Dear Calhoun Families, I hope this letter finds you all in good health, and finding some comfort in your socially distant happy places. My wife and I just hosted a virtual birthday party for our twins, who turned nine today. Rather than a simple "Happy Birthday" from their parents and two-year-old little brother, they received three different renditions in two different languages from friends and family across the country. The joy on their faces from seeing so many familiar and friendly people brought a tear to my eye, and we could not have asked for a better birthday for our children. While there is certainly a healthy amount of cabin fever to go around for us all, I do hope the new normal that we are all adjusting to leads to some new and creative ways to spread love and joy in your families. As we look towards Monday, "normal" takes on a new meaning as we officially begin distance learning. For the last month, faculty and administrators have been working to create a vibrant and sustainable distance learning plan that incorporates the key facets of a Calhoun classroom to engage our students across all four divisions. Additionally, we gathered feedback from our one-day test of distance learning prior to the break, and used these last two weeks to further sharpen our approach. As we adapt and learn in our new landscape, your feedback will continue to be key to our growth and improvement. Tomorrow, you will receive emails from Division Directors that will outline the distance learning plans for each respective division. If you have children in multiple divisions, it is important that you thoroughly review the plans for each of your children's divisions. Though there will likely be a lot of similarities, from the platforms in use to the role of clusters, there are key differences that may be confusing without careful review. Prior to receiving the emails from directors, I would like to offer a few more words of advice: - All four divisions will eventually offer some form of synchronous learning. The role of parents will vary widely, as our youngest students will likely require significant help from parents to pull this off. In contrast, I expect our Upper School students will find their way with little to no parental involvement. We have taken into account the effort required of parents in creating our synchronous experiences, leaning on what feels most age-appropriate in each division.
- Please use the Google survey link provided in the Division Directors' emails to offer feedback. While the impulse may be to send emails or call, using this survey link will allow us to analyze and incorporate feedback more efficiently.
- In all four divisions, screen time is not an equal replacement for seat time in a classroom. Even if teachers are conducting synchronous lessons, there are still limits to how long any student can sit in front of a screen. This threshold varies by age, but regardless of age, don't be surprised by the differences.
- All four divisions are continuing to think about the roles of important community elements of Calhoun like clusters, assemblies and clubs. As we live within our new space, we will introduce these important cultural elements to the schedule as well.
- Most importantly, distance learning is a new experience for all of us. As we adapt, let's bring patience and assumption of good intent to our interactions, both with our students and with each other. I assure you that we will all get better at this.
The strength of community often shows itself in times of struggle and challenge. I have no doubt that Calhoun's enduring commitment to taking care of each other will be the key ingredient to the successful launch of our distance learning plan. As our break draws to a close and a virtual return to school awaits us on Monday, I hope for good health and safety for all of you. I look forward to seeing you on a screen somewhere. Sincerely, Eric Osorio Associate Head of School for Teaching and Learning |