CAMPUS CURRENTS
BACK TO SCHOOL In September, after a spring during which teaching and learning happened remotely, Penn Charter welcomed students back to campus for the first time in six months.
STAYING SAFE What does it take to keep school safe during the pandemic? Hiring 24 new teachers and a third nurse. Patience. Persistence. Cooperation. And stuff. To create outdoor spaces for classes, meetings, and so that students could sit socially distanced and remove their masks to eat lunch, Penn Charter rented tents.
THE SCHOOL INVESTED IN:
Grades pre-K to 8 returned to campus in person, except for about two dozen students whose families
• 17 tents
chose to have children learn remotely for medical or personal reasons. The Upper School returned
• two bathroom trailers
in a “hybrid” model so that students could remain socially distanced in classrooms and hallways: the
• 44 air purifiers
Blue team learned on campus one week while the Yellow team conferenced into classes from home— and then the teams alternated the following week. Adults reimagined their work. College counselors met students and parents online and hosted more than 100 virtual visits from college admissions representatives. Instrumental and choral groups met virtually for sectional rehearsals and collaborated on concert music by recording their parts separately at home so ensemble directors could edit them together. Lower School teachers identified
• 90 hand sanitizer stations • over 20,000 ounces of hand sanitizer • 10 portable sinks • 3 electrostatic cleaners and 24 gallons of Vital Oxide spray cleaner
and then learned a collection of new technology tools and apps, from FlipGrid to SeeSaw. The PC
• over 250 gallons of spray liquid cleaner
Parent Community held its opening meeting of the year on Zoom and captured a record 180 visitors,
• 110 canisters of wet wipes
more than four times the usual turnout. Everyone learned to recharge laptops and phones overnight.
• 260 boxes of dry wipes
Throughout it all, the community cooperated to mitigate the novel coronavirus with hand hygiene,
• 600 feet of floor tape
social distancing and masks.
• 84 acrylic dividers
Stay safe, PC!
• 1,464 additional hours of daytime cleaning
FALL 2020 •
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