During the COVID-19 closure our two primary goals are keeping the learning process on track and continuing to foster community. We thought that you, as prospective parents, might like to see how we decided to address the challenge of remote learning during this time!

During Remote Learning, our students:

  • Meet their teacher and classmates in real-time virtual classrooms and participate actively in the remote classroom each day.
  • Participate in teachers’ online “Office Hours” and Google Hangouts Meetings where they can ask questions, participate in any online discussions or other online “real-time” activities, as instructed by their teacher. Engagement, self-advocacy, and personal responsibility are key!
  • For Middle Schoolers, understand that their work and progress will continue to be assessed and graded in order to ensure that their learning continues to progress.
  • Use their online assignment planner. The planner streamlines the process for students and parents to know what to do each day during remote learning. The assignment planner is ready each Monday morning and is a framework for the week. 

Other ways in which we are caring for students and building community during this time:

  • Our schedule was designed to create as much structure and support as possible for the students and reflects the different developmental levels in Preschool, Lower, and Middle School.
  • Students’ mental health is key, so in addition to creating a structure through which students have school days that are as normal as possible, our Counselor sets up one-on-one sessions or small group meetings through Google Hangouts whenever needed. 
  • Our teachers provide an estimated time for each assignment. We remind our students that, especially now, due dates are flexible. We know that juggling working from home and caring for families while embarking on remote learning is a lot for our parents. If a student or family needs an additional day – or three – to complete an assignment, we ask parents to just let their child’s teacher know. 
  • Our Athletic Department has sent out workouts that can be done at home, encouraging students to exercise and stay healthy. 
  • The Learning Center uses virtual sessions to continue providing tutoring and academic support to students on its regular schedule.
  • We normally start the day with a Morning Meeting. So during this time, our Middle and Lower School have each had virtual Morning Meetings. 
  • Other fun, meaningful community building activities during this time have included Spirit Days, lunchtime Google Hangout meetings, Encouragement Club initiatives like painting kindness rocks, and many others!

All of this is helping us to maintain the extraordinary academics and strong community that are hallmarks of a St. Francis education. Want to learn more? Send an inquiry to the admissions team to schedule a conversation – via phone or video chat!