September 15, 2020

Dear Families,                                   

Welcome to third grade at Eugene Online Academy.  My name is Donna DuBois VanDeurzen.  The kids lovingly call me DVD.  I will be your teacher for the 2020-2021 school year. 

This is my 23^rd year teaching and I can honestly say, it is like no other in the history of my career.  This is my 20^th year as a 4j schoolteacher.  For the past 10 years I was at Camas Ridge Community School. Over the years I have taught 1^st-5^th grade. My main expertise is in project base learning, visual arts, and connecting with students. I am the mother of 5 children and a very sweet Beagle named Luna.  My favorite subjects in school are all of them. In my free time I love painting and creating art of all kinds. 

Just like you, I am new this year to the Eugene Online Academy.  I am excited to go on this online journey with your family this year. My top priorities this year are teaching your child and connecting with every family to make sure all students have exactly what they need to make their third grade year productive and fun.  Together we will have an amazing year. The best way to contact me is via. My email is dubois_d@4j.lane.edu.  Alternatively, you can leave a message for me at 541-790-6850.

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

*  Elementary classes will host two Zoom sessions each day. Students are invited to attend

ONE session each day.  The morning session is 9:10-10:00 (M-F). The afternoon session is 1:30-2:30 (1:00-1:40 on Wednesday) and will be a repeat of the morning session.  The first week I will email the link. After that students will learn how to find the link independently without the use of email.

 

*  Week one, September 21^st  -25th,  will be focused on building our classroom community, exploring our platforms for learning, and practicing our online expectations for learning.  Academics will not begin until the week of September 28^th.   

 

*  When students are not in a Zoom session the following time guidelines for online distance learning are required: 

Daily: 30 minutes English Language Arts, 30 minutes Math, 30 minutes Enrichment (Enrichment examples include, Science, Social Studies, Art, etc.)

Offline enrichment activities will be provided as the year progresses.   

 

TO DO:

1. If you are interested in conferencing with me about your child, please respond to this email with a contact time for your family. I will confirm meetings via email.  I am excited to meet each of you and talk specifically about what your family needs to have a successful distance learning experience.  We can meet via a phone call or a Zoom meeting. It is your choice.  Our specialists will contact students with a 504 or an IEP in the coming weeks.

 

2.  Respond to this email with your choice of Zoom class.  Do you prefer morning or afternoon?

 

3.  Take a deep breath and get ready to have an amazing third grade year!

~Warmly, Donna

 

Kelly's Stories

Kelly’s Story Links:

Two Magic Pots

Space Dog Story

The Mouse and Her Children          

Unicorn Story                                               

A Butterfly Story                             

Classroom News ~ June 1, 2020

June 1, 2020

Dear Families,

I want to start today by saying I hope each of you are safe and healthy.  This has been a very painful few days for our country. I don’t have the words to express how much my heart is aching, as I’m sure yours is too.  My deepest hope is out of all this suffering, some good will come out of it for our country, and for each of us personally. Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote a beautiful piece this weekend and he said, “The greatness of America doesn’t come from the status quo, it comes from our constant struggle to live up to our promise. I’m ready to listen and work to make America better every day. Are you?” Through the education of our children, this is possible. By teaching tolerance for those different than you, compassion, and kindness, we have the ability to create a better United States for all.  If your family needs anything please reach out.   

We are winding down our school year.  Here is the schedule. Please mark your calendars!

THIS WEEK’S THEME:  The Rainforest

Monday, June 1 Whole Class Zoom

Wednesday, June 3^rd Small Group Zooms ~ Bring a Treat. We are having a celebration because we have completed more than 2,000 Seesaw Activities!

Thursday, June 4^th  No School ~ Transition Day

Friday, June 5^th   No School ~ Furlough Day

Looking Ahead:

Monday June 8^th, Whole Class Zoom

Tuesday, June 9^th, End of the Year Zoom W/ Mrs. Walker’s Class!

Wednesday, June 10^th,  Last Day of School! 

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Monday! 

~DVD

Distance Learning May 17, 2020

Dear Families,
       Welcome to a new week of distance learning.  This week we are moving from Space to the world of penguins.  These are adorable and interesting animals. I hope you have fun learning about them.  Our social studies focus continues on ancient Egypt. This week we are going to explore daily life.  Finally, in math we are going to review money.  Second grade students learn to count coins to a dollar. 
       In other news, be sure to check out the Camas Bulbs singing.  It reminds me of our Friday morning sing-alongs.  We also have another dance party this week. Ms. Allen is asking for requests in Seesaw. Finally, we will also have another story from Kelly.  It should be a very fun week. 
       Please remember, do not be overwhelmed by the amount of Seesaw activities assigned.  We have a lot so you can pick and choose.  Always start with reading and math. Everything else is supplemental.  Your child does not have to do every single activity, unless they want too. The most important thing a second grade student can do is read every single day.

Please take care and have a wonderful week,
~DVD
 

Here is our Zoom schedule this week:

This week we will have on whole class Zoom, Monday May 18^th,  at 10:00am.   

We will have two small group Zoom meetings on Wednesday, May 20^th, 2020. 

Wednesday, May ^20th, 10:00am  Zoom Group 1

Leo, Audrey, Marie, Fiona, Somers, Landon, Kodi, Wyatt, Johann, Elena, Harper, Lucas, Tatum, Kiara, Aiden, Cash, Kotah

Wednesday, May 20^th, 1:00pm  Zoom Group 2

Ayden, Seven,  Izzy, Theo, Indigo, Naleigh, Hunter, Spencer, Arya, Remy, Stella, Apollo, Tavin,

Classroom News May 4th, 2020

May 4, 2020

Dear Families,

Happy May!  This week, to bring in the month of May, we are doing a week all about plants.  This week students will explore what plants need, parts of plants, plants we eat, and the plant life cycle.  I know a lot of you are working out in the garden lately.  Hopefully you can take what the kids are learning this week and easily apply it at your house.

Recently I was asked about math strategies for 2^nd grade children.  This week we are working on adding and subtracting using the expanded form strategy.  Here are two links to YouTube videos explaining the strategy.  I hope this is helpful.

Subtracting without regrouping (borrowing)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMcOdKk5Sd0

Subtraction with regrouping (borrowing)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZwwfbBlmtI

Here is our Zoom schedule this week:

This week we will have on whole class Zoom, Monday May 4^th,  at 10:00am.   

We will have two small group Zoom meetings on Wednesday, May 6^th, 2020. 

Wednesday, May 6^th, 10:00am  Zoom Group 1

Leo, Audrey, Marie, Fiona, Somers, Landon, Kodi, Wyatt, Johann, Elena, Harper, Lucas, Tatum, Kiara, Aiden, Cash, Kotah

Wednesday, May 6^th, 1:00pm  Zoom Group 2

Ayden, Seven,  Izzy, Theo, Indigo, Naleigh, Hunter, Spencer, Arya, Remy, Stella, Apollo, Tavin,

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out.  You can email me at dubois_d@4j.lane.edu

Have a wonderful week,

~Donna

REFLEX math and Classroom News, April 27, 2020

April 27^th, 2020

Dear Families,

I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  Welcome to another week of distance learning.   We have a new math fact fluency program.  Our subscription is good thru June 24, 2020.  It is called Reflex math.  Here are the directions for logging in:

To login to Reflex, go to www.reflexmath.com and click Student Login in the upper right corner.

1. Enter your Teacher's Username  dvd1
2. Select your Class Name. DVD’s 2^nd Grade
3. Select your name from the list of students in your class.
4. Enter your Password (I emailed it to the email address on file at school)
5. Select the Login button.

I hope your child enjoys this new math option. J 

This week we will have on whole class Zoom, Monday at 10:00am.  We will have two small group Zoom meetings on Wednesday, April 20^th, 2020. 

Wednesday, April 29^th, 10:00am  Zoom Group 1

Leo, Audrey, Marie, Fiona, Somers, Landon, Kodi, Wyatt, Johann, Elena, Harper, Lucas, Tatum, Kiara, Aiden, Cash, Kotah

Wednesday, April 29^th, 1:00pm  Zoom Group 2

Ayden, Seven,  Izzy, Theo, Indigo, Naleigh, Hunter, Spencer, Arya, Remy, Stella, Apollo, Tavin,

Have a wonderful Monday,

~Donna

ZOOM small Groups April 22, 2020

I'm so excited to see you tomorrow! :)

10:00am  Zoom Group 1

Leo, Audrey, Marie, Fiona, Somers, Landon, Kodi, Wyatt, Johann, Elena, Harper, Lucas, Tatum, Kiara, Aiden, Kotah, Cash

1:00pm  Zoom Group 2

Ayden, Seven,  Izzy, Theo, Indigo, Naleigh, Hunter, Spencer, Arya, Remy, Stella, Apollo, Tavin

Camas Ridge Parade ~ April 20th, 2:30-3:30pm

Good Morning Camas Ridge Families,

The Camas Ridge staff misses all our students so much that we are going on a parade tomorrow through the Camas Ridge attendance area to see you all.  We have made an effort to plan a route that takes us down many of your streets or is easy to access by a short walk from your home.  Starting at 2:30, Camas staff will leave the school and weave throughout our neighborhoods.  For the safety and enjoyment of all, please see below:

• DO watch from front yards, sidewalks and parking lots along the route, while adhering to social distancing guidelines. 
• DO wear any Camas Ridge gear you have or dress in your brightest, most colorful clothes.  Wacky hats and hair encouraged!
• DO make a sign or note to wave as the parade goes by if you would like.
• DO yell, cheer, smile, wave and make an abundance of joyful noise!

• DO NOT run after the parade or enter the street.
• DO NOT try to throw item to staff as they pass.

Parade route map and written description are attached.   We look forward to seeing lots of our Camas community tomorrow.  

Miss you all,

Kevin and Camas Staff

●      Head east on E 30th Ave.

●      Turn right to the junction of Agate St. and Kimberly Dr. Turn south east (left) onto Kimberly Dr.

●      Turn right and head south on Spring Blvd.

●      Turn right and head west on Firland Blvd, then turn Right to head north on Agate St.

●      Drive to the junction of Agate and 31st. Turn left to head west on E 31st ave.

●      Continue down E 31st Ave as it turns into Emerald St.

●      Drive PAST Onyx Pl, and continue as the road goes south down Onyx St.

●      Turn right to head west on E 32nd Ave, and then turn left to head south on University St.

●      Turn right when you get to Milton Park to head north on Potter St.

●      Turn left to head west back onto E 32nd Ave.

●      Turn left to head south on Kincaid St. Continue down Kincaid St. until you reach Kincaid City Park. Then Turn right to head west on E 39th Ave.

●      Turn left to go south onto E Amazon Dr.

●      Turn Right to go west on Fox Hollow Rd. then turn quickly right again to go north on      W Amazon Dr.

●      Continue north up W Amazon Dr. until you get to the junction of Hilyard and E 34th. Make sure to turn left ( it’s a tight left!) so you can head south onto Hilyard St.

●      Turn right to head west on E 39th Ave.

●      Turn right to head north on Donald St.

●      Turn right to head east on E 33rd Ave,

●      Turn left to head north on Hilyard St.

●      Turn left to head west on E 24th Ave, and turn right at the Spencer View apartments. Do a loop inside the co-op of the Spencer View apartments, then turn left to head east back on E 24th Ave.

●      Turn right to head south down Kincaid St.

●      Turn left to head east on E 29th Ave and drive past Camas. Turn left to head north on Potter St. Follow Potter St. back up to E 24th Ave.

●      Turn right to head east on E 24th Ave.

●      Turn left to head north on Agate St.

●      Turn right to head east on E 19th Ave.

●      Turn left to head north on Orchard St, then turn right to head east on Franklin Blvd.

●      Continue down Franklin Blvd for a bit until you turn right to head south on Mississippi Ave.

●      Go all the way down the road, take two left turns to go north on Concord St.

●      Turn left to go west on Mississippi Ave, and continue as the street turns to E 15th Ave.

●      Turn right to go north on Lexington Ave, then turn left to head west on E 14th Ave.

●      Turn left to head south on Henderson Ave.

●      Turn left to head east on E 19th Ave. Drive past James Park and turn right to head south on Franklin Blvd.

●      Drive past E 20th Ave and take the next right. Do a loop past Eugene mobile Village

●      Once done with the loop, drive across Franklin Blvd to the other street. Drive past Riverside Mobile Home park and continue the loop.

●      The parade will end at the Duck Stop.

Zoom Groups April 13-17

 Here is the ZOOM schedule for this week:

GROUPS THIS WEEK: 

4-13 MONDAY  10:00am ~ Whole Class Meeting

4-14 TUESDAY 9:00am ~ Leo, Audrey, Marie, Fiona, Somers, Landon, Kodi, Wyatt, Johann, Ayden

4-15 WEDNESDAY 10:00am ~ Elena, Harper, Lucas, Tatum, Kiara, Tavin, Kotah, Aiden, Seven, Cash

4-16 THURSDAY 1:00pm ~ Izzy, Theo, Indigo, Naleigh, Hunter, Spencer, Arya, Remy, Stella, Apollo

4-17 FRIDAY 10:00am ~ Whole Class Meeting


~DVD

April 6-10 ZOOM groups

Dear Families,
Here are the ZOOM groups.  It will be much easier for me to connect with each child if we can meet a group at a time. I put the groups together by the times you told me would work for your family.  These groups might change in the coming weeks, but for this week, here they are.

Additionally, for security I have to admit each person to the ZOOM room.  For school meetings can you please set your child's name to their correct name, not a screen name. If your child has a screen name they will use throughout this experience you can email it to me privately, so I will recognize your child.  I cannot admit anyone who I do not recognize.  Thank you.

Finally, after each Zoom meeting give your child some time to decompress before doing any schoolwork.  Seeing our friends can bring up big emotions.  Taking care of our emotional self is the most important thing during this difficult time.  Big hugs to each of you.

GROUPS THIS WEEK: 

4-7 TUESDAY 9:00am ~ Leo, Audrey, Marie, Fiona, Somers, Landon, Kodi, Wyatt, Johann, Ayden

4-8 WEDNESDAY 10:00am ~ Elena, Harper, Lucas, Tatum, Kiara, Tavin, Kotah, Aiden, Seven, Cash

4-9 THURSDAY 1:00pm ~ Izzy, Theo, Indigo, Naleigh, Hunter, Spencer, Arya, Remy, Stella, Apollo

4-10 FRIDAY 10:00am ~ Whole Class Meeting

Warmly,
~DVD

Missing All of YOU!

PLEASE CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO START THE VIDEO

Important email in your inbox!

April 3, 2020

Good Afternoon,

I hope your family is safe and healthy.  Please check your inbox for a very important email.  The attached documents include important passwords and directions for distance learning.  If you are a family who is waiting for devices from the school district, no worries!  Your child can begin online learning when they get their device. The district is hoping to have devices to families by April 9^th or 10^th.  Please download the attachments and save or print. 

Also, if you can, please put the app ZOOM on your device this weekend. (District devices will already have it installed.) It is a video conferencing application. 

If you use a computer you can access zoom at

https://zoom.us/  

You can join a meeting online or download Zoom to your computer. I am scheduling our first online crazy ZOOM adventure for Monday, April 6^th, at 10:00am.  Mark your calendar.  If you don’t have access to a device, no problem. You will have plenty of opportunities to be crazy with us in the upcoming weeks.  I plan on scheduling more ZOOM craziness throughout next week.  I will schedule different times to accommodate as many family schedules as I can.  Keep in mind my first experience with ZOOM was exactly 4 days ago! I am here to help if I can, however I am learning with you and your child!!!!!

Remember to breath when things get stressful and do something to take care of YOU everyday!

Warmly,

DVD

Non Screen Activities

Classroom News ~ March 13th, 2020

Dear Families,

Welcome to an early spring break.  First I want to wish all of you a healthy, virus free, break.  I was very sad about this development.  Children generally love school and I love having them here every single day!  So, now we must figure out how the students can keep up with their learning from home.  You can find many educational links to games and websites, which I have selected to support student learning right here on the blog.  You can also find a multitude of links for students on the Camas Ridge webpage.  https://links.4j.lane.edu/index.php/2-3-links/

To make sure your child does not fall behind, here is a summary of our current topics of study. 

READING:  Be sure your child spends at least 30-60 minutes reading each weekday.  Take the weekends off if you want, but definitely read every day.  If you want a change from handheld books I have links to online books on my blog.  Students can read and on some sites they can listen to the books.  Also, St. Vincent DePaul sells used children’s books for .79 cents each.  Maybe you will have time to go find a couple of new books. 

MATH:  Second grade students are working on double and triple addition with and without regrouping.  If you are interested I can send you links to websites where you can print out worksheets for your child.  This is NOT the most fun way to do math, but it will keep their skills sharp.  We have a handful of students who still need additional practice with single digit addition and subtraction.  If you are unsure of your child’s current math level please email me.  Report cards went home a long time ago and we have been working hard in class.  I also have fun math game links on the blog.  Finally, Prodigy Math is a huge favorite.  Students love to meet up virtually in the game.  If play dates are not a possibility, have friends find each other on Prodigy and have a virtual play date!

WRITING:  Second grade goals in writing include using punctuation correctly, using capital letters correctly, and the ability to write about a topic, write a story, which makes sense, and write a friendly letter.  Each child selected an animal to do research about.  Our next page is finding interesting and/or unusual facts about our animals.  This research can be done at home and brought back to school to add into their animal books!

SCIENCE:  We are in the middle of a unit about solids, liquids, and gasses.  If you look up Steve Spangler Science, States of Matter, you will find a multitude of fun things to do with your child at home.  https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/categories/experiments/states-of-matter/

HEALTH:  Miss Cate was completing a unit about bones.  From there our focus will be on 4 different body systems.  (digestive, respiratory, muscular, nervous)  Don’t feel obligated to teach these to your child however, the current virus scare is a great way to open conversations about what is going on inside us.  Please only talk about this if your child does not have anxiety around these issues. 

Finally, I’d like to invite you to email me with any questions or concerns.  If you know a classmate who does not have online access please let me know. I will try to support their learning without the help of the computer.  Please stay safe and healthy. I hope to see us all back at school very soon.

Warmly,

~Donna

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Valentines, 100's Day, & Report Cards, Oh My!

Dear Families,

Wow! There is so much going on, I don’t know where to start.  First, we have a new student joining our class.  His name is Cash.  He will join us Thursday morning.  We made welcome to Camas Ridge cards today.  Everyone is excited to have a new student join our second grade community. 

Another new member of our community is Cate Huang.  She is currently working toward her teaching certification. She is student teaching in our classroom until the end of April.  She is also a Camas Ridge parent.  We are VERY lucky to have her.  If you see her please welcome her to our class.  Last week she sent home a green form to fill out allowing her to video a lesson with students in the video.  This is an Oregon State requirement for all new teachers. If you have not sent the form back with your child, please check backpacks.  The more permission slips we receive, the easier this requirement will be for her to accomplish.  Thank you for your help with this.

We have some very exciting events this month.  Friday, February 14^th is our Valentine celebration.  Students are not required to bring Valentine cards.  If you do choose to send Valentine cards, please have one card for every student. This will prevent hurt feelings.  At the end of this letter is a current class list.  Also, if would like to send in a special snack or host a craft for our class, we will be celebrating from 12:00 – 1:00, Friday afternoon.  Please email me if you are willing to help.

Thursday, February 20^th is our 100^th day of school.  This is a very fun day in second grade.  Last week students brought home a homework assignment.  Each child will bring in a collection of 100 things.  find something you have 100 of that can be carried to school easily to share with the class.  For example, toy cars, popcorn kernels, baseball cards, noodles, pennies, stickers, etc.… Collections can be displayed on poster board. Try to be unique!  If you want poster board to display your collection, let me know and I will give you one. Use your wonderful imaginations!! Please bring your collection of 100 by Wednesday, February 19^th.  

Report cards are coming home on Monday, February 10^th.  I am asking students NOT to open the envelopes before a parent is with them.  The last thing we need is 2nd grade students comparing report cards.  Please emphasize this rule with your child. 

Don’t forget, Friday is library day so bring those books back in the morning.  It is never fun to go to the library and not get to check out a book.  Thank you for your help.

As always, if you want to contact me, email works great!  dubois_d@4j.lane.edu

~Donna

Our Classroom Community

Leo

Harper

Cash

Elena

Audrey

Izzy

Lucas

Marie

Theo

Tatum

Ayden

Fiona

Indigo

Somers

Naleigh

Hunter

Kiara

Spencer

Arya

Remy

Tavin

Wyatt

Stella

Aiden

Kodiak

Johann

Apollo

Seven

Ms. DVD or Donna

Ms. Cate