Distance Learning Plan
03.27.2020
Unprecedented times such as these require collaboration and innovation in countless different realms, and at WSPB, these attributes are in full swing as we meet this unusual challenge of continuing our uniquely social education remotely. Recently, our faculty met to review other schools’ responses, learn about online platforms, and discuss our approach. This communication will provide an outline of the Waldorf School of Palm Beach’s distance learning plan during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Important Dates:
Week of March 23-27: No instruction will be provided during this time as we are on spring break. This allows adequate time for teacher preparation and for families to adjust to this major shift in routine.
By Monday, March 30th: Distance Learning Plan is shared with families. Teachers will send instructions via email on how to join Google Classrooms and/or how to use the packets they sent home.
March 30 - April 15: Duration of distance learning. As time goes by, we will have a better idea of when it will be safe to return to school and if distance learning will need to be extended.
Distance Learning Tools
The faculty agreed that the platforms and tools we use for distance learning must be specific to age, so our program has been divided into the following groups:
Early Childhood
Grades 1-4
Grades 5-8
Early Childhood
Early Childhood teachers will support parents by having regular and frequent communication with individual families and with parents as a group. The platforms used may include Google Classroom, Google Hangout, Zoom and/or email. Teachers will share daily rhythm examples, seasonal stories, circle songs, crafts, hand gesture games, and recipes as resources to use in the home, as well as relevant articles and updates from WECAN (Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America). Packets including craft materials, have been sent home and additional material will be posted online.
Grades 1-4
Assignments & Feedback: Assignments will be provided in the packets via email or Google Classroom. Teachers will instruct parents if assignments should be turned in (most likely via a photo of the child’s work emailed to the teacher) or if all assignments will be collected at the end of the 2 week distance learning period.
In Class Experiences: Class teachers and specialty teachers will share daily rhythm examples, stories, circle songs and games as resources to use in the home.
Materials: Students took home pencils, crayon rolls, main lesson books and journals on March 13th. Some classes took home their flutes and handwork materials.
Communication Platform: Grades 1-4 teachers will primarily communicate using email. If individual teachers decide to use Google Classroom, they will communicate the class code with their families with further indications on how the Google Classroom will be used.
Grades 5-8
Assignments & Feedback: Assignments will be provided via Google Classroom.
In Class Experiences: Class teachers and specialty teachers will share recorded and live lessons, online materials, Google Hangouts and/or Zoom discussions, and experiential learning assignments that can be done from home or outdoors.
Materials: Students took home books, pencils, pens, and painting supplies on the last day of school. In case the students run out of these supplies, the class teacher will prepare packets that can be picked up from the school at designated times. Additional supplies necessary to complete assignments are found in most homes. In addition, online resources will be shared via Google Classroom.
Communication Platform: The teachers will be using Google Classroom and email to communicate with parents and students. Middle School students (grades 6-8) will need a @gmail.com account to access Google Classroom. Parents @gmail.com addresses will be used for 5th grade. In addition we will utilize Zoom and/or Google Hangouts.
Shared Expectations
Early Childhood
We honor and respect the unique culture of each family and we do not expect parents to attempt to re-create a Waldorf early childhood classroom at home. Materials for home activities, stories, handwork, songs, hand gesture games etc, are meant to enrich the daily life of the children and support their sense of well-being.
Expectations of Students in Grades 1 through 8
Students should understand that distance learning is an important part of this year's school experience. Students will engage in lessons with concentration and goodwill, bringing their best efforts to this new experience. Students will ask their parents for assistance, but strive to work independently, and know that their parents can contact teachers with questions. Assignments should be submitted on time in the assigned format. Students are encouraged to engage with the optional activities if they complete their assigned work before the end of the designated learning time.
Expectations of Parents
Parents should provide a dedicated place and time for students to work at home. For work requiring writing or drawing, a desk or table are the best to allow the student to dedicate their attention to their work and uphold a good posture. Following a regular school day schedule will be helpful, when possible. Parents should recognize that they may be required to provide support to help their children remain engaged in learning. Parents may also need to assist their children in submitting assigned work. It is not appropriate to complete the work for your child, however, ensuring your child understands the learning task, has the required resources, and is located in a productive learning space, is most appropriate. Parents are encouraged to reach out to any teacher via email. It is also possible to schedule a Google Chat or Phone Call (see office hours and response times below).
Parents may be asked to go by Waldorf School of Palm Beach to pick up needed supplies or return assigned work from time to time. If your child is unwell and unable to participate in the daily lessons, please advise your Class Teacher.
Commitment of Teachers
Early Childhood
The EC teachers are committed to create supportive venues to meet the needs of the children and their families. These include regular and frequent communications with individual families and with parents as a group as well as providing materials and resources to support them during these times.
Grades
The lessons will be delivered in a coordinated daily plan, with main lessons in the morning and specialty classes afterwards. Lesson plans will provide between two and four hours of activity/instruction for grades one through eight, with the time being on the longer end for higher grades. Lessons may include written assignments, activity instruction, pre-recorded audio or video lessons. All online material is available through Google Classroom. All materials are available for current WSPB families only and should not be shared beyond the WSPB community. When possible, Class and Specialty Teachers will work collaboratively for planning and delivering lessons. This will enhance the quality of the teaching and the well-being of the teachers. Weekly Class Parent emails of support will go out at each Grade Level. Teachers should reach out to Yeletzy Garzon, Grades Chair at yeletzy.garzon@gmail.com, for needed support and to report any students (grades 1-8) who are not engaging with the distance learning program.
Internet Access & Screen Time
We are very aware that our distance learning plan relies heavily on both internet access and screen time, which presents a real contradiction to our teaching philosophy of limited screens and learning through personal connection. As you can see with the progression of our distance learning plan, we reserved online screen time to our oldest students.
If you do not have internet access in your home, please notify your class teacher so that alternative arrangements can be made.
The Learning Curve
Schools nationwide have found themselves in the situation of moving to virtual instruction from one day to the next, so the learning curve is quite steep, particularly for Waldorf Schools who consciously choose hands-on learning above virtual experiences. As such, we are prepared to hit a few hiccups as we roll out this new teaching platform. Here are a few tips to remember as we enter this unchartered territory: Don’t hesitate to report issues regarding our learning tools to your class teacher. The sooner we know there is an issue, the sooner we can take corrective action.
Remember: you aren’t homeschooling! Your child’s teachers are providing materials and instruction and we are asking that you provide a structure and adequate support to your child as they follow the program. Each family will have different thresholds for what they can do to supplement or support. Just refer to our agreed expectations for guidelines and follow them as best you can.
Wishing you health and wellness,
WSPB Faculty
Coronavirus Update
3.26.2020
DISTANCE LEARNING CONTINUES: Through April 15th
Dear WSPB Families,
First and foremost, we want to thank our parent community for showing such flexibility and trust in WSPB as we transition to Distance Learning in response to the spread of COVID-19. Our primary responsibility remains the health and well-being of our community and we encourage your family to practice social distancing to the best of your ability over the next several weeks.
Distance Learning
The changes these last few weeks have come unexpectedly for everyone. Our Faculty has been working very hard to adapt quickly to help support our parent community and keep students engaged and learning while they are at home. Last week, teachers created Distance Learning packets for students and they collected supplies and materials to send home to parents. For the higher grades, teachers embraced new technologies and set up virtual classrooms and video conferences, and all teachers made time to call and speak to parents individually. Our teachers have been accommodating their instruction and are doing their best to continue your child's education from a distance. We have collected some of the beautiful work that has been sent in this past week and have featured it on our blog. We are so happy to see our students adapting to this new way of being as they take on this challenge.
You can see some of their work by grade here.
Distance Learning through April 15
Last week, the Palm Beach County School System announced that their campuses will be closed through April 15th, so at this time, we will be following their lead and will be offering Distance Learning through that date. We do not want to keep the campus closed any longer than necessary, but we understand that social distancing is the best way to keep our community safe. We will re-assess as the date approaches to see if it is necessary to continue to remain closed. We will communicate any updates as soon as the information is available. Please rest assured, our school is prepared to continue Distance Learning as long as needed.
Here are some other important dates coming up. There won't be Distance Learning materials for these dates:
Spring Break: 3/23 - 3/27
Distance Learning Continues: 3/30 - 4/15
Passover and Good Friday - No School: 4/9 and 4/10
Tuition Payments
We are very thankful to our Faculty who are quickly adjusting their way of teaching to a Distance Learning method. Our teachers miss their students and our school, and while we know this is not the ideal way they teach in the Waldorf philosophy, we are thankful they are adapting to the situation and doing the best they can during this time.
We have had a few questions about tuition payments and ask that you please keep in mind that even though the school building is closed at the moment, our teachers are working harder than ever to quickly modify their curriculum to this new situation so students can continue their learning from home. Monthly tuition payments will continue as scheduled and are necessary to employ our teachers, staff, and pay our day-to-day expenses. We hope to return to normal as soon as it is safe, and we are committed to doing the best we can until that date. While we know this is a difficult time for everyone, we hope parents will join us in supporting our school during this time.
We thank you again for your flexibility as we navigate this unexpected and challenging situation together. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.
Wishing you health and wellness,
The Management Team
Bonnie Wilner, Hardwig Fischer, Giselle Chia, and Charissa Johnson-Routhier
general@waldorfschoolpalmbeach.org
Coronavirus Update
Friday, 3.13.2020
SCHOOL CLOSURE: March 16 - April 3rd
Dear WSPB Families,
We have been monitoring the situation with COVID-19 very closely over the past several weeks.
With the increasing number of cases reported across the country and in our state, and with that number likely to rise due to the increasing availability of testing and the continuing spread of the virus, WSPB will be closing beginning Monday, March 16th, 2020. We plan to stay closed through April 3rd, 2020, the week after Spring Break.
During that time we will continue monitoring the situation daily and will be deciding if the need exists for us to remain closed longer. Our top priority at WSPB is the health and safety of our students, their families, and our staff. In this ever-changing situation that is facing the world, we wish to be as proactive as possible by doing our part to mitigate the spread of the virus in the wider community, and to keep our immediate community safe.
The faculty understands the challenge that may arise from keeping children home for an extended period of time, and also recognizes the importance of providing curriculum work for the children to partake in while they are home. The teachers are already actively working on distance learning plans, and you can expect that by Wednesday of next week to be receiving communication from your specific section (Early Childhood, Lower School, Middle School), and your individual teacher, concerning the distance learning plan for your specific grade. The faculty as been in touch with AWSNA and other schools around the country, and we are all sharing ideas about the best way to provide distance learning in our Waldorf schools.
We must remember that in challenging times such as these we are not alone. We stand in community with the rest of the world, even as we are called upon to make the best choices possible for our individual communities. At WSPB we have an overwhelming sense of love and responsibility to all of our families, and we appreciate the support of the community as we enter into this new way of being over the next few weeks.
Wishing you health and peace,
WSPB Faculty & Board