Dear Families,
Writing to you all at a time of national emergency and global chaos is not something I ever imagined having to do. While anxiety and uncertainty reign outside our homes, I hope you've managed to nurture a sense of peace and connection within each of your homes. In moments like this one, I am so grateful to be a part of the Green Vale community.
Our individual circumstances dictate our degree of despair over all aspects of this situation: worry about vulnerable relatives, daily inconveniences, economic impact, cancellations and postponements of so much that we hold dear. That said, we are all taking these measures for the greater good, and there is inspirational solidarity in that.
As a school community, we, too, have expanded our focus beyond our own safety and protection from the virus to include that of our greater community and country. To that end, we will be opening March 31 with a robust online education program for all grades. We will continue this until most likely April 20, making a determination about the remainder of the school year prior to that.
Online Learning Hub For those curious to know how we will approach and administer the online program, you are welcome to browse Green Vale's Online Learning Hub, a resource that we are continuing to build out, via a bold red button on the Parent Portal. Resources for parents to entertain, educate, and counsel their children are continually being added. Parents with technology needs or questions should contact parentsupport@greenvaleschool.org.
Specifics about schedules, instructions, expectations and more will come next week from each division director. Please note this will not be fully complete or live until after spring break.
Principles of GVS Online Learning As we design this new program, we have been adhering to the following principles:
Picking Up School Materials Your child will need the GVS totes pre-packed by their teacher with academic materials and Chromebooks prior to the March 31 start date. Expect an email toward the middle of next week explaining pick-up times and procedures.
The administrative team is meeting regularly to share ideas and best practices to deploy for the best possible educational experience under difficult circumstances. Necessity is the mother of invention, and your division directors are getting creative.
Please stay in touch with the School and with one another during this unprecedented time. We are here for you.
Sincerely, Jesse Dougherty, Ed.D. (c) 2016 The Green Vale School |