www.BXTimes.com
Special education school adapts to virtual learning
BY JASON COHEN
Throughout the borough many
children go without laptops and
some have to share one device
amongst several people as they continue
to learn virtually.
But in Westchester Village, a
nonprofi t called Rising Ground operates
a special education program,
The Biondi School at 1529 Williamsbridge
Rd., where students are thriving
during the COVID crisis.
The school has created a “virtual
school” for its students, with therapeutic
supports for their learning,
behavioral and emotional disorders
and made sure those who do not
have access to a computer at home
are equipped with an iPad.
“Students who typically took
longer in the classroom to warm
up are more engaged online, “said
says Natalie Garcia, a third-grade
teacher. “They are happy to see each
other.”
Garcia and her teaching assistant
employ an array of digital tools each
morning to “meet” with students,
including Zoom, Google Classroom,
Epic and Class Dojo, which notifi es
students and parents of assignments
and tracks the completion of student
work.
Garcia told the Bronx Times that
overall it’s been a positive experience
with the kids. She noted that
often if the children miss the bus,
they are stuck home. But now they
are ready to learn all day.
“It’s been trial and error,” she
explained. “Because we have a good
relationship with the families a
lot of them have been willing to go
along.”
Numerous kids have been asking
to go back to school, including third
grader Latonia Sparrow. Sparrow
likes math and science and has aspirations
of being an engineer. With
help from Garcia and her grandma
Bernice Sparrow-Crawford, she has
been able to learn virtually.
“It hasn’t been tough,” Sparrow-
Crawford said. “I’ve raised seven
kids. It’s okay. I just do my job.”
In addition to making academic
progress, students are receiving social
and emotional support at home.
Jennifer D’Agostino, the clinical
supervisor at the school, said her
staff shares videos to facilitate student
health and wellness via Google
Classroom. Some of the videos include
deep breathing, yoga and handwashing,
to name a few and she discusses
them with her students.
She explained that every child
has a clinician assigned to them and
some have speech or occupational
therapy. According to D’Agostino,
it’s been an adjustment but it’s working.
“Now that we are in a routine everyone’s
been pretty positive,” she
said. “The kids are really proactive.
They need the support.”
One thing they have learned is
that there are only so many hours
in the day. While in school the day
is structured and the kids are in
class but at home if they are busy
they may occasionally miss a Zoom
or phone call. But she noted her staff
has been accessible and fl exible.
Ultimately, the parents are grateful
for the teachers and mental
health experts, she said.
“What we found is that parents
are really appreciative of what the
school does,” she said. “Although it’s
been a challenge, it’s also kind of eye
opening. There’s not one formula
that works for every kid.”
Biondi third grade teacher Nicole Garcia and one of her students Latonia Sparrow Photo courtesy Zoom
5 BRONX WEEKLY April 26, 2020
/www.BXTimes.com
/www.BXTimes.com
/www.BXTimes.com
/www.BXTimes.com