In the Meantime 5th Edition

INSIDE 6th Grade Trip

ISSUE 4

The middle school j our nalists will be documenting our exper iences under quar antine. We will be inter viewing classmates, parents, teacher s and other member s of our community as well as shar ing thoughts on our own exper iences.

Please enj oy these slices-of-life dur ing this weir d, challenging time. has to be on time, tests, a lot of homework, and more. But, after the weeks she has adjusted better over time.

Alex Pool Per sonal: I have started projects in school that have been a big part of my time. First, in science I am starting my Rube Goldberg project. Rube Goldberg is a lot of simple tasks done to do one small task. In mine, I will pop a balloon. The second project I am doing is in civics. I will be filming for it this week!

In my free time, I have been watching tv. I have started a new show called All American because I have heard it is really good. I am not far into it yet, but I like it. Also, I have tried baking again and made a vanilla cake.

Teacher : Eighth grade math teacher Mr. Dearacama said he is adjusting to all these new changes. He said, ?When there is a reality that you cannot change, you have to change.?

He added, ?We are facing an unprecedented situation, and that doesn't change, so we have to change.?

I still try to talk to my friends when I can because it is hard to be away from them for so long. I wish I could see them!

Mr. D is trying to think of this situation in a positive way. In the beginning, Mr. D had to face challenges that lots of people had to face like learning how use Zoom and other platforms. Mr. D said that he has learned lots of new skills through this experience that he can now use in the future.

Student:

He said, ?Every time there is a challenge, there is a reaction.?

Julia Marquevich just recently moved to Argentina after being at MCDS for several years. In Argentina, it's been hard because there is also quarantine. It is hard to be inside for such a long period of time away from people. Julia hasn't been outside her house for 48 days.

She said, ?It has been hard to find activities that can keep me busy because it gets really boring during the day.?

Julia?s school days are very long for her. She starts early and has a full day of school, with breaks in between. And, there are very strict policies. She

His reaction to all of it was to learn how to deal with technology and to have stronger skills with it.

He used to be good with it but he now feels a lot better with it.

Now Mr. D feels well adjusted and more comfortable with online school. He said that technology is always something to adjust and change to with all the new tools. He is confident that he can do well in this situation with his knowledge about technology.

In Mr. D?s free time, he likes to go on walks, go biking, be outside, and read. He misses going to school and the interaction with students. Online, all

David Bejar Per sonal:Page

Diaries.

Arabella has done ab workouts such as crunches and sit-ups.

To stay active while staying out of the house, Arabella enjoys going for runs.

12

It has been 52 days since I have seen any of my friends. This is making me feel a way I have never felt before, incredibly lonely and bored beyond belief.

Arabella likes going on her jet ski and going tubing because she likes the water and the adrenaline.

After school closed, I was somewhat excited thinking that I would get a chance to have something like summer vacation.

Lastly, Arabella really likes Gossip Girl and Vampire Diaries because she loves drama.

I then thought it would be over soon, but it?s not over. I am still stuck in my house with no one to see other than my brother and parents. Of course, I enjoy time with my family, but I really miss my friends.

Ms. Kelly John, the middle school administrative assistant, is in agreement with the stay at home order. ?I have been in complete support of the stay at home order since it began back in March,? said Ms. John. ?Due to the fact that COVID-19 is highly contagious, I was and continue to be in fear of my mother?s life. She is older and suffers from underlying conditions. The stay at home order allows us to limit the people she would normally come in contact with.?

Student: Seventh Grader Arabella Gutchess has been working out a lot during quarantine, doing various water sports such as tubing and jet skiing. She?s also been watching Gossip Girl and Vampire

Staff:

the students are working well in math and trying their hardest. Mr. D still misses the face to face teaching and all the conversations in class.

When everything is back to normal, Mr. D wants to be able to travel again. He likes to travel a lot and wanted to be able to do that this summer. He likes to travel because he likes to learn about different cultures and different places. He went to Argentina for four days for a wedding, but hasn't traveled other than that for a year and wants to travel again.

He adds that so many things are taken for advantage before this and it is important to be flexible for things that will happen.

Parent: Sometimes, all the new changes can be fun, said Mr. Jared Shaprio, father of sixth grader Chloe Shapiro. He said the family is able to spend time together, stay up later, sleep later, and more. But, it is also frustrating right now. Pools and beaches are closed, work is difficult online, and overall stressful.

He thinks online school is less stressful, but it isn't the same as normal school. He adds on that at least everyone is able to adapt and work with the situation that everyone is in.

In his free time, he has gone swimming in the bay, bike riding, eating ice cream and pizza, watching lots of movies, and always looking out for hand sanitizer and toilet paper!

When quarantine is over and everything goes back to normal, he wants to be able to go to a Miami Heat game! He misses that and wants to go.

Ms. John has talked to public school and private school educators and she believes that Miami Country Day School could not be handling online schooling much better.

To remain active Ms. John has started to go walking in the morning for an hour. She does so four times a week and for 3-4 miles. She also works out with her daughter who is a college athlete. She said, ?Those workouts are quite a bit more rigorous.?

She finds everything a little overwhelming at times, but is also trying to have some fun. ?Everyone in my home is blessed to still be employed and healthy,? she said. ?My mother, my older daughter and I work during the day. My middle daughter works the overnight shift. There are a lot of laughs which is not what I expected at all. I am also enjoying having my youngest daughter home because when school resumes she leaves for college to finish her last two years. It?s a great feeling having all my girls home with me.

Nerve-wracking at times but definitely loving every moment while I can.?

Daniella Arango Student: Tesja Pruszynska does not like to be away from her friends because she starts to get bored being home all day. Tesja is getting lazier lately and getting more sleep until virtual school started. During the week Tesja is waking up at nine o'clock in the morning, even on weekends too. "I really do not like virtual school because it is a lot of homework,? said Tesja. ?I can do it, but it is just a lot."

Tesja finds it very sad that a lot of people are passing away because of the virus. Tesja said, "I think everyone should still be cautious. I also think you should still see a friend sometimes but not in large groups."

Tesja says that a good side during this time is that she has noticed that people are using their cars less, and there is less pollution. ?That is good for the environment. Tesja also tries to connect with her friends a lot during quarantine.

Something new that Tesja has tried is playing football and basketball at her dad's house. Tesja usually never does those types of sports, but she decided to try it out. An activity that Tesja has been dedicating most of her time to is working out.

Tesja is doing this workout program called Two Week Ab Shred.

Tesja said, "The types of exercises I have been working on are full body, mostly abs, legs, the core, arms, and leg strength."

Per sonal: This week of quarantine me and my family went on a two hour boat trip to go see a sandbar with clear shallow water. On the way there the ride was really bumpy and very scary for me. I did not like seeing the waves go up and down, and up and down every time. Most of the boat ride, in the beginning, was terrifying for me and I really just wanted to go home already.

Once we got close to the sandbar there was a space that was kind of narrow with coral reefs surrounding the space. I was also scared for this part because if my dad took a wrong turn, we could crash, and all die. I kept on yelling at my dad because I was scared that he was going to close to the reefs.

When we got to the sandbar I was relieved because the water gave me a calm sensation and I thought the water was really beautiful because it was super clear and blue. My family and I kept on jumping in the water and filming it with our underwater camera. After we had a blast in the sandbar we found cops. The cops came and told us that this area was not open so then everyone left.

On the way back we saw a lot of dolphins, and they were super beautiful. The dolphins went under our boat and went in the wake of the boat. I felt so lucky to be able to see them right next to us.

The boat ride was very rough the way back, and I was not having a good time. I felt so sick but there was no way to make the tall waves stop saying the boat around. At one point I tried to stand up but then I quickly sat back down.

After some praying, closing my eyes, holding on to the railing as tight as possible, and trying to listen to music, we were finally ten minutes away. Our boat was going through a bridge, but there were a lot of boats coming through so the big waves were crashing against every boat super hard.

When I got home I felt so

uncomfortable sitting or laying down because the pain did not go away.

Parent: COVID-19 has impacted MCDS parent Amerly Rotundo's life a lot financially because she has a retail store and it is not considered an essential business. This problem has been causing sales to decrease significantly.

In addition to affecting Ms. Rotundo financially, staying with her kids at home has been challenging because she has to buy more food, cook more, look after her kids, and she does not have any help.

Having her kids at home doing virtual school has changed things a lot.

Mss. Rotundo's outdoor activities have not been affected that much because she has been, cautiously, going outside a little bit to run and bike.

Mss. Rotundo is used to being at home most of the day, and enjoys that, but for her kids, including sixth grader Sofia Rotundo, it has been hard because they want to see their friends. For Ms. Rotundo, being in her home has not affected her that much because she has been able to go get food and is able to go for a run and a bike ride. Ms. Rotundo said, "I mostly work from home so I'm used to being at home, but for my kids it has been a big impact socially."

Ms. Rotundo has learned that we need to be more conscious about taking care of our planet. "I have seen so many good things about this like the planet is breathing a little bit with no pollution, no cars, no airplanes,? she said. ?People being at home has helped throw less plastic in the ocean. So at the same time, we are helping the planet by doing these things."

Ms. Rotundo has been playing board games with her kids because her goal is to keep them away from their electronics as much as possible. Ms. Rotundo has also been playing spa with her daughter, which is fun to do.

"I have been relaxing a little bit,? said Ms. Rotundo. ?I'm not stressed about taking my son to soccer or hurrying up because I need to take my kids to school. I've been more relaxed and enjoying new things like playing guitar, singing with my daughter, playing soccer with my son, so I have to invent new things to keep my kids entertained."

Teacher : "I'm very grateful that this virus hasn't impacted my life in the devastating ways that it has impacted people around the world," said Helen Kunde, mother of sixth grader Evelyn Kunde. "We are lucky that we have our health."

Mrs. Kunde said that the virus has impacted her life in many ways. "I think that it's really slowed down the pace of life,? she said. ?Before when we were on campus, I would leave the house in the morning and be gone until the evening. There would be school, and activities, and then I would get home and then have dinner. Now with quarantine it's slowed down a lot, and that's a part I actually like.?

My dad was trying to get through as best as he could but then a hard wave came and made me jump up to the railing. I was in the front of the boat where the seating was broken. I landed on my hip on the broken part of the boat and could not breathe for a second because it hit the bottom really hard.

Mrs. Kunde misses the activities where she had more contact with friends and colleagues, but she is enjoying the slower pace.

"I've been in the pool much more than I used to because me and my family were always out and about on the weekends seeing friends or going to my kids tournaments," she said. "We go for walks and bike rides around the neighborhood, and our dog Mocha gets a lot more walks than he used to."

My dad managed to get aside all the boats and then he turned over to see me crying and coughing because the hit "knocked the wind out of me."

"It has also changed the feel of teaching,? she explained. ?The essential elements of what we teach are the same, but the way in which we teach

is obviously very different.?

Family life has also been affected in several ways, said Mrs. Kunde. "Even though our schedules don't align for lunch everyday, we get to see each other during little breaks throughout the day."

She and her kids are watching movies together, playing games together and that part she really likes.

"Even though we're in the house together all the time it's kind of strange to be in the same house but all in our different rooms on the computers,? she said. ?That feels strange. Sometimes I'll say to my daughter it is strange that I haven't seen you all day even though we are just rooms apart. But in general we're spending more downtime together so I like that.?

Mrs. Kunde has learned that people are very resilient and adaptable. "I guess the first thing that popped into my head, with my teacher's hat on, is how really quite incredible it is that in a very short period of time every single teacher has changed the way they are teaching, and learned new technologies.?

"Everyday teachers are doing webinars and trying to learn new tricks, new games, new online resources,? added Mrs. Kunde. ?I think that is amazing to witness. Even myself, I am comfortable with technology but I don't know all of the different resources and I feel like I have learned so much that I have gone beyond my comfort zone."

Mrs. Kunde has noticed that students have been adaptable and taking on so much responsibility, doing their own work. Mrs. Kunde has been recognizing people's adaptability and flexibility a lot as a teacher.

Mrs. Kunde and her kids have been doing activities that they have not done in a long time. Mrs. Kunde said, "My mother sent us seeds for plants, so we kind of uprooted the weeds that were growing and started planting strawberries and tomatoes. So planting has been something that we've started doing together."

Page 3

?I'm still playing piano and I?m trying to Facetime my friends often to remain to have the same routine and make everything as normal as before,? said Miguel. ?These activities remind me of the normal world but everything is now different to some extent.?

Maya Tafur Martinez Per sonal: The term ?quarantine? was never a familiar word until a few months ago. I never ever had that particular word in my common vocabulary. I have acknowledged the word before and knew what it meant, but yet had never experienced what it?s really like being stuck in a place for this long actually being in quarantine.

When you first hear about it, you think, ?Wow that must be awful,? and the answer is yes it is awful, but we never took consideration of how it really must feel.

We are now always thinking about the new or what?s going to happen next, but let?s now think about our present and what has the past done to lead up to this point.

The activities that were a part of my normal routine in the past that I enjoyed and loved doing were drawing, designing, writing, or exercising. I did plenty of more, but they were activities that really couldn?t be done indoors like playing a sport.

Because I love doing those activities so much, I still continue to do them, and doing them also really helps to remind me of how life was before quarantine.

The activities that I think the most about and miss are exploring the city with friends or family, being with my friends and relatives, playing sports, and a lot more.

Student: Seventh grader Miguel Escobar had a lot to say about quarantine.

A lot of people are trying to make their quarantine experience for their family and themselves as calm and normal as possible. ?Normal? meaning all the activities or habits they used to follow regularly before the quarantine. What people are trying to do now to feel as normal as possible is to try to keep those old activities or habits done from their normal routines and keep them in their brand new routines.

Miguel explains how doing those activities help give him that sense of normalcy and what it was like before quarantine.

Other activities that Miguel misses and thinks about the most include going outside, playing sports, and being with his friends which he says he misses a lot too.

Parent: Marylu Escobar, mother of seventh grader Miguel, is having her own worries and notions of quarantine as a parent.

Online school has been pretty good since the start. Now, in the classes we have started to learn new things. It has been a very good experience. The classes ave also started to do some tests, which have been going pretty well.

Continuing on the cooking topic, his favorite dish has recently been grilled mahi-mahi with mango chutney. Delicious!

The last activity he says he enjoys is playing board games. He said that his favorites are, ?Clue, Trivial Pursuits, Risk, and Scattergories.?

Lastly, the activities he wishes to remain in his new routine and misses are spending time with extended family, playing in the park with his sons, and being at school teaching his classes.

Lastly, Mrs. Escobar stated that the activity that she misses and thinks about the most is spending time with her relatives. ?I would like to see my brother, my sister in law, my cousin, and my mom.?

Teacher : Mr. Benjamin, a middle school Civics teacher and high school Economics teacher, had a lot to share about his experiences in quarantine.

The activities that he used to do before and remain to do are cooking, running, and playing board games. faster, and it might make your day a little more fun.

Finding things to do instead of sitting at home lonely can help depression.

Evie said, "Now that I have been spending time with my siblings I have realized that they are not so bad."

Now I am starting to gain more hope that things will start to open and more and more people will start getting their jobs back. Hopefully, things will go back to normal when June starts.

Student:

Parent:

"I have started painting galaxies and space since quarantine has started," said Evie Lagrandeur, a sixth-grader at Miami Country Day School.

"I have been keeping a routine of waking up, working out, and getting ready to work from home." said Mauricio Fernandez a parent of Natalia Fernadez at Miami Country Day School.

Finding new hobbies will help the days go way

?I like to BBQ, mostly chicken and hamburgers,? he said. ?I?ve learned to branch out over quarantine to cooking breakfast, specifically pumpkin pancakes.?

Working, being the activity that she did in her normal routine, is now incorporated in her new routine has definitely been a change especially now working from home. She stated that working at home has been more individual since she doesn?t get to see her colleagues. But because of that, ?I also get the opportunity to enjoy my house and also spend more time with my son and husband.?

Spending time with your family is a very important thing during something like this. Since you can't see anyone but your family or the people that live in your home, you might as well make the best of it. You start getting to know your older or younger sibling more and spend more time with them. During times like this, your family will always be there for you and everyone in your family.

This week has really made me happy becuase I found out that the tennis courts are now open and that we are allowed to play. I have been playing all day 24/7.

The other activity he shared that he remains doing and enjoys doing is cooking.

Ms. Escobar stated that the things she remains doing from before until now are working from home starting at 8:30 AM until 6:00 PM and being a supportive and caring mom for Miguel.

Angelina Belin Per sonal:

Mr. Benjamin said that he enjoys running, and that it is probably the activity that he has been doing for the longest. He added that running reminds him the most of ?old times? before the quarantine. He goes every morning around his neighborhood to go out for a run.

M r. Benj amin is a new teacher at M CDS. He teaches 8th gr ade Civics and upper school Economics and Compar ative Gover nment.

Keeping a healthy routine every day is good because we have to keep physical discipline and mental discipline. It is important to keep discipline because when everything goes back to normal we don't have to get used to anything new except for interaction.

"I have started to do more reading for myself during quarantine," said Mauricio Fernandez.

Reading books is a great way to make the days go faster. You might even learn something new in the book.

Page 4

Lucas Bacardi Shriftman Per sonal: I have missed my family and friends so much. My family and I are taking this global pandemic very seriously. I haven't been able to play tennis in over a month, but the courts are opening on Monday and I'm very excited. It has been very hard for me to exercise for a short period of time. I am used to exercising everyday for about two hours.

The homework is getting very overwhelming. It is getting very difficult to do.

I have cooked so many recipes, tried so many different exercises, and ideas to spend time with my family and still do hours of homework a night.

I have a problem staying organized and it is really affecting me during this time.

I'm trying to stay as positive as a can and get creative with things to do. For example, on my balcony, I put two chairs together, tied boxing

M s. M axwell is the new middle school guidance counselor and life skills teacher.

wraps to the chairs, then put a towel over the boxing wraps to make a tennis net. I played with my mom until 3 balls flew over the balcony and we didn't want to lose any.

Ms. Max hasn't had a Zoom call with friends or played board games.

Those are the top things on her list to do during quarantine that she hasn't done yet.

Teacher :

Student:

Ms. Maxwell, a guidance counselor and life skills teacher at Miami Country Day School, said that over this time she learned to be flexible in times where we can't change where we go or do.

Nick Jachtchenco, a sixth grader at Miami Country Day School, said he has been really bored, but he learned how to cook and liked it. On school days, Nick wakes up, showers, eats breakfast, goes to school, takes a one hour break, does homework, then does whatever he wants. To help his mom Nick has been cooking dinner.

She?s done some cooking, including making shepards?pie: a savory pie with potatoes and meat on the inside. Ms Max is watching a series on Netflix called ?Anne with an E.? She hasn't read any books, but is planning to read a book called, Everyday of Positive Thinking.

To exercise, Ms. Max is riding her bike around the neighborhood and doing online zumba classes.

On the weekdays, Ms. Max wakes up, exercises by either doing zumba or riding her bike around her neighborhood, takes a shower, goes to teach online school, makes dinner,

Chloe Shapiro Per sonal: The quarantine has made me become very bored. I am now spending more time at home, which means I have less to do. I usually find myself taking a bike ride, or going in the pool.

That is basically all I can do anyways. I miss seeing all my friends and going to the beach or somewhere fun with them. I miss being able to go to a restaurant and eat delicious food. When the quarantine is over, I?m going to do everything I have missed out on.

Student: ?During quarantine, I have been making bead bracelets,? said Marielle Netkin, a sixth-grade student. ?I?ve been riding my bike a lot, basically every day. One of my new favorite hobbies is actually riding my bike, I find lots of enjoyment in doing it. I miss volleyball, I miss it a lot.

All of my tournaments are canceled,

then relaxes and watches ?Anne with an E? on Netflix.

all of my practices, and I just miss seeing everyone at volleyball practice.?

Marielle said that she prefers going to school because she misses her friends, and she just wants to see everybody and actually be able to talk to them, not just virtually.

Administr ator : Vanessa Cabrera, middle school assistant director and Spanish teacher said that her dogs have definitely been getting lots of exercise. ?We?ve been going out about three times a day,? she explained. ?I have two dogs. I really miss going to school. I miss campus, I miss sitting down at the cafeteria with my fellow teachers, and the students, I miss walking around and seeing the commotion and random chatter of the students. I miss all my office-mates, and just generally being at school.?

She said that she was donating to different organizations to help out during this pandemic. Ms. Cabrera also said that this quarantine has let her and her family to slow down, and to do things that she and her family normally are not able to do.

M s. Cabrer a is the assistant director of the middle school and also teaches Spanish.

Parent: ?To keep busy I have been doing a lot of housework,? said Katherine Rodriguez,

parent of sixth grader Camila Ramirez.. ?I have been doing the laundry, cleaning up the house, and doing the dishes. I have also been reading lots of books and exercising a lot. I have also been watching Netflix. I really do miss going to work and having a general routine, it made things much easier.?

She said that staying home a lot has bored her a ton, and she hopes that she can leave her house and do stuff soon.