Virtual Readiness
he CBA faculty is committed to providing our students with a truly exceptional educational experience. Whether on-campus or virtually we will offer students the strategies and interventions that will allow them to find academic success.
In order to best prepare all community members for the eventualities that may lie ahead during this unprecedented time, schedules that will accommodate students both on-campus and virtually have been prepared in advance, offering us flexibility for as much in-person learning as safety permits and for the best possible virtual program for any or all who may need it.
Curriculum – We will continue to emphasize the core curriculum in our instruction. Thus, Literacy, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies will serve as the curriculum’s foundation, and we will make adaptations to the delivery of the arts (visual, performing, and culinary) and technology-based curricula as necessary.
Flexibility – CBA is sensitive to the fact that a wide range of factors are likely to enter into (a) the school’s decision to teach on-campus or remotely and (b) a family’s choice to have students present on-campus when conditions allow or at home when they do not. Our virtual plan incorporates this flexibility to permit instruction to go forward wherever students need to be.
Technology – With our learning management system, Canvas, being in place for 3 years prior, CBA was well prepared for online learning when the need abruptly arose during the spring of 2020. CBA administration, board members, and faculty have worked hard over the summer to bring our technological advantages into service in still stronger ways should the need arise.
Telepresence – Through telepresence devices, students who must be at home while others are in school will be able to access live classroom learning and videoconferencing. These devices will assist our faculty with the challenge of simultaneously teaching and producing classroom presentations.
Synchronous (Live) Learning – Students at home will be able to learn remotely through live teacher presentations in which teachers may move about to present information on a white board or go to demonstrate a lesson at a workstation.
Asynchronous (Delayed) Learning – Some instructional content will be recorded, stored, and made available to students through Canvas permitting routine review of instructional material and availability to later view missed content.
Digital Resource Teacher – Always mindful that the additional support of our highly skilled teachers is central to our students’ success, this year we will have one instructor who is dedicated solely to supporting students who are learning at home when most students are in the building. The digital resource teacher will provide 30 minutes daily of direct instruction utilizing the content posted in Canvas to drive the curriculum. This teacher will assist students at home with prioritizing their work, providing tutoring support in areas of need, and serving as a liaison to the classroom teacher to consult and recommend modifications, as necessary.
The Virtual Schedule
Lower School (sample schedule)
Middle School (sample schedule)
Upper School (sample schedule)
Developing Digital Citizens
We are committed to encouraging our students to use technology and recognize the importance of establishing safe and appropriate practices. On a division-wide basis, we teach guidelines on how technology should be used appropriately, allowing our students to develop in a world where it serves human values, encourages creativity, protects ownership, and establishes the foundation for becoming a responsible digital citizen.
