TVT Press Release 3.26.20

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

 

TVT COMMUNITY DAY SCHOOL --- A LEADER IN DISTANCE LEARNING

 

[IRVINE, CA, March 26, 2020]  TVT Community Day School in Irvine is living up to its ranking as the #1 K-12 Independent School in Orange County and #1 Jewish School in America with their seamless transition to a model program of distance learning. 

 

COVID-19 has presented a unique roadblock to the education system.  The call for social distancing makes traditional classrooms no longer an option during this time.  On Thursday, March 12, 2020, TVT Community day school was one of many independent schools in Orange County that announced a temporary closure of onsite learning, in favor of online learning, otherwise coined “distance learning”.  This was quickly followed by all public schools in California and beyond.

 

While many schools are struggling with this new normal, TVT Community Day School is setting the standard for quality distance learning. Within days of announcing their campus was closing to on-site learning, TVT implemented a seamless transition for all 620 students to distance learning. They developed their plan for distance learning nearly two years ago which required committing extensive resources for state-of-the-art infrastructure, hardware, faculty training, and staffing an IT department with four full-time employees.  

 

“This is perhaps the proudest moment of my career,”  says Jill Quigley, TVT’s Middle and Upper School Principal. “To see our faculty shift from delivering their curriculum in the classroom to delivering that very same curriculum in a virtual environment is a marvel. The students are as engaged as ever.”

 

Dr. Michelle Bernat, TVT’s Lower School Principal, shared the feedback one parent gave her: “Teachers have picked up where they left off in terms of instruction and are providing a varied, distance learning experience. They are reaching out with personal calls, Google Meets, and chats.  My kids miss their friends and teachers, but they love seeing everyone online right now--it feels like our (TVT) community continues.”

 

TVT teachers are leading the effort in innovative ways to engage students with community-focused projects.  One example is TVT’s high school engineering program, where students are utilizing video communication platforms to collaboratively design an adaptor that would allow a single ventilator to be used by two people at once.  They hope to be able to use TVT’s 3D printers to supply local medical workers with the adaptor should hospitals become overwhelmed with patients.

 

TVT leaders are doing their best to give back to the community as well.  As the school site is closed, TVT is donating its emergency supplies which include N95 masks and gloves to local senior living facilities.  Additionally, TVT has opened its state-of-the-art kitchen to launch TVT Eats Kosher, to offer curbside pickup of kosher, family-style meals.  It is one of the only, if not only, kosher food meal-service currently operating in Orange County.

 

Founded in 1991, TVT Community Day School is an inclusive Jewish school of inquiry and innovation where academics are important and character is paramount.  TVT welcomes students and families of all faiths.

 

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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Jasmine Broderick at (909)815-2250 or by email at jbroderick@tarbut.com