What Happens if it Snows?

Winter is here and we wanted to share some information about inclement weather and its impact on our operations… and answer the question on many people’s minds – will we have school if it snows?

We encourage everyone to remember the importance of Montessori practical life experience.  Winter brings lots of opportunities for new practical life experiences and learning – shoveling snow. scraping ice from a window, learning how to put on winter gear (snow pants, boots, mittens, scarves), preparing treats like hot chocolate, salting the driveway, building snow forts, sledding, etc. and we think that is the perfect “learning” for a snow day/day off.

 Here is a link for activities/inspiration: https://www.montessorinature.com/outdoor-winter-activities/

We understand that there will be mixed feelings on whether or not students should attend school on a “snow day.”  Our goal is to put safety first, and find the right balance of when to have off and when to move to online learning.  There are many things that will impact our decisions as we move forward.  What that means is that each situation will be looked at based on the below questions and many more logistical details.

Here are some things we will consider for situations like snow days:

• How many inclement weather days have we had off?
• Is there any upcoming holiday or break?
• Do teachers have ample time to switch their programming (hybrid teachers need to plan in order to upload necessary materials)?
• Can our staff who teach from school travel to school safely?

Calling snow days is challenging in a typical year and the nuances of the 20-21 school year have brought new things to consider.   We strive to make our decisions as early as possible and inform families immediately.    For now, we will continue to follow the weather and keep you posted.

And if there is a snow day, we hope everyone has a little fun in the snow!