To the Parkside Parents and Alumni,
For the last several weeks, in anticipation of the coronavirus outbreak in New York City, the Parkside Board of Directors had been communicating regularly with Leslie and Albina to determine the appropriate next steps to keep our school functioning during this unprecedented time.
Driven by concern for the safety of our community, Leslie and Albina made the difficult but correct decision to close the school as of Monday, March 16, before the Department of Health and the Department of Education officially announced the closing of the public schools. In anticipation of this difficult decision, they had scheduled a one-day training for teachers and staff to develop their curriculum to be suitable for distance learning, and to learn how to use specialized technology like Zoom, which allows teachers and therapists to interact directly with their class through live video discussions. The team developed a strategy for each student and their family to ensure that they would continue their learning and interaction with school friends. This was a major challenge for everyone, and the Board is grateful to the entire team for their unwavering commitment to the education of our students.
The launch of Parkside’s distance learning model on Tuesday, March 17 was a remarkable feat, and I have personally found it immensely heartwarming to see the photos and updates being posted in the Wednesday Notes and on social media about how our students are adapting and being flexible during this transition. This week, the team has started incorporating therapies - speech, OT and social work - into the daily schedules for students, and is actively problem-solving the best way to manage reading and math groups, which often include students from different classrooms. The school continues to adjust and change in order to make this new way of learning as manageable as possible for everyone involved.
Disappointingly, the school closure has meant cancelling all upcoming in-person events, including the Special Persons Visitor Assemblies and our Roaring Twenties Spring Benefit. We are cognizant of the economic impact this crisis has brought on many in our community, yet our determination to secure the funding necessary to support Parkside is stronger than ever. Fundraising is still essential for the continuation of our programs, and so we have high hopes for the Virtual Benefit the Parents Association has put together.
I hope you will join us in this effort, by bidding in the online auction from March 26 through April 3, and by giving as generously as you can to the virtual paddle raise as we strive to reach our goal of $130,000 for our art, music, drama, yoga, physical education and - more than ever before - our technology programs. Your support, at whatever level you are able to give, will be integral to the continuation of these programs and will help to fund at least 20 much-needed new computers for our students and teachers.
On behalf of the entire Board, I want to express how very proud we are of the work that Leslie, Albina and their amazing team have done in such a short period of time to respond to the impact of the coronavirus, and the introduction of distance learning. This is a new chapter in education for Parkside and for all of the other schools impacted by this crisis. The Board extends its thanks and support to everyone who has helped to make the transition to distance learning as seamless as possible, especially the parents who have all become teachers while working alongside their children.
If there are any comments or questions you have regarding the recent changes at Parkside, please don’t hesitate to reach out and we will do our best to respond quickly and openly.
Thank you all and stay safe and healthy,
Alan Pearson
President
Parkside Board of Directors