Greene Towne Update – Greene Towne @ Home launches March 30

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Dear Greene Towne families,

I hope this letter finds you well. I know it’s been a huge adjustment for all of us to establish our routines and strategies for being at home together. While the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia stay at home order creates a strain on all of us, it is also an inspiring experience to be part of a national movement to prioritize and care for one another by staying apart.

Following Pennsylvania’s order for schools, after this week’s spring break Greene Towne Montessori will move to an at-home learning model—Greene Towne @ Home—through at least Friday, April 10. If we are able to come back together sooner, we will be thrilled to do so. Rather than set an arbitrary date or leave it open-ended, I will be reassessing our need to stay at home based on two week time periods. 

We know that it is impossible to remotely deliver the experience that your child has at Greene Towne Montessori School, though the Montessori philosophy and approach is powerful regardless of the setting. Families will receive a guidebook for Greene Towne @ Home later this week, which provides the overall goals and context for supporting Montessori learning at home. In addition, beginning in the evening on Sunday, March 29, each family will receive a daily email (Sunday-Thursday) created by our faculty with a suggested schedule, resources, and developmentally-appropriate Montessori activities for the following day. This resource is yours to use or adapt as is right for your child and family. We will be making adjustments based on feedback from families as we go.

In the meantime, the world is waking up to spring, and I hope you are finding time to explore it together. If you need a copy of the suggested activities that teachers shared with families on Friday, March 13, please let me know. Many families are connecting through video calls, and even sending each other videos of themselves reading their favorite storybooks. While it is very challenging to be apart, I know that this time has made me appreciate our strong and warm community that much more. I miss you all, and I know that our teachers are missing their classroom families very, very much.

Please reach out if you have questions or needs—we are here for you.

Sarah Sweeney-Denham

Head of School