March 30
Dear Families,
Greetings, waves, and smiles from my house to yours--it feels like a long time since we've bumped elbows. Welcome to the third week of at-home learning and the first half week of April. I fervently hope familiar routines are emerging, new ideas are bubbling, and that each of you are in good health.
As the curve of COVID-19 cases rises in Maine and its effects on the economy continue to ripple outward, this is not an easy time for any of us. Every day some new adjustment in our environment is required. It's hard to let down.
I've been thinking about the theme the Quaker Life Committee suggested for FSP's meetings for worship this spring: Change. We broke that down into Mud (March), FSP's Future (April), and Farewell (June). And what a muddy time of change this has been, Friends.
Xanthe and Heather's 1-2 class took the lead at meeting earlier this month with a poem about mud squishing between toes. They spoke of the transformation that mud season portends and that if we looked closely, we would be able to see the first signs of change. Without prompting by their teachers, the children carried with them to meeting some small mud-clay bowls they had fashioned outdoors, placing the modest vessels quietly in the middle of our circle and picking them up at the end of worship. One meeting ended with "Here Comes the Sun," led by Hans, which I would give anything to repeat right now.
By now, you have already heard from teachers about what this week will look like for students. In Nell's update, you'll get an overview of FSP's version of at-home learning. I want to be clear about our approach--what we will offer, and what we won't. In line with our with our Quaker values, our school's mission, and our pedagogical models, we are offering a structure that we think will best support our learners.
Although we do not envision or intend to provide an all-day online program for our students, we will continue to offer the kind of learning that reflects who we are as a school. Every week we'll strive for consistency, but be open to change, confident that our Quaker values will serve us well in this really difficult and rapidly evolving set of circumstances.
We are grateful for your trust, your adaptability, your questions, your creativity, and your very, very hard work. Thank you for your direct and kind communications with your child's teachers.
Sometimes my mom would describe a confounding situation being "as clear as mud." That's certainly what this time of coronavirus feels like. And yet the sun will dry the earth slowly, the swirling waters will settle and purify, new signs of life will appear. Children are so amazingly good about being on the lookout for them, and I intend to follow their lead.
Here are a few things to share with you:
Maine Education Commissioner Pender Makin's moving statement for educators: https://mainedoenews.net/2020/03/22/video-message-from-commissioner-makin-regarding-pandemic-march-22-2020/
A comic about how to turn your home into a school without losing your sanity: https://www.npr.org/2020/03/27/816575527/comic-how-to-turn-your-home-into-a-school-without-losing-your-sanity
And more about the varied ways school is happening at home: https://www.npr.org/2020/03/26/821921575/the-biggest-distance-learning-experiment-in-history-week-one
Please do continue to share your successes and challenges, your changing life circumstances, and how we might best support you. Hope to see you at our first virtual meeting for worship (or know that you're quietly joining us without a screen) on Friday morning (see below for details)!
Sincerely,
Jenny
——
Jenny Rowe
Head of School
Teachers have been working to transition Friends School learning to an at-home format-- meeting with one another, piloting new structures and tools with students and families, and revising curriculum and learning activities. Beginning this week, teachers will launch the at-home learning plan that FSP will offer through the current closure. Though we re-assess and revise as we go, the following is meant to communicate the basic structure and strategies we will use, organized by both developmental level and our guiding questions. Though the at-home learning plan is designed to offer structure to those families for whom it is helpful, we want to underscore that we believe families should participate only to the degree that it works for them.
As teachers have worked together to develop this plan, we have been led by our core values:
Our practice is rooted in the Quaker values of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship.
We celebrate individual gifts, while attending to each person's role in the larger community.
Our belief that there is light in each of us leads to the conclusion that we are all natural learners, and we all have something to teach. These beliefs support an active, inquiry-based approach to learning.
We believe that love of place leads to an ethic of stewardship, both for communities and for our earth.
FSP At-Home Learning Plan
Spring 2020
*In the FSP tradition of Fridays looking a bit different, expect that at-home Fridays may also have a somewhat different schedule/focus.
3rd-8th Grades
How will we connect our students as a classroom community?
Classroom teachers/advisors will hold simple regular class meetings. Teachers will draw from a list of strategies to help students connect to one another (eg shared read-alouds, group work, shared documents, etc.)
How can we support organization of students' learning and schedules?
Classroom teachers will send a weekly schedule overview before Monday morning. We will use Google Classroom to assign work and "collect" work from students. Class meetings may be used for supporting students to manage their daily assignments.
How will we continue to distribute new work and material?
At this point, teachers in grades 3-8 have begun using Google Classroom as the primary means of distributing assignments. If necessary, teachers may distribute hard copies (like books) using the bin system or through other arrangements made with individual families.
How will we provide direct instruction to students for new learning?
Teachers will use a flexible combination of independent or group inquiry-based activities, practice, youtube/web links, pre-recorded mini lessons, zoom or hangouts group lessons, or flipped classroom platforms (like Khan Academy or similar) to provide direct instruction to students as necessary to support learning. We will be adjusting and revising these methods as we learn about what works for our students.
How will we collect work, assess it, and give feedback to students and families on work as we move forward?
Teachers will collect and assess work assigned through Google Classroom. Additionally, teachers may use group and individual check-ins for informal assessment.
How will we respond to student/parent questions?
Classroom teachers are available to students and parents during regular "office hours" for individual support.
1st-2nd Grades
How will we connect our students as a classroom community?
Classroom teachers will post greetings or host simple online meetings regularly.
How can we support organization of students' learning and schedules?
Classroom teachers will share with parents via Google Docs a weekly schedule with links to learning activities.
How will we continue to distribute new work and material?
Digital assignments and materials will be linked in the weekly schedule. Teachers will work with families to access other materials as needed.
How will we provide direct instruction to students?
Teachers will use a flexible combination of independent inquiry-based activities, practice, youtube/web links, pre-recorded mini lessons, and other methods to provide direct instruction to students as necessary to support student learning.
How will we collect work, assess it, and give feedback to students and families on work as we move forward?
Teachers will use a variety of methods to collect and assess work, depending on the assignment.
How will we respond to student/parent questions?
Classroom teachers will be available to students and families during "office hours" for questions via phone, email, or online chat forums.
Early Childhood
In keeping with Friends School of Portland's commitment to early childhood education that is play-based, nature-based, and largely free of technology, right now the Early Childhood team is working with parents to determine how best to support at-home learning in these early years.
How will we connect our students as a classroom community?
Kindergarten is using the classroom Shutterfly website to connect families to one another and to the class. Both Kindergarten and preschool are piloting different platforms (Zoom, etc.) for short online circles, virtual field trips, read-alouds, and other ways to have children see one another.
How can we support the organization of students' learning and schedules?
Calendars are sent home each week with suggested activities.
How will we provide direct instruction to students? How will we respond to student/parent questions?
The Early Childhood team is offering an array of learning activities-- both online and off-- and keeping in close contact with families through phone, email, and online formats, about how best to support their children.
How will we continue to distribute new work and materials?
In addition to digital materials, Kindergarten and preschool are offering optional bin pickups of materials each week.
Nell
——
Nell Sears
Director of Studies