Jarrow Journal * May Edition II * May 14
COVID Letter #11
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Message From Debbie
COVID Letter #11
“An education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking: it involves the spiritual development of man, the enhancement of his value as an individual, and the preparation of young people to understand the times in which they live.”
-Maria Montessori,
Education and Peace,
1949
Dear Families,
We are coming to the end of our school year and what a journey it has been. When I wrote our first COVID-19 message back in March, I really had no clear sense of what the next few months would bring. But I have learned from adversity can come strength, and from strength... possibilities. I would never have thought our Montessori teachers could apply and translate the essence of Montessori philosophy through Zoom meetings. But with imagination and following our core principles of peace education, nurturing children’s confidence and finding ways to cultivate independence, a great deal of inspired learning has occured. Teachers and parents alike have shared numerous stories of amazement at the learning experiences their children have enjoyed together, while not letting the Zoom filter inhibit the sharing of work. The older students have done some spectacular presentations based on their areas of research. I so enjoyed listening in and am always amazed at the confidence and poise our students exhibit when sharing their work. In some cases the children have demonstrated areas of achievement that were unexpected and have reminded us that their creativity is boundless if unleashed.
“At some given moment it happens that the child becomes deeply interested in a piece of work; we see it in the expression on his face, his intense concentration, the devotion to the exercise.”
Maria Montessori,
The Discovery of the Child
, 1967
I also want to add that when asked what positives have come out of this experience most of the Upper Elementary students shared many examples of what they have been doing: learned how to cook, lots of reading, finding fun projects and developing new hobbies, sleeping and eating more, connecting with family members in ways they haven’t before, gardening, lots of puzzles and games, journaling their experiences and many more. This is not to say remote learning has not had its challenges and finding ways for children to stay socially connected and not feel isolated is something we are keeping a close watch on. Please see our
resources page on our website
if your child is experiencing difficulties and please reach out if any further help is needed.
As we look to the summer and planning for next year, I want to thank you all for taking the parent survey. We had a huge response and your feedback is very helpful as we develop our reintegration strategy and evaluate the best way to deliver on-line learning should we need to return back to a blended model of learning next year. The most important consideration, almost everyone expressed, was in regards to the protocols and policies that will guide our health and safety practices. We are working closely with our public health department, and as new information comes out (which is currently on a weekly basis), we are adjusting our practices appropriately. Currently we are evaluating:
All our spaces to create learning pods which meet social distancing guidelines
- Retro-fitting some classrooms with extra sinks
- Securing from our vendors cleaning and sanitizing supplies
- Training our faculty in COVID precautions so that all staff are applying the guidelines appropriately
- Formulating a Pandemic Policy for parents and staff to follow
- Evaluating all opportunities to break up spaces and enable flexibility to maintain groups of 10 which is what is required as of today.
Because we are still in a period of fluidity and the guidance from public health is shifting each week, we are creating a flexible model with various scenarios that enable us to respond to the virus as it ebbs and flows into the fall months. To the extent possible, we hope to offer regular, daily in-class scheduling rather than staggered days, to offer children the most consistent and safe environment.
I understand we are all anxious to know how and when the campus will open and under what conditions. We hope to have a more detailed description out to our community as soon as we can with the most up-to-date directives from the state and city.
A BIG THANK YOU!
I want to thank those of you who attended or are planning to attend the classroom virtual happy hours and class art project auctions. Thank you to all those who made these projects possible: the room coordinators, JPA volunteers, and parent ambassadors. You are helping to bring our community together by your outreach and fundraising efforts.
Until next week,
Debbie
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A song of hope from Kirmit The Frog
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New! Summer Online Offerings
We are excited to announce that Jarrow is offering fun and educational online programs in Math, Literacy and Executive Functioning this summer for Elementary students with Nina and Matt, as well as engaging programs in Art and Music with Tania and Anna for Toddler through Elementary!
All programs will be delivered through Zoom.
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Dear Friends,
As a child growing up with Montessori education, I always felt it was part of my DNA. In many ways it became my value system, influenced my parenting and what I believe all humans deserve - peace, respect, and the freedom to learn and love. At Jarrow, our boys are offered a similar opportunity and we are grateful they are getting this experience. Everything the teachers and co-curricular teachers have done during this time of learning-at-home is above and beyond. We know this has been difficult and painful at times for everyone living through this crisis, but it is a crisis, and we are going to get through it together.
We contributed to the Knowles Fund to support our teachers and families. We hope you will join us. We look forward to being back together again in-person, online, and in whatever way our Jarrow community can come together.
Thank you,
Carrie and Jacob Segil
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Thank you Carrie and Jacob, and all who have donated so far! If you haven’t had a chance yet, please consider donating to The Knowles Family Fund. Every single donation makes a difference. Your compassion and generosity are what make Jarrow Montessori the incredible community that it is. THANK YOU for your support!
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Support a Jarrow Family-Owned Business!
As a community, there are many ways to support family-owned businesses that need your help right now: buy a gift card, participate online, schedule a service for later, and make sure you add a stellar review and say thanks. Visit the growing list of
Jarrow family-owned businesses
to learn where to start!
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Connect with us!
FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK!
If you haven't already, don't forget to add Jarrow Montessori to your Instagram and Facebook account! Here you will find us in action with up-to-the-minute news and gratifying points of light: Jarrow students at Jarrow. What could be better?!
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Jarrow Montessori School nurtures the development of the whole child through quality Montessori education. Our community supports each child’s joyful discovery of self in the journey to becoming a confident lifelong learner and compassionate citizen.
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Jarrow Montessori School
3900 Orange Court
Boulder, Colorado 80304
Phone: 303-443-0511
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