The way schools move forward in the time of a pandemic has sparked conversations and attracted attention to schools of all types.
When it comes to private schools in Alpharetta and the surrounding area, William & Reed Academy rises to the forefront with scheduling options and pandemic safety protocols unavailable to students in larger school settings.
Offering both face-to-face and virtual learning, the seven-year old college preparatory school in Johns Creek delivers not only quality instruction, but students stay engaged with focused learning.
Attendance options are offered in monthly cycles. There is flexibility to pivot from face-to-face on-campus to virtual learning if a student chooses instruction from home at any point in the cycle.
Teachers, staff, and students are required to wear face masks when on campus. Frequent sanitizing on a daily basis, UV light air purification, and touchless screening kiosks offer additional safeguards and monitoring features.
Regardless of which format they choose, all students attend school Monday thru Thursday from 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM, participating in four core academic classes lasting 65 minutes each. This compressed schedule gives students 10 minutes more instructional time in four days than what the traditional five day 50-minute class schedule provides.
Students have the option to extend their day to either 2:00 PM or 3:00 PM with lunch, teacher-supported study hall, and foreign language. Many students opt to use their afternoons and Fridays to pursue further training as a high performance athlete, artist, career-minded intern or employee.
Multiple Benefits Help Students Thrive
The benefits are many.
The concentrated schedule reduces wasted time and increases efficiency in learning.
There is no rationale for endless hours of mindless homework.
Engaging teachers provide the accountability to monitor student outcomes.
Family life is more relaxed when parents don’t have to worry if their child is falling behind academically.
Finally, childhood is recaptured with time to pursue interests developing helpful insights when selecting future careers.
One Family’s Story
Last spring, Georgia schools shut down and moved to virtual learning in a matter of days. Families found themselves in a difficult situation. Large school systems struggled with moving learning online. Not all students had devices to access lessons. Teachers were not prepared to offer a new type of instruction to engage students. Students found it difficult to follow through with assignments when told their grades may not be tied to their performance. Parents shifting to a work-from-home situation were not equipped to monitor their children’s schoolwork at the same time.
This situation played out in thousands of homes for children who attended schools in Alpharetta and the surrounding Atlanta metro area and state.
It’s not unusual for families to have children in different schools. Even those families with children enrolled in the same school system may have one child in elementary, one in middle school, and another in high school.
Private schools in Alpharetta are not one-size-fits all and there may be times when one or more children in a family may attend a private school and the other child(ren) attend the local public school.
This was the case for the Langford family.
Several years ago, their oldest child found her way to William & Reed Academy. What was originally a “let’s go and look for next year” visit turned into “I’m ready to start now” scenario. After being accepted for enrollment, she never looked back. At William & Reed she found a different level of engagement to accelerate her learning. Meanwhile, her younger sister remained in her local public school and was doing well.
A few weeks after COVID 19 shut down on-campus learning is when Lisa Langford started to see things change. She relays the difference she noticed between what her older and younger child experienced.
When COVID 19 hit, school for the older child was business as usual. One day she was at school and the next day at home doing school with her teacher and classmates on her computer. She was engaged, had tests, and wrote papers for which teachers gave valuable feedback to improve. When the end of May arrived, she felt like she had a full year of school.
Lisa didn’t see the same outcome for her other child. It took everything they had to get her to finish her work. She had maybe had 30 minutes of work a day. She got frustrated when she saw her older sister was busy.
Her children had two very different experiences from virtual learning in two different schools. William & Reed Academy was able to keep students engaged in a full academic schedule. The way students are motivated to continue their learning is why the younger child is now also enrolled in William & Reed for the 2020-2021 school year.
Don’t Waste a School Year
There are plenty of good schools in the Alpharetta area. While we navigate this pandemic, parents are trying to make the best decision for each child when it comes to their safety, well-being, and ability to learn.
William & Reed Academy may be an option for one of more of your children. The college-preparatory school for 6th – 12th grade students has limited spaces still available. Contact info@WILLIAMandREED.com or call 678-456-5131 for more information.
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