Day two of virtual learning: Newspaper Club, Reading, Science, and more!

March 31, 2020

While our Special Education teachers continue their programming here on our Brewster campus, our Children’s Services team has added an online learning component for some of our students who are currently at home. We’re so happy to share highlights of the successful “day two” of virtual learning on Friday, which every Latham School student who is at home participated in. “We could tell that the kids were excited to not only see each other and their teachers, but to learn new things as well,” noted Director of National Outreach Katrina Fryklund.

In the morning, the students participated in independent fitness time, as well as mindfulness with Patrice Carroll, Brittni Kliment, and Katrina.

In the afternoon, the real fun started when the students joined Jeff in Newspaper Club. For some, it was their first time in Newspaper Club, and they each took home a different assignment. Over the next week, one student is going to work on riddles, another is going to work on articles, and another is going to decide on a few poll questions. Then, Jeff is going to help put together a collaborative student Newspaper including the work of students on campus and those working on school projects from home.

Next, the students worked with Fred to read a fun Dr. Seuss book. (Pictured, Fred is wearing some silly antlers to go along with the activity). The kids and other staff in the Zoom meeting loved it!

Finally, the students had a very cool science lesson with Matt. First, they watched a video about germs and how people get germs inside their body. Then they talked about some innovative tips for clean, germ-free bodies which included singing the Happy Birthday song twice when washing their hands, putting stickers on their nails if inclined to bite them, and pretending to be a vampire who brings his or her cloak in when sneezing. The students also watched Matt perform a science experiment with black pepper, water, and soap, which highlighted how soap eliminates germs when someone washes their hands for a full 20 seconds.

We are so grateful to our teachers, staff, students, and parents for making this virtual programming a success. One parent thanked our staff and added, “The virtual program has been amazing. [My daughter] loves it!”

During this difficult time, we are grateful to be able to utilize technology in an effort to keep all of our students engaged and healthy.

Pictured are teachers Fred Walters and Matthew O’Sullivan during their online learning sessions. Stay tuned for more highlights of our virtual programming in upcoming blogs!