HPMS Distance Learning Program: Partnership and Connection
Spring 2020:Hamilton Park Montessori School continues to be open for students via our Distance Learning Program (DLP). Our teachers and staff have been working diligently to develop and deliver alternative educational programming, and to ensure our student’s learning and teacher connections remain strong.
Our community is strong and has adapted resiliently to this new modality of teaching and learning and HPMS remains fully committed to maintaining school operations and programs during this unique time.
Our goal remains to:
- support our students and teachers, remaining adaptive yet true to our mission;
- maintain our infrastructure so our classrooms are open and ready for our children when the threat of Covid-19 abates, and
- continue to invest in delivering and evolving our Distance Learning Program.
As always, but especially now, we wish to extend our deepest gratitude to HPMS families, donors, and supporters for their ongoing support of our school and teachers.
As always, HPMS will continue to:
- stay true to our mission, and through a mutually supportive effort with our families, engage, support and stimulate each student’s love of learning;
- ensure students feel connected to their teachers and community via multiple modalities;
- strive to achieve a true balance of both interactive screen time and hands-on learning for all of our students while being very mindful of what is age-appropriate;
- listen to families and recognize that each family has different home scenarios which means our Distance Learning Program (DLP) must be intentionally flexible and adaptable;
- encourage families to adapt our DLP to what works best for their family;
- partner with our community to do what is in the best interest of each child.
Parents/Students can:
Set yourself up for success:
- Ensure there is a daily schedule or structure to each day and that everyone is aware of the daily goals. Check the class assignments and meetings daily.
- Organize your home so children needn’t rely on adults for everything; give children the time and the direction they need so they can become independent and successful in contributing to the family’s daily needs: making breakfast, making their bed, getting dressed, sorting laundry, etc.
- Get ready for school each day: wake up and get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth, etc.
- Move to a comfortable, quiet space for learning.
- Each day may be different with regards to your child’s outlook and the family’s overall workload/obligations, as is to be expected under these unique circumstances. We recommend that parents take your child’s/family’s “emotional temperature” each morning and adapt this Distance Learning Program to what works best for your family. As some sessions are recorded, they can be watched later on-demand.
Stay Connected:
- Stay connected throughout the day: communicate with your teachers and classmates regularly using the platforms outlined by your classroom teachers.
- Reach out to your teachers whenever you need to… we are here!
Take Care of Yourself:
- Take regular breaks.
- Make time to exercise.
- Keep to a regular sleep schedule.
- Stay creative and make time to enjoy fun family activities.
Continue to Monitor Online Activity:
- Continue to carefully monitor your child’s online activity.
- Ensure teachers can identify who your child is online (when attending live sessions) by their screen name.
- Ensure you are following the “Best Practices” set forth by HPMS (and online learning industry leaders) with regards to safety and privacy.
COVID-19 Resources for Families:
How to talk with children about the novel coronavirus:
- How to Talk to Kids About Coronavirus
- Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus
- Talking with Children About Coronavirus
Parenting in a time of crisis:
Learning Activities & Montessori at Home:
Trying to ground ourselves in the positive, nurture creativity, and learn while at home:
- Montessori Daoshi: A digital space to support parents in the real world Nurturing Creativity
- Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman offers words of hope amid coronavirus pandemic
Managing Anxiety & Staying Safe Online:
- Managing Stress in the Midst of Covid-19: An HPMS Parent Support Seminar
- Anxious? Three Ways to Get Out of Panic Mode
- Teaching Your Kids to be Safe Online
If there is a resource that you or your family has found helpful, and you’d like to share it with our school community, please send it to Ms. Andreea.
