The 2020-21 school year started one month ago, on September 1, at ASA. How did the school prepare for this year in the context of COVID19? What were the main challenges and priorities?
The school initiated a Hybrid Learning platform that allows students to attend school on campus as well as online from home. Elementary school students have been attending school 4 days a week, with a home learning day on Wednesday to allow for a deep cleaning of the school. Secondary students attended twice a week with the other days as online learning. We have kept the students in their grade level cohorts at all times and arranged our classrooms to allow for social distancing. Arrivals and pickups are done in a staggered manner that allow for social distancing, and students have their temperatures checked upon arrival to school. Additionally, extra hand washing/sanitation stations have been installed throughout the campus, and classrooms and materials are cleaned and sanitized each day.
ASA’s mission states: “We are an inclusive and caring community that embraces diversity. We nurture inquiry, integrity and innovation to prepare for future challenges”. In what ways have you seen the school’s mission on display, particularly during this first month?
Our students and staff continue to embody our mission statement each and every day. One of the things that really stood out is how our current students and staff welcomed students that are new to the school. Even though many of our new students joined us via Zoom and some are still learning remotely, our students and staff reached out and made meaningful connections.
Our teachers have learned new technology, adjusted their schedules, and focused on what they can still do while in this hybrid learning. They spend hours each week preparing lessons that are engaging and work both for live in-person and remote instruction. While these times are indeed challenging, our students and staff look at these challenges as opportunities to learn and grow.
Since September 1, students have been studying both online and on campus. What were the reasons for that choice? How did the first month go? What were the successes and lessons learnt from this first phase?
Safety was our number one priority when we were devising our hybrid learning model. We wanted to transition back to school in the safest way while providing the best education possible for all of our students and the hybrid model was the best solution. Students came to campus on certain days and remained in classrooms that limited the number of students. Teachers used Zoom to conduct lessons for students on campus, in the country learning from home, and in another country all together. Elementary teachers use Seesaw as our learning management system while the secondary teachers use Schoology.
As a school, we focused on building community and establishing relationships and classroom culture so that all of our students felt included and valued. We also practiced routines and procedures that would allow us to switch between in-person and remote learning.
The students have done an exceptional job with our hybrid learning environment. They understand the need for our newly adopted procedures and maintain a positive attitude. ASA students continue to impress us each day with their ability to adapt to new situations and face challenges head on.
Phase 2 of the hybrid learning model started on October 5. What changes will be made in this second phase? What are your plans for learning for the rest of the school year?
Phase 2 involves increasing the contact time with teachers. For elementary school students, this means coming to school 5 days a week for half days. The students will now get to have some live lessons with all of their teachers. Additional cleaning times have been built into the schedule to allow for students to have access to the art and music rooms. Support and enrichment activities will continue to be posted in the afternoons along with additional Zoom meetings.
Phase 2 for secondary students involves increasing the length of the school day to full days and students will come to campus twice a week. They will now have 75 minute classes while at school. Online learning will take place through Zoom on the days students are learning from home. On Wednesdays, the grade 11 and 12 International Baccalaureate Diploma students can come to school to have supervised work time and extra class time with their teachers.
We will continue to evaluate our hybrid learning platform on a monthly basis with the main goal of eventually having students on campus for full days, 5 days a week.
