Back and Better Than Ever

Hello and happy fall from all of us at The School for Young Performers! In this uncertain year for schools nationwide, we’re beyond grateful for our students, teachers, and staff who are redefining what’s possible through individualized education as we begin our 25th year.

School looks a little different for SYP students this fall. SYP has students and teachers embracing both in-person and virtual learning this year as we navigate the pandemic and its effects on the health and safety concerns of our community members.

Our hope is that we will be able to move to our usual in-person instruction for our students when it is safe to do so, but we’ve created a virtual classroom platform to seamlessly transition between remote and in-person learning as needed without missing a beat. All classes are set up with Google Classroom, Zoom, and an abundance of online resources tailored to the needs of each student that complement the core curriculum.

Students and teachers who are able to return to in-person instruction are adhering to SYP’s Reopening Plan, which outlines socially distant classroom protocols, required daily cleaning and daily symptom tracking, routine COVID testing, and monitoring local safety to determine whether or not in-person instruction is safe to continue. The appropriate PPE (including custom SYP face masks!) is being distributed to families and teachers.

While these new constructs and the addition of more technology can be challenging at times, we’re thrilled to share that SYP is more global than ever. We’ve been able to connect students with our favorite teachers who live thousands of miles or even continents apart. In many ways, “distanced learning” has created an educational environment that is as connected as being in-person - so much so that some of our students will be completing this entire year remotely!

Regardless of instructional setup, some pillars of the SYP experience remain the same: classes designed specifically around student interests, flexible scheduling, weekly reporting between parents and teachers, and a commitment from students and teachers to innovate and grow both in and out of the classroom.

We’re thrilled with the achievements of our almost 30 students and 40 teachers who are raising the bar in a year where simply staying on track can prove challenging. Next month, we’ll be sharing a deep-dive into science activities happening this year - both in-person and virtually, SYP style.

Wishing you health and happiness throughout this school year - we’re so thrilled to be back.

-The staff at The School for Young Performers