Remote Learning Roundup: Convo, Writer’s Workshop, Formal Thursdays and More!

Remote learning is off and running at St. Margaret’s, as Tartans have embraced learning in new ways while retaining the tight-knit community that makes St. Margaret’s so special. Here are a few highlights from this week’s remote-learning sessions across all the divisions:

The weekly Upper School Convocation brings together the entire division for important announcements, fun activities and community building.

With the school operating remotely, Convo had to take on a new look. St. Margaret’s Associated Student Body took it to Zoom, as more than 225 students and teachers joined a conference and put on a virtual Convo session with announcements, games and other activities.

The Convo allowed the opportunity for the Upper School students and faculty to see each other and conduct regular school business in a new way.

 

One of the hallmarks of St. Margaret’s Writer’s Workshop curriculum in the Lower School is individual writing time while teachers circle the classroom and offer one-on-one feedback.

That one-on-one time is now online. In Erika Higgins’ grade 5 classroom, for example, students are currently working on literary essays. Mrs. Higgins logged on to the notes in Google Drive and had a conference with students in her class in individual online chats to discuss the thesis and offer feedback.

 

Kindergarten teacher Colleen Beshk can’t read books to her students in class, so she’s doing the next-best thing: recording videos of her reading books and sharing them with her students.

Mrs. Beshk has posted several read-aloud book videos on the Lower School’s Vimeo page, reading books like The Boy Who Never Gave Up, When We’re Together and Pig the Pug.

 

The Upper School’s English II classes taught by Pete Clark have an interesting twist when they meet on Thursdays. “We meet in formal each week,” Mr. Clark said, “to bring some routine to our lives.” The Upper School traditionally wears formal dress on Thursdays. Mr. Clark decided to extend that into remote learning, and his classes on Zoom were filled with students dressed in their formal wear.

 

The active lifestyles are continuing even when the learning is remote. The Lower School personal fitness and wellness department has created an outline for daily fitness, centered around the spring track and field unit students would be engaged in on campus.

The workouts include track-and-field inspired warmups, a mindfulness session and various physical fitness options ranging from dancing to calisthenics to yoga.

Spanish 1B Learns Past Tense Verbs Through Video Competition

 

Middle School students in advisory were tasked with a challenge: dress up your pets in a costume and take a picture as part of a division-wide contest.

Dogs, cats, rabbits and more were modeled for the contest, with the winners to be revealed during the Middle School Student Council Television (MSSCTV) weekly episode on Monday.