We're Committed to Constant Communication
With Our Community
Click on the links below to view emails from Mr. Rubenacker during the initial COVID-19 response.
Email - April 20, 2020
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We are committed to our mission to educate our students with character, confidence, and knowledge while working swiftly to overcome the challenges of the COVID 19 crisis.
OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR COMMUNITY
For the past seven years, The Bridges Academy has worked to instill the pillars of Character, Confidence and Knowledge to all of its students. Over the past year, we have seen a seismic shift in the way the world views quality education and all that is possible when you have a caring, family oriented community that will do whatever is necessary to support its children. In response to the COVID crisis and subsequent closure of schools in New York, the Bridges Academy community responded in a manner that was second to none for a school of our size. Beginning our newly imagined Distance Learning program only days after the closure, our teachers were able to orchestrate a powerful educational experience that provided our students with a strong foundation from which to grow.
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Explore this page to learn more about our initial response and our plans for the upcoming school year.
2021-2022 School Year Updates
The Bridges Academy has been at the forefront of providing a nurturing, academically robust program that prioritizes health and safety in compliance with the New York State guidelines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, the small nature of our community has allowed for the flexibility necessary to work with children in a developmentally appropriate way. In doing so, we provide our students with a strong foundation of skill sets that will follow them through their lives.
Since the onset of the pandemic in March of 2020, our school has worked with the tools of technology to maintain the necessary routines and structure needed for academic success. Continuing into the 2020-2021 school year, we offered both a 5 day in-person or virtual program that continued with little interruption for the entire year. In keeping with the mission of our inclusive school community, we look forward to, and anticipate, a full return to in-person instruction during the 2021-2022 school year.
Included in Our Current Plan
A reimagined campus plan that includes full utilization of our large classrooms with small class sizes as well as outdoor spaces in support of Social Distancing and reduced foot traffic in the building.
A full upgrade of our technology infrastructure in order to support Distance Learning and educational technology both in the classroom and at home.
Investments in HEPA compliant air purification for every classroom as well as an increased protocol for frequent disinfecting in order to ensure the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff.
A newly established wellness protocol that will include guidelines for home quarantine when necessary, temperature screening and utilization of face coverings when social distancing is not possible.
A reimagining of our school schedule that will ensure safety through limited access throughout our building while still allowing students movement in a developmentally appropriate way that will support their learning and overall wellness.
Emphasis on personal hygiene and sanitization.
While there is much more work to be done on these fronts, our school will continue to keep the needs of the whole child in the forefront while providing them with the routine, structure and predictability that all children thrive on.
