Dear Students and Families,
As you all know, the transition to life under the Shelter in Place order was rapid. Each of you has a unique set of circumstances to adapt to and many unknowns to absorb. I want to acknowledge the incredible work that students and teachers have done to maintain academy continuity this week. In the Academic Office, reflecting on this last week has led us to make some decisions about the next two weeks that are outlined below.
Our teachers have led the way in making a rapid transition to a new way of teaching and learning. In this time of transition, we are considering ways to provide time and space for teachers to absorb their new normal at home and to invest in planning for the next few weeks of online learning; we believe this will best serve the teaching and learning of our students.
To support our intrepid teachers, we are making modifications to conventional practices:
- Teachers will create the customary midterm report cards this term but they will not be asked to write comments. Students and families will receive their midterm grades on Friday, March 27.
- As we always do at midterm, we will open Canvas gradebooks to parents/guardians as observers on Friday, March 27. Canvas will remain open to families until the building closure ends.
- Teachers will not hold classes on Monday, March 23 or Monday March 30. Teachers will use this day for lesson planning, professional development around online learning resources and simply taking a deep breath.
For the next two weeks, we will adjust the daily schedule of online classes based on feedback we have received from teachers and students. Effective Monday, March 23 through spring break, we will move to the schedule shown below. We will continue to reevaluate the remote learning schedule and modify our schedule based on the needs of the community.
