The start of a new semester is a perfect time to reflect on and review strategies for student success in hybrid learning. Whether your family has chosen to attend school online or on campus, one of the most important steps you can take is establishing consistent expectations and routines around school life.

At EARJ, we incorporate a daily asynchronous learning block into our hybrid model for Lower School students. This means that students complete learning activities outside of school, at their own pace, and with flexibility and choice.

This is a really important component of the full picture of planned learning. It helps students to develop key skills that complement classroom learning, whether in preparation, practice, or extension of their learning in the classroom.

Last week, our teachers reflected on feedback from parent and student surveys on asynchronous learning. We thought about how to balance screen time and technology-based learning with hands-on, interactive experiences that fit students’ interests and learning needs.  We considered solutions to support parents with asynchronous learning that take into account family needs.

Here are some simple but important principles that we hope will help families with asynchronous learning at home:

1. Establish an agreed upon regular home routine

It may seem obvious but it is so important. Agree on expectations with your child and create a routine at home for completing each day’s learning that works for both of you. Setting up a special workspace and organizing a schedule with breaks (and snacks!) each day will support your child to be successful.

2. Motivate through opportunities for problem-solving & creativity

Even our youngest students can develop problem-solving skills and independence, but they need help. The younger the child, the more you need to support them. If you show enthusiasm for the activity your child will love it!

3. Time together is priceless!

Asynchronous learning can be challenging, but it is also a real opportunity. It is a chance for parents to gain insights about how your child learns and what content is being covered.  This parent-child connection not only supports academics but also social-emotional well-being and overall success. We know that this is not always easy for working parents, but the benefits are amazing if you can find a time to do it.

4. Celebrate and praise

Children love feedback and praise – we all do! Try to showcase what your child does at home. When parents put their child’s drawings on the refrigerator door, or share photos of them doing school work at home on your family’s Facebook page, the message you are sending to your child is “We love that you’re learning!”.

5. Connect the dots

Kids can be incredibly perceptive. Ask them how what they are doing at home connects to what they are doing during synchronous lessons, be they online or on campus. When we connect the dots it helps us to reinforce our learning – and kids are awesome at this.

It has become increasingly clear that hybrid learning is here to stay… at least for a while.  We understand that for busy families this means continuing to navigate to the various demands of students learning part-time at home: parental commitment, English language support, managing multiple children, and keeping student motivation high (just to name a few!). We are committed to continuing to work together to support students by creating solid partnerships with families. We thank every EARJ parent for their participation and feedback and encourage families to continue to reach out to teachers to ensure a successful semester of hybrid learning.

Resources for Parents:

Blended Learning in the Mix: The Informed Parent

8 Tips to Help Children Enjoy Hybrid or Virtual Learning

8 Tips to Help Your Child Focus and Stay Engaged During Distance Learning

Kirstin White
Barra Lower School Principal

Aristotle once said, “Happiness depends upon ourselves”, but the question is: how do we reach happiness without being grateful?

He pointed out the relationship between human dignity, “the best of us” and gratitude. That relationship teaches us that a mere thank you is not only that, it’s uniquely tied to the giving of one-self. With this in mind, I have come to the conclusion that it’s important we continue to enforce a culture of gratitude and appreciation around us. Being thankful is such a beautiful and powerful quality as we navigate in this tumultuous world.

It should be noted that being happy or being thankful does not depend on your economic status, or how many friends you have and it certainly doesn’t mean being dependent on electronics or even the most recent gadget. It can start as a small seed of appreciation and grow into a life leading direction that will allow ourselves to be grateful when we take the time to reflect on the moments, relationships and stories that truly shape our lives, and we give back a sense of peace and loving gratitude to our families, communities, and the world.

Gratitude means learning to appreciate the hard times because these moments that make the good ones feel even better. This mindset will give you the courage, the spirit, and the strength that allow you to get through challenging times and shape the person you are today. I believe that reflection, and being thankful should happen every day, but specially on these days, we have a shared opportunity to thoughtfully and collectively push our ‘thanks’ beyond our normal circles. So now, take a moment to reflect about what you’re thankful for.

Thankfulness is something that is personal and controllable. What are you thankful for?

I am thankful for:

• My family, the love, support that comes with that structure. Thankful for my friends, who accept but challenge me to grow and become a better person.

• The people who fight for the health of others. Those that fight for love, equity and inclusion of all people. Those who see both successes and setbacks in the next step in their journey.

• Our nurses, staff, workers, IT team, faculty and leaders for making EARJ a school that cares about the immediate needs, safety and future of our children, and I am thankful for the amazing professionals that I get to work alongside and learn from.

• The love and kindness of our students and community, which is expressed in actions that show gratitude and appreciation for those in need. They are tutoring, helping animal shelters, sewing face masks for people in Rocinha, organizing toy and food drives for the coming holidays, raising funds for our workers, and continuing to work consistently in many community service initiatives.

• And of course, thankful for our Panther MUN delegates for their fantastic accomplishments this semester and for our student athletes that during this semester practiced sports and competed virtually with great results for our school. They became the champions in 4 out of the 5 sports, with the largest participation of all the participating schools.

What are you thankful for? Thanks to everyone reading this article, who in many ways, large and small, can, has and will continue to change other’s lives showing others your appreciation. For that, I am thankful.

Claudia Araya
Athletics & Activities Director

One of the things I really enjoy is to work with people younger than me. Not just 2 or 3 years younger, but from a different generation – I have great friends who were my interns or trainees in the past that have become amazing professionals. Apart from the fact that I loved to learn and to hear their fresh ideas, I found it rewarding to push them to take risks, to make them feel confident to discover their passions.

I believe passion is a game changer. When you feel good about someone (no matter if it’s a Lower School crush, a High School sweetheart, or the love of your life), you want to make a good impression, say the right words, make the right moves. If it’s a passion for what you do, time seems to fly. There’s this strange energy, this fuel that keeps you moving and gets nothing but the best out of you.

Passion is not something you bump into everyday, though. You need to feel inspired, to be open, to “practice new”. Practice builds confidence and also helps you learn that although you will not thrive everytime, it is worth taking the risk.

So a few days ago I received the cutest video from the Lower School team, with kids trying new things like doing pirouettes, surfing, skaterolling. They were taking risks, experimenting things they never did before, feeling the rush. It was part of their exploration of the PYP Learner Profile Attributes. At some point, they would explain why they considered themselves risk takers, feeling proud about themselves no matter if they went well or not. They were proud because they tried. They were feeling the grounds of a new activity that could lead or not to a new passion. Most importantly, they were developing their confidence.

At EARJ, students are inspired to take risks, to try new activities in sports, arts, social responsibility, leadership, and so many other things. They may or may not quickly connect with some of these activities, but what will echo in the future, either in their personal or their professional lives, is that they developed their confidence and were always inspired in trying something new.

Inspiration ignites passion. Passion leads to purpose. Purpose defines the path. It’s no surprise that at EARJ, we are passionate about our purpose to help our students find their path.

Cristina Conforto
Director of Advancement