Felicity School has officially started off this unconventional school year with some big changes. We have been looking forward to reuniting with our students and providing necessary in person support, especially encouraging the social-emotional learning skills to be sharpened. Felicity staff has enjoyed seeing students get re-acquainted and has remained impressed by the students appropriately embracing the safety measures and policies put in place this year.
Additionally, our Felicity staff has been doing some behind the scenes improvements. In order to best smooth out these processes and IEP procedures, our Director of Student Services, Mr. Luskin, and lead teacher Ms. Wright, have started Teacher Mentor Meetings once a week after school. This will also further strengthen communication with our district and community partners.
Overall, Felicity is incorporating as much normalcy to our academic environment as possible. A dedicated 25’ X 18’ space was reconfigured to enable full classroom space. The ‘room’ has a new turf ground with lounge furniture and bleachers allowing for personal interaction combined with social distancing. With the fall and winter approaching, the addition of three outdoor space heaters will allow students to enjoy the outside for a few more months. The addition of a beautiful awning covering the space protects users from the sun and inclement weather while creating a cozy atmosphere conducive to learning, see a visual below!
Additionally, a dedicated area for several grills has provided outdoor cooking and eating opportunities for students and staff alike. Last but not least, no outdoor space is complete without opportunities to be active. A newly installed basketball hoop and court provides a physical outlet for the Felicity students. Cornhole/Baggo sets, a “life size” chess board (complete with all pieces), and other outdoor activities have highlighted the court usage throughout the early fall.
For some additional spaces to gather for meetings and encourage safety, a 20’ x 10’ portable tent is another outdoor space for students that is available. These areas have been great for clinicians, groups, and teachers to meet with students who need a breath of fresh air and a change of scenery.
Additionally, we have been working on creating some safe, “hands on” activities for academic and social emotional growth for students such as new types of groups, science experiments and new activities in P.E. We thank all Felicity students and families for taking this transition so smoothly and hope for a positive, safe school year!
