Darlington School: Private Boarding School in Georgia Upper School Distance Learning Update
Darlington School: Private Boarding School in Rome, GA
Some text some message..
 

Upper School Distance Learning Update

March 18, 2020 | 290 views

Dear Upper School Students and Parents,

On Monday, March 23, we will embark on a learning journey together. Our faculty members have worked extremely hard this week to create a distance learning program that is both engaging and interactive during this time of uncertainty in our lives. It is my hope that this letter will give you an overview of the program that we have created to empower you to learn with passion. While the campus may be closed, school is open!

PHILOSOPHY

Darlington is taking an asynchronous approach to distance learning. This means classroom teachers will make a lesson to share with students to do on their own time instead of having a live class. Teachers will provide instructions on Darlington’s student assignments page that are detailed enough for a student to work through on his or her own. Lessons will be designed for students to be engaged, much like a traditional class but without the teacher being present. 

DAILY SCHEDULE

While we are providing the core of our lessons asynchronously, we will maintain a daily schedule to facilitate opportunities for teachers to interact with students live each day Monday through Friday. The schedule is not intended to provide direct group instruction. It is best to think of these times as “office hours” for individual classes. Teachers will be available during these designated times, so students should feel confident to log in to the class “live” to interact with their teacher and classmates.

  • We will keep our current rotating schedule approach as individual period “office hours” times with modifications.

  • The schedule will not rotate. Each odd day will be Periods 1, 3, 5, 7 and even days will be 2, 4, 6, 8 in that order.

  • Teachers will schedule a Google Hangouts Meet in advance for each office hour period with the students in their class. 

  • Students and parents should communicate via the Darlington website and Google Apps, which are the platforms our students have been using throughout the year. 

  • Darlington picked office hours to be from 8 a.m. to noon because it was the best compromise across time zones. Students who live in time zones that make this difficult should feel free to arrange alternative times to connect with their classroom teachers.

NUTS AND BOLTS

Students will begin to hear specific information about classes from each teacher in the coming days.    

Spring break officially ends on Sunday, March 22, and distance learning begins on Monday, March 23.  

Monday the 23rd will be Day 1, an odd day in our learning cycle.

Day students who need access to learning materials needed for distance learning may come to campus on Thursday, March 19, between the hours of 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. or on Friday, March 20, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Students needing to pick up materials from school should park in the Trippeer parking lot. Faculty will not be available during these pick-up times as we practice social distancing on campus. Students needing instruments should contact Mr. Damon Harvey to arrange pick up. Please contact me if you need a specific item that is not in your locker. 

The campus will remain closed to boarding and day students until further notice. 

Resources to answer your questions about the spring ACT, SAT, and AP Exams can be found by using the links below.

College Board (SAT and AP Exams)

ACT

From my years in education, I have learned that one cannot control the events that are to come.  However, one can control the response. I firmly believe we are living in a moment that will be etched in history. I am confident that our dedicated and talented faculty and our highly capable students will respond well to the challenges before us.

Sincerely,

Matthew Peer
Director of Upper School