Individualized learning can take many forms, and for second graders growing into distance learning, small groups offer an ideal time to reinforce skillsets with the support of friends. “Small groups offer a way to connect, do small check-ins, and present short lessons,” said Lower School faculty member Elizabeth Flowers, who uses Zoom and shares her screen with students to complete activities. “I can give them examples and practice opportunities, especially in math.” During a recent small group session, Flowers worked with students individually to complete a numbers frame activity. While waiting for their turns, the girls helped each other as well. “This type of learning is important because it mirrors what we do at school,” said faculty member Lee Tamblyn. “Small groups have specific instruction to meet each girl’s needs, both academically and socially. They give each girl an opportunity to voice her opinions and concerns in a smaller environment and allow her to ask questions without judgement from her peers who may already know the answer.”

In addition to math, small groups are also used for reading and writing assignments. Teachers analyze weekly quiz results to determine the upcoming week’s focus for small groups. That ability to adapt quickly to students’ needs is also seen on the individual level, such as with language arts. “Each girl reads aloud and shares her writing on personal videos, and her teacher can give specific feedback and guidance that only she will hear and that is specific to her,” said Flowers. Students complete a number of assignments using Flipgrid, which offers both individual and group interactions. “Each teacher responds to each girl’s video with a video in return, and we have heard from parents that this is often a highlight of the day at home!” said Tamblyn. There is also a grade-wide grid that allows the girls to work together as a class and share encouraging video messages. “We can’t say enough about the positive effect this is having on our distance learning,” emphasized Tamblyn. “We are very proud of our girls and their work, and we are happy to be constantly encouraging and empowering them.”

During our extended time away from campus, we thought it would be nice to have a few virtual Ashley Hall family play dates. We hope you can join us for one or all to help spread happiness in our community! Ashley Hall families, please visit the Distance Learning Resource Board for access information. 

JUST ADDED: Ashley Hall Community Yoga Hour
Tuesdays: May 12, May 19, May 26 | 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Intermediate Program and Upper School students and all Ashley Hall parents
Beginner level class

Ashley Hall is thrilled to partner with alumna Heather Pennington Downs ’79, owner of Down Dogs Power Yoga, for a mat-based class. Class will include gentle flow, linking breath to movement, and end with a meditation. Two instructors will lead the class, one serving as a visual reference and the other providing verbal cues and suggestions for modifications. Now has never been a better time to try yoga. Thank you Heather and Down Dogs Power Yoga! Please visit the Distance Learning Resource Board for access information.

Share the AH Joy!
Have good news to share with the Ashley Hall community? Follow the link below and record a short video to share your happy gram about something positive happening in your life or a message of encouragement for others.  All ages welcome! Please visit the Distance Learning Resource Board for access information. 

Submit your good news here!

Family Dance Time
Fridays: May 8, May 15, May 22, May 29
EEC & Lower School Families: 4:30 p.m. (20 minute class)
Intermediate Program & Upper School Families: 5:00 p.m. (30 minute class)

At the end of a long week sitting in front of the computer, our bodies need some movement, our brains need to relax, and families need to have FUN together. What better way than throwing a family dance party? End your week by joining EEC division assistant and professional dancer Alex Kosarko to sway your way into the weekend. Parents and siblings are welcome. Dance experience is not necessary, and we promise it will be easy to follow along! Please visit the Distance Learning Resource Board for access information. 

Mindfulness Mondays
Mondays: May 4, May 11, May 18, May 25 | 5:00 p.m. (20 minute class)

Mindfulness has been proven by science and experience to have positive benefits for our health and relationships. It is a simple practice that does not require props or prior knowledge, and it can bring awareness and caring into everything we do. Join Lower School faculty member Susannah Elliott in exploring a mindfulness practice as a tool for reducing stress and anxiety during this time of uncertainty. All ages are welcome! Please visit the Distance Learning Resource Board for access information. 

Family Game Night, featuring Kahoot!
Session One: Wednesday, May 6 | The Disney Challenge!
Come see who’s the biggest Disney fan in your family!

Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform that features fun, educational games for the whole family! All players earn a $1 credit toward one item from the School Store when it reopens. A $5 School Store gift certificate will be awarded to the highest scoring student per round. We look forward to having some fun with your family!

Please visit the Distance Learning Resource Board for access information. 

Show your support for Ashley Hall by adding a specialized Facebook frame to your profile! Click on the buttons below to update your profile picture with a custom Ashley Hall frame. 

I Love Ashley Hall Class of 2020

I Love Ashley Hall

Knowing sixth graders have eagerly looked forward to their spring D.C. trip, Intermediate Program (IP) faculty members were determined to recreate the experience, and in the process, discovered new ways to enrich their learning goals. “The IP team of teachers who put this together showed innovation, creativity, and collaboration,” noted IP Program Coordinator Mary Schweers. “When we left school six weeks ago and began this journey of distance learning, we were really able to embrace it largely due to the design and purpose of the IP building around technology, the daily Chromebook use for both grades, the time and energy the teachers put into ‘leveling up’ with technology, the students’ daily familiarity with various learning platforms, and the teachers indefatigable desire to keep the curriculum interesting and engaging.”

With each faculty member posing an essential question, students journeyed across D.C. and explored the virtual worlds of the same museums and monuments they would have visited in person. They also found ways to have some fun, such as dressing as tourists and accepting Aquatics Director Maggie Laney’s challenge to walk outside the same number of steps as they would have in D.C. Most importantly, students were able to gain valuable insight from significant cultural, educational, and historic sites, with many naming the Holocaust Museum as one of the most meaningful. Ingraining such knowledge and understanding has always been the priority. “Canceling the trip was heartbreaking, but being able to create a virtual trip enabled us to give our students the best experience that we could,” said IP faculty member Kelly Brinson. “While we can’t recreate the excitement of being away from home, we can bring the museums, monuments, and exhibits to them through this special virtual experience.”

In addition to supporting classes, Ashley Hall’s learning technology helps students to stretch their creativity and innovation. When our staff learned about the capability to 3D print masks designed by the Medical University of South Carolina, (MUSC), we jumped at the opportunity to put our 3D printers to good use. Through the support of MUSC and West Ashley High School, Ashley Hall’s Director of Innovation Ed Dougherty was able to begin printing the design. Our goal is to deliver as many masks as we can over the next few weeks.

How can the Ashley Hall community help?

We know our medical community and first responders are on the front lines battling COVID-19 and dedicating their lives to protecting our community. If you have a few minutes, visit the Flipgrid linked below and leave a “thank you” message to our first responders. With each mask we create, Ashley Hall will include a QR code that will link to a Flipgrid with all of our wonderful messages. Our goal is to provide safety and cheer to all the wonderful first responders in our community.

Click on the button below to submit your comment on Flipgrid.

Submit Comment to Flipgrid

Never used Flipgrid before? It’s easy. Learn more by clicking on the button below! 

How to use  Flipgrid

Girls who have the will, have the ability, especially in Upper School faculty member Meghan Ward’s Marine Biology class! To best help her students continue their study of Chordates and Fish, she replicated her planned classroom lesson: a dissection. “The girls dissected sharks before we left, and then I posted videos of me doing the rest of the dissections for them on the Learning Commons,” noted Ward. “Today’s lesson was on bony fish, class Osteichthyes. It was so nice to be able to show the girls via Zoom the parts of the fish. Even if they were not getting their hands dirty, I think they appreciated getting to see what we were learning about.”

Logging in from their home study spaces, students created their own sketches as Ward talked. “Meeting as a class, even if it is online, helps to maintain the Ashley Hall community, as well as model more of a normal classroom environment,” Wickie Fort ’21 pointed out. “Mrs. Ward’s virtual dissection gave us the opportunity to ask her and each other questions if we were confused. Being together in our class helps things to feel more normal during this strange time, and I always look forward to seeing Mrs. Ward. She is so positive and inspirational and always brightens my day! I value all the virtual classes I have, and I am so excited for our next Marine Science Zoom!” Ward echoed her students’ positivity. “It is hard to teach a lab science distance-style, but we are making the best of it, and I hope to be able to do more interactive Zoom lessons,” said Ward. “Collaborating with the girls via Zoom gives them a chance to ask questions and feel more connected to the learning.”