I am thinking of you all and realizing more and more what an unusual spring break period this has been for us all. Having had to cancel travel plans, day trips, and the chance to visit with loved ones, we’ve all had to move on to Plan B or maybe even Plan C or D by now.
With gyms and restaurants closed, we’ve been learning or re-learning the virtues – and, I imagine, the challenges – of hunkering down with your immediate family for long stretches of time. Luckily, social distancing doesn’t stand in the way of social media connections. I am having so much fun FaceTiming with children and grandchildren and chatting with siblings and dear friends as we go through this unprecedented experience together. As I am forced now to reckon on a daily basis with the fragility of life, I remember how precious and dear my loved ones are and, likewise, think about how precious each and every one of your children is to us at EMS. And it is dawning on me ever more clearly how fortunate we all are to belong to this special community. With one more week of spring break, I hope you too are able to make the most of your time together, treasuring those deeper joys of family, and remembering what really matters in life.
As a school, I am feeling particularly fortunate for our technology team, educational leaders, administrative department heads, teachers, and staff who have all demonstrated so much resilience, creativity, and good humor in planning to keep all your children moving ahead and growing through remote learning while thinking of how to hold onto the special community spirit and value proposition of our school.
I know that our return to school may come with a plethora of questions and concerns, but I want to let you know that the tech team has been working together with the administration, faculty, and staff to deliver a strong and exciting educational program. Our focus at EMS continues to be on the quality of the academic program together with care and passion for the holistic development and success of each child. Our faculty will continue to find ways to be in touch with children individually. And as families and caregivers go through their unique experiences adjusting to societal changes, including the need to support remote learning, we continue to value your feedback regarding your child(ren) and rely on you to share any difficulties you may experience as we launch our remote learning platform.
All divisions will begin phasing in remote learning instruction on March 30.
During this transitional time, our faculty and technology team are creating a workflow for a meaningful and thoughtful rollout of our remote learning. We have chosen to start with the resources and tools you and your child are familiar with and build on what we know before introducing alternative platforms. We also understand that families may have to patchwork together a system of care for their children and that children may not be available at the same time every day for remote learning. Teachers will be as flexible and accommodating as possible to ensure that students stay connected and productive.
As we begin, the teachers will focus on teaching families and students how to use online instructional tools. During this primary phase, activities and assignments will engage students in using online tools. Our goal is to help students ease into online learning so that this experience can be productive and successful for all students. Teachers will choose appropriate learning objectives. In the following week(s), we will phase in deeper content. Faculty may also share optional activities to engage students and families. Teachers will phase in other tools as needed and appropriate.
Chilton House and Little School will use Seesaw to see and post assignments. Teachers will use the assignment tool and announcements to share work and instructions. Parents and students can post questions using Seesaw messaging, email, or Google Meet communications. Little School teachers sent home textbooks before the break. Chilton House families will also receive materials in the mail.
Morrow House students will be using myEMS and Google Classroom to view assignments. Teachers will post assignments on a regular basis. They may also post brief videos to further explain assignments. Students can post questions as class comments or private comments directly on the assignment in Google Classroom. Students will have access to their online textbooks and other tools that they already use in class.
Each individual school will be sending separate communications today on what their divisions will be doing for remote learning. If your family requires additional resources or if you have questions, please reach out to your division leader who can better assist you.
Families and caregivers may also reach out to faculty and staff by email or phone. Messages will be checked throughout the day. Please refer to the school directory located in myEMS or the printed version for specific email addresses and phone extensions.
This comes with my very best wishes to you and your loved ones.
Past Email Communications
March 27, 2020
March 20, 2020
March 17, 2020
March 15, 2020
March 15, 2020
March 13, 2020
March 10, 2020
March 6, 2020
March 5, 2020
March 3, 2020
February 28, 2020
January 30, 2020
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