the students know that their teams of teachers care about helping them structure their work, to be successful with the work, and to give the time they need to get it done properly.  While the extra work can be very stressful, the teachers are very reasonable as to giving time to get the work done.
-The worst thing a student can do is to ignore the days/work missed and to not see their teachers.  This means that the work will build up over time or will not earn any credit.  Those things are both much more stressful in the long run!
-Parents, feel free to let the team know if a student is feeling anxious, or if they need extra time or help on something due to an absence.  This type of communication is extremely helpful in coordination with the student seeing his/her teachers.

If you ever have any questions about missed work, feel free to contact the teachers and/or team leaders about policies, procedures, and expectations!

Stay healthy this week, Coolidge Community!  Perhaps if it ever warms up, and we get outdoors a bit more, these germs will clear out!