2. Lower School Instruction

Lower School Instruction

WHAT’S NEW FOR IN-PERSON?

Smaller Cohorts - For Lower School, there will be three cohorts per grade level for Kindergarten through 5th Grade, with each cohort consisting of no more than 16 students. In Kindergarten through 4th Grade, the same adults will stay with each cohort throughout the day. 5th Grade will be structured slightly differently with three faculty members rotating throughout the day to cover different subject matters. The cohorts are designed to minimize interaction between students throughout the day.

Use of Space - Grade-level classrooms have been reconfigured to maximize space and promote safety. Specialist classrooms, libraries and the Innovation Building have been converted to classroom spaces to make space for all 18 LS cohorts on campus.

Instructional Changes - To limit contact between cohorts, music, art, science and Spanish will be taught by specialist faculty outside the classroom and virtually broadcast to the students in their classroom. While we will have limited access to the Lower School Library, we will provide access to online digital resources. New specialist classes, which will also be virtually broadcast, include Digital Citizenship and Social & Emotional Wellness. Physical education classes will be conducted daily outside of the classroom.

Enhanced Cleaning - New protocols for cleaning and disinfecting go above and beyond standard cleaning measures. Teachers will be responsible for intermittent cleaning of high-touch surfaces in their classrooms during the day and they will limit or eliminate the use of shared supplies.

WHAT’S NEW WITH DISTANCE LEARNING?

Schedule - The distance learning schedule will look similar to the schedule for in-person instruction. The school day will be from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for Kindergarten through 2nd Grade and 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for 3rd through 5th Grade. (Once in-person instruction begins, 3rd to 5th Grade start time will be 8:15 a.m. to be able to stagger arrivals.) Balancing screen time with classwork and play, programming will not run for six hours straight. Break times for snack, lunch and physical activity will also be consistent to encourage routine.

Improvements - We will adhere to predictable schedules, maintain small cohort sizes in virtual meetings and offer more live instruction throughout the school day to best meet the needs of our students and their families. The School will provide laptops for students in grades 3-5 equipped with software that will be used in distance learning.

Flexibility - Consistent scheduling will make it easier if the School needs to transition throughout the year from in-person to distance learning or back again. We will communicate as early as possible about any adjustments that need to be made.

TRANSITIONS BETWEEN EDUCATIONAL MODELS The evolving nature of the pandemic requires flexibility between educational models. The School is prepared with consistent scheduling that will make the transition seamless if the School needs to shift from in-person to distance learning or back again. The School will monitor guidelines from the California Public Health and the Pasadena Public Health Departments regularly and will move between models as instructed by public officials. We will provide as much notice as possible to families however, we will be restricted to health and safety requirements.