Google Classroom Guardian Email Summaries

Many teachers at KRMS use Google Classroom with students.  This technology tool allows students to have assignments all in one place for easy reference.  When a student joins a Google Classroom, a new folder is created automatically in Google Drive.  All files from that Google Classroom are stored automatically in this folder.  Google Classroom has a built in calendar for students with due dates and students are able to turn in assignments directly in Google Classroom.  Google Classroom allows for an efficient work flow management solution for both students and teachers.

About two years ago, Google Classroom added a way for parents/guardians to obtain some information directly from Google Classroom.  This feature is called Guardian summaries.  By default this feature is turned off so that teachers can make the decision to turn it on.  Once it is turned on, parents/guardians can be invited to the Google Classroom.  If the guardian accepts the invite, then the guardian will receive either a daily (Monday-Friday) or weekly summary.  The choice of whether the summary is daily or weekly is up to the guardian.

You've Got Email!  

If a student has late work, this will be part of the email summary sent to that guardian.  Guardians will also know about upcoming assignments that have been posted.  Guardians will also see any instructions given by the teacher about the assignment.  Then parents/guardians can have a clear and specific conversation about the assignment with their children about this work.

Link here to see what Google offers to the Guardians via this email summary.

Teachers are already posting student assignments and instructions in Google Classroom. The goal is to have parents/guardians accept the invite to eliminate the need for the teachers to make additional postings about assignments on their websites and also offer parents/guardians with a window into the classroom.  This keeps the parents/guardians in the loop.

Recently, our trusty guidance secretary, Juliet Valela, began the arduous process of inviting every parent/guardian using the email listed in PowerSchool to our YOG (year of graduation) Google Classrooms.  These Google Classrooms are used by KRMS for summer reading assignments and digital portfolio assignments.

Here is another great thing about Guardian summaries.  Once parents/guardians accept the invite, they will be able to receive Guardian summaries from every Google Classroom that their child is invited to provided that the teacher has turned on the Guardian summaries option.  This is a great way for parents/guardians to stay in the loop and offer some assistance to their children by encouraging them to meet deadlines.  When a parent/guardian can mention the assignment by name because it was listed in the email summary, it can help the conversation be more specific about the actual assignment.

If you receive an invite from Juliet Valela for a YOG Google Classroom, please consider accepting it.

If you have any questions, please feel free to comment below or contact Laurie Prewandowski at lprewandowski@kearsarge.org



Photo Credits:

gezegen. "Clipart - Email-7." Openclipart.org. N. p., 2018. Web. 13 Dec. 2018.

"Google Classroom Icon - Free Transparent PNG Clipart Images Download. Clipartmax.Com." ClipartMax.com. N. p., 2018. Web. 13 Dec. 2018.

Today's topic: Energy drinks.  

If you head to any energy drink website, I think you will find images that are appealing.  Famous athletes and music groups who endorse the drink.  Statements about health benefits, and/or weight loss benefits.  Flavors that are enticing to all age groups. 

Most energy drinks contain large amounts of caffeine, sugar and other substances.  The amount of caffeine and other ingredients vary, so label reading is important.  

As we know, Caffeine can provide a temporary energy boost. This boost is short-lived, usually leaving the person feeling tired, and thinking they need another one to get them out of the slump.  Hence the "addiction" to these drinks.  

Too much caffeine, or caffeine-like substances, can lead to:

• Nervousness/ Anxiety

• Irritability

• Insomnia: Disrupts teens sleep patterns

• Digestive problems

• Dehydration

• Damage to children's still-developing cardiovascular and nervous systems

• Rapid heartbeat or heart rhythm disturbances

• Increased blood pressure

Monster, Rockstar, Kick Start, and Amp seem to be popular.   I was floored with all of the options!   Redline (one I had never heard of), seems to have the most caffeine, at a whopping, 250mg of  in one can!  From what I have read, one cup of Joe has between 45-95 mg of caffeine.  So, these drinks certainly pack a punch!

Please check out these product links and weigh in?  What do you think about this?

Monster Energy

Rock Star Energy

Mountain Dew Products

Resource links

CDC

Department of Health and Human Services

Another Win for The Man ;-) KRMS Policy Change Regarding Cell Phone Use

Hopefully you have seen the notification about our updated policy regarding cell phone use in school.  Our Handbook now states:

Personal Electronic Devices – The use of personal electronic devices (cell phones, ipods, etc.) during the school day (7:35-2:32) is prohibited.  Students needing to contact their parents must go to the main office.  All personal electronic devices must be kept in a student’s locker during the school day.  Cell phones and other personal electronic devices may be used before school and on the bus; however, the taking of video and still pictures is prohibited. Use of all electronic devices, personal or school, during anytime at school or a school event is subject to the KRSD Responsible Use Policy.  The viewing of videos or playing video games with content inappropriate for school is not allowed at anytime.

Personal Electronic Devices may not be used at any other times during the school day (7:35am-2:32pm), including in the hallway and cafeteria.

I, for one, am very glad for the change.  As a School Counselor, I deal with multiple issues that stem from situations regarding cell phones each day – whether it be something hurtful posted on social media; lack of sleep due to the use of a tech device at all hours of the night; struggling to keep up with academics due to the incredibly strong distraction of a phone (even with notifications turned off!);  and even serious stress due to the constant comparing of oneself to others’ online presence.  Even though students may be upset about this policy change, I believe there is a certain amount of relief that will be felt in having a break from that pull during the school day.  I think it is fair to say that we all can struggle with maintaining balance with our technology use, and to expect a child to make good decisions with unsupervised use is not realistic.  Some of the greatest minds in the world are designing these devices to draw us in more and more … and while I know our students are amazing, I don’t think it’s fair to expect them to self-regulate.  They need help.  Those pre-frontal cortexes of theirs have another 10 to 15 years to fully develop!  Hence, our updated policy.

Along this line, I subscribe to some great blogs regarding technology use that I highly recommend.  One that I have mentioned before is Tech Talk Tuesdays, that I discovered through the Screenagers website.  There was a recent post that addressed tech use in schools that you can check out here.  Another fantastic resource is the Wait Until Eighth blog, which encourages parents to wait until at least 8^th grade to allow their child to have a smartphone.  There is a post from last April entitled “Why Phones Don’t Belong in School” that does a beautiful job of explaining the reasoning behind our new policy.  It’s a quick read if you’d like to check it out here.  And finally, one of our teachers recently shared another blog post from Wait Until Eighth that powerfully illustrates the everyday impact our digital age can have on a student.  The blog post, entitled “Middle School Misfortunes Then and Now, One Teacher’s Take” can be read here.  I strongly encourage this read!

As always, we would absolutely love to hear your thoughts regarding our posts here on Symbiosis!!  Please share.  J  We know that cell phone use in schools can be a charged topic, so feedback is especially welcome.  Thank you!