Neshaminy stays social despite the distancing

Even in the new age of social dis­tanc­ing, Neshaminy staff and stu­dents have found mul­ti­ple ways to stay con­nect­ed to learn, enjoy each oth­ers com­pa­ny and share cre­ativ­i­ty online. Online webi­na­rs and meet­ings, once the main­stay of start-up busi­ness and cor­po­rate teams, have become the “go-to” way for teams of admin­is­tra­tors, teach­ers and sup­port staff to stay con­nect­ed. Using a vari­ety of tools, includ­ing Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and even the District edu­ca­tion­al apps such as Flipgrid, indi­vid­u­als are able to con­nect with video, screen shar­ing and text chat. Teachers are able to reach out to stu­dents on the District Chromebooks to review projects, deliv­er video lessons, or just say hel­lo. Many have already loaded videos cov­er­ing every­thing from read­ing and sci­ence chal­lenges to jug­gling and yoga lessons to share with their stu­dents. Neshaminy admin­is­tra­tors are hold­ing team meet­ings to plan every­thing from online cur­ricu­lum to employ­ee support.

Neshaminy stu­dents are already well-equipped to share projects on their Chromebooks and oth­er devices using such appli­ca­tions as IXL, WeVideo, FlipGrid, Nearpod and Clever and Canvas.

But just like the real world, it’s not all work. Video and social media are impor­tant tools that are being used to main­tain a sense of com­mu­ni­ty and keeps stu­dents engaged through­out the District. Several schools have remote­ly pro­duced staff greet­ing videos, offer­ing mes­sages of hope, inspi­ra­tion or just plain fun from teach­ers and admin­is­tra­tors to their home-bound stu­dents. Over 100 Walter Miller stu­dents cap­tured short videos for a music com­pi­la­tion which were edit­ed togeth­er and shared with their school­mates.

Herbert Hoover Principal Dr. David Glennon has been post­ing a num­ber of enter­tain­ing videos, includ­ing dai­ly updates of his sched­ule, book read­ing, exer­cis­es, singing, and even a home fire drill on Hoover’s Facebook page and Twitter feed. Several art con­tests have appeared on social media pages around the District, includ­ing one on the District’s main Facebook page.

Some of these efforts are brand new, while some are just exten­sions of projects start­ed dur­ing the school year. As the clo­sure extends beyond its sec­ond week we expect to see many more Neshaminy con­nec­tions built in the cloud.