Good Morning Lower School Families,
With the advent of Governor Baker's announcement on a prolonged school closure, I wanted to reach out to you all again. Let me start by saying you are all doing a phenomenal job helping your children. Please reach out if there are ways we can support you or if you have any questions.
As we plan for the upcoming weeks, we are also reflecting on the past two. There is no doubt we have all been learning so much as well as adapting to online education. At Sparhawk we teach to the whole child as an individual, not to a test or class norm. This, of course, is more challenging when teaching remotely. Please know that your child's teachers know their students deeply and, as in the classroom, they adjust their expectations to meet each child at his or her learning edge.
Be in touch with the teachers if there is information from home that can help them in best supporting your children. We recognize that remote learning presents new executive functioning challenges, particularly for our older students who are on the way to becoming more independent. Students in grades 1-5 will have a more flexible schedule on Fridays to make room for catching up on the week's work and checking in with teachers as needed.
Your child is building and practicing the important 21st century skill of working from home and are developing habits that will serve them well into the future. Here are some tips from Upper School Director Yvonne Domings:
- Get up and get fully and dressed for school.
- Eat breakfast by 9am daily.
- Sit up in a chair (don’t lie in bed unless you are ill).
- Create and work in a well stocked “work from home “office” or study space.
- Take a break between classes, move around and get outside!
Tomorrow, Friday, March 27, everyone will begin their day with a virtual Village Meeting at 9am. As we always do during all our village meeting time, we will share a story or an idea to explore, sing to the birthday people of the week, and make any announcements. We all enjoy some levity, so your children are welcome to come to Village Meeting with crazy hair tomorrow. I can't wait to see everyone's smiling faces, I miss you all! Click here to join in tomorrow at 9am: Lower School Village Meeting
Warmly,
Suzanne Atkins
Director of Sparhawk Lower School