For daily announcements and homework, please view my SchoolNotes Page. As I told the students at our last Zoom Meeting on the last day of school, I shall begin updating this site for the 2020 - 2021 school year. I shall continue to save school paper by posting many of my handouts online at this site. Whenever a parent response form is required to be returned, the parents may simply print out that page. Since the documents will remain on this site as reference for the entire year, there is no need to print out the whole document unless the parent desires to do so.
 
                                                 
                                                              May 17, 2021

Dear Parents and Students,

     By now you are well aware of some of my recent challenges at home; therefore, I have had to put off providing information about this year's modified Basketball Marathon Fundraiser until tonight. At the top of the "Document Section" at the bottom of this page below all of my letters, you will find the two items I posted this evening in the Google Classroom. The Saint Gabriel Family has always come through in the past, and I have no reason to believe that this year will be any different. In advance, I thank you for your support!

                                                          Respectfully yours,

                                                          Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy



                                                               May 10, 2021

Dear Parents and Students,

     I hope all of the mothers enjoyed their "special day" yesterday. I also wish to express my appreciation to the parents for the wonderful lunch that was provided on Thursday, as well as my Class gift, the very beautiful Google Slide Card, and other expressions of appreciation that were made. The best gift, however, is always hardworking students who strive to meet the standards I have set.

     As you know, the next three day will be MAP testing days. Unlike the State Tests, all students, in person and remote will be given the tests in Reading [Tuesday], Language Arts [Wednesday], and math [Thursday]. When these tests are completed, I shall have work posted so that the learning process may continue. I spoke to all the students in class today about my expectations. The eighth grade is also aware of the areas of independent work that I have asked them to complete all year. They know that I do "spot checks" on a random basis to see how much work is actually being done.

     As most of the parents and students also know, some of my recent time has been occupied with personal matters relating to the health of my aging mother. Nevertheless, the math homework has been returned on a regular basis, and the most recent math test grades have been posted in the Google Classroom. Everything anyone needs to know about my grading policies and homework guidelines can be found in the documents at the bottom of this Class Page. I shall also continue to keep you updated through these periodic letters.

     I thank you again for your understanding and cooperation. Together we can do anything.

                                                             Respectfully yours,

                                                             Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy



                                                                May 9, 2021

Dear Saint Gabriel Mothers,

     Since I really do not know how many of you look into the Google Classroom, I am including the link to my special Mother'Day message below! Have a great day!

                                                             Respectfully,

                                                             Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy

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                                                     May 3, 2021

Dear Parents and Students,

      During this second State Test Week, I shall follo the same procedure outlined in my April 21,2021 notice below. On Tuesday and Wednesday, assignments will be posted during the regularly scheduled class times in the morning. Students at home are expected to submit pictures at the end of the scheduled period. Thje extra time is allowed for the students in the classroom. They should not spend longer than a regular amoiunt of class time on the assignments. Zoom clclasses on Tuesday and Wednesday will begin after lunch. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in this matter.

                                                                    Respectfully yours,

                                                                    Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy
                                                   


                                                     April 23, 2021

  Dear Parents and Students,

     I just checked my email while the students were in Art Class with Mrs. Barbosa. At 11:00 AM, i have 19 parent requests for the report cards. Once they are released this afternoon, I shall send them as quickly as I am able. If the card is not sent because of some issue with the office, I encourage you to address that issue with Mr. Naccari as soon as possible. I also wish to express my appreciation for the recent prayers for my mother. Yesterday was a tough day at the hospital; however, all issues were resolved by the end of the day.Keep well and safe.

                                                                Respectfully yours,
                                                        
                                                                Mr. Glenn A McCarthy


                                                   April 21, 2021

Dear Parents and Students,

     I make announcements and return math assignments every day in the Google Classroom. All parents should be able to go into their child's account to review the announcements and math assignment grades. i have also been including a copy of the "HOMEWORK GUIDELINES" posted below since some students continue to neglect them after more than seven months in my class. i have made similar suggestions in many letters included below.

     Today, I shall be posting assignments for the remote students during my regularly scheduled times, and they must submit pictures of the completed work at the end of each period unless it is an online assignment which is recorded on the Readworks, Common;it, Dreambox, MobyMax, Pearson, or Khan Academy sites. The eighth grade also has enough "independent work" to keep them busy. All students will sign on to Zoom after lunch at 12:55 PM.

     I hate to bring this up, but I go down to meet my class at 7:30 AM in the morning because we begin at 7:45 AM. I seldom have a line oif students ready to follow me up at 7:45 AM. Even the students at home, who have no excuse, are not always present when I try to take attendance. I spend a good part of first period revising the attendance. This does take away from teacxhing time. I really would appreciate a more prompt response. Adults would easily be replaced if they were consistently reporting late for work. Employers can always find people who are more committed. The time to develop good habits is at a young age. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

                                                             Respectfully yours,

                                                             Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy

.

                                                         April 19, 2021

Dear Parents and Students,

     As I am sure you are aware by now, we have an interesting week ahead of us. I would have written over the weekend, but I was very busy with my elderly mother at the hospital again. I did, however, use what little time I had to finalize the report cards that will be distributed this Friday afternoon. The students have a half-day, and it is a "Dress Down Day" for all students in person and at home.

     On Friday afternoon, I will be following the same procedure that has been used since the third quarter of the last school year. I am once again asking the eighth grade parents to send me an email requesting the report card. There is no need for any correspondence. I simply ask you to write your child's name and report card on the subject line. I shall simply attach your child's report card to your request and return it. This process has worked very well over the past year. Needless to say, I am only able to send the report card if it has been released. If I do not return your request with the report card within a reasonable amount of time, you may need to contact the office.

     As always, I have written extensive comments on the report cards. If the grades are lower, it may be because I did not drop all the online "zero" assignments as I did during the second quarter. With the exception of last Thursday's math assignment, all math assignments are returned the following day with a grade and an appropriate comment. Unfortunately, the "hospital situation" took up a good majority of the weekend, and the finalization of report cards the rest. I do appreciate everyone's understanding in this matter. I did follow my regular procedure for dropping some grades since we all have a bad day at times. As always, it is the consistency of the performance that matters.

     The first part of the State ELA test is being administered on Wednesday and Thursday of this week to the "in person" students only with scheduled "makeup days" for those who are absent. There will be no morning "Zoom" classes for these two mornings; however, assignments will be posted on the Google Classroom. These must be completed and submitted as required. The students know that I select "random" questions from the homework and class work assignments for "Check Quiz" grades. That is usually the reason for lower grades. Students with low homework averages usually do poorly in my class. In addition to the report card grades, I did provide each child's homeroom teacher with the Math Third Quarter Homework Averages after several grades had been dropped. I wish I had time to contact parents individually; however, it takes about three hours a night to scroll through the assignment pictures that are submitted. This leaves me very little time for individual communication. I purposely have left all my Class Page parent and student letters since mid-August below so that there would be few questions with my expectations.

     Well, the fourth quarter has begun, and we are in the home stretch. May God bless you and your families throughout this joyous Easter season and in the days to follow.

                                                     Respectfully yours,

                                                     Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy

Reminder: The mandatory "weekly Dreambox" assignment runs from Sunday until Saturday night at 6:00 PM, and the "weekly MobyMax" assignment runs from Monday through Sunday night. These two individualized programs are designed to fill in the gaps from the previous years to insure a smooth transition to the next level.





                                                     March 27, 2021

Dear Parents and Students,

     We are entering the most solemn week of our entire Church year: Holy Week. It has always been a very special time for me throughout my life. For about twenty years from the mid-1970's until 1994, I had the honor of playing the role of Jesus in our annual "Passion Prayer." Since the present school setup doesn't permit me to show my normal Holy Week reflection, I shall once again show the eighth grade class the video of my final performance on April 1, 1994. While a good part of our week will be spent in prayerful reflection, several other items need to be brought to your attention:

     1. I have been reminding the students each week about the five lesson Dreambox assignment that I check every Saturday night. While I do post a summary of my findings in the Google Classroom, I am not always certain that they are seen by the parents. Since I am not going to drop the Dreambox "zeros," as I have done for the first two report cards, I decided to post the summary on this page in hopes that some parents may look in on the amount of time their children are devoting to this weekly assignment:

              Seven of 9 Math 9 students completed the required 5 Dreambox lessons.
              Fourteen of eighteen Math 8 students completed the required 5 Dreambox lessons.
              All four Math 7-8 students completed the required 5 Dreambox lessons.
              Fourteen of the 23 Math 7 students completed the required 5 Dreambox lessons.
              Thirteen of the 23 Math 6 students completed the required 5 Dreambox lessons.

     In many cases, the students who are ignoring this assignment are among those with very low math grades on the second quarter report card. I wrote an extensive comment on that card and suggested parent conferences when the performance needed improvement. 

     2. The eighth grade term paper on Church History and a picture of the summary poster are due this Wednesday, March 31, 2021, after two extra weeks were allowed. With four months for this assignment, I am hoping that no one is waiting until the last few days to complete it. With the required oral presentation, this grade will make up a major part of the fourth quarter religion grade.

     3. This Wednesday, a "dress down" day for all students, will be a half-day session with eighth grade dismissal as close to 11:20 AM as I am able to get them out. I pray that all families will enjoy a joyous, but safe, Easter. 

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                                                           Respectfully yours,

                                                           Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy

                                                    March 21, 2021
                                                 
Dear Parents and Students,

     We are well into the third quarter at this point. Last Friday, the Math 9 group had their third major test, as well as we are able to give assessments. This coming week, Math 8, Math 7-8, and Math 7 groups will have their tests on Topics 5-1 to 5-3 on Wednesday, and the Math 6 group will have their Topic 4 test on Thursday. While any test assessment is important, the most important measure of a student is the consistency of performance. I spend about three hours a night scrolling through math homework assignments which I return the next day. The quality of these daily assignments is very revealing. I am also "spot checking" the class work that should be neatly organized by objective in each student's notebook. Any parent is welcome to look at the returned assignments in the Google Classroom or inspect their child's notebook. Very often in the letters posted below, I have made similar suggestions. Please know that all of our teachers and staff are committed to insure a safe learning environment.

      With respect to the eighth grade, the religion term paper due date was extended two weeks to just before the Easter break, March 31, 2021. Both the term paper and the picture of the summary poster are due on that date. Upon returning from the Easter vacation, the students will each be given the opportunity to present the results of their rersearch to the class.

     Before closing, I want to wish all of the Saint Gabriel families a very joyous Easter. I pray that you may all be able to celebrate safely with your loved ones!

                                               Respectfully yours,

                                               Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy
  


                                           March 4, 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians,

     You should have received an email from Mr. Naccari about the availability of an extended learning program. On the report cards, I indicated the need for a conference for those students who are presently performing below grade level in math. You may want to investigate and enroll your children in this program.

     Although I return the homework with necessary comments each day, there are still students who totally ignore the homework and class work guidelines that have been posted in the documents below since mid-August. Needless to say, I am very concerned about each child's readiness for the next grade level. I am printing the first two paragraph of Mr. Naccari's letter below:

Dear Parents and Guardians,

During this second week of Lent we continue to hope and pray this message finds you and your families safe and well.

I am pleased to inform you that Catapult is offering a free Extended Learning Day Program to all students during this COVID Pandemic. Many of our students participated in this program last year, and I have received very positive feedback from many of you regarding this program. This will be of great support to struggling students or to those who may wish to participate and enhance their academic development through this holistic instructional approach, especially while many of our after school activities and programs are on pause. Please see the attached flyer for pertinent information about enrolling your children in this program.

     There is also a form attached with his letter. I thank you for your continued cooperation in this educational process.

                                          Respectfully yours,

                                          Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy

                                Scholastic Bookfair - March 1 - 14, 2021!    

     By this time, you have received Mr. Naccari's email about our annual Scholastic Book Fair Fundraising Event from March 1 - 14, 2021. The link to participate and support the school is as follows:    https://www.scholastic.com/bf/stgabrielschool    I believe you can contact Mrs. Adamson at   mpadamson@gmail.com  if you have any questions. 

     I thank you in advance for your support of this important fundraising event.

                                                         Respectfully yours,

                                                         Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy


                         
                                         February 24, 2021

     I know Mr. Naccari still has one eighth grade report card, but I have two others, involving Math 8 students, for which a request still needs to be made following the procedure outlined below. Since we are entering the fourth week of the third quarter next week, it is important that all parents know exactly where their children stand. I really do not want any surprises at graduation in June! Thank you for your cooperation in this matter!

                                                  Respectfully yours,

                                                  Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy

                                                 

                                             February 19, 2021

Dear Grade 8 Parents,

     As mentioned in my letter below, report cards are being distributed today between 12:00 PM and 1:30 PM. As with the first quarter, you must send a request for the report card, using the procedure outlined below. Unless the report card is being withheld by Mr. Naccari for reasons with which we are all familar, I shall simply attach the report card in my reply to your request. As of 12:30 PM, eighteen report cards have been sent, leaving nine to still be requested. I shall be here until 1:30 PM. If you haven't already done so, please send the email request! I thank you for your cooperation in this matter. Keep well and safe.

                                               Respectfully yours,

                                               Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy

Please Note: The mandatory weekly Dreambox assignment is checked on Saturday at 6:00 PM!   

The mandatory weekly MobyMax assignment is checked on Sunday at 6:00 PM!

Although I dropped as many as eight "zero" grades on these assignments for the second quarter, I will not do so for the remainder of the school year!



 
                                                  February 15, 2021

Dear Parents and Students,

     Before I begin, I would just like to express my appreciation to the parents and students in the Class of 2021 for the very touching "Happy Birthday Drive By Parade" on Saturday morning. In a year when we have not had the opportunity to share good times together, it was wonderful to get a few pictures of the students and their parents. Needless to say, I have a house full of balloons and signs, and probably more "treats" than I should actually be eating. When I sent pictures to the family, they were very moved by the generous actions of the Saint Gabriel Family, but they have seen similar displays in years past.

     This week will be a very short one as we move fully into the second semester. It will be marked by two significant events: the beginning of the Lenten Season and the distribution of the second quarter report cards. We will follow a similar procedure on Friday afternoon, February 19th. When the parents send a request for the report card, a simple email with just "Report Card" and the "Student's Name" in the "Subject" line, I will just return the email with the report card attached. I have made detailed comments in the math section on the card, and I have once again checked if a conference is requested.

     The students in all classes have been told about the grades that were dropped before the final average was finalized. For the last time I dropped as many as eight "zero" grades on the mandatory weekly Dreambox assignment. I constantly tell them that the online assignments are not optional. I spend about three hours a night scrolling through the math written homework assignments, and I return them during some break the next day. Any questions about homework can be found answered in my "Homework Guidelines" that are posted among the documents below. Any parent who checks an assignment against these guidelines should easily be able to understand the grade. Another area that parents should check is the child's notebook. The date and objective should be clearly written at the top of the page each day. Following the same guidelines as the homework, at least forty-five minutes of work should be seen. This is one area that I can only "spot check" under the present learning environment.

     The first tests of the new semester will take place next week, following the procedures I have set down for testing. For those at home, the camera must remain on arranged so that I can see each child's whole face until the last test has been collected. I am concerned a little because it has been taking some students more than an hour to answer between five and ten questions. Before the pandemic, they may have been required to answer as many as twenty in the same time period.

     At this point I hope that most eighth grade students have heard from some of their high schools. My main concern is always that the enroll at a high school that can best meet their academic needs. This is not always the high schools that have accepted their friends. If you need my help in any way to resolve issues in this area, you need to let me know. Unfortunately, eighth grade parents need to be aware that there is a tendency for a more "casual" work effort after the acceptances have come in. As you probably know, I am not a 'casual work effort" person. That type of attitude could result in the loss of honors at graduation or the need for summer school to be completed before a diploma can be awarded. I always encourage all students to give a 100% effort at all times. 

     Once again, I thank you for your continued support as the year progresses. I have not eliminated any of my letters from this site in case you may have missed any of my previous correspondence. My prayers are that you keep safe and well, and that we may return to some semblance of a normal learning situation before the end of the year.

                                             Respectfully yours,

                                             Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy

P.S. Needless to say, the surprises never stop. I just received a beautiful video birthday card on this Monday evening. There are no words that can adequately express my emotions at this point. Know that I shall truly treasure that video for as long as I am blessed with life.

   
                                                     January 31, 2021

Dear Parents and Students,

     Unfortunately, I once again tested positive for last Saturday's test, and my doctor says not to test again before Wednesday or Thursday of this week. Needless to say, this is a very frustrating situation, but I would once again like to thank Mr. Stephen Hernandez for working the computers in the classrooms so I can continue to teach. We have Catholic Schools Week beginning tomorrow, and I know that you have been given a list of the various activities scheduled for each day. I shall try to do my best to coordinate these activities the best I can.

     With all of the activities, I have been told that our class schedules will be much shorter on many of the days this week. Since I was told that Tuesday would be the only day that we could have the full periods, I will be giving this week's tests on Tuesday. Although the tests are never more than ten questions, and in the most cases only five to eight, it seems to take more than seventy minutes for the students to complete the tests and send in the pictures of their loose leaf work.

     The sixth grade test will cover topics 4-1 to 4-3. The last two weeks, including last Friday night, I have posted model homework assignments to illustrate the guidelines that have been posted below since mid-August. It is hard to believe that some students still ignore those guidelines. Homework is the way the students practice for the directions they will see on the tests. In some cases, I will need to see an improved effort during the second semester. If your child had a grade below 75 on the first quarter report card with all the grades I dropped due to the "new student discount," there is a strong possibility that the grade will be even lower this quarter. Please make certain that you check the homework and tests that are returned in the Google Classroom. I spend about three hours each night scrolling through homework so that I can return it the next day. If your child attaches separate pictures, my comments can only be seen on the blank Google Document that I provide with each assignment. I have been willing to make modifications when necessary; however, I cannot grade an assignment that is not handed in.

     The seventh grade test will also cover the topics 4-1 to 4-3. Since this material was initially presented in the sixth grade in great detail, this should be a good opportunity to get a good grade. I am not going to repeat my comments from the above paragraph since the seventh graders should be well aware of what I expect of them.

     Finally, the eighth grade Math 9 students will have a test on Glencoe lessons 11-1 to 11-3. From my review of the nightly assignments, it appears that any problem areas have been addressed in class. As the students know, the present material required them to review the factoring techniques we studied earlier this year in Chapter 8. If I am made aware that more time will be available on the other school days, I will post updates in the Google Classroom. All parents should be able to view anything I post in the Google Classroom. They may, however, need to have their child let them in. All of the Class Codes are still available below in one of my previous letters.

     I spent most of Saturday planning the week's lessons that may or may not materialize, depending on the amount of time required for the daily Catholic School Week activities. A quick summary is as follows:

 Monday: Friendly Trivia Kahoot! Match

 Tuesday - Writing Letters of Appreciation and Support to the local hospital staff.

Wednesday - Game Day - Since I am presently teaching from home, I am looking to the students for a little help in this regard.

Thursday - Literary Celebration - Since I have a poetry project scheduled for a little later in the school year, I have asked the students to each share some ideas about one of their favorite books.

Friday - Movie Day - I have hundreds of digital movies on one of my external hard drives. Although it is open for discussion, I usually try to show an older movie that the students may not have seen.

     I pray that you are all well and safe, and I hope to be able to return to "in person" teaching as soon as the test results and my doctor will let me.

                                                   Respectfully yours,

                                                   Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy






                                                        January 18, 2020       

         I cannot thank the "Saint Gabriel Family" enough for all the prayers, good wishes, and offers to address both the pressing needs of my mother and myself during this bout with the COVID 19 virus. I have been trying to answer each of you individually as I see the emails. However, it has been quite overwhelming, and I am rather exhausted as I try to prepare for the week, hopefully not weeks, ahead. Please know that I am very appreciative, and I would not hesitate to ask if my needs were pressing. On Saturday, my sister took my list over the phone, and she sent more food than I could possibly eat. Since I have lost my sense of taste, eating doesn't get me very excited at this point. I am really hoping that full recovery is on the way because I do not enjoy resting as much as I have done the last week. Therefore, if I miss your email, please know that my failure to respond was not intentional.

       At the time of this writing, I am still trying to figure out the schedule for the week ahead. I have been told by Mr. Stephen Hernandez, who knows a lot more about computers than I, that he will be able to orchestrate my teaching the "in person" and "remote learners" from home, leaving my Zoom Class open so the other teachers can go into my classroom while using the Zoom Classroom of the other two teachers. I did invade Mrs. Ness' classroom on my second computer while leaving my own classroom open while the eighth grade was in art. i guess it worked, but I am sure there will be a few "bugs" to work out. In addition, we are supposedly beginning the MAP tests this week, and I am sure that will be an interesting experience. Obviously, the schedules I usually publish daily in the Google Classroom will only be tentative, subject to change at a moment's notice. I appreciate your understanding.

     Before closing, I wish to remind you that whatever you need to know about my grading poilicies have been posted in the documents below since mid-August. Please know that the grades generally go down the second quarter because there is no more "new student discount"! I still return the homework every day with my comments, and the most recent tests will be returned early this coming week. Despite more than a week's notice for tests, some students do not go back and look at the detailed notes that I have consistently provided. Some are more than willing to just make excuses for themselves. Needless to say, for those students I will need a very strong third and fourth quarter performance. Please make certain that you check my comments on the report card, especially if I have checked CONFERENCE REQUESTED. Although I cleared my schedule on "conference day" to make room for those whom I had checked, I did not necessarily see everyone I needed to see.

     Once again, I thank everyone for your continued prayers. I am a firm believer in the power of prayer.

                                        Respectfully yours,

                                        Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy       




                                                        December 29, 2020

Dear Parents and Students,

     First of all, I wish to thank you for your good wishes and very generous gifts at Christmas. I must admit that I waited until Sunday to open them, and I was truly amazed at what I saw. Needless to say, my addiction to sweets is well documented, and I certainly have enough "goodies" to keep me supplied until well after we return next week. If I received an item I can wear to school, I shall try to wear it so that it may be seen. i attempted to thank students who handed me packages and cards, but I am not always able to remember who they were. A number of the cards expressed "beautiful wishes" but were unsigned. In like manner, some gifts did not indicate the giver. Please know that I truly appreciate even the verbal wishes that the students and their families expressed during the final days before vacation. Know that I continue to pray that 2021 will be a better year for us all, and I look forward to the day when the students may all return to our classrooms.

     Before vacation, one of the students inquired about a literature test that had not yet been returned. Since it takes about three hours a night to review the math homework, it takes me a little longer to scroll through the other subject areas. The last literature and religion tests, as well as the Anne Frank written assignments will all be returned early next week.

     I also used this time to address the mandatory "reference forms" that are generally required in January after the Christmas recess. As previously stated, I only complete one form per school, generally the "math recommendation forms," since I have usually had the students for math since the sixth grade. In some cases numerous reminders were sent, but the various directors of admission assured me that they had not changed the "due date" or "mandatory" status of any of their requirements. Since I have been doing this for years, many of them are familiar with my approach to these forms. For those school that request the letters once the student has been accepted, I would appreciate the "brag sheet" i mentioned at the September "Back to School" meeting. I use these forms to provide the school with a more complete picture of my "well-rounded" students.

     In closing, I once again thank you for your gifts and support, as well as wishing all families the very best of health, happiness, and peace throughout the year ahead.

                                            Respectfully yours,

                                            Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy
                                        
   

                                                            December 19, 2020

Dear Parents and Students,

     It is hard to believe that we have already reached Christmas during this very unusual year. The students are aware that Monday and Tuesday are dress down days, hopefully to highlight Christmas colors, etc. Needless to say, we shall attempt to have whatever "small' celebrations we can under the present circumstances. We do have a full day schedule on Monday and a half-day schedule on Tuesday. Since we are not permitted to share any snacks, I have told the eighth graders to bring in whatever "snacks" they may choose to eat when our small celebrations occur. I will probably follow a pattern similar to Halloween with an option for films or educational (?) games.

     It is my understanding that we will not be switching on Tuesday, but I will certainly adapt myself if that situation changes. I do plan to hold my Advent-Christmas Prayer Service on that day. As the students know, I can pray for a considerable amount of time. I consider these prayer services to be among the most important activitiesI do all year. After that, the students will have several choices with respect to celebration activities. 

     Since we have been asked to assign a math and a language arts activity for the vacation period, I am asking that the students work on the Dreambox Math Program, completing the minimum five lessons over the almost two week period. They do not have to do five lessons each week! With respect to language arts, the students may begin January's book entitled Annie's Baby. They should follow the guidelines from September.

     In closing, I wish all of the Saint Gabriel families a blessed Christmas, and I pray that we will be able to have a better 2021.

                                                      Respectfully yours,

                                                      Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy






                                                            December 12, 2020

Dear Parents,

     For whatever reason, I have been getting flooded with repeated recommendation requests, in some cases, to as many as eight different schools. To be fair to all of my students, I am trying to spread out whatever free time I have among them. I have spoken with several high school admissions directors about the repeated reminders about these forms. I have asked why they are not more considerate of the teachers who are already working fifteen hours a day just to teach the classes. In every instance, I was told that they understand the efforts that teachers have been asked to make. They all assured me that they are not sending those reminders, but that it is the parents.

     I have so many emails a day to keep track of, and the box keeps getting filled with duplicates. I have questioned the need to apply to more than three or four schools, but it has been to no avail. Once I have completed my lesson plans for next week, which usually takes all day Saturday, check the math homework and tests that were given this week, and address the needs of my very patient eighty-eight year old mother, I shall attempt to spread out a few more recommendations among my eighth grade students. I sincerely request your understanding in this matter.

                                                Respectfully yours,

                                                Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy

  
                                      December 4, 2020

Dear Parents,

     My information for the report card conferences has been posted below since last weekend. After sitting idle for 40 minutes after my first six conferences, the meeting ended, and I had to start it up again. There are still several parents I am hoping to see from those where "Conference Requested" was checked on the report card. If you are not taking advantage of my virtual conference today, it would be wise to contact me in the future. Obviously, I did not expect to see parents whose children are doing well, but I did expect to see those whose report card grades suggested a need for a more consistent effort. I thank those parents who took the time for a conference.

                                        Respectfully yours,

                                        Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy

 PS.        i am still here today until 3:00 PM.

For those who were unable to see me, I am lising the following important reminders:

     Math homework is returned daily, and parents should check their child's performance againt the homework guidelines that have been on my Class Page below since the very beginning of the school year.

     Especially for students who are totally remote, all assigned class work should be neatly organized in a notebook. Each date should be at the top of a page, and the objective for the day should be clearly visible. As with homework, all sets of directions, original problems, and all computation work should be clearly visible for the day I do a "spot check." I really only have to ask for any one day. If the student has been working consistently, he or she should be able to send me the class work I request immediately.

     Eighth graders are responsible for completing all independent work that has been assigned since September. The religion chapter outlines and the research on the Significant Persons in Church History should already be in the religion notebook. The textbook activities that cannot be neatly fit in the book are completed on fully-headed sheets of loose leaf that are folded and inserted into the textbook. Hopefully, some time is being spent starting the research for the Church History term paper.

     Last week I returned the first tests of the second quarter. I did a screen share so that the students could see what the correct work was. The second set of assessments will take place this week: Math 7 on Wednesday, Math 8 and 9 on Thursday, and Math 6 on Friday.

     Thank you for your continued understanding and support.

                                        Respectfully yours,

                                        Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy



                                                December 1, 2020
   
Dear Eighth Grade Parents,

     I was asked to notify you about the Salesian High School Scholarship Exam in the following emaiul I received today:

Dear 8th Grade Teachers,

     In light of the dire restrictions caused by the pandemic, it has come to our attention that many young men in the 8th grade had insufficient information about High Schools to make informed decisions by the time they sat for the TACHS exam. Therefore we are contacting you in the hope that you will forward to your 8th grade boys the attached material about Salesian High School and the scholarship/entrance available to them. If after examining the material, visiting our website and touring the school, a student is interested in Salesian, we can easily access his scores on the TACHS exam. We thank you in advance for cooperating with us. It is our hope that Salesian will prove to be a
wonderful educational and spiritual journey for some of your young men.

Sincerely,
Mr. Steve Sallustio, Director of Admissions
Ms. Billie Lederman, Enrollment Management.

 

--

Steven Sallustio Director of Admissions (914) 632-0365 ssallustio@salesianhigh.org

     I graduated from Don Bosco Prep, a Salesian school in New Jersey, and it was four of the best years of my life. If you are still looking for another option for September, you may wish to check this one out! The Scholarship Test information is at the top of my documents below!

                                                    Respectfully,

                                                    Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy



                                              November 29, 2020

 Dear Parents and Students,

     I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving Recess, even if it was a little different from years past. We shall be continuing with the second marking period this week. I shall return the first tests of the new quarter early this week. Since it is very difficult to write comments on these papers, I have been going over all the tests in class, showing the students exactly what was expected.This review will be mixed in with the new topics that I am introducing this week. As usual, I do not get overly concerned about any one grade unless a student is consistently ignoring the stated classroom and homework guidelines. It is also very important that the online assignments in Dreambox, Khan Academy, and MobyMax be carefully completed when assigned.

     On Friday of this week, the teachers will be having virtual conferences between 12:30 PM and 3:00 PM. Obviously, there is not enough time for the three teachers to meet with almost eighty parents during that period of time. On the report card, I did check "Conference" for those parents who might benefit from a brief review of my classroom, homework, and grading policies. Since the year is still young, there is still plenty of time to point the students in the right direction. 

     Needless to say, I have never conducted "virtual" conferences, nor have I ever had to set up this unusual conference situation. I am going to post a Zoom Conference invitation below so that I can have a waiting room to admit the parents one at a time. I will be checking my suggested procedure with Mr. Naccari and the other teachers; therefore, you may wish to check back later in the week to see if I have made any changes. As of now, the meeting arrangements are as follows:

Glenn McCarthy is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Parent Report Card Conferences
Time: Dec 4, 2020 12:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/99603571648?pwd=eGQ5QytJbDhSczRycnVVc2QvNDIyZz09

Meeting ID: 996 0357 1648
Passcode: 298937

     I went back over the report cards tonight, and I saw that I had checked "Request Conference" on thirteen report cards from the sixth through eighth grades. Needless to say, I wish to give preference to those families on Friday. 
While I do not mind speaking with other families, I really do not want to go too far beyond the three o'clock time that has been set up. i appreciate your understanding in this regard.








                                      November 20, 2020

Dear Parents and Students,

     First of all, I wish to thank Mrs. Rausch for sending the email procedure for the distribution of report cards today after lunch. The very first day I had 11 responses long before I expected to have any. In some cases, however, I have received double requests. I am hoping that the parents weren't expecting to get the report cards immediately since I had said they would be distributed on Friday. Needless to say, the grades should not be much of a surprise since I return the math homework at one point every day. All grading guidelines have been permanently in place on this Class Page in the documents below. The students know that I drop grades to be fair since anyone may have one or two bad days. We are only human. I always say that it is consistency that is important.

     With respect to the new students, the grades also include the "new student discount" which I use to allow for a smoother transition to the new middle school academic environment. Recently, however, I did tell the students that the transition should have taken place by now. I have been spending hours each night typing the same comments on some homework assignments, and I have posted the guidelines ands model assignments in the Google Classroom for the students to use as guides. Also, any specific notes I have given to the students are permanently available in the Google Classroom just in case they have neither printed them out nor copied them into the notebook.

     During the school day, it is impossible to respond to too many, if any emails that are sent. Once I arrive home each day after addressing my very patient mother's needs, I go online to try to answer as many questions as possible. Once I begin the three hour process of going through homework after dinner, I really don't have time to stop for other email messages. If I finish early, I do go back and check, but my responses may be too late to be helpful. I thank you for your cooperation and understanding in this matter.

                                         Respectfully yours,

                                         Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy
                                   
                                       November 13, 2020

Dear Parents and Students,

     Needless to say, I shall not really be available this weekend. Between my responsibilities to my eighty-eight year old mother, finalizing report cards, and doing all the lesson plans for next week, my free time will be very much limited.

     With respect to report cards, no grades should ever be a surprise. I spend three hours a night going through the math homework so it can be returned some time the next day. The students should be showing their parents the returned assignments and assessments, as well as showing them the results of their online work. As previously mentioned, I generally drop grades to be fair to the students. Anyone can have a few bad days. However, students who are still not following my homework guidelines will find more failing grades during the remaining marking periods. Now is the time to make a firm commitment to working up to the expectations that have constantly been repeated in the Google Classroom, as well as during live instruction.

     I look forward to working together with you throughout the remainder of the year.

                                             Respectfully yours,

                                             Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy


                                       November 5, 2020

Dear Parents and Students,

     Please be advised that I will only write one recommendation per school, the math teacher recommendation. I have only had the students for English for two months. That is certainly not enough time to get a full picture there, especially under the present teaching conditions. Please try to be reasonable in your expectations. The students can only attend one high school. It may have been back in the Stone Age, but I was able to narrow down both my high school and college choices to three schools. I felt I would be able to grow further in any one of the three.I was very happy with the education I received!

                                         Respectfully yours,

                                         Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy


                                           November 4, 2020

Dear Grade 8 Parents and Students,

     In addition to the TACHS document posted below and the additional information I posted in the Google Classroom, this was in my mailbox this afternoon:

Dear Colleagues,
 
Some parents and teachers have called or emailed me with concerns about a green box that comes up on the screen during the demo.  This green border should have no negative impact on the student's ability to take the test.  When the student first logs into Data Manager they will be prompted with a pop-up box asking the student to confirm their name.
Great care has been taken to ensure that students will be able to access the test content itself.  Please reassure our parents and teachers that Riverside has put the TACHS exam through a  thorough  QA process to be certain that all test items and response choices are clear and visible in the interface.
 
Below I have included the email going out to parents today.  Remind  parents to check their emails daily and encourage them to read the parent guide.  As always, thank you for your time and support.  Call or email if you have any questions. 
 
Note:    The Proctorio extension is installed for all school domains. As long as students log into the school’s google classroom domain, the extension will automatically load.
 
                                                                                                                     

       Mr. Naccari also came in to remind the students about these test preparations today. 

                                             Respectfully yours,

                                             Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy

                                                   October 27, 2020

Dear Parents and Students,

     I am adding the "Parent Guide for the TACHS Test" to the documents at the bottom of my Class Page. Although I will spend some time reviewing the guidelines with the students, it might be a good idea for you to do so, also. Needless to say, it is very important that the students be as comfortable as possible on Friday, November 6, 2020. The following excerpts are taken from the mailing we received from downtown:

Attached you will find the Test Guide that will be shared with all TACHS Registrants upon receiving their session codes and test time beginning on Oct. 31st.  Please read through the guide for important information and test taking tips. The links for pre-test system checks and navigation tools- how to hi-lite, flag answers are on pages 5, 19 13, and 28.
 
If possible, please have your 8^th grade teachers review the guide with their students a day or two prior to the test on November 6^th.  We feel this will help leave less room for log in errors and allow for the test to run as smoothly as possible.  
 
Note: There will only be two test sessions, 8:30 AM and 10:00 AM.  All Extended Time students will be assigned to the 8:30 session. 
 
I understand many parents are worried about their children being flagged by the AI proctor, however to put their minds at ease please inform them that a trained, live proctor will review the flagged sessions to validate or void the suspicious activity in question.

       As you know by now, the next three days will be "Dress Down" Days to help the students celebrate the "Halloween" in the limited way that we are able during the current "pandemic" situation. Mr. Naccari has made "more than clear" what is acceptable in this regard. As a matter of fact, he corrected my original understanding of the requirements, and I clarified my understanding that the costumes were only for the lower grades before dismissal this afternoon. Hopefully, the scheduled "movies" will run with minimal glitches! While the students are not permitted to share any food, they may bring a "healthy" snack to enjoy while viewing.

     Since I do not know how many parents follow my daily announcements in the Google Classroom, I did return last week's math tests yesterday. While I never concern myself about any one grade, it is important that the students put forth their best effort on all fronts: class participation, nightly homework, online assignments on MobyMax, Dreambox, and Khan Academy, as well as the "spot check quizzes" and the tests that have been announced well in advance. The students already know that the next test will not be until the middle of next week.

     With respect to class participation, the students are required to show themselves on camera and remain unmuted once I have called their names. They may not always have completed the question that they are asked to answer, but I must hear their thought process straight through the example. This is the only way that I can correct their understanding with respect to the required procedural steps. As I have already mentioned on several previous occasions, too many answers are being "cut and pasted" from the internet. I get some very elaborately completed assignments that the students are unable to reproduce on loose leaf for my major tests. I have even written comments to this effect on the returned assignments on which "complex computation" appears to be producing answers with absolutely no computation steps shown. No student is an exception to the "guidelines" for class participation. I apologize for any misunderstanding that may be circulating in this regard.

                                                       Respectfully yours,

                                                       Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy

                                                   

                                              October 16, 2020

Dear Parents and Students,

    I have added a reminder from the Archdiocese about the October 23, 2020 deadline for registering for the TACHS test. Time seems to be flying by, and I really do not want anyone to miss this deadline. 

     Some progress reports were sent home today. This time I wrote a letter and included the Homework Average, Check Quiz Average, Test Average, and the Dreambox Online Requirement. Although it takes hours, I have tried to returrn the math homework every day. i am also updating the students every Monday about the number of students who are properly completing the online assignments, just as I actually did throughout the summer. While the summer work may have been optional in the eyes of some, no assigned work has been optional since the school year has begun. It may be a good time to review the homework guidelines that are included in the documents below. In this way, there will be no disappointment at the time of report cards.

                                                           Respectfully yours,

                                                           Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy
                 

                                        October 7, 2020    

Dear Parents and Students,

      Well, I am learning something new every day! It appears that comments written on submitted pictures of assignments appear in my computer; however, only comments written directly on the Google Documents appear to be transmitted to the students. I have asked Mr. Naccari to send a message downtown. Haralamby Mila-Rus, one of the eighth grade students, knows how to get around the situation. After spending hours writing comments, it is very disturbing that all that work isn't reaching the students and parents! If I try again on the Google Document, I will be using a shortcut:  HW, CQ, and DB for Homework Average, Check Quiz Average, and Dreambox Requirement. I will hopefully get to those who sent pictures within a couple of days. If your child submitted the test on the Google Document, you already have that information!

                                              Respectfully yours,

                                             Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy




                                      October 6, 2020

Dear Parents and Students,

     As indicated in my letter below, I shall be returning last week's tests some time during the day today. I have written a summary of the homework average, check quiz average, and the Dreambox requirement. While I an not worried about any one grade, and some of the grades are very poor as the students transition into this new form of learning, I try to be up front with the students. They must realize that they cannot neglect assignments, come unprepared with fully-headed sheets of loose leaf for tests, or ignore the mandated five lessons a week on Dreambox. Although I give detailed information in my Google Classroom posts, I am not certain that they all read them. Most other questions are answered in my post directly below.

                                       Respectfully yours,

                                       Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy

                                             
                                                October 2, 2020

Dear Parents and Students,

     I realize this is very soon after my last letter, but a few topics do need to be addressed as we continue to move forward in the "new normal."

     First of all, I have included a document with links to information about the NYC Public High School Information Guides, including links with details about the process for applying to the specialized public schools.I have placed it right at the top of the list.

     Although I have only check the Math 8 and Math 9 tests, all three groups were given short five question tests this week for which they had an hour's time to complete. I had announced the tests in last Sunday night's post in my Google Classrooms, and I had repeated the announcement daily. On Wednesday, I gave detailed instructions on what to have ready for the tests, but some students still seemed to have problems when the microphone wasn't working well in the sixth grade classroom. I attempted to type in the chat, but everything the students needed to know was already clearly spelled out in the Google Classroom posts.

     Since I do drop grades, I never worry about any single grade score. It is important to look at the big picture. I shall include the homework average and the "spot check quiz" average on the tests when they are returned next week in the Google Classroom. Low scores in either of the two latter areas usually indicates that a student is not handing in completed assignments or completing the required online work. Each Monday I have been announcing the number of students who have not been completing the minimum 5 weekly lessons in the individualized Dreambox program. As we enter the second month, I am hoping that the transition process and adjustment is finally taking place.

     Mr. Naccari has made several statements about attendance and the starting time for class. I generally go down to the yard shortly after starting my Zoom Meeting at 7:30 AM. The eighth grade enters at 7:45 AM, at which time the students should already be lined up and ready to enter the building. By the time I bring them up to the classroom, the "at home" students should already be on my Smartboard screen. My comments on "lateness" are posted in a document on the bottom of this page. Employers do not look kindly on workers who are frequently late for the job.

     Today, we had our first eighth grade "Dress Up" day for the new year. Despite my comments in class, some students did not report in "dress clothing." Jeans and "shorts" may be worn on "Dress Down" days, but not on "Dress Up" days, a privilege that was first granted to the Class of 1988. Even the students at home were allowed the same opportunity. 

     While I have been very pleased with my general experiences during this first month, I am greatly distressed by the fact that I pray alone in the morning, at lunch, or at the end of the day. It is sad that my voice is louder than that of the seven or nine other people in the classroom. In all, I have devoted almost fifty years to Catholic education in one form or another. Prayer is an essential part of my day. I do expect that the students will begin to raise up their voices in praise of the God who has showered so many blessing upon them.

     Finally, while I am on the topic of prayer, I shall be conducting a multi-media Confirmation Prayer Service on Tuesday. It includes music, Scriptural readings, personal reflections, and either excerpts from an entertaining, yet provocative film. I am hoping to get some family shots at next Sunday's Confirmation; however, for safety reasons, I will not be allowed to include the bishop. That information was sent to you earlier in the year by the Director of our parish Religious Education program.

     Once again, I appreciate your understanding and cooperation in the days ahead. Keep well and safe.

                                               Respectfully yours,

                                               Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy

  




                                           September 29, 2020

Dear Parents and Students,

     Two situations were brought to my attention today that I need to address. As the students are well aware, they must be in full uniform at all times, On Monday, which is our day for gym, they may wear their gym uniforms. I am hoping that this issue will not need to be mentioned. In addition, no other teacher's work may be done during my class periods, and I would hope that no students would be doing my work in another teacher's class. I told the students today that they must be ready to send me pictures of their class work effort any time I do a "spot check." Class work should be carefully organized in their notebooks with the date and the objective, which I publish daily in the Google Classroom, on the top of the page. While I do not expect that all students will complete the class work at the same pace, I must see an honest hour's work anytime I request it.

     As I mention in the Google Classroom, I do not expect the students to complete the class work and do the required nightly assignment. Once again, all students do not work at the same pace. For example, yesterday I made a special presentation in the sixth grade because a few students appeared to have trouble with "simplifying fractions" and "changing between mixed numbers and improper fractions. Since I knew this extra presentation would not enable some students to complete the online assignment on Khan Academy, I did not give any extra homework, except to finish that online class work assignment. Parents should know that some students have missing assignments, and this is a serious situation. It takes about three hours to go through the middle school math assignments each night. That does not allow me any time to be looking at ten late assignments that are turned in as much as a week late. The students are being given time "to adjust" to the rigors of middle school, but that "adjustment" really needs to be made. I certainly appreciate your attention to these matters.

                                         Resprctfully yours,

                                         Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy


                                     September 28, 2020

Dear Parents and Students,

     Please be advised that Friday is a half day of school. The eighth grade students will be dismissed at 11:20 AM on that day. 

     It has been a very busy first three weeks of school, and I have been consistently posting messages in my Google Classrooms. With the student's account, the parents should be able to see any messages I have written. A few issues have come up which I would like to bring to your attention:

     The Dreambox program and the other online sites are not optional for any student. If you read my letters throughout the summer, you know that the Archdiocese requires that each student complete a minimum of 5 lessons a week on Dreambox. That program and MobyMax are individualized programs designed to fill in any gaps in your child's earlier education. Any time the class work has been completed before the end of the period, the students are free to access these programs. All of the information needed to access these programs have been listed in the documents below and posted on the Google Classroom several times. I always have plenty of grades; therefore, I can drop several at report card time and still have a fair evaluation. Needless to say, missing assignments are always among the first dropped. Once I have reached my "dropping limit," all other assignments count, including missing "zero" assignments. I remind the students of these responsibilities almost every day.

     Next Tuesday, I am going to conduct my "Confirmation Prayer Service" with the eighth grade. In years past, I would take one "extended" Math 7 class to conduct this service. With the revised schedule due to the staggered start and end of the school day, I shall be cutting a few of the eighth grade classes short on that day. As a Catholic Educator, I feel that prayer is a very important part of the school day, and certain milestones deserve special attention.

    At this time, I do not know how I will be involved with the Confirmation itself. Obviously, I will not be able to take the type of pictures I have taken in the past. Nevertheless, I would like a few family shots for whatever "Graduation Video" I am able to put together. Please pray that we are able to be together as a class at some time in this school year. Hopefully, some types of activities will be able to be shared by the students and their families. God bless you! Keep well and safe.

                                                 Respectfully yours,

                                                 Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy

P.S. I do try to respond to emails; however, I get hundreds of them a day. At times your email may be lost in the shuffle. I regret this situation. In addition, the time it takes to schedule for the week on weekends does not allow me much time to view email messages.



     





 



                                               September 13, 2020

Dear Parents and Students,

     For those who have signed into my Google Classrooms, I have posted the schedule for tomorrow. It was decided on Friday that the teachers would leave their computers in their own classroom when they moved from class to class. In that way, all students will only have to sign into the homeroom. I shall post the link for the eighth graders later on today. The teachers will be trying to make the transition between classes as easy as possible for the students, but we will have to find our own extra tabs in the classrooms we visit. I am hoping that is not a major problem.

     I have asked all students to have copies of the important documents that I have posted below on this page. These include the prayers I say with the students, the classroom and homework policy, and instructions for signing on to the online sites. The Pearson digital texts have all been synced with the Google Classroom. Please make certain that you have followed my orientation instructions from last week.

     The upper grades are scheduled for gym on Monday; therefore, all students may wear their gym uniforms to school. In the schedule I posted in my Google Classroom is a copy of the basic schedule from the staggered arrival to the staggered dismissal. Needless to say, we are moving in baby steps, and anything is subject to change if we find that it isn't working out.

     For the new students and the sixth graders, whom I have not taught before this year, I use an index card system to randomly call upon students to respond during class. Whether the students are at home, where they also need to be visible, or in the classroom, failure to respond does result in lower class participation grades. We all make mistakes; therefore, we all must be respectful of our fellow classmates and teachers. Following the example of Jesus is our primary responsibility as Christians and as human persons. I am looking forward to a great school year, and I continue to pray that we will all be together in the same room in the not too distant future.

                                               Respectfully yours,

                                               Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy

P.S. The teachers will be making arrangements for a virtual "Back to School Night" this week; therefore, I ask you to check for updates.




                                            
                                     September 9, 2020

     With transportation and hybrid classes factored in, the teachers will not have as much time to respond to parent emails during the school day. Our major communication is done through the Google Classroom, and it is impossible to do a Zoom Lesson with twenty students at home, attend to the eight or nine students in the classroom, and check our emails as was more easily accomplished during the totally remote period. Your understanding is appreciated as we try to work out the kinks in the system.

     With respect to the eighth grade, I shall post some assignments in the Google Classroom about classroom procedures that we reviewed today after the "long" opening day Prayer Service. You only need to complete items when I request them in the Google Classroom. I shall post any of the previously mentioned items in my Religion 8 Google Classroom.

     Tomorrow's schedule is as follows:

Grade 8:  Mr. McCarthy at 8:00 AM
                Mrs. Ness at 9:30 AM
                Ms. O'Beirne at 10:05 AM
                Mr. McCarthy at 10:40 AM

Grade 7: Ms. O'Beirne at 8:00 AM
               Mr. McCarthy at 9:30 AM
               Mrs. Ness at 10:05 AM
               Ms. O'Beirne at 10:40 AM

Grade 6: Mrs. Ness at 8:00 AM
               Ms. O'Beirne at 9:30 AM
               Mr. McCarthy at 10:05 AM
               Mrs. Ness at 10:40 AM

Please sign into Zoom using the links you were given today. I shall post my link again in the Google Classroom.

                                                    Thank you,

                                                    Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy


P.S. Hopefully the information below will help the new students sign into my MobyMax classes!

It has come to my attention that the newer students are having trouble signing in to Moby Max.

      1) They must click the first option to sign in as a student.

      2) They must locate the school by writing "St Gabriel School" in the first box

           with no period after St and no quotation marks.

      3)  On the pull down tab on the right, they must choose Bronx, New York.

      4) They then sign in with their user name and password that was provided

           in class. 

      I wish to thank the sixth grade student who brought this situation to my attention. I regret

any anxiety my lack of clarity caused.

                                          Respectfully,

                                          Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy

    Needless to say my time with Grade 6 was cut short today because of a problem with one of the other classes; however, I would not have covered this because the steps were listed on my Schoolnotes page since a parent had a problem signing on last year!

 

                                                September 8, 2020

Dear Parents and Students,

     The invitations to tomorrow's Zoom Classes is posted in my Google Classrooms; however, the link for my class is as follows:

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/7511721564?pwd=THZlYVFzNXRTTHErTDU4NUZsRkl4Zz09

      The attending eighth grade students will be entering at 7:45 A.M. through the schoolyard door to the gym. It will take me a little while to get them up to the classroom and settled. For this week, the at home students will be signing on at 8:00 A.M. for the opening Prayer Service and initial orientation. I shall meet briefly with the seventh grade at 10:00 A.M. followed by the sixth grade at 10:30 A.M. Finally, I shall continue the eighth grade orientation at 11:00 A.M. The eighth graders will be dismissed at 11:20 A.M.
 
     Thank you to all those who have signed into my Google Classroom. Please make certain that you sign in to the correct classroom. I shall eliminate students from the classes that they are not supposed to attend. The links are below in my August 19, 2020 post. All eighth graders should sign in for my Morning Prayer Class because I will be making posts there from time to time.

     Keep well and safe. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

                                                Respectfully yours,

                                                Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy


                                    September 6, 2020

Dear Parents and Students,

     Please be advised that I began posting in my new Google Classrooms on Friday, September 4, 2020. Below I shall paste a copy of that first post:

Dear Students and Parents,

     This is my first post of the new year in the Google Classroom for which I gave the codes on my Class Page on August 19, 2020. With less than a week to go, I am very low on signed in students. All of the major instructions can be found on my Class Page, in addition to the important documents for the upcoming year.

     Please make certain that you sign in to the correct classes. Two seventh grade girls signed into Math 7-8, the eighth grade math course for the some seventh graders. It is important that they sign in for the Math 7 Google Classroom where the seventh grade math assignments and work will be posted.

      For the eighth grade, I usually begin with a prayer service. Before Wednesday, I will be posting a copy of the prayer service in my Morning Prayer Google Classroom. Unfortunately, everything will be passed out online, and all collected classwork and homework will need to be completed on Google Documents or on the online sites. I have been told that they will be synced with the Google Classroom, but I will be looking into that more over this weekend. I did practice my opening prayer service on the new mobile Smartboard, and I have work out the kinks the best I am able.

     Since the teachers will be switching the classrooms instead of the students, there are going to be some brief gaps in the day as I see it. Each teacher must detach our chrome books from the classroom we are in and transport our books and chrome books to the new classroom. We must then attach our chrome books to the mobile Smartboard in the new classroom and boot up again. How smoothly that will run, I cannot say at this moment. I will need the students to use their time wisely to get ready for the beginning of class during these lapses.

     Although I am not absolutely certain, we may be asked to repeat our Wednesday comments on Thursday this week. Under normal circumstances, however, all lessons will pick up from where we have left off the previous day. It is essential that you are participating from home in whatever way that is required. I will be using the "spot check" method in my grading system to help make certain that everyone is making the best of their educational situation.

     I thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation as we begin a school year that is so unlike anything we have previously experienced. If you know any of your classmates who has not registered for the appropriate Google Classrooms, I would appreciate your spreading the word. Please keep well and safe in the days ahead.

                                                                    Respectfully yours,

                                                                    Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy


                                                August 31, 2020

Dear Parents and Students,

     I usually write this message earlier in the day; however, I went to school to help get the schedule "somewhat" set up for the beginning of the school year. Nevertheless, I did want to give my weekly review of the Summer Dreambox progress. As the summer draws to a close, only seven students from last year's Math 6 group four students from last year's Math 7 group, and one student from last years Math 7-8 group did any work during the last seven days. I was very pleased to see that one Math 6 student and one Math 7 student completed well over one hundred lessons this summer. I commend them on their outstanding effort!

     Once again I remind you that the codes for my new Google Classrooms have been available below since August 19, 2020. Please follow the same procedure as used last March to sign in. Grade 8 students should sign in to Morning Prayer, Math 9 or Math 8, English Language Arts 8, and Religion 8. Grade 7 students should sign in to Math 7 or Math 7-8 for those taking Math 8. One student did sign into the wrong classroom. I made comments on last June's report card with respect to my course suggestions. Grade 6 must sign in to Math 6. Since we had no way of making contact last year for a "Move Up Day," I really never had a chance to address the incoming sixth graders. As far as I know at this point, the digital textbooks and other online resources will probably be linked with the Google Classroom.

      This week the teachers will be getting lessons on the management of the new hybrid classroom setup. On the first day of school I generally do an introductory Prayer Service with the eighth grade to set the tone for the year. The Prayer Service booklet and two versions of the Prayer Service have already been placed in the Morning Prayer Google Classroom to be posted on September 9, 2020. In the documents below, I have added the "Prayer for Renewal" with which I generally begin each math class and "The Morning Offering" and "Hymn to Saint Gabriel" that I use in the morning with the eighth grade. I am asking that the students make copies for themselves since we will not be able to hand them out in class.

     Please stay well and safe during this final week. I will probably begin to post my messages in the new Google Classrooms next week. Thank you for your continued cooperation throughout the coming year!

                                                   Respectfully yours,

                                                   Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy




                                                August 24, 2020

Dear Parents and Students,

     I am writing a little later this morning since I had an early morning dental appointment. Although some students have already signed in to my Google Classrooms [Morning Prayer (7), Math 6 (1), Math 7 (3), Math 7-8 (2), Math 8 (6), Math 9 (2), ELA 8 (9), and Religion 8 (9), I am not posting any details in any of those classrooms just yet. As you can see below, I provided some instructions on how to sign in to several of the other online sites that I use. Since I have been told that I will be able to import the classes by syncing with the Google Classroom, I have not been looking at these sites just yet. I also need to know my rosters for the three classes before I can set up any other programs. I shall certainly keep you posted as we move along.

     With respect to Dreambox performance for the last seven days, there were nine of last year's Math 6 students active, four of last year's Math 7 students active, and one student from last year's Math 7-8 group active. One Math 6 and one Math 7 student were also active on MobyMax. Until I get the rosters, I cannot really set up my MobyMax classes for the coming year; therefore, those classes remain the same.

     If you look at the documents below, they have only been updated if they say 2020-2021. Obviously, everything is tentative at this time because we are still working on the protocols for beginning classes. I do intend to go in one day this week to see how much progress has been made. I have two versions of my "Opening Prayer Service" prepared for the eighth grade, and I am hoping that the "new normal" allows me to one or both of them since prayer is an essential part of our lives as Christians. Please pray that scientists are able to find a remedy for the present pandemic situation. 

     i look forward to seeing you once again, even with masks, on September 9th and September 10th, which is as much as I can say at this point. Until then, I pray that God keeps you and your families well.

                                          Respectfully yours,

                                          Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy

                                                      August 19, 2020

Dear Parents and Students,

     Yesterday I archived last year's Google Classrooms and set up the ones for the coming year. In the days ahead, I shall also be setting up my new classes in the other online sites that were used last year. Below I am providing you with the Google Classroom Codes for the 2020-2021 school year:

Morning Prayer for Grade 8 [if we return to remote learning]:  wmby3gy

Math 9:  mq3737w

Math 8:  pgp3itd

Math 7-8:  hhv2hik

Math 7:  drc64tj

Math 6:  47a3dno

Religion 8:  jobaxjy

English Language Arts 8:    mocmtcl

     As I indicated below, I am assuming that you will follow the same procedure to join the classes as was followed last March when we went to remote learning.
For students new to the school, I will provide instructions once you have been assigned student school email addresses. I shall also be replacing the documents below with the new ones for 2020-2021 a little at a time. I really need to know my eighth grade class roster for some of the items. For now, however, I will do my major posting on this Class Page.

     Please keep well and safe in the remaining summer days ahead.

                                                  Respectfully yours,

                                                  Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy




                                                      August 17, 2020

Dear Parents and Students,

     As I mentioned in my previous post in last year's Google Classrooms, this morning was my last report in those Classrooms. I will be setting up the new classrooms for 2020-2021 tomorrow. I shall post information on my Class Page until further notice. To be honest, I really do not know the full procedure here. I am guessing that once I post the new Class Codes on my Class Page, all students will be able to join the required classes using the method from last year. Obviously, I will find out if students start to sign in.

     I know that there have been some changes in my class rosters for 2020-2021. Some new students have come to our school from those schools that have closed their doors. I welcome those students, but I do not know how to instruct them to sign in just yet. I also know that some students have left the school for a variety of different reasons. Based on last year's rosters, eleven (11) of last year's Math 6 students made progress on Dreambox last week. Four (4) students from last year's Math 7 group and three (3) students from last year's Math 7-8 group also made progress as the Archdiocese had suggested. 

     I wish I could say more at this time, but I still need further information myself about September. I know some students will be coming in on Monday, Wednesday, and alternating Friday's while others come Tuesday, Thursday, and alternating Friday's. I have been told that you are required to tune in to class on those days you are learning from home. I know Mr. Naccari has stressed the importance of mandatory attendance on a daily basis. This will be very important because I will not be able to cover the entire curriculum if I am repeating the same class two days in a row. Therefore, you must be responsible for all material that is covered whether you are learning in person or watching from home. I am sure that everything will be worked out before the actual first day of school.

                                            Respectfully yours,

                                            Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy

[What I have written above was previously posted in last year's Google Classrooms this morning. Once the new classrooms are set up tomorrow, I will wait to see how you should proceed.]


                                                     July 28, 2020

Dear Parents and Students,

     Although all the details still remain to be worked out, I did want to take this opportunity to repeat my "welcome" to our new families from my previous letter below. I know that our present students and their families will do everything they can to help you make a smooth transition to Saint Gabriel School. For over forty years I have had the privilege of serving what I like to consider my Saint Gabriel family. As mentioned below, we have recently had many new additions at the eighth grade level, and I have been happy to say that they have been well received. I have no doubt that our new families will share the same positive community experience.

     At the bottom of this page in the "Documents" section, you will find the "Supply List " and the "Summer Reading Assignment" for the incoming eighth grade students. Under these top two documents will be found last year's handouts that remain on my Class Page permanently. Once I have a little more direction, I shall revise these documents where needed to meet the requirements of the year ahead. My class policies, for the most part, seldom change. The math topics covered at each level remain the same. Depending on the learning model we are required to adopt for the year ahead, I shall modify whatever areas require it.

     The only news that I didn't know at my last writing is that the TACHS tests for the Catholic high schools will be taken online at home on Friday, November 6, 2020. As soon as I receive more information, I will post it on this site.

     Please enjoy what remains of the summer vacation period. Keep well and safe.

                                         Respectfully yours,

                                         Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy






 
                                     

     

 

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