We are so excited to start our new school year. As strange as 2020 has been, being back in school and back in the routine has been a pleasant transition. With most of our kids learning from home through our Distant Learning Program, we are excited to welcome a few of our Elementary children into the building for our childcare program.

This academic year, as part of our Professional Development, we wanted to take into consideration one of the most important topics being discussed around our country: diversity, inclusion, and equity.  The Cedar Crest Elementary Staff are continuing to grow not only in skills, experience, and passion but are learning various ways we can support our diverse students both in and out of the classroom. The root of diversity in education is Responsive Teaching. This idea stems from the thought that we need to take time and put in the energy to learn, accept, and appreciate all cultures around us. It also stems from the idea that what we see as “culture” is only the tip of the iceberg and every child, even from the same “culture,” has so much more that makes them unique and allows them to flourish.

Using the Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching and Learning book, during our bi-weekly Book Club Meetings, we discuss the various attributes that make Cedar Crest a unique community and how we, as educators, can have the best classroom practices for student success. We are learning how we can alter our lessons and our teaching formats to make all lessons more inclusive and equitable to our very diverse population. We learned to implement the Ring of Culture to show us how unique each child is, how different each language is, how diverse a dialect is, how creative celebrations are, and how learning can include and accommodate these attributes.

Along with our Book Club, the Elementary teachers and staff are continuing to implement our amazing Distant Learning Program. Using both Zoom and Google Classroom as the main platform, the teachers are running 4-5 live lessons a day, which includes core subjects, specialists, Clubs, and Houses. To make things more interactive and enhance our program, other tools such as Kahoot, Go Noodle, and Flippity is being used to play games, go on virtual adventures, and exercise our bodies.

As much as we miss the children, we are excited to implement such an amazing program that will continue benefitting the children until their return to our blended learning model and complete in-school learning. We are also happy that the children are safe at home during these times, knowing they are getting the best education they can, even if online.