March 13, 2020
Dear Montessori Parents,
We will initiate our online learning experiences for our Montessori students on Wednesday, March 18th following the State Superintendent of Education's recommendation to close all Maryland schools Monday, March 16th due to the current health crisis. I want to be transparent that the core reason for launching the online learning experiences on the 3rd day is so that teachers can have two full days to finalize their planning.
In the meantime, I wish to go over a few items of importance to familiarize you with how we will provide online learning to our young students, as well as expectations for parent support that we must rely upon for the online experience to be successful. We care deeply for the health and well-being of our students, and we will do our best to make this at-home time productive, engaging and easy to use for both your child and you!
Barrie Montessori's approach to online learning begins with recognition that the three-dimensional Montessori learning experiences teachers provide when school is in regular session cannot be simply replicated through distant, two-dimensional learning. In particular, the invaluable social interactions in learning that occur naturally among students and between teachers and students cannot be recreated.
Our educational goal is for students to read and engage in authentic learning experiences, while continuing to be physically and socially active, so please reach out to your child's friends regularly via phone call chats in order to lessen any loneliness. We hope to communicate the most important skills that you can help your child develop and practice at this time, and offer parent reminders to lead them through conversations with you to construct their own understandings of videos and activities they will be offered online.
Given the range of developmental needs in an elementary school and each child's ability to work independently, we acknowledge that online learning may present challenges for some children. Each parent is expected to do their best to support their child's learning by checking emails/announcements from teachers, and talking with their child about any assigned tasks. We also know that young children learn in varied ways and that a parent may choose an alternate plan of study for their child in this interim.
Wherever and whenever possible, parents are expected to ensure that their child participates actively as much as possible in activities and tasks offered by their teachers. Please notify the Montessori Front Office the same way you register their absence, if your child will not be able to participate in our online learning plan on any given day. Kim will transfer this to our usual TAM attendance recordkeeping.
Helpful Online Learning Guidelines for Parents
- Direct Contact: Your child's homeroom teachers will continue to be the primary people you interact with for your children on a daily basis. Specialist teachers will be contributing sections to the online transmissions that come to you from the homeroom teachers. Let your teacher know any concerns you have for your child's learning and overall wellness so that s/he can offer individual suggestions.
- Be Tech Ready: It is important that parents or guardians take our Montessori Technology Access Survey, which has five questions and takes about one minute. This will help us understand which families have access to computers and reliable internet connection at home and which do not. Be sure to put the Zoom Cloud Meetings (http://zoom.us/) and Kaymbu Apps on your phone, iPad or computer devices for your child's use. All students in grades 1-5 have been assigned their own Barrie email addresses; invitations to Google Classroom and Zoom online meetings will be sent to the LE/UE students' Barrie email addresses.
For Toddler and Primary students, the Zoom invite will go to the parents' emails; in either case, we may need parent assistance to accept and join the meeting. These will be our school platforms for group communications between students and teachers. Please make sure teachers have your preferred email address for parent communications.
- Frustrations Are Coming: I want to acknowledge right up front that we will all be learning how to adapt our curriculum together and both frustrations and surprises will be inevitable. I ask that we offer one another productive feedback with a gentle approach as all of us -- parents, teachers, administrators, and students -- will be doing our best together.
- Stay Informed: Read thoroughly my weekly message to parents about how to discuss the local health situation in a developmentally appropriate way. Reassure children each day that you will work to keep them safe and healthy.
- What Did They Say?? Monitor all communications from your child's teacher and school administration, as there may be many in the first week or so. Tutorials to access online platforms will be provided.
- Find a Steady Routine: Establish clear expectations with your child during this at-home period and be consistent. Keep normal bedtime routines. Start being more explicit about these routines from the first day home, rather than waiting several days later after it becomes apparent that a child is struggling with the absence of his/her regular routine.
- Discuss the New Learning Format Openly: Take an active role in helping your child process and own this new learning format. Remember that children learn best when they have opportunities to process their learning aloud with others. Check in with your child about what they need and how you and their teacher(s) can support their learning during this transition.
- Exercise Will Keep Everyone Sane: Encourage daily physical activity which will be especially vital to their health, well-being, and learning, particularly if they are cooped up all day in the house. We encourage daily walks outside.
- Unstructured Screen Time: Limit your child's time with app games, for this starts an unwanted habit that will be hard to break once school re-opens.
- Check-Ins: I suggest you begin and end each day with a cozy check-in with your child, to help him/her process the day's activities, especially when they need to be with another family member or sitter while you continue to work outside the home.
- Teacher Planning Mondays: Lastly, I want to make sure that you are aware that in the event the closure lasts beyond one week, each Monday our teachers will spend the full day planning for the weeks' activities and online experiences and will not be offering direct instruction or posting new material. Given the increased time needed to develop quality experiences, this planning day is crucial.
Thank you for all you do for your children to support their social-emotional learning, too, at this time. It certainly takes a village!
Sincerely,
Lilian