Monday message 04.27.2020

Dear learners and families,

As we move into week six of this new and uncharted distance learning program, please understand we are continuing to navigate and learn alongside you. What we know for sure is that our families are resilient. Although these times are unpredictable, our goal continues to be to create a program that meets the needs of all our learners. 

When we, coming from a site-based program, plunged into the virtual learning world, we thought it best to mirror the site-based classroom and to do everything we could to continue supporting our learners the same way with face-time Zoom Rooms and the regular assignment load. The reality has set in that remote learning will continue for the remainder of the semester, and we have realized that we are all spending too much time in front of the screen. Life at home looks different for everyone, and we want to continue to create programs that fit the needs of everyone. 

As a leadership team, we now realize that this transition is not just moving our site-based program to an online version of the same program. We are working through a crisis. Our priority is the social-emotional well-being of our learners above all else. Above curriculum and assignments, our priority is to create moments of laughter and peace with your children. We want to ignite their love of  learning through creative projects, collaboration, and creativity. And above all, we want to think outside of the box in order to engage every single learner.  

That said, we’ve asked our facilitators to continue thinking outside the box, adjusting, and being flexible by either continuing with the following practices or shifting to them:

• Less regularly scheduled online direct instruction lessons. 
• Continued open office hours for learners to connect.
• Paring down daily assignments to one assignment a week per subject.
• Resource lists of assignments/activities for learners who would like to do more.
• Daily Advisory/Morning Meetings to continue our social-emotional connections.
• Providing creative project-based learning chunked and benchmarked. 

Rest assured this change is to ensure that we are meeting all learners and families where they are. If the previous structure was working for you and your family, you can encourage your learner to continue to attend optional office hours and use the additional resources at their pace and frequency.  They can also book an appointment with their facilitators to create regular check-ins and meetings. Remember: we are all about thinking outside the box. This is what makes SCVi special. 

Finally, we want to express the pride we have for every member of our amazing staff. We couldn’t be any more proud of each and every one of our facilitators doing amazing work. They have dedicated themselves to doing whatever it takes for your children. This is especially true for our special education specialists, Sammy, Christine, Connor, Jonas, Jody, and Victor. They work hard to continue to do whatever it takes for our learners. They have adapted to this new normal and put the needs of our learners above all else, and it is admired and appreciated. Please know the support does not stop there. As a leadership team, we are also just an email away, ready to support with any need you may have. We are in this together.  

We truly appreciate the support of everyone involved to maintain a nurturing, loving community focused on what is best for all learners. Your input and teamwork help us provide the best program we can. Please contact us at leadership@scvi-k12.org with any questions or concerns.

With gratitude,

The SCVi Leadership Team
Dr. Buono, Upper School Director
Ms. Roffredo, Lower School Director
Mrs. Toval, Leadership Resident Upper & Lower School