I bring you greetings from your 7th and 8th grade ELA teacher!
I hope you have enjoyed your summer vacation and are ready to be welcomed back to Ray School for a new and exciting year. I am eagerly anticipating the start of our new 2020-2021 remote learning school year and hope you are as well! We know this is a new challenge for many of us so we ask that you remain flexible, positive, patient and committed to our new learning environment and with ‘good vibes only’, we anticipate a successful school year.
Student Teacher
I am so excited to announce that we will have a student teacher working with us this semester in ELA class. Mr. Watkins will be a part of our reading and writing team as he continues his journey into the teaching field.
Here are a few fun facts about Mr. Watkins:
Supply List
Our school day is 8:45-3:45. The subjects taught by each teacher are as follows:
Student Daily Schedule by Homeroom
Orientation time and dates - Please be prepared to join us for our remote learning orientation. Click the available link for more information.
Device distribution - Devices are still available for pick-up. Please see the schedule by clicking the available link.
ELA Assignments and Other Information:
I hope this information is helpful as we approach this new way of learning. With the times that we are currently living in it is important for our young learners to have tough conversations around social justice issues and racial inequalities. With this in mind, I have chosen two novels that will not only continue a love for learning but will also spark the necessary dialogue among our readers and bring awareness to the importance of becoming dedicated advocates of change.
Ghost Boys by Jewel Parker Rhodes
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316262269/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_yQjsFbV3NK0BJ
Dear Martin by Nic Stone
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1101939524/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6RjsFbMWQNSW0
I hope you have enjoyed your summer vacation and are ready to be welcomed back to Ray School for a new and exciting year. I am eagerly anticipating the start of our new 2020-2021 remote learning school year and hope you are as well! We know this is a new challenge for many of us so we ask that you remain flexible, positive, patient and committed to our new learning environment and with ‘good vibes only’, we anticipate a successful school year.
Student Teacher
I am so excited to announce that we will have a student teacher working with us this semester in ELA class. Mr. Watkins will be a part of our reading and writing team as he continues his journey into the teaching field.
Here are a few fun facts about Mr. Watkins:
- “I am in my final year of a Masters in Education program at the University of Chicago, hoping to teach English/Language Arts myself next year.”
- “Since I was a middle school student, I have loved ELA classes because they are an opportunity to learn about ourselves and the world through literature and our own writing.”
- “Before pursuing my teaching career, I studied journalism at Columbia College Chicago, where I wrote about politics and current events for the school paper.”
- “I enjoy meeting new people, traveling and exploring Chicago.”
Supply List
Our school day is 8:45-3:45. The subjects taught by each teacher are as follows:
- English Language Arts - Mrs. Johnson-Finner / Mr. Florell and Ms. Hatten
- History/- Mr. Paranjape
- Math - Mr. Albrecht
- Science - Mr. Dowd
- Social Studies - Ms. Havnoonian
Student Daily Schedule by Homeroom
Orientation time and dates - Please be prepared to join us for our remote learning orientation. Click the available link for more information.
Device distribution - Devices are still available for pick-up. Please see the schedule by clicking the available link.
ELA Assignments and Other Information:
- Weekly Assignments: forthcoming
- Google Classroom and other platform links: forthcoming
- Grades: Starting September 8, 2020 CPS will return to regular grading practices, as the district will ensure all students have the tools they need to succeed. There will be no pass or incomplete grades given.
- Office Hours: School days from 2:10 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. We will use this time to connect with students and families. We will have scheduled appointments as well as open times. We will use Google Chat for one-on-one meetings and Google Meet for group sessions. t.
- Communication platforms with students: Aspen and Google Suites (Google Classroom, CPS email, Google Meet, Google Chat).
- Communication platforms with parents/families: Aspen, email, blog and phone. We recommend that parents/families know the emails and passwords of their students so they can also access Google Classroom.
I hope this information is helpful as we approach this new way of learning. With the times that we are currently living in it is important for our young learners to have tough conversations around social justice issues and racial inequalities. With this in mind, I have chosen two novels that will not only continue a love for learning but will also spark the necessary dialogue among our readers and bring awareness to the importance of becoming dedicated advocates of change.
Ghost Boys by Jewel Parker Rhodes
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316262269/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_yQjsFbV3NK0BJ
Dear Martin by Nic Stone
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1101939524/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6RjsFbMWQNSW0