From the Amigos Principal: December 18, 2020
Published on Dec 18, 2020 16:34

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18 de diciembre, 2020 | December 18, 2020

Dear Families,

As the pandemic continues, we all experience different amounts of stress, anxiety and fear. Some of us have lost loved ones, some of us are struggling with basic needs and all of us are tired. Please remember during this stressful and challenging time to be kind to everyone. We all want what is best for our students and your children. It is ok to disagree with each other, but remember the person on the receiving end is a teacher, parent, administrator, caregiver, or a concerned Cambridge Community member. Now more than ever, our Amigos Core Values of Compassion, Perseverance and Integrity need to guide us through this time. We have an amazing community and I, for one, appreciate all of you very much! ¿Quiénes somos? ¡Somos AMIGOS!
Library Book Return
We have a NEW library return cart located at the entrance of the building! Ms. Melisa reports that there are still 916 books checked out from March so if you have any library books at home, please return them when you pick up any grade level materials or coordinate with us a time to drop them off. If you would like a list of the books your child checked out, please email Ms. Melisa.

While all of our Amigos students are currently learning and participating remotely, please keep our technology expectations in mind. Please be reminded that (1) students should NOT be engaging in a chat or other similar activity while engaged in live learning sessions. In addition to distracting the student from the carefully structured lesson, it also limits this student’s ability to contribute to the learning taking place, and it interrupts the learning for all involved in the chat. (2) Communication with a non-CPSD account can put students at risk. Not all external communication or communicators (real or fictitious) follow the CPSD norms / protocols or, in the worst case scenario, do so with the best of intentions. During this complex time, CPSD is doing everything it can to ensure the safety of our students, and your collaboration will help us to do so. While we may not always be able to keep up with the latest “adaptations” of technology, please know that we can track students’ communication on the Internet. More importantly, we want our students (your children) to learn how to use these powerful resources while also staying safe at the same time. (3) Encourage your child to turn on their camera. We understand that sometimes we all need to turn the camera off, but if your child is in a live session it would be appreciated if they had their camera on especially during the active participation.

Learning Highlights
Our 4th & 5th graders have been working on the "Bacteria & Virus Unit" over the last month and their final project was to create Public Service Announcements or PSAs about either the flu or COVID-19. Students listened to both Spanish and English examples from the Center for Disease Control's website and then worked in groups to complete their own research about the viruses, wrote and recorded their own scripts. Here is one from the 5th grade that we hope everyone will take the time to listen to!

Our 3rd graders worked on creating a paragraph about the part of their body that gives them the most joy. During the unit, they learned how to use adjectives to describe their body part. In addition, they learned how to create and use a topic and concluding sentences, similes and contractions. Here are a few for you to enjoy!

All week our upper school students have been engaged in student council elections. It takes vulnerability and bravery to run for office and I want to congratulate all students who ran for office! I am very proud of you. This year, our elected student officers will be:

Secretary/Secretari@: Ava Keating
Public Relations/Relaciones Públicas: Cecilia Prasanna
Vice President/Vicepresidente: Catalina Lozada
President/Presidente: Elizabeth Kelly-Montgomery
Congratulations and I look forward to working with you!

Finally, we have another news report from our student writer. She will be sharing with us a bit more about the student perspective on the current state of schooling.

Hi, again. It is Lucy, hopefully everybody is staying safe and well. I am here today to share some more interviews with you. Please let me know if you want me to interview you. Thanks again. Enjoy!

Let's go with the first question. If you had to add something to remote learning what would it be? Well, here is the response from Avie in 5th grade, “For remote learning I would add the option to socialize with peers and be able to have fun before school and during the lunch break, in a Meet or Zoom. What I would be able to do in the Zoom or in the Meet is talk and maybe play games with my classmates.” As you can notice, like in my last article, many people are missing the same things; socialization, just talking or playing a game! Which is a very good thing to do when you need to relax your mind or when you are bored.

The next question is, How would you rate remote learning on a scale from 1-10 and why? This is the valuable knowledge of a very good teacher, Ms.Hohimer. “I don't think I can assign a number to remote learning, as there are so many factors to consider. However, I would rate it highly for my timid students, who seem to feel more comfortable asking questions about the material via email, chat, or in the privacy of online small groups. For my students who are very social, I would rate it lower since it is hard for them to learn in their preferred way - which is to talk about the content with their peers and teachers throughout the day.” As you can see it is hard because for different people remote learning is either better or more challenging. For people who are shy it works. But for people who are very social and need to socialize for learning, not so much. It really just depends who you are.

The next question is, if we ever all go back to in person school, what would be this first place you visit? Some 2nd graders shared, “I would like to go to the gym and hug all my teachers. I want to go with some friends and play. Visit the classroom and give the teachers a hug. I also want to have lunch with the teacher. Play with everyone in the park. I really miss field trips. I would have them with friends.” As you can see most responses are related to being with friends and seeing the school. For kids it is very important to be with other people and seeing them face to face. Lots of us are missing being in school more and having the full experience. When you don’t do something you like, you miss it more than ever. 
Thank you, Lucy! 

Have a great weekend and a wonderful winter vacation week! I look forward to seeing you in 2021!! 

Sincerely,
Sarah Bartels-Marrero
Principal

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Estimadas Familias,

A medida que la pandemia continúa, todos experimentamos diferentes cantidades de estrés, ansiedad y miedo. Algunos de nosotros hemos perdido a seres queridos, algunos estamos batallando con conseguir las necesidades básicas y todos estamos cansados. Por favor, recuerden que durante este tiempo estresante y desafiante, debemos ser amables con todos. Todos queremos lo mejor para nuestros estudiantes e hij@s. Está bien estar en desacuerdo con otros, pero recuerden que la persona que lo recibe es un maestro, padre, administrador, cuidador o un miembro preocupado de la comunidad de Cambridge. Ahora más que nunca, los valores fundamentales de Amigos; Compasión, Perseverancia e Integridad deben guiarnos a lo largo de este tiempo. Tenemos una comunidad increíble y yo, por mi parte, ¡los aprecio mucho a todos ustedes! ¿Quiénes son? ¡Somos AMIGOS!

Library Book Return¡Tenemos un NUEVO carro situado en la entrada del edificio para devolver libros a la biblioteca! La Sra. Melisa informa que todavía hay 916 libros prestados desde marzo, así que si tiene algún libro de la biblioteca en casa, por favor devuélvalo cuando recoja cualquier material escolar o coordine con nosotros un momento para dejarlo. Si desea una lista de los libros que su hij@ ha sacado, por favor envíe un correo electrónico a la Sra. Melisa.

Mientras que todos nuestros estudiantes de Amigos están actualmente aprendiendo y participando a distancia, por favor tengan en cuenta nuestras expectativas tecnológicas. Por favor, recuerden que (1) l@s estudiantes NO deben participar en un chat u otra actividad similar mientras participan en sesiones de aprendizaje en vivo. Además de distraer al estudiante de la lección cuidadosamente estructurada, también limita su capacidad de contribuir al aprendizaje que se está llevando a cabo, e interrumpe el aprendizaje de todos los que participan en el chat. (2) La comunicación con una cuenta que no sea del CPSD puede poner a l@s estudiantes en riesgo. No todas las comunicaciones externas siguen las normas/protocolos del CPSD y en el peor de los casos, ni lo hacen con buenas intenciones. Durante este complejo tiempo, el CPSD está haciendo todo lo posible para asegurar la seguridad de nuestros estudiantes, y su colaboración nos ayudará a hacerlo. Aunque no siempre podamos mantenernos al día con las últimas "adaptaciones" de la tecnología, por favor sepan que podemos rastrear la comunicación de l@s estudiantes en Internet. Más importante aún, queremos que nuestros estudiantes (sus hij@s) aprendan a usar estos poderosos recursos y a la vez se mantengan seguros. (3) Anime a su hij@ a encender su cámara. Entendemos que a veces todos necesitamos apagar la cámara, pero si su hij@ está en una sesión en vivo, se agradecería que tuviera la cámara encendida, especialmente durante la participación activa.

Lo más destacado del aprendizaje
Nuestros alumn@s de 4º y 5º grado han estado trabajando en la "Unidad de Bacterias y Virus" durante el último mes y su proyecto final fue crear Anuncios de Servicio Público o PSAs sobre la gripe o el COVID-19. L@s estudiantes escucharon ejemplos tanto en español como en inglés del sitio web del Centro de Control de Enfermedades y luego trabajaron en grupos para completar su propia investigación sobre los virus, escribieron y grabaron sus propios guiones. Aquí hay uno del 5º grado que esperamos que todos se tomen el tiempo de escuchar!

Nuestros alumn@s de 3º grado trabajaron en la creación de un párrafo sobre la parte de su cuerpo que les da más alegría. Durante la unidad, aprendieron a usar adjetivos para describir su parte del cuerpo. Además, aprendieron a escribir frases introductorias y frases de conclusión, símiles y contracciones. Aquí hay algunos para que los disfruten!

Toda la semana nuestros estudiantes de la escuela intermedia han participado en las elecciones del consejo estudiantil. Se necesita vulnerabilidad y valentía para postularse a un cargo y quiero felicitar a tod@s l@s estudiantes que se postularon! Estoy muy orgullosa de ustedes. Este año, nuestros oficiales estudiantiles elegidos serán:

Secretary/Secretaria: Ava Keating
Public Relations/Relaciones Públicas: Cecilia Prasanna
Vicepresident/Vicepresidente: Catalina Lozada
President/Presidenta: Elizabeth Kelly-Montgomery
¡Felicidades y espero con entusiasmo trabajar con ustedes!

Finalmente, tenemos otro reporte de nuestra estudiante escritora. Ella compartirá con nosotros un poco más sobre la perspectiva de los estudiantes sobre el estado actual de la escuela.

Hola, nuevamente soy Lucy. Espero que todos estén sanos y salvos. Estoy aquí hoy para compartir algunas entrevistas más con ustedes. Avisenme si quieren que les entreviste. Gracias de nuevo. ¡Disfruten!

Vayamos con la primera pregunta, si tuvieras que agregar algo al aprendizaje remoto, ¿qué sería? Bueno, aquí está la respuesta de Avie de 5º grado: “Para el aprendizaje remoto, agregaría la opción de socializar con los compañeros y poder divertirme antes de la escuela y en la pausa del almuerzo, en un Meet o Zoom. Lo que podría hacer es hablar y tal vez jugar con mi grado ". Como puede notar, como en mi último artículo, a muchas personas les faltan las mismas cosas; ¡la socialización, simplemente hablar o jugar un juego! Lo cual es algo muy bueno para hacer cuando necesitas relajar tu mente o cuando estás aburrido.

La siguiente pregunta es, califique el aprendizaje remoto del 1 al 10 y ¿por qué? Este es el valioso conocimiento de una muy buena maestra, la Sra. Hohimer: “No creo que pueda asignar un número al aprendizaje remoto, ya que hay muchos factores a considerar. Sin embargo, lo calificaría muy bien para mis estudiantes tímidos, que parecen sentirse más cómodos haciendo preguntas sobre el material por correo electrónico, chat o en la privacidad de pequeños grupos en línea. Para mis estudiantes que son muy sociables, lo calificaría más bajo ya que es difícil para ellos aprender de la manera que prefieren, que es hablar sobre el contenido con sus compañeros y maestros durante todo el día." Como pueden ver es difícil porque para diferentes personas el aprendizaje a distancia es mejor o más difícil. Para la gente que es tímida funciona. Pero para las personas que son muy sociables y necesitan socializar para aprender, no tanto. En realidad, depende de quién seas.

La otra pregunta es si alguna vez regresamos a la escuela en persona, ¿cuál sería el primer lugar que visitas? Aquí está la respuesta de algunos estudiantes de segundo grado: “Me gustaría ir al gimnasio y abrazar a todos mis maestros. Quiero ir con unos amigos y jugar. Visita el aula y da un abrazo a los profesores. También quiero almorzar con la maestra. Jugar con todos en el parque. Realmente extraño las excursiones. Los tendría con amigos." Como pueden ver, la mayoría de las respuestas están relacionadas con estar con amigos y ver la escuela. Para los jóvenes es muy importante estar con otras personas y verlas cara a cara. Muchos de nosotros extrañamos más estar en la escuela y tener la experiencia completa. Cuando no haces algo que te gusta, lo extrañas más que nunca. 
¡Gracias, Lucy!

¡Espero que todos tengan un estupendo fin de semana y una maravillosa semana de vacaciones de invierno! ¡¡Espero verlos en el 2021!!

Atentamente,
Sarah Bartels-Marrero
Directora

 

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Remote Learning to Continue District-wide until at least January 4

I am writing with the unfortunate news that due to a rise in COVID-19 cases and the CPS metrics, CPS will continue in remote learning district-wide until at least January 4. This decision was made in consultation with the Cambridge Public Health Department in alignment with CPS’s COVID-19 metrics
Read Update Here >>

Les escribo con la desafortunada noticia de que debido al aumento de los casos de COVID-19 y la métrica del CPS, CPS continuará en el aprendizaje a distancia en todo el distrito hasta por lo menos el 4 de enero. Esta decisión fue tomada en consulta con el Departamento de Salud Pública de Cambridge en alineación con la métrica COVID-19 de CPS. 
Read Update Here >>

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Winter Break Meal Kits

CPS Nutrition will be distributing Winter Break Meal Kits to cover 4 days worth of breakfast and lunches! This one-day event will be held on Wednesday, December 23rd from 11:30AM to 1PM at select sites. Grocery bags filled with ready to eat food, build your own meals, milk, and bread will be offered. Meal Kits will be first come, first served at these specific select sites. No identification or registration is required.

Please note*:
Daily individual breakfast and lunches can still be picked up at all usual sites on Wednesday if families do not plan on participating in the Winter Break Meal Kit distribution program.

Select sites:

  • Cambridge Rindge & Latin School - 459 Broadway (Door 9 on Cambridge Street to the left of the loading dock)
  • Fletcher Maynard Academy - 225 Windsor St (Windsor Street sidewalk entrance)
  • King School/Putnam Ave Upper School - 102 Putnam Ave (Magee Street entrance)
  • Fresh Pond Apartments - 362-364 Rindge Ave (364 Rindge Community Room rear door entrance)


Kits de comida ofrecidos para las vacaciones de invierno

El Servicio de alimentación y nutrición de Cambridge (Cambridge Food & Nutrition Services) distribuirá kits de viandas para varios días el miércoles 23 de diciembre entre las 11:30 y las 13:00 h en los sitios de recogida de viandas selectos de la ciudad.

  • Cambridge Rindge & Latin School - 459 Broadway
  • King School/Putnam Ave - 102 Putnam Ave
  • Fletcher Maynard Academy - 225 Windsor St
  • Fresh Pond Apartments - 362-364 Rindge Ave

¿Qué incluye un kit de viandas?

  • Desayuno para 4 días
  • Almuerzo para 4 días
  • Fruta fresca
  • Medio galón (6 litros) de leche
  • Barra de pan
  • Alimentos listos para consumir
  • Arme a su gusto el kit de viandas
  • Guías de recetas, calcomanías, cromos y, ¡posiblemente un premio!

No se requiere registro ni identificación. ¡Se le sirve en orden de llegada!

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Reminder!

Don't forget to visit Principal Marrero's Virtual Office. 
Virtual Office >>

Por favor, no se olviden de visitar la oficina virtual de Directora Marrero. 
Oficina Virtual >>

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Healthy Snack of the Week

Baked Carrot Sticks


Here's Cambridge in Motion's Healthy Snack of the Week! 
Baked Carrot Sticks: Slice carrots into sticks, drizzle with olive oil, and bake at 375 degrees F for 20-24 minutes. Dip these into a hummus or greek yogurt dip for extra flavor!

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In Our District & Community

find it cambridge logo
There are many programs available to Kindergarteners-8th Graders this Fall. Here are some resources for:
Elementary age students
Middle school students
Tutoring opportunities for all grades  

Find other opportunities here – or call/text us at 617.686.2998 or email usPrograms are continuing to update their opportunities based on the recent state guidelines, so check back often!

DHSP FREE Winter Programming
DHSP is now offering FREE virtual K-8 programming from 12/14 - 1/15, 3-6PM. Learn more >>

Holiday Pops: Festive Stories for the Whole Family
December 20 | 4PM | View Flyer >>
The CSO has decided to produce a free live stream event with pre-recorded video that will feature a mini version of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. More details >>


FREE Adult Education Programs
If you work with adults who would benefit from free ABE, ESOL, and high school equivalency classes, here are some programs. Learn more >>
Visit MA Adult Literacy Website >>
 

Coronavirus (COVD-19) Testing
Testing appointments through the City's free mobile-testing program are now available, view schedule here.
*You can schedule an appointment online or call 617.349.9788.

Fight the Flu. Get Your Flu Shot!
You can make an appointment for a flu shot with either your healthcare provider or local pharmacy. Note: It's mandatory for CPS students to receive flu shots by 12/31. Details >>

CEOC Resources: Food Pantry, P-EBT Benefit Help, Health insurance Application Support
-- CEOC Food Pantry is now open at 11 Inman Street!
-- Still haven’t received P-EBT benefits? Learn more >>
-- Health insurance:
It is Open Enrollment for health insurance now through January 23, 2021. Learn more >>
-- For more information on any of the above, please call 617.868.2900 or visit here.


Tenants Rights & Resources Information Now Available in Multiple Languages
To learn more about tenants rights and resources in Cambridge, please visit this website >> 

Caregiver Groups
The BRYT (Bridge for Resilient Youth in Transition) network, a program of the Brookline Center for Community Mental Health, has been providing FREE parent support groups since the school closures in March 2020 to any parent or caregiver!
Flyer >>
Parents Supporting Parents Commercial >>


Girlx Only Leadership Development (GOLD)
Tuesdays, 5-7PM | Zoom | Details >>
Register >>


Cambridge Community Center In-Person Full Day Support
M - F, 7:30AM - 5:30PM | Details >>
Enroll >>


Cambridge Public Library Updates
-- Contactless Holds Pickup Service hours available
-- English Classes: Registration is required for each class. Please see the Library’s online events calendar for more details.
-- Google Drawing 101: Sticker Design
December 29 | 12NOON
Learn the fundamentals of Google Drawing to design and edit images for customized OR your own vinyl stickers. Register here >>
-- Google Drawing 101: Winter Solstice Lantern
December 22 | 3:30PM
Learn the fundamentals of Google Drawing to design and edit pieces for a laser-cut lantern. Register here >>
-- Haitian Folkloric Dance with Jean Appolon Expressions
December 18 | 4-4:30PM
CPL invites children of all ages and their caregivers to join Artistic Director Jean Appolon of Jean Appolon Expressions in this energetic movement class! Register here >>
  
-- Stay Connected with CPL! To keep up with what’s happening at the Library, please subscribe to the CPL email list or visit the website.


Cambridge Families of Color Coalition (CFCC)
The CFCC is a collective of families and students of color working to uplift, empower, celebrate, and nurture our students and each other. For more information, please visit CFCC’s website or email. 

Free Meals for All Students
Monday - Friday, 12-1PM.  Details >>

Guide to Healthier Snacking
Find handy tips on the right hand margin of the School Health page on the CPHD website!

Food Resources
For more information about Food Pantries, Financial Assistance for Food, Free Delivery Services and more, please check the list from FinditCambridgeWe also have an updated Food Resources flyer that lists all the pantries, congregate programs, school meals, etc. (find all translated languages on the CiM main page) operations in Cambridge and a current Farmers Market flyer.

Youth Gardening!
In East Cambridge, CitySprouts and Hurley Street Farm are teaming up to provide a weekly club for young people in grades six through eight.
Details >>

McLean Hospital Mental Health Webinars
McLean Hospital has dedicated their time making free resources available for the public. Details >>

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Amigos School / Escuela Amigos
15 Upton Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
amigos.cpsd.us  •  617.349.6567
CPS Mobile App >>
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