Moorestown Parents Positive About Back To School Experience

MOORESTOWN, NJ — The Moorestown Public School District returned to school on Tuesday with a mix of in-person and remote learning. While there are bound to be problems with remote learning, there was also plenty of positive feedback from parents who spoke to Patch.

“Our kids (6th and 8th grade) are choice remote,” Jen Hilinksi wrote. “Communication regarding schedules, etc has differed a bit from school to school. BUT if I have had any questions, I have received responses from counselors and teachers quickly, and that has helped in clarifying things. There were minor connectivity issues yesterday---the teachers were very accommodating and understanding. Live days are obviously better than non-live days, BUT it's easier to keep on a schedule than it was in the spring since there are live days every other day.

“I'm so impressed by what the teachers have been expected to take on----and what they are doing in these conditions. I'm not sure that schools re-opening in in-person is the safest plan, but from a remote-choice parent perspective, it's so far being pushed out in a realistic, structured fashion. The emphasis on interpersonal connection (the social emotional learning piece that is so critical right now) is important to us, too. Structure/predictability and feeling connected are going to pull these students through this. Not demanding academic rigor. In my opinion.”

“It is the end of day three of choice remote first grade at Baker School and so far so good,” Speech Language Pathologist Daniela Riggins said. “My daughter’s first grade teacher has done a great job easing us into this new normal. We’ve had one live day so far, and the first graders had just enough live time with their small cohort. Any more would have been too much. I have been pleasantly surprised with how easily the teacher’s warmth can be felt through the screen. These are some lucky kids. Of course there have been some technical issues and the schedule is still being sorted out, but I really appreciate the fact that the teacher is seeing what is working and what isn’t in real time and making adjustments along the way. I realize this has literally never been done before, so it’s important to give the schools some time to figure things out. I’m happy to hear that we will have new materials every two weeks to pick up, so I won’t need to rely on my printer so much this year. Plus the kids were given manipulatives from the school to make sure we can keep things hands on for these little learners.”

Riggins said her 2-year-old son made it difficult for her daughter to learn when the school went full remote in the spring. So they joined a “pod” with three other families. Pods are popping up across the country and in South Jersey. Read more here: South Jersey Families Organize Pandemic Pods Ahead Of School Year

“Our pod includes 3 families: ours, another family with a first grader and a toddler, and a third family with one toddler,” Riggins said. “Every day, our plan is to work as a team to make sure the first graders do their remote school in a guest room converted into a classroom (goodbye guest bed, no need for you right now!) while the toddlers play in a different designated play area. Between three moms, we are tag teaming and making this work and the kids are all having fun.

“I hope that other families are able to brainstorm and find ways to make their schooling work for them, keeping safety at the forefront. Speaking of safety, to keep the three families in our pod safe, I am increasing our safety precautions as schools open up and everyone’s exposure levels are rising. But these sacrifices are worth it to give my kids the meaningful interactions that they have missed for so long. Good luck to all the families, teachers, and staff this year. We’ve never had anything like this happen in our lifetimes, so I hope our community can come together and find creative ways to make this year work for our kids and families.”

"I found the communication between the schools and teachers to the parents and students has been clear and very helpful in getting us prepped for the first week of school," said Danielle Adams, who has a 12-year-old at the William Allen Middle School and a 10-year-old at the Upper Elementary School. "The pick up of computers and materials was very thought out with safety and social distancing at top of mind. Besides a computer issue the first day of school (which we brought in and was quickly resolved), my kids eased back into remote learning quickly and are excited to be "back at school" virtually!"

Do you have a student in the district? What did you think of their remote learning or in-person session? Let us know by email at anthony.bellano@patch.com or by posting your responses here.