When the COVID-19 pandemic reached North Texas in March, CISNT students and their families were some of the most affected groups following widespread school closures and job losses. In response, CISNT transitioned to virtual programming in order to continue assisting students.
Virtual programming efforts continued into the summer, and ACE after-school programs launched websites for ten campuses to serve students and families throughout May and June. As summer winds down and CISNT starts making back-to-school preparations, we want to take a moment to reflect on the awesome virtual work done by our incredible ACE staff!
ACE Summer programming began on May 26th, and Strickland Middle School ACE teacher Isaac Arreola Ramirez kicked off the first week of programming with an awesome “Board at Home” DIY board game tutorial. Mr. Isaac’s board game tutorial included instructions on drawing a board game route, creating board game rules, and creating paper dice.
Mr. Isaac’s board game took a turn for the extraterrestrial – with rockets, stars, and a flying saucer. Want to learn to make your own board game? Check out Mr. Isaac’s board game instructions here: https://bit.ly/3ahOr0W
At Calhoun Middle School, ACE staff member Israel Harris shared a “Quarantine Recap” slideshow with his students on the ACE Calhoun website, where he shared a few facts about his time at home since schools transitioned to virtual learning.
Mr. Israel’s slideshow included his favorite quarantine snacks, a few things he learned during quarantine, three things he missed, and a song he had been listening to a lot during his time at home.
Mr. Israel ended his quarantine recap by asking his students to send their own slideshow presentations in, and to include their favorite ACE activity in their recaps.
ACE staff at Central Elementary school gave summertime students a fun treat with an animal-themed week in which staff made videos offering information and fun facts about different kinds of animals.
ACE teacher Ash Greer posted an awesome and informative video about giraffes, penguins, and toucans (oh my!). Ms. Ash included some very interesting facts about this set of animals, including the fact that giraffes have three hearts, and that penguins can live for up to 20 years.
Despite limitations and challenges, ACE staff members were able to put together a lot of exciting and educational material for students over the Summer. These were just a few examples of the many awesome videos and virtual activities created by our phenomenal ACE staff members.
As we transition into a new school year featuring both virtual and in-person learning, CISNT will continue to put our best foot forward in order to meet our students and families where they are, because CISNT is #AllInForKids
