Like many elements of school this fall, assemblies have been reimagined into a new, creative and virtual format. Last Friday’s Beasley assembly was no exception. The assembly content was shared through the virtual emoji classroom pictured below. Each teacher was able to either go through the assembly items as a class or allow students to work through the activities on their own or at home.
This was the second Beasley assembly of the year, and it was exciting to participate whether tuning in from home as distance learners or on campus. Moving forward, Lower School assemblies will be held about every two weeks for our JK-4th graders.
“Our assembly theme for the year is ‘We Take Care Of Each Other,'” shares Barb Spieler, Lower School Music Specialist. “Our goal is to build a caring community.” What a fitting theme for this unique school year to foster community and compassion for one another.
This assembly covered:
- A message from Amy Scheer, Head of Lower School
- The Pledge of Allegiance
- A video of the author Jacqueline Woodson reading The Day You Begin
- Video from SK on what they look forward to when they wake up
- Video 1st Grade answering “What makes first grade happy?”
- Halloween Parade
- A Turkey Train Video
- A form to submit name suggestions for the turkey that we’ll add feathers to in Lower School
- Musical videos from Barb Spieler
- A greeting to students with November birthdays
This year, Lower School is participating in the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) “One School, One Book” program which is an important part of every Beasley assembly. ADL designates a book every month as a resource for parents and educators to talk to students about race, identity, equality, and other messages to share with children. “As a community, we are sharing a book with the Lower School faculty every month during our Cultural Competency time together and then the books are being shared with students via the virtual assemblies,” elaborates Sarah Garner, Visual Art Specialist. “Along with reading the book, teachers are sharing activities that students can work on to encourage the students to think about the theme or discussion prompted by the book using resources provided by ADL. The readings offer a wonderful opportunity to discuss what each of us can do to contribute to the Beasley family.”
After reading The Day You Begin, Ms. Garner created discussion questions and lesson plans for the teachers to implement. Each teacher chose one lesson for their students to work on and shared their progress in Seesaw.
What an exciting, packed second assembly of the school year!