Fall 2020 Reopening Plan

McGinnis Woods School, a private school in Alpharetta serving Infants through 8th grade, has released its comprehensive plan for reopening in August for the 2020-2021 school year.

The school began developing its plans and procedures for reopening immediately after the last school year ended. Mary Johnson, the Principal at McGinnis Woods, emphasized that “the health and well-being of our students, staff and families is our top priority. We have thoughtfully planned an environment and way of operating that allows our students to thrive while, at the same time, keeping them as safe and healthy as possible.”

For the fall, McGinnis Woods will welcome students back to its campus.

An extensive set of guidelines and procedures have been developed as part of the reopening plan. “We recognize the importance of having students back in the classroom”, said Johnson, “but things will look different as we implement our safety protocols”.

Some of the measures the school is taking include:

• Temperature and wellness checks
• Physical separation
• Limited movement
• Frequent cleaning

According to Johnson, a complete list of changes and procedures will be presented to enrolled families in the coming weeks.

While the school is eager to have students return to the classroom, it also recognizes this option may not be ideal for all families. “There are some households that have high-risk family members or others that simply aren’t yet comfortable returning to campus. It is our desire to serve each of our families and have worked hard to create a solution that builds on our success with remote learning this past spring”, said Johnson.

When school closures began in March, McGinnis Woods was a leader in the remote learning model. Students were immediately transitioned to a fully interactive learning platform where teachers were live and presenting course material similar to in the classroom.

Jason Harper, Director of Technology for McGinnis Woods said that “continuity of learning and the McGinnis Woods experience was incredibly important to us. We had an obligation to provide our students with more than just worksheet-based learning.” Students across all grade levels were engaged, inspired and thriving during the period of remote learning.

ClassFusion Learning Option

The team at McGinnis Woods has built on that experience to create their new ClassFusion offering. Families that elect this option will have the opportunity for students to participate in live classes from home. “We are investing in new technology to create an immersive learning experience for students that can’t join us at school”, said Harper.

ClassFusion allows students at home to join their on-campus teachers and peers for a full day of learning.

These students will participate in classroom discussions and activities just as if they were there in person. The technology will allow students in the classroom to see and hear students at home on large displays. Similarly, students at home will have a complete view of the classroom and all activities taking place.

Harper explained that:

“Our goal with ClassFusion is to deliver a seamless, interactive experience so that both groups of students benefit from our outstanding academic program. Unfortunately, families at many other public and private schools must make a choice between in-person instruction or an extremely limited, asynchronous online education that is primarily taught by parents. We are extremely proud to offer the same educational experience no matter which format families choose.”

McGinnis Woods is well-positioned to offer a superior experience even amid these unusual times. Johnson empathizes with what families are going through.

“I know that decisions for the upcoming school year can be stressful for families. We hope our procedures and offerings take the stress out of those decisions and would be delighted to welcome additional students to our school community”.

Enrollment for new students is still available for both on-campus attendance and ClassFusion.