P R E M I E R P R I VAT E S C H O O L S MOVING FORWARD
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says. “We do have a remote learning plan and process in place for students who have to quarantine, but it's to participate in the normal class remotely.” Too much reliance on technology bumps up against Northridge Prep’s educational philosophy. Students don’t use laptops in class but instead take hand-written notes—a practice that Fagan says helps them better understand what they’re learning and retain knowledge. ONE-ON-ONE TEACHING Fusion Academy, with campuses in Evanston and Lake Forest, was well-positioned to handle disruptions to the classroom due to its unique teaching model. The school provides one-on-one teaching both in person and remote, so the technology infrastructure was already in place when it had to close in spring of 2020. Chrissy Dale, Head of School at Fusion’s Evanston location, says the model has served its students well during these past few years of disruption and uncertainty. “Our teachers were able to very closely
well. “We went on our first field trip two weeks ago to Chinatown and the students were just thrilled to have that opportunity to get back out and do enrichment learning in the community,” Dale says. “It was lovely.” Alex Sheridan, Director of Enrollment, Marketing, and Financial Aid at Lake Forest Country Day School in Lake Forest, says the mood on campus among students has been positive. “In terms of the mood, in terms of the temperature, things are really great,” Sheridan says. “We were open for a full year of in-person learning last year so I think that's given us a lot of confidence that we could return again this year and not have a steep learning curve.” Sheridan says that with athletic teams in place again and other opportunities for students to socialize, it feels a lot more like a normal school year. “Students are being able to participate in activities and programs that they weren't able to do last year, so there's more to the experience which I think is really exciting for everybody,” he says. “It feels very familiar
Administrators at Lake Forest Country Day School say that because they were open for the full school year last year, the school is well-positioned to maximize learning for students for the year ahead.
masks, they can do group work. It’s familiar and I think the teachers, students and parents are appreciating getting back to some level of normality.” Webb says the students are also doing well socially and emotionally. “They come into the building bouncing and joyful and ready to learn and happy to see their friends,” she says. “Last year, we had no volunteers in the building whatsoever and this year we're kind of bringing things back slowly. We’re going to have a homecoming pep rally outdoors and we're going to try and have a Halloween party. We're getting there.” Kathy Thompson, Assistant Principal at School of St. Mary in Lake Forest says that while the school can’t publish data on test scores due to privacy, she likes what she is
seeing from her students. “When we transitioned virtually last March (of 2020), we collected some data points so that we could measure to ensure that we were able to transition as seamlessly as we were able,” Thompson says. “When we came back to the school year last August, we looked at the academic achievement of our current students and we did not have any of those academic gaps.” School of St. Mary experienced an influx of new students this year who were in remote learning situations all last year and that has presented some challenges for the school to help them catch up. “We have a huge percentage of new students in both buildings this year and some Continued on PG 22
Fusion Academy offers one-on-one teaching for students that is tailored to their educational needs and strengths.
transition into the same academic setting with a Zoom meeting. They already had that rapport with students and know them very well,” Dale says. “They were even able to support that social and emotional piece because when they logged on, they could tell how the students were functioning that day.” One of the features of Fusion Academy is its Homework Café, a physical space where students gather to do homework, so they don’t take work home. The café was difficult to replicate remotely, and Dale says she saw a drop off in participation, but with students back in school it’s thriving once again. One thing that was missed last year were field trips, but those are up and running as
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to us. It doesn't look entirely familiar with the kids’ wearing masks and there are still mitigation measures in place, but the feeling is one that is a lot more familiar to us.” At Sacred Heart School in Winnetka, Principal Margaret Webb says she’s getting data on recent test scores that shows students have done just fine academically given the challenges of the past two years. “I just finished reading the kids’ scores and I'm very pleased to see that we did not have a falloff in scores, so the kids are doing very, very well keeping up with their academics,” Webb says. “They can stay three feet apart instead of six feet apart and wearing their
| SATURDAY OCTOBER 16 | SUNDAY OCTOBER 17 2021
The all-boys Northridge Preparatory School in Niles is back to offering a full slate of sports and club activities for students this year.
PREMIER PRIVATE SCHOOLS
THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND