Richmond Hill Montessori Private School (RHMS) is proving Distance Learning is more than just “face time.”
Every morning, RHMS preschoolers log onto their virtual classrooms, and begin their day with familiar activities.
“It is important for Montessori kids to start off their day as they would in the classroom,” said Ms. Olivia Giannone, Montessori Head Teacher.
Ms. Giannone explained the importance of keeping a schedule, all while retaining the core principles of a preschool environment. At RHMS, preschoolers not only log onto their virtual sessions for regular lesson periods, but for peer-to-peer and student-to-teacher connections. Through state-of-the-art applications and tools, RHMS is not only able to provide distance learning, but foster a safe, and effective at-home learning environment.
That’s just the surface.
Dig deeper and you’ll find the heart of RHMS, beating strong with school spirit. School-wide challenges continue weekly, everything from iconic dance challenges to Canadian spring photo contests. Assemblies continue as usual with bustling virtual rooms, dedicated to grades, presentations and most recently, term awards and achievements.
“At RHMS, we are bringing our rich curriculum to students through a number of online, digital strategies. This includes utilizing our digital portals, digital education resources, online book libraries and our highly trained faculty. They offer support to their student body through video conferencing, specialized study guidance and ultimately, maintaining their open communication and connectedness to their students,” said Ms. Cristina Ingravalle, RHMS Principal.
“At the end of the day, it’s more than just a lesson plan. It’s about the health and wellbeing of our students, and it shows – it shows through how our staff stay connected to students.”
Distance learning also means finding Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) scenarios in everyday practical life. Using commonly found household items, intermediate students created Rube Goldberg machines – illustrating how energy changes through a number of interactions. Senior students took their unit on Canadian innovators to the next level, by innovating their own, unique presentations – everything from cooking tutorials to online interactive demonstrations.
And it doesn’t stop there.
RHMS is taking grade eight graduation online with a virtual celebration. Alumni speeches, awards, and most of all, a celebration; a celebration of the students who grew up, grew better, and grew into themselves through the halls of RHMS. Their spirit shined bright at school, and will shine bright beyond the walls of RHMS.
It’s a chapter worth remembering. Coming together when we needed to. Staying together because we wanted to. At RHMS it’s more than just a physical building that brings a community together, it’s the people.
