Author: EdDirector

Our Villa of Hope Students have been enjoying Spirit Week this week. Monday and Wednesday Sports Day and on Tuesday and Thursday, wear your costume.

Check out the pumpkin carved by Alex Reynolds in Advisory on Tuesday.

Pretty Cool Alex!

Monday, October 12th we honored Indigenous People/Columbus Day!

Wednesday, November 11th we honor our Veteran’s serving and/or have served our country…the United States of America.

No School both of these days…Thanksgiving Break is November 26 and 27!

So proud of our students and staff…we have completed the first 5 weeks of school this week staying healthy and safe. Keep up the great work!

The Villa of Hope School is committed, confident, and dedicated to offering a Hybrid Reopening Plan that is safe, with a focus on sustaining good health and wellness. The health and safety of our students, their families, and our staff is first and foremost.

We have responded to the Governor’s request to communicate openly with staff and parents, the presentation is attached. We have outlined the three areas stipulated in the Governor’s press release announcing the reopening of schools that includes: Remote Learning, Testing, and Contact Tracing.

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions, concerns, suggestions and/or ideas. We are here to serve and protect, and welcome the feedback.

WE have the POWER to do This!

The Villa of Hope School has been focusing on a reopening plan to be submitted to the Department of Health (DOH) and the New York State Education Department (NYSED) on our before July 31, 2020. Our school, like many others like us, along with local school districts have reviewed the guidance from CDC, DOH, and NYSED. In addition, we have been meeting as a leadership team, and talking to key stakeholders to develop a plan that is healthy and safe, to ensure wellness for students, families and staff as we continue to experience the many challenges associated with the Coronavirus.

The plan has been shared with our staff, our students and families, and with the districts in which we serve as part of our Day School Program. We have also communicated clearly and openly in partnership with our Residential Program Directors and Managers during this planning process.

I have attached the Villa of Hope Reopening Plan, along with our Fall Schedule. We are anxious to hear from Governor Cuomo the week of August 3, 2020 with his executive order regarding the reopening of schools throughout New York State. His decision will weigh heavily on the submission of the reopening plans from all NYS school districts and private and parochial schools. We have had the opportunity to work closely with our cohort 853 schools to compare plans and discuss appropriate and effective ways to meet the guidelines in each of our learning environments. Our hope is to open on September 9 with this hybrid model for reopening, with the commitment to assessing the health and safety of our school regularly. We will look at alternative  options to change direction if needed, and may include a full reopening plan later in the fall and/or returning to virtual learning during the late fall and early winter months that have typically been the months we typically experience as the height of flu season.

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions and/or concerns.

Graduation Day is almost here, and despite the COVID 19 pandemic, will be a commencement to remember! Our Villa of Hope School staff and supporters have been honoring our seniors all month long in June. We will confer diplomas on June 25, 2020, pronounce the Class of 2020 graduates, and WISH them the best as they begin their new journey. We are so proud of our graduates, the future is bright for you, and we are here to celebrate all that you have accomplished.

Villa of Hope School in partnership with the Rochester Broadway Theatre League (RBTL) will be planning and organizing this fall to align teaching and learning with two Broadway musicals coming to Rochester in early 2021.

We are thrilled to know that Dear Evan Hansen has been rescheduled for January; and then Hamilton arrives. We thank RBTL for their generosity, commitment, and dedication to bring the arts to life in our schools and our community.

Full STEAM ahead!

Thank you to our WBL team, Ms. Harding and Mr. Fromm, along with our Summer team that includes Ms. Stahl, Mr. Oldenburg, and Mr. Shepard. In preparation for our remote Summer WBL program they have been innovative in creating a distance experience in Human Ecology, Horticulture, and Technology/Manufacturing. Each will be presenting, facilitating and supporting special projects this summer to enhance the WBL program with opportunities to earn a salary through engagement.  Many of our students participating this summer have WBL hours already, and some will be earning hours for the first time.

Our students will have the opportunity to engage in WBL this fall during the first quarter…we hope you will JOIN US!

The Villa of Hope School will be conducting  our Summer ESY Program remotely through Distance Learning. We have been assessing our effectiveness to stay connected, to support our students and families, and how best to deliver quality instruction while finishing up the 2019-2020 school year remotely. A new schedule, individualized for each student, will be released on July 6, 2020 as we begin our summer session through August 15, 2020.

Thank you to all who supported the Virtual Gala on Saturday. Your support is valued and appreciated. We at school can continue to connect, support and engage our students. You have our commitment to continue to find ways to improve what we do to meet the needs of students and their families in our community. Thank You Again!