Monday message 03.30.2020

Dear learners, families, and staff,

We hope this message finds you all well. The continued dedication, collaboration, and love permeated through the internet this week as we charged forward, defining and refining our physically distant learning program. A special thank-you to our Special Education and Care Team Staff, who have worked tirelessly and collaboratively to roll out our online Special Education Services. We want to acknowledge all of their hard work as well as the guidance and support from our iLEAD Online Special Education Department. Thank you! Your synergy inspires us all!

Although we continue to stay safe at home, we hope you are able to feel our collective energy and academic and social-emotional support through the various Zoom rooms and online platforms. Many of the resources that have been shared in the past few weeks are available here.

Next week will be Spring Break, and we encourage everyone to take this opportunity to rest and decompress from everything that we have encountered thus far in the Spring Semester. We hope you also take this time to unplug and engage with your family, get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather in your own backyard, and reflect on all you have together to be thankful for. 

Harvard Business Review published an article “Understanding the Economic Shock of Coronavirus” that calls for innovation, which is one of the outcomes we strive for in our Project-Based Learning model. Our goal at SCVi is to instill in each learner the valuable collaboration, academic and problem-solving skills our global economy will demand from them. Toward the end of the article you’ll find what we’d call the Driving Question to the very authentic issue we face collectively: “Can they [we] create novel interventions, at unprecedented speed, that will break the intractable and unattractive tradeoff between lost lives and creating economic misery?” I wonder: What can I do? What can we do? 

We are all doing our part to “flatten the curve” by avoiding the contraction or spread of this potentially deadly virus, yet is there something more we can do? For today, we pose this driving question to myself, my children, and everyone else who is willing to wrestle with it. Perhaps it will weave its way into a family dinner conversation or maybe a Zoom call with colleagues, friends, or next-door neighbors. 

As we head into Week 3 of our physical distance learning program, please remember that communication and connection are key. 

The SCVi Leadership Team