Hello Overfield Families,
We hope you are all doing well, and are finding joy in this rainy Monday! As you have probably heard, Governor DeWine announced last Thursday that summer day camps will be allowed to open on May 31, 2020, under a list of stringent guidelines. As soon as we learned of this news, we began a very thorough discussion of what this would mean for Overfield’s summer camp offerings. We have consulted with our Board of Trustees, who consist of various professionals in the Education, Health, and Business fields. Although we are as eager to resume our offerings as everyone else, we have decided we will not be offering summer camp this year. This decision was not made lightly; after very careful consideration, it was made with full consensus.
Under current guidance, our summer camp would have had to be greatly modified. This would have meant changing many things, from having to separate children into pods of under nine campers to modifying our daily routines, all while guaranteeing a high level of vigilance to ensure safety in the midst of unknown and changing circumstances. This structure and its lack of collaboration, when guided by educators who are not as seasoned as our full-time teachers, is not the way we want to begin to navigate this challenge. Additionally, we feel that proceeding with our summer camp offerings under this new guidance with so many unknowns about the course of COVID-19 is, for us, too soon. Although we will miss the children terribly and mourn for the lost shared summer experiences at Overfield, our responsibility lies with the safety and well-being of children, their families, and our faculty. It is with this guiding principle that we are called to move forward.
We are first and foremost a school for young children, and our eyes are set on beginning the 2020-2021 school year as safely and successfully as possible. We have made the decision to focus our complete energy and efforts on figuring out how we will navigate this new way of being, if necessary, for the upcoming school year. This is so that we can provide the level of excellence in early childhood education that you are accustomed to from us, and to which we hold ourselves accountable.
If you have registered for Summer Camp and have not paid, you do not need to do anything further. If you have paid upfront, you will receive a reimbursement check in the mail, which will be sent out this week.
We hope you know that arriving at this decision was ridiculously difficult. We simply miss all of you. We miss being a part of the wonder and joy that comes with guiding your children as they learn about this interesting and marvelous world.
As always, if you have any thoughts, questions or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to share them with us.
Best wishes, Beth Poronsky – Overfield Program Lead
Please mark your calendars for Thursday, May 28th for a socially distanced goodbye and pick up time for portfolios/belongings from lockers. We will be in touch this week by email with further details!
Nature News
During this period of deep reflections, and NETFLIX mania, the teachers and staff of the Overfield School have been diligently working and sharing nature through art, stories, and provocations with the Overfield children and their families. It is amazing how 21st century technology has stepped up to the plate, and made it possible for students and Overfield teachers to communicate–via Google, Zoom, Facebook, email and texting. It has impacted the structure of the education system.
The Kindergarten students have traditionally ended the school year with individual nature projects they have researched and documented. The children then share their work and knowledge with fellow students and Overfield families during the annual Night Hike. This year the students chose a tree growing in their yard. They followed their tree’s spring transformation, kept notes, created a poster presentation, and crafted a diorama dedicated to their special tree. Parents will help their children with a visual presentation, and their teachers will gather all the students work and create a digital format that will be made available to Overfield families.
1st and 2nd grade students have also been preparing poster presentations for this year’s Digital Night Hike Happening. The students selected an animal native to, or local to, Ohio; they then researched it, collaborated during Zoom meetings with their fellow classmates to perfect their presentations, and have cinematography help from their parents. The students, their parents, and teacher have done an amazing job. Their nature documentaries shall be collected and made available to Overfield families.
Even though the “Covidquarantine”, or our early and extended “Spring Break” at the Overfield School has only been weeks, it seems as though it has been much longer, like light years longer. I have a sense there could be one or two humans on the planet with analogous thoughts. I miss the young Overfield naturalists; our observation hikes in the open preserve, quietly waiting in the Bird Hide to catch a glimpse of our feathered friends–actually any feathered or furry friend; tracking a herd of deer deep in the McCarthy woods; checking on our busy honeybees, or snacking on herbs while working in the vegetable garden.
“Every child is born a naturalist. Their Eyes are, by nature, open to the glory of the stars, the beauty of the flowers, and the mystery of life.” –Anonymous
Deb – Overfield Naturalist
Registration for the 2020-2021 School Year
Thank you to everyone who has registered for the 2020-2021 school year! We are thrilled to be planning for our 60th year at Overfield.
Completed enrollment paperwork is due by May 1st, 2020. Please feel free to mail in your registration documents. We are checking the mail and will be able to receive your paperwork through this format despite the school closure.
Please do not hesitate to email office@overfield.org if you have any questions. We are looking forward to a wonderful year!
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