News

ROLO elementary is a form of online schooling that Springmont hosts. Springmont also hosts a ROLO for primary but we are talking about elementary ROLO. ROLO elementary is run by Patricia Jordon who used to be the teacher of a lower elementary class. The ROLO elementary students use programs such a seesaw and IXL to do work. We have our meetings and work cycles on zoom. A program that is much like FaceTime or Skype but can have more people in one call. ROLO elementary students also have specialists. A specialist is the music teacher or the art teacher or another teacher that teaches something special. ROLO elementary students also get conferences every week unlike normal school. We also stand up and take water breaks and screen breaks and times to move our bodies. We also use something on zoom called a breakout room. A breakout room is like a table in a classroom. Students can go alone or with friends to breakout rooms by the host. Lessons also take place in breakout rooms. There is a morning meeting and afternoon meeting every day. We can also share things every day. And every day someone shares a school appropriate video with the class. We also get boxes every week that have materials that the teachers make in and then put them that will be used in lessons and papers for specialists. The materials that we use work almost as well as the normal ones. This introduction is dedicated to all of the students who are curious about ROLO elementary. 

As communicated in Head of School Jon Alden's October 23 Update, Springmont remains steadfast in our commitment to the health and safety of our students, families, teachers and staff and attentive to the academic, social and emotional well-being of our students.  After consulting teachers and staff, re-examining physical spaces and schedules, and weighing the risks with the needs of our community, here are some updates to our learning scenario.  

•    Toddler class capacity maximums will be increased from 10 to 12 students per class allowing a few new families to join our school.  This is still below our usual cap of 15 students per class, and our Toddler staff is confident they can maintain all health and safety protocols with 2 additional students per class.

•    Primary class capacity maximums will be increased from 15 to 18 students per class allowing Toddlers to move-up to this level when they are ready. This is still well below our usual 25 students per class.  Our Primary Teachers feel they can support the learning of additional students and that this will enrich class communities without compromising health and safety.

•    Lower Elementary will transition to fully On Campus learning beginning Tuesday, November 3. Increasing in-person learning for these students is consistent with our original Re-Entry plans that acknowledged the need to prioritize face-to-face learning for younger students. Parents in this group overwhelming indicated that the relatively small increase in health and safety risk was outweighed by the desire and need for fully On Campus learning. As previously communicated, there will be no in-person or at-home classes for Lower Elementary students on Monday, November 2 to allow for classrooms to be re-arranged and additional tables and sneeze guards to be installed. November 3 will be an Early Dismissal day (for Lower Elementary only) to allow classes to orient students to adjustments in work cycle routines before incorporating changes to lunch and recess protocols. Additional support staff for cleaning will be provided, but after further review, this staff will be shared rather than assigned to a particular class as mentioned during my Zoom Coffee.

•    Upper Elementary will continue in the Hybrid mode already established. Many parents of Upper Elementary students indicated that their students were managing At Home learning well, which is to be expected for this age group, and that the additional health risks of resuming fully On Campus learning were not counterbalanced by the potential gains in their child’s educational experience.  Fully On Campus learning for Upper Elementary students will be reviewed for a possible January start.

•    Middle School will continue to operate as two cohorts but beginning Monday, November 2, students will be allowed limited co-mingling outdoors with supervision for academic classes, class-wide meetings, recess, and PE, only.  Masks will continue to be required indoors and outside except when students are consistently physically distanced 6 feet apart or more and while eating. While Middle School has enjoyed great success operating as two distinct cohorts, the unique social-emotional needs of early adolescents are prompting us to consider additional co-mingling opportunities. Middle School parents are asked to take a brief survey, letting us know your thoughts. The survey will close Wednesday, October 28, at 8 a.m. and a decision will be communicated on Thursday, October 29.

•    We will not be able to offer Early Care/Extended Day for Elementary and Middle School students at this time but will continue to explore ways to provide optional before and after school care as soon as we are able.

•    As a reminder to parents of ROLO students, the deadline to opt-out of ROLO for Semester II is November 6. Please note that it may not be feasible for students who opt-out to rejoin their 2019-20 class due to class size and composition. Primary and Elementary parents who wish to consider our fully remote learning option for January-May may email Nikki (for Elementary) or Cara (for Primary) to be added to the ROLO waitlist.

Questions, concerns and comments are best addressed by sending them to feedback@springmont.com.

As noted by Head of School Jon Alden in his October 16 Head of School update, thanks to the vigilance of our community, we continue to see no spread of the coronavirus in our school community. This has prompted us to consider a possible transition from Hybrid to fully On Campus learning for our Elementary students as well as Middle School cohorts resuming some intermingling and Toddler and Primary class enrollment slowly increasing by a few students. There is a lot to consider and as with all things COVID, change occurs weekly if not daily so a decision will not be made until Friday, October 23. In addition to sending thoughts and questions to feedback@springmont.com at any time, parents are invited to grab a second cup of coffee and join Jon for a Q&A discussion of our tentative plans at our next Zoom Parent Coffee on Thursday, October 22nd, at 9 a.m. 

Thank you to those who completed last week's Pulse Survey! We are happy to hear that 65% of respondents "strongly agree" and another 29% "agree" that their children "feel safe and happy while at school". Several parents commented on their child's confidence, sense of belonging, and love for their teachers. When asked about hopes for what your children will say about their school experience this year, the overall sentiment was a desire for happiness, community, and friendship.  

Please note that we have amended our Snack Policy! While we still ask all students to bring their own water bottles, lunches and snacks to campus each day and food will not be served communally, individual servings of pre-packaged, store-bought items may be permitted for birthday celebrations or holiday celebrations. Please check with your child's Teacher for additional guidelines and before sending any items to be shared.

As previously announced, Associate Head of School for Elementary & Middle Learning Nikki Torres has been appointed Springmont's DEI Coordinator. Because work on issues of diversity, equity and inclusivity is a community effort, she will be joined by a committee of faculty and staff including Primary Assistant Sianda Ruiz, Toddler Teacher Toshia Johnson, Primary Teacher Laura Cassell, Elementary Teacher Patricia Jordan, Middle School Teacher Gretchen Stamps, Toddler/Primary Division Head Cara Friedline, and Head of School Jon Alden. They will work together to set goals, gather ideas, questions and concerns, and steer our continued efforts to put issues of diversity, equity and inclusivity at the center of our work with children and families. Parents should mark their calendars for “Talking about Race at Home,” a workshop with iChange Collaborative that will take place virtually on Tuesday, December 1, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

There’s always something interesting happening “on the farm” at Springmont, and late summer was no exception!  Our beloved turkey hen, Jenny, had been broody for many months, hoping for some turkey chicks (or poults) of her own. She finally has something to gobble about, but it’s not what you think!

Both hens and turkey hens get broody which means all they want in life is to hatch some chicks. Hormones kick in and the hen retires to a nesting box where she camps out, growling and pecking at anyone who dares approach. She means business! Broodiness can last a few days or several months depending on how committed the hen is.  Having a broody hen is ok if you don’t mind having some chicks and if you know some of those eggs will hatch.  Having a hen sit on eggs that never hatch is unfair to her, and left to her own devices, a hen will forgo her usual foraging activities resulting in weight loss and a general decline in health.

Unlike chickens, turkey hens will lay an entire clutch of 12+ eggs over a period of time and then incubate them. Jenny laid two clutches over the summer but it seems none were viable. So, when a couple of chickens decided that the turkey barn was the ideal spot to leave a few eggs, Jenny saw her chance to have one more go at it, and she sat on them for three weeks straight. She rarely left her nest and was rewarded when two tiny black chicks hatched. We all watched and waited to see how this would play out. Would she take one look at them and realize they were not hers? Or might the chicks see this enormous bird and shriek “YOU’RE NOT MY MOTHER!”  

Well, nature, as always, found a way, and the three of them have become the sweetest little family. Jenny clucks constantly over them, guiding them in the art of scratching and foraging. She keeps them under her feathers on cool evenings and mornings and finds the sunniest spot in the barnyard for them to lounge during the warm part of each day. They follow her diligently into the barn every evening. 

Of course, it will be some time before the chicks can manage on their own but it will be interesting to see if and how they separate themselves. Will they end up moving into the coop with the rest of the chickens or will they stay in the turkey barn? Will Jenny become more tolerant of chickens now? We're waiting with bated breath to see what happens next!

We’re so proud of Middle School Math Teacher Marsha Fleming who recently presented at this year’s virtual Southeastern Association for Science Teacher Education conference attended by college professors, graduate students and Ph.D. candidates. As math and science education are often intertwined, Marsha was invited to submit a speaking proposal by one of her graduate school professors. She chose to address a common math (and science) learning problem – how to help students retain what they have learned from previously taught units and how to effectively use these skills in combination to solve problems spanning multiple concepts. Marsha’s graduate work and research focused on combining 2 memory strategies – retrieval practice and interleaving (continuing to regularly practice already learned ideas alongside new concepts). Supported by the discriminative contrast hypothesis and comparative thinking, as well as the distributed practice hypothesis, interleaving retrieval practice teaches students to identify things that look similar but are actually different (e.g. 5x=25 and 5x=25) and to look at problems not in isolation but in connection to all skills previously learned. Springmont’s Middle School students benefit from Marsha’s love for learning and deep engagement in her subject matter! 

Published once a year, The Sandpaper Letter is Springmont's literary and creative arts journal showcasing work submitted by students Primary through Middle School.  Art Teacher Theresa Dean is looking for art of any medium including photography as well as poetry and short stories! Entries accepted now through March 26, 2021. Click here to print a submission form for your child's work!

YES! There will be a 2020-21 Yearbook! As has become tradition, students are invited to submit full-color, 8½ X 11” entries for the cover. Creativity and originality are encouraged and collaboration is welcome! Students should consider what Springmont represents and favorite things about Springmont. Entries are due to Andrea Restifo by November 6. Artwork will not be returned and may be used for other Springmont publications.

THANK YOU to all who participated in our first-ever Virtual Montessori Mile!  It was a beautiful day for a run and the pictures you shared prove that Springmont's school spirit is alive and well! Look for more pictures on Facebook later today.

The following are the top place finishers; way to go! Ribbons will be sent home!

• Men's Mile: 1st place: James Little; 2nd place: Patrick Burns (alumni parent); 3rd place: Hamilton Williams
• Women's Mile: 1st place: Tamara Burns (alumni parent); 2nd place: Wendy Sandvi; 3rd place: Tara Gilbert
• Boys' Mile: 1st place: Cole Kite-Powell; 2nd place: Mason Smith; 3rd place: Evan Clough
• Girls' Mile: 1st place: Samantha Hakerem; 2nd place: Amelia Martin; 3rd place: Juliet Martin

And, here are our Raffle winners (look for information from Tiffany about when and how these will be distributed):

• $50 Amazon Gift Card - Raluca Lazar
• (4) passes to the Children's Museum - Justin Watson
• Springmont Swag Bag - Jeremy Spain
• Springmont Swag Bag - Sarah Fox
• Springmont Swag Bag - Toshia Johnson

We are pleased to announce that after many positive comments from parents last fall, K. Boyer Photography will return to campus Tuesday, October 13, and Wednesday, October 14, to take individual photos of all students and staff!  Information about prints, packages, and online purchasing will be sent by Kristin Boyer after photo-taking is completed.

Tuesday, October 13
Chris' Cohort B
Ellen's Cohort B
Livia's Cohort B
Middle School Cohorts A & B
Nicole's Cohort B
Remzije's Class
ROLO by appointment - Primary & Elementary
Zaiba/Toshia's Class

Wednesday, October 14
Chris' Cohort A
Ellen's Cohort A
Jeanie's Class
Laura's Class
Livia's Cohort A
Nicole's Cohort A
ROLO by appointment - Primary & Elementary
Rosanne's Class