Dear Westside Waldorf School Community,
As we embark on the second week of remote learning, we want to acknowledge the hard work and collaboration that our entire community, parents, faculty, and staff, has invested in supporting our
students in this evolving circumstance. We want to thank you for your patience and bravery as we all continue to work
to support our students.
At this juncture, based on the directives we received from the Governor, it seems wise for us all to plan on operating in a remote learning environment through the week of April 20, and potentially longer. We will have a respite from the intensity when we observe the scheduled Spring Break dates, April 9th-17th, and resume remote learning on April 20th.
My colleagues, our Board of Trustees, and I are acutely aware of the disruption this is causing to children and families in our community and around the world. Relying on all manner of local, regional, national, and international networks, the administrative and faculty colleagues and I are working on contingency plans. As soon as conditions and the authorities allow us to return to campus, we will do so. In the meantime, Leadership Council is asking our colleagues to strategically plan forward, knowing that a pivot back to our physical classrooms will require less planning than that required for remote learning.
We are also closely
following the
CDC
,
LA Department of Health
, and other guidelines for group gatherings. Inevitably, Westside Waldorf School—and our global community—will be rethinking cherished traditions in the coming months, knowing that many will have to be either cancelled or postponed. My colleagues and I are focused on ensuring that our students are receiving the curriculum and skill development they'll need to succeed next year, while providing them with all degree of connection and community possible during this period. We will have a better idea of what events will be possible as the weeks unfold.
We just finished Week #1 of our Remote Learning Program. It’s in its infancy, but please know that your teachers are diligently working to meet the wide needs of our students and families and to deliver supportive resources. Your feedback has been very helpful as we assess last week
and work on those areas that need attention and improvement. Among our tasks moving forward are looking at:
- ways to address the load of families with multiple children and multiple curriculums in their household
- adjustments on daily schedules
- appropriate work loads for remote learning
- how to keep our assessments tools working
- ways to keep students connected to each other and to their teachers
- how to deliver resources and create connection with our Early Childhood families
- ways to support children with learning needs
- tools for keeping our community connected and healthy
We are hard at work on a Remote Learning Platform that will facilitate more connection and make some of our collaborative work easier. We will notify everyone the moment we’re ready to roll out.
While all of our students and their families are having to cope with these difficult circumstances, we are particularly aware of what this means for our Eighth grade class. As our seniors on campus, they are experiencing the loss of what we usually hope would be an entirely joyful, celebratory, and affirming conclusion to their Waldorf education at WWS. We will continue to hold them in our thoughts as we get more information about the balance of the school year and are actively thinking of scenarios by which we, as a community, can celebrate their accomplishments.
This is a time in all of our lives when there are many more questions than answers. We are hoping that In the coming weeks, many of these answers will become clearer. In the meantime, we know that the way we all work together now will sustain our community and school until healthier times when we can joyfully welcome our children back on campus. We are grateful for your steadfast support of our community, our teachers, and the work and mission of Westside Waldorf School.
Warmly,
Ellie Jenkins
On behalf of the Leadership Council
