Our Cushman community is one of great strength and endurance. Amidst an ever-changing city, Cushman’s oasis has stood firmly grounded in its mission and philosophy for over 96 years while always placing children’s best interest, first. Currently, as we are navigating this COVID-19 pandemic, our mission and philosophy remain at the forefront of all of our decisions, including how we are delivering our distance learning programming. In rapid response to this global crisis, the faculty, staff and administration have co-designed and launched a curriculum platform for your child(ren) that will continue to evolve while being attentive to the developmental nature of each group of children driving the design.
We have already witnessed much excitement among our children as they interact with their classmates on Zoom. They deserve to remain connected and be joyful in this new virtual learning environment. Depending on whether your child(ren) are in the Primary, Elementary or Upper School, the amount of ‘screen-time’ will reflect current brain research. For example, beginning with the first week back, Primary and Elementary School schedules vary, and you will find a range of whole class Zoom time, small class Zoom time, faculty office hours for one-on-one help, and some special area classes. With each new week, additional “specials” will be added.
Your child(ren) will receive targeted communications from his/her director, as well as individual teachers filled with the auxiliary offerings for your family. For those who have younger children, I know they will need help entering Zoom and in engaging in activities; We appreciate your partnership in this effort. Be assured that our community is here to support and help you navigate this remote learning experience.
The administrative team and I look forward to continuing many of the Cushman traditions, such as Morning Flag, birthday ribbons and honoring recipients of the Kindness Key while introducing many innovative ways to deliver our trademark enrichment beyond just academics from our remote locations. This virtual world we now share may keep us separated physically, but we strive to be more connected than ever in the Cushman Spirit of accomplishing our common mission together.
Follow @cushmanschool or Like The Cushman School on FB to see how we are engaging our students and continuing to provide enrichment via our new virtual educational journey.
– Arvi Balseiro