All in a day’s work for GSA Sarah L.! Each week we highlight one of the General School Assistants (GSAs) who have been working hard both in front of cameras and behind the scenes to support our teachers and students during distance learning. Here are some words from GSA Sarah L. . . .
CE Spotlight Even-though there isn’t in-person learning, the Curriculum Enhancement Team has been working with teachers to provide additional experiences to our students. Thank you for your generous support and patience while the start of this school year has been modified. CE Spotlight for 2020Savvy Parents Safe Kids provided an all-school presentation “Optimizing Online Safety: Safety for Parents in the World of COVID”4th grade had a virtual visit to the Pacific Science Center and learned about the “Night Sky”Upcoming for 20213rd Grade and 2nd Grade students will have a virtual visit from The Toy Maker.More to come!Visit CE page for more information on the workings of the Curriculum Enhancement Committee and its impact on our students.
Meet GSA Sarah L.! Each week we highlight one of the General School Assistants (GSAs) who have been working hard both in front of cameras and behind the scenes to support our teachers and students during distance learning. Here are some words from GSA Sarah L. . . .
Meet GSA Ms.Johnson The week of Halloween, Ms. Johnson juggled a small group of lively g4 and g5 students as they navigated learning
GSA Testimonial This week we hear from 3rd Grade teacher Ms. Therriault about the value of GSAs in her classroom this year: On Wednesdays especially, our GSA is able to meet with students individually in order to finish up assignments, help with technology issues, and give general support. This week, she even scribed for a student on a Nearpod assignment that was mal-functioning for the student, leaving her completely stressed out and discouraged. Having the GSA spend time with her 1:1 was invaluable for this student’s self-confidence!
Math Challenge 2020 – 2021! The bi-weekly Math challenge is open to all students grades K-5! The Math challenge 6, posted at Math In Action is due on Jan 6th and solutions will be available on Jan 8th. Math challenge 7 will be available on Jan 8th. See the Math in Action challenge calendar for future dates.Participation certificates will be awarded to those who complete at least 10 challenges. We ask parents and students to self-grade these challenges and track completion. Once the last challenge is published in May, we will provide instructions to report participation.For any questions reach out to: mathprogram@cherrycrest-ptsa.org
Meet GSA Mr.T Mr.T is one of Cherry Crest’s GSAs and provides daily classroom support. He is known to make all the students feel involved and connected in the classrooms, especially now when everything’s virtual.This is what one of the parents has to say about him: "Mr. T has been a lovely friend to our family. He always made our son and his friends feel a part of the school as new kindergarteners last year, and this year during group recess time by setting up a live MS Teams interactive drawing times including creating a super-cool race-car and space fight comic strip with Colias!"
GSA Appreciation in the Virtual Classroom You may be curious about whether General School Assistants (GSAs) are being utilized in the virtual setting and what roles they are performing. From providing instruction in small groups to facilitating virtual recess, our students are benefiting from GSAs fulfilling many of the same roles they have in previous years. This week we hear from the students in Ms. Maya Stevens’ 4th grade classroom about what they have appreciated about having GSAs Ms. Gayle, Ms. Johnson and Ms. Kelley in their virtual classes:
Meet GSA Durga G. Durga G. is one of Cherry Crest’s GSAs and provides daily classroom support. One of the classes she works with is Susie Sung’s 4th grade class: Durga has been a great support, providing extra help when we need it. For example, I remember there were several times during the first few weeks of school when she was able to meet on a separate call with students who were having specific tech issues. This was invaluable as it is very hard for the teacher to do this during live class time. She continues to provide whole class and small group support throughout the week. I am so thankful for Ms. Durga!
Spotlight on General School Assistants General School Assistants, GSAs (formerly known as aides) make an amazing difference in our children’s classroom every day through out the year. Here is a list of how they were helpful to just one class in the last week:Sharing about themselves, their identity and their humanity in the virtual setting. This is a way to set examples for students who are struggling with anxiety, nerves and shyness.Supporting a positive virtual learning space.Supporting students in completing assignments.Coaching students in digital conduct that supports their success.Personal 1 on 1 and small group support in review of learning.Building student and teacher capacity in tech.Cheering on and supporting learners and educators.Meeting with educators to learn ways to streamline virtual routines in the class.Scheduling meetings in support of general learning.Sharing information about student SEL and academic behaviors.Creating schedule for virtual recess to support student well-being.Posting announcements that help students clarify and know about current classroom events.Responding to student/teacher need behind the scenes: tech wise and other.
