My name is Kaitlyn MacDonald and I am the Assistant Head of School at Sparhawk. We are living in extraordinary times. As our world and, especially our nation, faces this unprecedented disaster, I want to share with you the ways that Sparhawk School has prepared for this crisis and what we are doing to maintain community at a time when social distancing and isolation are required.
Within hours of the February 25th CDC update on COVID-19, Sparhawk School began planning a tele-schooling and tele-counseling platform. At the time, we imagined that this was showing an abundance of caution, but we stayed abreast of the daily and, at times, hourly changes on COVID-19 recommendations. As such, by the time Massachusetts mandated all school campuses to close, Sparhawk was able to immediately begin offering online schooling for full academic credit. Our students have not missed a day of instruction, though our campuses may be closed. Our students are seeing their teachers throughout the day, both in pre-recorded videos as well as live chats. Our counselors are available to students and parents to help support the immense emotional upheaval of this challenging time. We recognized that in the face of this generation defining challenge, our students needed as much structure and support as we could offer. Learning and growing continues at Sparhawk, and in some ways now more than ever. We are finding moments of joy in the darkness. We are celebrating our student’s achievements. We are adapting to the moment.
We remain committed to evolving our platforms, taking care of the academic and emotional needs of our students, and being a supporting our parents as they support their children with online learning.
It is not the same. We know that. But we are revealing with each passing day that to become part of the Sparhawk School community is to become a part of a flexible, supportive, environment. From daily Facebook and Instagram videos, to online story hours to all-school music experiences to family math challenges, Sparhawk is showing its strength through its dedication, not just to the whole child, but to the whole family.
We are in this together, whatever challenges may come.
