Jamie's Update for Week of March 30

Dear SGS Community,

 

I hope everyone is staying healthy and navigating this crisis as well as possible.  This situation continues to be complex and ever-changing.  You can be assured we are doing our best on the SGS educational front.  Now starting our third week of distance learning, I have been proud of our teachers and their efforts to engage with students and provide ongoing lessons/content/support for the students (and parents) across our K-12 program.  Thank you for all of the words of encouragement and gratitude you have been sharing with the teachers and administrators.

 

The division heads and I have been checking in with our teachers throughout and have been urging them to take care of themselves as well as providing for the students.  Feeling a bit overwhelmed by their new instructional delivery method, the teachers are attempting to balance their teaching responsibilities and their personal responsibilities of taking care of loved ones while they work remotely.  I ask that we all keep this in mind as the teachers continue to learn how best to navigate this new learning platform.  I have seen the teachers continuing to add pedagogical arrows to their quivers over the first two weeks. They continue to refine the process and respond to feedback from their students.  Each teacher is bringing their own experience and background to the table, and they continue to share with one another to enhance the collective practice of our faculty.

 

1. Continue to read carefully the communication sent out by the teachers and division heads. This is the first line of navigating the learning process for the students.  If you or your students have questions, please email the teachers for clarification.  

2. The teachers recognize the complexity of providing assignments for students and the range of learning styles present at SGS when they are not able to provide clarification in person and in real time as they did prior to the closure.  Students are encouraged to communicate with their teachers if they have questions.  This allows the students and teachers to connect on a more personal level to meet the student’s specific needs.

3. Please check PowerSchool and PowerSchool Learning to review your child’s assignments, completed work, and outstanding work. 

4. Teachers have been instructed to respond within 24 hours M-F to emails.  

5. If there is a situation that prevents your child from completing assignments, please communicate with the teacher or Meghan Kilgore.  Again, we recognize each family and student may have a variety of challenges (social, emotional, personal, technical, etc.) occurring that we are not aware of and want to be able to serve them accordingly.

6. Spring Break (April 6-10).  We will not hold classes next week.  Everyone needs a break! 😊

 

There are several recurring questions from members of our community that are also on my mind.

 

 

Having everyone back on campus is our ideal scenario, and we hope we can resume in-person instruction. We continue to monitor new developments related to COVID-19 in our area and throughout the United States, with all our decisions made based on recommendations of public health officials and the directives of our local, state, and national governments. We will similarly determine whether students can return in accordance with public-health guidance.

 

 

We are currently adapting our assessment practice at each divisional level to meet the needs of the students.  The primary goal is to provide a meaningful learning experience for the students during the closure while maintaining the benefits of an SGS education for students now and that will prepare them for future learning.  This is new territory for students and teachers alike, and it is not our intention to penalize students as a result of this crisis. 

 

 

For the class of 2020 and their families, we know you have been looking forward to Commencement. We would like nothing better than to celebrate your achievements with you and your families on the Graduation Lawn. But again, despite our aspirations, we may be constrained by governmental directives and guidance of public health officials. As with other scheduled events, we will continue to assess the quickly evolving situation to determine if we can hold a ceremony on campus as scheduled.  We are also exploring alternatives if we are unable to hold the ceremony as scheduled.

 

This is not the semester any of us hoped for and is certainly not the final semester any member of the class of 2020 envisioned. We know there is a lot of disappointment, but we are also impressed by (and grateful for) the resilience of the SGS community.

 

Please refer to the Covid-19 FAQs page on the SGS website for additional information.

 

Keeping the health, safety, and wellbeing of all a priority, we will make the best decisions we can in this continually changing situation. Thank you for your patience, understanding, and support amid this pandemic.
 

Sincerely,
​

Jamie Tender

Head of School