Not snow fast: Greater Atlanta Christian School stays in session — online
Snow and ice has brought the city of Atlanta to a standstill, but it hasn’t stopped Greater Atlanta Christian School from teaching its students.
The school, associated with Churches of Christ, reports:
Greater Atlanta Christian School’s parking lot may have been empty on Wednesday and Thursday but school is still in session. Classes are being held via a web-based communication portal, Haiku, where students from 1st to 12th grade, access assignments from wherever they are and communicate directly with their teachers.
“Our teachers are well-trained for days like this,” says Dr. Misty Overman, VP of Learning Initiatives and Junior High Principal. “Our assignments are already managed online through Haiku weekly.” For Cyber School, teachers have posted extended assignments, original podcasts, and even managed virtual help sessions with students. A secure browser allows students to continue with assessments, creative tools such as iMovie allow them to demonstrate knowledge, and Haiku notes and announcements expand reading assignments. Grades will count, during these days, and follow-up from teachers is expected on all assignments.
For example, one of GAC’s 5th grade teachers sent out a “cyber assignment” to his students to read two book chapters and create a 3-4 minute iMovie summarizing the chapters. Students were instructed to include music, text, and video for this assignment and will present their iMovie to classmates when everyone returns to campus. Also, students in 1st – 5th grades were sent a “cyber PE workout” to complete. One Elementary parent shares, “On a wintry day, it was incredible to see my girls in our living room, watching the video workout assignment, doing planks, squats, lunges, running in place, and other exercises that I haven’t yet mastered.”
Read the full post.
(If you’re stuck at home due to inclement weather and have a hankering to learn some math, check out coach Gary Richey’s podcast for his sixth grade class about “Ratio Boxes Involving Totals.”)
On his personal blog, school president David Fincher talks about Greater Atlanta Christian’s response to the snow storm, which wreaked havoc across the Southeast Jan. 28.
I thank God that, as best we know after research, the entire GAC community of kids, staff, faculty, and parents were in a safe place for the night. Even with that, it was a late night for a few before that “safe place” was found. We were tracking a number of students and staff through the afternoon and evening. I probably lived out Paul’s encouragement to “pray continually” over the last 24 hours more than in a very long time. I will try to remember to remain there.
You know this already — we would have done things differently if we could reclaim the last 36 hours. It’s not much comfort that we were not alone in that, but we appreciate, even in your difficulties and understandable concern, your kindness and positive spirit. That says much about the GAC family.
Read the full post.
Fincher spotlights “Winter Heroes” in the blog post, including bus driver Sarah Oats, who dropped off her last riders about 9:30 p.m. but couldn’t make it back to her house. She and her three children spent the night at the meeting place of the North Atlanta Church of Christ.
“Thank you, North Atlanta for opening your doors to Sarah and kids,” Fincher said.
See Bobby Ross Jr.’s profile of the school from 2007.
Were you stuck in the snow during the recent round of icy weather? Did your church help? If so, how? Please share your stories.
