Students will begin returning to Madonna Learning Center on Monday, the first time in 150 days since they were last inside the school.
Madonna Learning Center, a special-needs school on Poplar not far from the western edge of Germantown, faces the same challenges as other schools this month – determining the best way to reopen in the midst of a pandemic.
“We are so excited to see faces back in the building,” said Rebecca Davis, a junior high teacher. “It’s so fun to see them walk in the building and just glow.”
Summer camps did not happen, according to Jo Gilbert, Madonna’s executive director. Over the spring, teaching resumed virtually and some remote sessions were held earlier this summer to help students retain skills.
“It was fun to watch because sometimes siblings would join in,” Gilbert said, and students were proud to show their peers. “Families were elated (by the online programming).”
It was a way for teachers to connect with their students and keep up over the summer, Davis said.
Next week – with a staggered reentry – two students per class will attend one half-day, allowing teachers to work on appropriate precautions for students. That includes standing on socially distant markers, following one-way signs down halls and restroom protocols. Additionally, teachers may do some assessment.
Davis said there may be fist pumps, air high fives and toe taps to celebrate student achievements.
Some already were exposed to the new environment during summer tutoring.
“We’re working hard on trying to teach them (precautions),” Gilbert said. “They’re really picking it up.”
ost students will return Aug. 17, but an all-virtual option is available. Gilbert acknowledges some parents are not comfortable sending their students back or some have underlying conditions. About 30% of students have chosen the virtual option.
Others are eager for the return, recognizing regression of skills.
Teachers will keep students learning virtually engaged as if they were in the classroom.
For more information, please check out the full article from the Daily Memphian.