From our Head of school: Moving Forward
May 11, 2020
May 11, 2020
Dear Bridgeview Montessori Families,
I just want to take a moment to update you all about where we are at this unprecedented time. We have six more weeks of school, six weeks to continue to enhance and solidify our 'school at home' curriculum. As we are a Montessori school, it was never our goal to create a 'one size fits all' distance learning program. We want to be receptive to each family's needs for a balanced home life that now includes work at home for many parents, school for children, and all the previous home life experiences- day to day tasks and leaving time for play and rest. Our families' needs are wide-ranging from "we want less" to "give us more structure and more work." We have tried to find a balance between these two positions, while at the same time remaining open to requests from individual families for their children. As a result, for the most part, every child has unique work. This is our design as Montessori educators.
Since our first day of 'school at home' on March 16, our distance learning has evolved. At the beginning, when we were all shaken from our routines at a moment's notice, our teachers received overwhelming feedback from parents asking us to keep things loose, allowing each family to make their own choices at a time when families were trying to create a new foundation. As time has passed, more structure and routine have been added. At the same time, teachers were introducing our young students to Zoom, first individually, then moving to small group lessons, and most recently creating opportunities for large group gatherings.
The next adventure we are embarking on is working to create digital work folders for each child so that parents can upload finished work that teachers can access and assess, giving feedback to students. Our goal is to have our distance teaching programs solid by the end of June. Over the summer, we will evaluate, fine tune, and create more consistency between programs where appropriate. At this point, it is realistic to assume that we may need to activate distance learning at a moment's notice for small periods of time next year. We will be prepared for that should we be required to do so.
All teachers have been meeting to plan for activities that will excite and prepare students transitioning from one program to another. We are also planning Kindergarten Celebration, Sixth Grade Graduation, and Celebration of Art. We are determined that these important touchstones will be acknowledged and cherished.
Next Year? First of all, we will be here. Of course, we will follow all safety guidelines and procedures suggested and/or mandated. The great thing about being a small school is we can more easily adapt to new and safe ways of being in school. Here are a few things we know we must do. We will practice physical distancing. There will be daily health checks, lots of hand washing, respiratory etiquette, and diligent cleaning and disinfecting. There will be masks in our future. Faculty and children 3 years and older will be wearing masks. Soon after June 19, we will explain our mask procedures in detail. We completely understand that some of our younger children will have difficulties keeping masks on their little faces. However, please make sure your children are very familiar with adults wearing masks, and they practice wearing masks themselves. As you can imagine, our school's summer will be for planning for how school will reopen. Throughout the summer, we will let you know our plans and how they will be implemented. You will be fully informed.
Thank you all for your support, understanding, and feedback as we continue this amazing journey. Please remember to read 'The Latest' for all recent updates.
In your service,
Sandy
Head of School