Casserly House is keeping busy as we head into Spring. After a relaxing Winter Break our After School students, adult students and volunteers got right back into tutoring. All of our students continue to persevere despite facing the challenges of online learning. Our kids are working hard to complete their goals for the school year and our adults students are making great progress in English and citizenship. A couple of adult students are in the application process for citizenship and are diligently preparing for their test. Later this month some of our staff will be taking part in the NETWORK Conference which features workshops that include information about how to teach more effectively to adult ESOL students online. We are grateful for the opportunity and we look forward to learning more about how to support our adult students.
In February we celebrated Valentine’s Day by delivering packages to our kids. These packages contained candy and games for the students to enjoy. We’ve also continued hosting game zooms for the kids, including one that featured Valentine’s Day themed games. It was nice to be able to celebrate with the students from a distance and share in conversation and laughter. We continue to try to engage our kids virtually by allowing time for connection and fun. The students described their February break as being filled with sledding, playing games and sleeping in.
Some of our kids have begun going back in person to school one or two days a week. These students are so excited especially to see their friends and teachers who they may have not seen in person since last year. We are happy for the students and hope for their continued safety. As more of our community gets vaccinated and we discover new ways to stay safe we are hopeful for the future and what this progress might mean for our programs. We look forward to our upcoming events and chances to engage with our students, including our annual Easter Prayer Service.