Transitions in a Time of COVID
With all of the various challenges that schools have faced with COVID-19 restrictions, one of the more pressing ones at this time of year is figuring out how to help our students transition into a new school without being able to do traditional visits and in-person meetings. As with many things, necessity has been the mother of invention. Many schools have created welcoming videos to provide information about the school and help incoming students feel engaged and excited about the transition. This process is at its best when staff who are talented and passionate can use those talents – and this is exactly what we have happening at Abby Middle! At the start of the pandemic, locked down in my home, I created a simplified video highlighting the middle school experience at Abby Middle, using my limited editing skills (and those of my son).
This year, though, the tech department of Abby Middle has been taking over, and thank goodness! With vision, skill, and teamwork, teachers are using green screens, music, and considerably more skill than I possess to showcase the school to incoming students. With an eye to personalizing the experience, our current students from the various feeder schools are being interviewed to share their thoughts about their transitions, and the familiar faces will be fun to see for the incoming grade 5s! I’m thankful to the staff who had this idea, as the more student voice we have, the better. Transitioning to a new school brings with it excitement, but also a lot of questions and nerves. Filling our welcome videos with the enthusiasm and warmth of Abby Middle is a creative way to overcome some of the obstacles of COVID-19 restrictions and show students how thrilled we are that they are coming to us – and that we can’t wait to meet them in person!