Cherry Park Elementary School of Language Immersion is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by providing a safe and secure environment, recruiting and retaining the best teachers, improving student achievement, fostering an effective school culture and communicating with all stakeholders. Our school family did a wonderful job of following all safety protocols to reduce the spread of COVID 19. Students and staff wore face masks. Classes were kept in cohorts and teachers switched between the groups. Desks were arranged to provide appropriate social distancing. Transitions were limited between classroom areas. Our cleaning staff worked hard to provide a safe environment for our children. Parents supported quarantine guidelines when a student was identified as a positive contact. Everyone kept each other healthy in order to maximize teaching and learning. Last year, we recruited so many great staff members. In kindergarten and first grade, we hired Rebeca Garcia to teach our virtual students. Karen Finley amazed us as she taught one group of kindergarten children in French and one group of second graders in English in the virtual environment. Lisa Broughton and Rosa Cedeno were teachers new to us in third grade ELA and Spanish respectively. Dr. Allison Nichols worked with our IEP students in a resource setting and Dr. April McConneaughey started our Unique Pathways 3 program. Each of these teachers contributed in such important ways to our students. We are so appreciative of the sacrifices our staff members made so we could continue teaching French and Spanish in an immersion fashion even with our virtual students last year. Rebeca Garcia, Yahaira Reddy-Singedi, Karen Finley, Mandy Riley and Meriam Polanco all taught our virtual students and most of them taught two different grade levels. Lisa Smith, Sara Brenton, Erin Webb, Joseph McFadden, Laura St. Aimee, Missy Wright, Rosa Cedeno, and Jennifer Roehl taught one group of virtual and one group of face to face students each day. Claudia Notaro, Laura St. Aimee, Emily Parrish, Alberto Leon, Melinda Reid, Tracy Mitchell and Jennifer Roehl taught two grade levels each day in the face to face setting. Our Related Arts teachers (Christi Beard, Emily Anderson, Cara Rezzai, Molly Garrard, Remi Flaherty and Robby Bartless) taught from carts for the year. So many faced big challenges to ensure our students received the best instruction both at home and at school. One reason why we were so successful was because of the supportive and positive culture at Cherry Park. Throughout the course of the year, parents, businesses and the Parent Teacher Organization appreciated teachers by providing goodies and gifts. Their generosity, love and care was an incredible source of support for teachers. Staff members also encouraged each other daily and asked, "How are you doing?" and "How are you really doing?" Then they listened. They shared duties and responsibilities. They covered classes when needed. They understood the safety protocols and worked within and around them to keep themselves and others safe. They showed up every day and cared about children's hearts as much as what was in their heads. They chose to celebrate the small things. They danced and cheered and laughed with children despite masks and desk shields and social distancing. They embodied the idea that "It is not about me." In addition, they communicated well with everyone. Our plans changed week to week and month to month. Staff members let the children know what to do when and kept parents informed. Emails and phone calls were abundant. Administration sent a weekly BobChat Newsletter. Teachers and parents navigated virtual conferencing and found it very beneficial. At Cherry Park Elementary, we are changing the lives of children so they can go and change the world. We are so proud of our students, parents, staff and school family for coming together this year to ensure that teaching and learning were meaningful and relevant despite difficult circumstances. We are grateful and humbled by all that was done to help us not just survive but thrive during this year like no other. We completed this year because we are One Team on One Mission for One Rock Hill.
