Dear Elementary Families, All of us in the Wildwood community—faculty, administrators, parents, and children alike—have climbed a mountain together since we said goodbye in person to each other on March 13. The past two weeks have challenged all of us to learn and think about education, technology, scheduling, health, and safety in ways that we never could have imagined when we started together in August. I continue to be appreciative of all of you as we adjust to this temporary new way of being, while also determining what's best for our children during this time. I have to believe there will be good that comes out of all of this, in particular, a closer connection to one another, and an even greater sense of curiosity and imagination, that will only add to the classroom experience once we are all back together again. Thank you for all the notes of support. I share parts of them with our faculty throughout the week. They are fuel for us as we continue to try to do best by students while distanced. I also appreciate the feedback of where you are stumbling. On that note, I want to share a couple of thoughts. When we are physically together as a school, we intentionally place age-appropriate limits on technology for elementary students, increasing their independence with it as they move through the grades. Suddenly, we have had to ask all our students, especially our K-2 students, to use it more frequently for learning and connection with their classmates. Because of this, our teachers have been extremely conscious of giving students hands-on work that does not require a screen while we operate remotely. While we cannot create the dynamics of a classroom, we completely support you in having much of their day filled with projects and activities that are not dependent on a screen. I have heard that some Pod students do not want to be at Morning Meeting on a screen, while others seem to really enjoy the connection. Please know that the reason for the opening and closing meetings is to provide connections as a whole group with their teachers and friends. It's important to remember that all our students, K-5, are used to having an autonomous day at school on their own. It is tough for some of them to now have their classroom in their home. If your children refuse to come to the virtual meeting, please talk with their teachers or me. We will make a plan that will work for your student. It's a vast understatement to say that a lot is being asked of you right now—and many of the challenges you face are the result of shifts in the learning process and parent roles during this time. Typically, the parent-child relationship is set up so that young children can share their learning with you. They want you to be proud of them. You are their favorite audience, and while it is common to hear "you are your child's first teacher," you are not their Wildwood teacher. Suddenly you are playing the role of both teacher and parent. For many, this is not a comfortable experience for either of you. One of the most crucial, necessary steps you can take to improve this situation is to provide structure for your child's day. If your child is having difficulty with schoolwork, and it feels like it is moving into what you would call a struggle, please be in touch with us so that we can help troubleshoot. After break, teachers of younger students will be providing more instructional videos so parents will have the ability to pause or replay lessons at their own pace. While students in older grades will continue to receive most of their teacher-guided lessons live, we have heard from some parents of younger children that learning as a whole group online presents its own unique challenges. One parent shared with me that her child is more involved with watching himself on Zoom than hearing the content of what the teacher is saying. Clearly, we're all figuring out what is best, and some of it requires rethinking and refining our approach to get it right remotely. Lastly, I want to share a great resource that our faculty have put together to support your child's learning during spring break. If you haven't had a chance to go to the Afterschool page, please do. This special "Spring Break Edition" of the page is full of ideas for offline projects and ideas for you and your child. This will be updated daily during spring break with new activities. Children, regardless of age or skill level, can try them. We hope these activities will fuel your child's interests, and perhaps spark new ones. As you create a structure and routine for your child, you may want to visit the Afterschool page in the evening together and choose what to do the next day. Many of these can be done by children independently, and because they're not getting to practice independence at school as they normally would, let them try these activities by themselves and then proudly share with you afterwards! I hope this is helpful. Please feel free to be in touch as I will check emails throughout the break. If I don't get back to you right away, I have unplugged for a little bit, but I will respond within a few days. Please take good care. I miss all of you. Warmly, Katie Wildwood School |