Hi, my name is Jenni Blat.  I'm very excited about the new school year at Highland Park Elementary.  I attended St. Paul Schools and graduated from St. Paul Central in 1990.  I earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Pennsylvania State University.  While at Penn State, I was on the fencing team and we won four National Championships. I earned my Master of Science degree from Bemidji State University.  This is my 25th year teaching in St. Paul.  I live in White Bear Lake with my husband, Bob, who is a 4th grade teacher at Battle Creek Magnet in St. Paul, our 15½ year old child, Owen, will be in tenth grade at Highland Park High School, our 14½ year old daughter, Sydni, will be in ninth grade at Highland Park High School, and our 6.5 year old chihuahua, Tuzi, and a 3 year old yellow lab, Rocket.  I enjoy reading, thrifting, baking, training for races, and spending time with my family.  I'm looking forward to a fun and rewarding year!

Blat's Bulletin Daily Newsletters

Learning goals, homework and thoughts from our day is e-mailed home daily in Blat's Bulletin.  Information regarding events and reminders will be in our monthly newsletter, which is emailed to you.  I will also use email to send out updates and important announcements as needed, so please make sure I have a working email address for you.

Planners and Classroom Management Plan

I ask all of my students to treat each other with respect.  I reward good behavior and provide consequences for poor behavior.  If your learner has something concerning behavior noted in their planner, please note that they had at least 2 warnings prior to the note. 

If a students' behavior does not follow our essential agreement, they will be given several verbal reminders.  If another behavior occurs, they will take a break at their desk or calming corner to think about how they can change their behavior to follow our essential agreement.  If the behavior continues, the learner will take a break and reflect in their planner. The learner may lose some recess or choice time. If your learner stays on task the entire day, they will earn a stamp in their planner to signify that they had a great day. If a student remains on task all week and completes all of thier work they will earn Cartoon Lunch Bunch.  After 10 stamps, students may choose a prize from the prize bin.  

Daily Schedule

Each day we will have math workshop, reader's workshop, foundational reading skills,  writer's workshop and inquiry.    Students are given class time to complete the work. If assignments aren't completed in class, students may have to take the work home to complete the work. 

Homework Policy

St Paul District's expectation is that second graders have about 30 minutes of homework daily.   Classwork that is not finished in class will be sent home to be completed that night. There will also be math homework everyday.   Homework reinforces what we learn during the school day.  Your learner should also read a book at their level for 20-30 minutes a day, including weekends.  Please let me know if you are having any problems with the homework. 

Units of Inquiry in Order

4 R’s – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Responsibility

Step Up to the Plate – Nutrition, Exercise and Healthy Eating

Mapping: Lost and Found

Lights, Camera, Action! – Drama

Community Faces and Places

Plantastic! – What plants need to grow and stay healthy

Additional Supplies. 

A stylus is also helpful for your learner to use to practice proper grip of a pencil while writing on the i-pad.

.9 or .9 Lead Disposible mechanical pencils.

Gluesticks

Dry Erase Markers

Pens - Blue/Black and Red

Distance Learning if needed

One app that we use for Distance Learning is SeeSaw.  Every Monday morning there will be a schedule of the work for the week and Google Meet times.  Please make sure that your second grader is logged on at the appropriate time each day. 

We will have Google Meets for social-emotional learning and Google Meets for academic learning. 

There will be synchronous and asynchronous learning throughout the day.  We will also do some work on i-pads, and some work on paper. Since we are doing work off-line they will need some basic school supplies.  We will use those supplies throughout the year, so please keep them in a safe place.

Some things you can do to help your student be successful are to make sure that they have a quiet work space without distractions, that they are able to sit up and use a table to write on, make sure their supplies are stored in an organized fashion and that their i-pad is charged.

Other apps that I use for instruction are Epic Books, RazKids and Freckle.

My hope is that your second grader can do most of the work independently and know how to contact me for help.   

Google Meet Expectations

Join: Use the code to join the meeting on time.  Second graders should wear clothes appropriate for school. Second graders should be in a quiet place away from distractions such as TV, pets, etc.  Second graders should be sitting up and ready to learn.

Mute: As soon as your second grader joins the meeting they should mute themselves and stay muted until called on.

Come Prepared: Second graders should have their supplies, questions and remarks ready when the meeting starts.

Questions: Second graders can raise their hands in the meeting and wait for me to call on them.

Do:       Join on time, mute yourself immediately, keep your video on, sit up and pay attention, dress appropriately, hang up at the end of the meet.

Don't: Have distractions nearby, enter the meet disrespectfully, leave the meet early, share your screen unless told to, unmute yourself unless told to, eat or chew gum.

Thank you in advance for giving me the opportunity to be a part of your child’s life.  If you have any questions, please call or email me. I will get back to you as soon as possible.  Don’t forget to check out our school website: http://highlandel.spps.org.

Jenni Blat

651-293-8770

jennifer.blat@spps.org