COVID-19 Health Updates
Updates and information about The San Francisco School’s continued preparedness, action, and response to COVID-19.
Last updated May 29, 2020, at 2:00 pm.
The coronavirus epidemic continues to progress locally and worldwide, and the wellbeing of our students, families, and staff is paramount. The campus has been closed to students and families since March 13, 2020.
The San Francisco School aligns with the social distancing, stay at home strategy by closing our campus until June 3, 2020. Our Distance Learning Program, SFS School on the Go, will remain in session until the last day of school.
School on the Go
Technological Updates
Currently, there are no issues reported. Delays or platform difficulties will be reported here with frequent updates.
- Families of 3rd grade students and younger, please use the SFS Family Tech Support requests form to report issues or make requests.
- Staff and students (4th - 8th grade) with an issue that is not addressed here, please email tech@sfschool.org . Provide as many details as possible in your initial message so that our technical support team can efficiently address your concerns. They will most likely be better able to assist with these kinds of problems than your teachers or division heads.
- If you are having a problem specifically with an Extended - Distance Learning Program link, please contact the Extended Day team at enrichments@sfschool.org .
Distance Learning Reflections
5th Grade Teacher Talia Goodkin ’98 asks, “What is essential?”
Recent SFS ParentSquare Updates
February 26, 2020. Coronavirus Update
March 5, 2020. Healthy Habits and the Emergency Communication System
March 6, 2020. Event Cancellation
March 8, 2020. Distance Learning Plan : School Continuity
March 12, 2020. School Closed Starting March 13 at 5:00 pm
March 13, 2020. Here We Go!
March 15, 2020. Flattening the Curve
March 16, 2020. SFS Extended School Closure
Back to SFS School on the Go, Preschool & Kindergarten
Back to SFS School on the Go, 1st - 3rd Grade
Back to SFS School on the Go, 4th - 5th Grade
Back to SFS School on the Go, Middle School
March 20, 2020. TGIF(I think?) and Distance Learning Plan Survey
March 25, 2020. Campus Closure Extension
March 27, 2020. Spring Break and Sustaining our SFS Community
April 3, 2020. Stronger Together
April 7, 2020. What Does SFUSD’s News Mean For Us?
April 12, 2020. Campus Closure Update
April 17, 2020. Duh, Bruh!
April 26, 2020. Making SOTG work - A behind the scenes look!
May 1, 2020. We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Programming …
May 8, 2020. A Crowdsourced Message from Steve
May 15, 2020. Please Help Me Celebrate the Class of 2020 Parents and Guardians
May 20, 2020. Phase 3: Preparing to Reopen
May 22, 2020. Here Comes the Sun
May 29, 2020. Phase 3 Survey
Useful documents
- SFS Communicable Disease and Pandemic Outbreak Emergency Plan
- The Family Association Toolbox: Online and Offline Activity Ideas and Resources
- What’s for Dinner?: The Most Requested Recipes from Jessica and Anne’s SFS Kitchen
- Maggie Weis’s COVID19 Crossword Puzzle #6: Dedicated to the Class of 2020
Supporting Your Student During School Closure
From the Program Leadership Team (Nancy Nagramada, Carly Reiter, Maggie Weis, Stewart Dorsey, and Steve Morris):
Below are some tips for working with your child in a way that will feel familiar to them because they are the ways we guide them in our classrooms. Feel free to pick and choose from this list in a way that works for you and your child.We recognize that distance learning is often not easy, and we are mindful of the socio-emotional impact that distance learning may have on students. Thank you so much for your partnership while we navigate these challenging times.
- Reply to their questions with a question (“What do you think?” “Well, what do the directions say?” “What’s the first step?”). This keeps them doing most of the thinking and reminds them that they can access most of what they need on their own. It also helps them feel supported since you’re not replying with a conversation ender like, “You can do it,” or “That’s your job.”
- Ask them to retrace their steps. “Show me what you’ve done so far;” “Where are you in the assignment?” Sometimes just this simple exercise will help them find a lost thread and can get them back on track.
- Breaks are hugely important for children. When you notice frustration, or diminishing returns, from your child, it’s time for a break. Sometimes just a change in focus is enough, but often a movement break is more beneficial—it gets the blood pumping, including to the brain! You can check Toni’s PE lessons for ideas!
- Encouragement is a powerful tool. Asking to see what they’re working on and commenting positively on something specific can go a long way to increasing their engagement and stamina with an activity.
- Paradoxically, you being available to them can make them more independent. If they think they’re on their own, children can often feel more nervous about being bereft of the help they’re now sure they’ll need. If they know you’re available nearby, they can often be more independent.
- Ensure that their workspace is as free of distraction as possible. Take breaks elsewhere so that their workspace is associated only with work. Even if they are going to use a laptop they use for schoolwork to play a game, it might be best to take the laptop somewhere else for the non-school-related activity.
- Let us be the heavies. If you find yourself at loggerheads with your child, and your clear voice of reason doesn’t seem to be getting through, feel free to say, “Tell you what, let’s email your teachers and ask them!” Either have them type the email or they can dictate as you type. Sometimes just this conversation can help them get over the obstacle that was keeping them from moving forward in their work. If not, we’ll get back to you as soon as possible with a (hopefully) helpful answer. In the meantime, take a break and then move on to another assignment.
- We are usually pretty open to their divergent ideas on an assignment and so you can be too. If they think of an interesting take on the activity that doesn’t sound exactly like what we asked for, that’s probably ok. If you like the sound of it, chances are, we will too. If you have questions about the permissibility of their idea, feel free to email us.
- If your child is looking for more work, know that we always have May Do’s available - and if they need more than that, let us know!
- For the most part, our work should be engaging and meaningful for the students. If you find yourself consistently having to work hard to get them to engage, please let us know so we can investigate where the problem lies. We mean for the learning to be thought provoking and meaningful and ideally with some fun too.
- This is a work in progress and will require calibration on all our parts. Please continue to let us know, via our surveys or by emailing us. If you have questions about daily material, please ask teachers directly. If our systems feel off from what your child (or family) needs connect with Nancy Nagramada (for grades 4-5) or Maggie Weis for (PS-3) because it is the curriculum and program leadership team that shapes overall program structures.
Upper School Counseling Support
Our school counselor Laura McGourty is available during her usual hours by email lmcgourty@sfschool.org (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, 8 am - 4 pm). Look for her weekly Tuesday Note Home posts in ParentSquare.
AfterSchool on the Go
Extended Day continues afterschool! There are live programs (as well as recorded, anytime activities) for Preschool/Kindergarten, Elementary, and Middle School Students available for SFS students — with their beloved extended day teachers! Please see the enrichments calendar in ParentSquare for details and links. For additional information or troubleshooting, contact enrichments@sfschool.org .
