This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
09/29/2020 12:00 AMThe following article has been shared with Zip06/The Sound by its author, Totoket Valley Elementary (TVES) School principal Carter Welch, Ed.D. TVES is North Branford/Northford's public elementary school for students in grades 3 - 5.
As schools reopened a few weeks ago in North Branford, some things were very different at TVES like wearing masks all day, keeping socially distant, not sharing materials, limited partner and group learning, outdoor learning, cohorts with limited socialization, and a more traditional approach to classroom environment and instruction. However, some core values remained deeply prioritized such as attending to the whole child, focusing on relationships, and academic structures and instruction to promote thinking and reflection. It is true that our sense of community and school climate may look different in the COVID era, with families and community members not allowed to visit our school, but TVES staff have worked hard to ensure these foundational elements of what make TVES amazing remain strong.
It has been amazing to watch the dedication, effort, and creativity of our teachers and staff as they have bridged gaps from the virtual learning and absence from physical school that occurred for 6 months prior to our reopening. They have created structures like morning meeting, restorative circles, and class charters to ensure a safe, supportive, and engaging classroom community for all learners. They have created daily opportunities to conference with students about their social and academic needs. They have ensured that during morning meetings, circles, mask breaks, lunch, conferencing, and lesson planning that relationships are created and deepened. They have created virtual classrooms, presentations, forums and meetings so that families remain informed and engaged with what is happening in the classrooms. And they continue to plan daily for in-school learners, remote learners, and for the type instruction and technology that may be needed if our instructional model shifts.
As a staff we are modeling being present for students and families, we are modeling sharing about ourselves and learning about each student, and we are taking opportunities to establish trust and care for our students so they remain engaged academically and socially. As a staff we have established the routines and structures to close academic gaps, have students show their thinking, and ultimately build their love of learning through reading, writing, problem solving, and investigating. And as we have done this, we have continued to ensure students feel safe and healthy at school, always stopping to ensure they can express emotions, worry, concern, or questions. This is no simple feat, and comes with hard work, planning, being available and reflecting and working as a staff.
I would be remiss if I did not mention our students and families in helping us get to this point. Our students have worked so hard to meet health and safety expectations, to be available for new learning, and to adjust to new ways of doing school. Their commitment and perseverance are a reflection of their families, our community, and them as individuals, and we are so proud of them. Our families have trusted our staff to take care of their children, to keep them safe, and to restore them to a sense of normalcy in a time nowhere near normal. They have supported our work and provided for us along the way, and their gratitude has allowed us to keep pushing.
The story of reopening at TVES is a story of trusting the process and the individuals leading it. It is a story of our school climate and sense of community leading us through challenge. We continue to rely heavily on each other, our students, our families, and our community to help us through. And we know with our hard work and focus on social emotional learning and academic success that we will continue to strengthen the reputation of TVES as being a caring school community committed to the success of each individual student academically, socially, and emotionally. We thank you all for your support and we look forward to continuing to tell and show our story in these unprecedented times.
Carter Welch, Ed.D.