Saint Gilbert Catholic School Leads the Way with E-Learning

Living in the Chicagoland area, snow days have been a part of our scholastic fabric since the founding of schools. Every adult has a memory of a surprise day away from class thanks to snow, a tradition that seemed impossible to break. However, Saint Gilbert Catholic School recognized that in the 21st Century, it was possible to use technology to allow students and teachers to connect and conduct class even in the midst of a blizzard. Little did they know that a system devised for the occasional weather cancellation would become a vital link between teachers and students forced to shelter-at-home in the midst of a pandemic.

“0ur School was ready to have this happen because Saint Gilbert has a 1-to-1 device ratio, from K through 8th grade,” said Mrs. Buckley, the school’s Assistant Vice-Principal. While generally, only the older grades took their devices home daily, with the closure, every student had a device ready for learning.

But the devices were only the conduit for an E-Learning plan that began last fall when Saint Gilbert sought approval for its E-Learning Program from the Archdiocese of Chicago. In preparing this program, the staff researched best practices and observed what neighboring districts were piloting for E-Learning.

Once Saint Gilbert received the green light, communication with parents and teachers was critical. For the program to work seamlessly when called upon, the School had to know what families would need help obtaining internet access. For teachers, the Principals met with each grade to understand the methods the teachers would use to deliver the core curriculum of math, science, literature, English, social studies and religion via electronic learning and how they would communicate assignments to students.

The other reason why Saint Gilbert students received a full week instruction were due to the E-Learning platforms in which it has invested. For example, Saint Gilbert uses Google Classroom which allows for assignments to be “handed out” virtually, with the students typing their answers and sending it back. Saint Gilbert is a licensee for both Accelerated Reading and Freckle, which allows for E-Learning in math, science and social studies, from 1st through 8th grade. These programs are indispensable because they provide critical diagnostics on each student, which allows the teacher to know exactly where your student needs help. For the youngest students, use of See Saw allowed for shared learning through digital portfolios.

Asynchronous Learning is Next

As the 1st week passed, it became clear that this would not be a short term effort. As a result, over spring break, the Saint Gilbert teachers and staff worked to move to the next level – E-Synchronous learning. According to Dr. Tornatore, “the staff has been fantastic. No one took a spring break. We were collaborating, doing video-conferences and adjusting based on what we learned in the first week.”

The staff used the break to attend virtual meeting via Google Meets and Zoom. They began recording lessons and lectures, for the children to watch. Even more important is interactive face-to-face. “Kids need to log-in and meet with their teachers, whether one-on-one or in smaller groups based on subject mastery, especially in math,” said Mrs. Buckley.

Even now, the school’s teachers are using Google Classroom, their standard platform, recording lessons via Screencastify and Flipgrid. For live lessons, they are working through Zoom and other conferencing methods. This way, the student and teacher connection can be reunited, albeit remotely.

In this time of crisis, Saint Gilbert’s staff and leadership are grateful for the flexibility and how upbeat and positive their students remain. It is a testimony to the steadfast goodwill and hopefulness of our school families.

Founded in 1944, Saint Gilbert Catholic School has been providing value-based education for nearly 75 years. Saint Gilbert has been honored by the U.S. Department of Education for Academic Excellence when it was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2017.

Interested in learning more? Come visit us on the web at www.stgilbertschool.org or on Facebook. Call us at 847-223-8600 or by email at school.office@saintgilbertschool.org