Dear parents,
Consider this my shout out to you, parents, as you all returned from a very different spring break to a very different situation at home and at school. I have witnessed you respond with creativity and a positive attitude in the face of upended routines, uncertainty, and frightening news; the havens we are creating for our children are protecting the world inside and out. As you adjust to our first week of school being delivered at home, there has been a lot to juggle between jobs, siblings, and limited space and social networks. But here we are, determined to come together and bring out the best in this experience! In this email, I will discuss program delivery and our response to some of the financial questions which have been raised by parents as well as practical details.
When speaking with our teachers over break, they keenly felt how impactful this disruption would be to children and their families, and we wanted to move as quickly as possible to ensure the continuity of learning and assist families in creating rhythm and a sense of normalcy in these absolutely unique times. For Waldorf teachers, learning is founded on student-teacher connection and the call to meet children in a way that is appropriate to each stage of child development. When we also consider the value we hold in protecting our younger children from the detrimental effects of electronic screens, bringing this education remotely is a challenge that will require creativity, feedback and refinement.
The Grade 6/7 class was already studying computers, so it made sense for them to take a deep dive into online learning. They start each morning with a Zoom call, in addition to their regularly assigned work. Grades 2 – 5 are using weekly or bi-weekly Zoom conferencing to check in, giving children a chance to connect with their peers and experience a bit of the classroom. Class and subject teachers are sharing short instructional videos to add song and movement elements in addition to book work, and there are strong practical elements across the board tied to the home environment like projects and chores. Kindergarten and preschool are supporting the home environment with songs, recipes, articles and stories, as well as connecting individually (and remotely) with parents. Although there was some pick-up of materials last week, we will be moving to distribution of all materials, via physical delivery and email. See below for class updates.
We are following the emergency learning framework set out for us by the Ministry of Education, which is explained in this letter by Education Minister, Rob Fleming. This includes ensuring continuity of the educational program, meeting the needs of children who require learning support, as well as providing care for essential workers. If you have questions on any of these points, or are an essential worker requiring care, contact me.
On the finance side, we have been responding to individual parent requests for urgent tuition deferral and relief. The government is responding to the current crisis as quickly as possible, and we will continue to monitor government releases to get further clarity on the programs and how they can help the school and parents through these financial challenges. Please see our notes on finances below including a link to our financial survey.
We need your feedback to assess how what we are doing, and we want to keep connected as a community. I invite you all to join me for an open Q & A session Tuesday, April 7 at 8 pm and Thursday, April 9 on Zoom, where we can connect as a group, or email me to set up a phone call.