Distance Learning

What an incredible task it has been to prepare the teachers, support staff, parents and students for remote learning. In particular, Preschools and Elementary Schools like Good Shepherd are rich with hands-on projects, individualized instruction, and a focus on the arts and sciences. How does one continue to deliver curriculum to 3-year olds who cannot read or use a keyboard? How do you engage students in Music and Art remotely?

Good Shepherd is doing just that: successfully executing the nearly impossible. Every Preschooler (ages 2-4) and every Elementary student (K-5th) will be led through a “normal” day while the school is closed.

Through the use of Zoom video conferencing and Google Classroom, teachers will be delivering a daily roadmap to their students. And not just English and Math. We are providing robust curriculum in Spanish, Art, Music — even PE! Pre-recorded classroom instruction will be followed up with assignments that require live teacher interaction and student assessment. Yes, that includes daily attendance!

Engaging this age group requires an enormous amount of creativity. Teachers are researching new online resources, trialing new applications, and collaborating across the school and across the nation, in order to develop the best possible end-product.

Of course, none of this could be accomplished without great technical support. An independent IT professional was hired to train staff on the use of new applications and provide guidelines to ensure success on both ends of the screen. He did an amazing job patiently working with our teachers until they felt completely confident, and his knowledge in the area of education and school operations was key to our quick ramp-up.

We are currently beta-testing our online delivery systems and will go live across the entire school on Monday March 30th.