April 7, 2020
I want to thank those who participated in our survey about Distance Learning. The response rate was high, an indication of James River parents' consistently high involvement in your children's education. While I will have further, more detailed remarks to make about the survey soon, I want to touch on some common themes and the school's response to them.
- Overall, you were extremely supportive of the roll-out of the school's distance learning program and understood the unique circumstances in which it was created. We had one week to create a plan for distance learning and teaching of children from ages 5 to 14, and you understood that.
- There is an opportunity for better communication from both the school and the teachers. Accordingly, we have already made several adjustments.
- Advisors and homeroom teachers are making sure to communicate directly with parents about any issues their child or family may be having, whether that be academic, social, or technological.
Teachers will be providing weekly plans to ensure parents will know what is coming up and can plan accordingly. - The school will conduct a series of Zoom grade-level parent meetings to disseminate information and answer questions. Details of the meetings are below and invitations to register will be sent out tomorrow.
- Advisors and homeroom teachers are making sure to communicate directly with parents about any issues their child or family may be having, whether that be academic, social, or technological.
- The posting of assignments and academic expectations was inconsistent.
- Teachers are to post assignments and daily expectations by 9:00 a.m. each day.
- Teachers and team leaders are collaborating on how best to adapt the administration of assessments and grades to best align with our distance learning program. Our deadline to finish this task is this week.
- Some parents desired more course rigor, while others felt that too much was being asked of their child(ren). This is a tougher problem to solve since there was no consensus on the topic. Parents' feelings on this topic seemed to depend on several factors, including family circumstances and the age of the child(ren). We will continue to reevaluate the appropriate workload for students at each grade level, with a focus on both their academic progress and their emotional health.
I cannot thank you enough for the feedback you have given the school. We are grateful for your support and partnership as we work to improve the distance learning program. Please see below for the schedule of grade-specific parent Zoom meetings.
With my best regards,
Peter H. York
Head of School