Ädelbrook’s special education schools located in Cromwell, Middletown, East Hartford and Manchester started back to school with a blended learning model on July 6th. After 4 months of teaching through Zoom, Teams, and Google Classrooms our teachers are back to what they love the most – teaching their students in-person in the classroom!
Ädelbrook schools follow a regular school year schedule with an added 7 week summer program. Following very strict guidelines and adapted schedules, students, teachers and para-professionals are happy to be back together in person. Students are in school on a rotating basis Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Remote Learning is held every Wednesday to allow for a thorough cleaning and disinfecting of the buildings. Teachers and staff are creatively using outside space, teaching students about universal precautions and social distancing, getting them comfortable wearing masks and taking other steps to assure the safety of the community.
With welcome signs and balloons the students at Ädelbrook’s Transitional Academy in Middletown arrived “very excited to return and have not missed a beat getting back to their school work” said Jackie Peck, the program’s Director, she added, “the students and staff were excited to see each other, did well with their modified routines, and overall there were lots of smiles under the masks.” Our students in Manchester are so happy to socialize with one another again. One of the students upon entering the school building said, “I’m so happy to see these walls again. I love the color of these walls!” We have students in the classroom and at the same time other students are participating through remote learning using video and web-based platforms. Teachers are able to engage all students, with group lessons, including activities such as a Jeopardy math game, cooking and social and emotional games.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every aspect of our lives and has left a mark on our educational programs in Connecticut. Ädelbrook quickly evolved, using the creativity, resourcefulness and dedication of our staff members to maintain quality programming for our students,” stated Dr. Dale R. Hoyt, Ädelbrook’s Vice President for Education. “A perfect example is Adelbrook’s educational videos on YouTube. The videos were created by members of the staff to guide students through visual learning. We will continue this practice of publishing videos as more students return to the classrooms in the fall,” said Dr. Hoyt.
We will continue to adapt as time goes on and support our mission of providing hope and healing for children and their families in a Christian environment.