Student development - academically, emotionally, and physically - and fostering a lifelong love of learning is at the heart of our mission at Quarry Lane and is at the center of our distance learning development and application. The core principles of balance, creativity, and connection have guided how we've structured and implemented our distance learning program. Distinguishing the difference between distance learning and 'online' learning has been and continues to be an important factor as our teachers and administrators lead the way in creating an authentic learning experience away from campus.
BALANCE
At Quarry Lane, providing our students with a balanced experience has always been a priority and is a key consideration and element of our distance learning program. Balancing the need for the comfort and structure of routine with opportunities for independent work and social/emotional development has been the inspiration for several key highlights of our distance learning program.
Bell Schedule
Maintaining our regular bell schedule for our middle and high school students continues a sense of routine and organization for our Upper School students. Each grade level of our Lower School program runs on a consistent, modified schedule that incorporates each of their co-curricular classes (STEM, Art, P.E., Music, and World Languages) each week. All faculty members have created open Office Hours for students to drop in and ask questions, get help with an assignment, or receive additional support.
Screen Time and Independent Work
While the logistics of distance learning requires some screen time for students, we do not expect, nor encourage, students to be tied to their screens all day. Our faculty is continually mindful of monitoring and reducing the amount of screen time for students. Strategies that we have implemented to reduce screen time include incorporating time at the end of classes for independent student work that doesn't involve screens, and developing creative classwork and/or projects that require little to no screen time.
CREATIVITY
Adapting to a new mode of learning has inspired the Quarry Lane faculty and administration to innovate and adopt creative strategies to engage students learning at home. Whether it's our Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering students learning about Lactobacillus bacteria through making yogurt at home, to our P.E., Art, and Music teachers conducting live activity sessions, our teachers are creatively channeling the active learning experiences that typically happen in their classrooms into their virtual classrooms.
CONNECTION
Maintaining our community's sense of connectedness to their classrooms, their teachers, and to each other is an important priority of our remote learning experience. Building out time in our students' daily schedules and creating opportunities for students to socialize, nurtures their need for social interaction with their peers that would otherwise take place throughout their regular school day. Morning meetings--a regular part of our Lower School students' daily schedule--are still conducted in their virtual classrooms to help students begin their day centered and connected as a class community. We have also established "spirit days" and "spirit themes" to keep our spirits lifted and share our school spirit together, from afar. Keeping an open line of communication between our teachers, administrators, and families have also been instrumental int the success of our program. Virtual parent meetings, messages and videos from our school administrators, and regular email communication have all contributed to keeping our community informed and connected.
