From the Director & co. to our families:

Through the whirlwind of emails, announcements, Facebook postings, faculty meetings, and technical glitches, there was a sweet breeze that lilted its way into our work. The warm support from parents brushed alongside us at sometimes the most frustrating moments, reminding us that we are a community working together on behalf of the students who comprise Thaddeus Stevens School. We want to thank our parents for their faith in our decisions and for their kind humor as we make our way to a new kind of learning.

As you know, it has been noted over the years that our students excel at academic thinking and discussion. Our Socratic approach is at the heart of creating the compassionate scholars who distinguish themselves in high school, vocational school, and college. We were acutely aware of that moving our voices and our knowledge into online spheres created a space between us that felt rather like a gaping pit. With trepidation we began uploading our materials and moment by moment, created our classrooms. 

We are finding new ways to sustain our community of learning. Mr. Hood has set up an art Facebook group for his K-4 students and they are submitting work that we can all enjoy. Mr. Forster gave his first online lecture and discussion which, according to his students, was excellent and fun! We are working on creating a space for an online yearbook for students to share their new experiences. Student work is flowing between teacher and student and we are all establishing our routines together.

Moving quickly to respond to the Governor’s mandate brought out the very best in our teachers, our students, and our families We worked together to ensure each teacher would be able to deliver the commentary and work that will continue to provoke deep learning.

Although we will not be interacting face-to-face, we remain steadfast in our commitment to each other, to our students, our parents, and our faculty. 

We still post regularly on our school Facebook page; please visit us regularly! Our Facebook posts also go out on Instagram.

We are all readily available and eager to hear from you and forge this new pathway.

Stay healthy. Keep in touch.
In hope and solidarity,

Julie et al.