Home Learning Kits Delivered

Home learning kits were delivered to students at the end of October in an effort to maximize the quality of Chelsea School’s virtual learning program. Each student received a kit specially designed for their class schedule and their learning needs. Kits were delivered via parent pick-up and through staff delivery.

Each student received in their kits some learning essentials, such as a daily planner, paper and notebooks, pens and pencils, a dry-erase board, a hand-made facemask, fidgets, and a packet of specially selected graphic organizers, semantic maps, and templates.

Middle school students received art and ceramic supplies, a sports kit provided by Leveling the Playing Field, fraction and decimal tiles, a jump rope, and laminated maps for social studies classes. Upper Division students received materials for their specific classes, including geometric models, algebraic manipulatives, chemical molecule kits, anatomy models, cell models, maps, and workbooks.

The kits are designed to make virtual learning, which relies on the visual and aural modalities, more accessible to our students by providing tactile and kinesthetic modalities. “Having materials that they can touch, feel, and manipulate is very important to the learning process,” said Head of School Kristal Weems-Bradner. “We need to engage as many senses as possible to make the curriculum come alive for our students.”

The learning kits were made possible through the generous donations of Chelsea School parents, staff, alumni, board of governors, and supporters to the school’s fall fundraiser for virtual learning entitled “Keep them Learning, Keep them Safe.” In total, the Chelsea community raised over $15,000 for the virtual kits. The fundraiser was also supplemented by generous in-kind donations from the Brewer Foundation, Staples, Leveling the Playing Field, Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care USA, and the Chelsea School PTO.

In addition to the learning kits, Chelsea School also upgraded its chromebooks to better meet the needs of its students. The Chelsea School tech team selected a chromebook model that included a larger screen and keyboard, more memory and processing capability, and a touch-screen interface. These new machines will make it easier for our students to interact with challenging and engaging academic content. Many students have already received their chromebook “upgrade” and are successfully using the new machines.

School Leaders “Unbox” the New Learning Kits

To provide families with a comprehensive run-down of all of the amazing instructional tools contained in the new learning kits, Mr. Mills, Chelsea’s Executive Director, and Mrs. Weems-Bradner, Chelsea’s Head of School, took a page from their favorite YouTube stars by making their own unboxing video. They displayed and explained all of the items in the learning kits for the benefit of families. It took quite a bit of time, because these learning kits are packed! Thanks to the generous donations of Chelsea’s parents, staff, alumni, and supporters – along with some generous in-kind donations from some local businesses and charities, the school was able to provide learning kits that will help all of its students be successful in the virtual platform. To see the “unboxing” video, go here: https://youtu.be/0erUxbc-plg

Family Feud at Chelsea!

On Wednesday, October 28^th, students, staff, and families participated in the first-ever virtual Family Feud game at Chelsea School. The event was sponsored by the Chelsea PTO as a way to help families and staff connect socially during the pandemic. The event was the brainchild of Chelsea’s Social Taskforce Committee which has been charged with devising new and creative ways for students, staff, and parents to connect socially to build a sense of community during the pandemic.

The event was produced and hosted by Chelsea’s Director of Admissions Debbie Lourie, who worked tirelessly to make the event a success. Staff, students, and families were asked to participate in a survey in the week prior to the game to provide the “top ten answers” that would appear on each question board. Students, staff, and parents joined together in teams as they represented either the Blue Knights or the White Knights, Chelsea School’s two rival houses.

Chelsea Says Goodbye to Three Champions

October 2020 News and Notes

And ….. We’re Off!  (Virtually)

Chelsea School’s 44^th school year began with great fanfare as we welcomed back our Head of School, Kristal Weems-Bradner, to the fold. Mrs. Weems-Bradner was beaming with pride as she addressed the students on the first day of school.

“Each of you has a wonderful opportunity to make this the best school year ever,” she said through her webcam. “Set your sights as high as you can!”

Chelsea School is beginning the 2020-2021 school year in a completely virtual format, meaning that all classes, school events, advisories, and related services are being provided through videoconferencing. With this unusual format, other changes to our time-tested school program were necessary as well, including a shift to block scheduling.

‘It’s different, but it’s still Chelsea,” said Mrs. Weems-Bradner. “We still find a way to connect with children in a personal and life-altering way, even when we’re apart. We still come together each morning as a community to celebrate our achievements and milestones, process events happening in the world, and support each other during this difficult time.”

Chelsea Sophomore Launches Line of Beauty Products

Savannah Robinson, a 10^th grade student at Chelsea School, has launched her own company, SBS Naturals (Savannah’s Beauty Squad). Savannah’s line of beauty products include body lotion, hair and beard oil, sea moss, and hair tea. She will be premiering her products in a pop-up sale on October 3^rd at Star Struck Sports in Temple Hills, Maryland.

Besides being an honor roll student at Chelsea, Savannah is also a young entrepreneur who created a line of products based on the needs of her peers. She is currently working hard to get her business off the ground through pop-up sales, word-of-mouth advertising, and social media marketing.

Focus on Social Justice

This year, Chelsea School is providing its students with an opportunity to explore and discuss issues that concern them regarding equality, racism, sexism, and social responsibility. In a weekly Social Justice seminar, students in grades 9-12 are encouraged to think critically about issues facing society today.

During the school closure last spring, students were looking for ways to discuss issues that concerned them, especially issues regarding systemic racism. What started as informal chats turned into a formalized program that follows a social justice curriculum. In the seminar, students are not only encouraged to speak their minds, they are also challenged to think critically, develop skills related to media consumption, and consider their individual role in the broader society.

New, Fun Programming

In an effort to promote increased student engagement in the distance-learning platform, Chelsea has rolled out new programming for our middle school students to get them moving and expressing themselves. Besides their core classes, students will now have an opportunity to take Yoga, Digital Photography, Art, Ceramics, Physical Education, Health, and a new class called Culture Club where students explore geography and world cultures.

Besides this, Head of School Kristal Weems-Bradner has made physical movement a priority for all classes, asking every teacher to incorporate movement into their lesson plans each day.

“Physical movement is so crucial for our students, perhaps now more than ever,” said Mrs. Weems-Bradner. “Screen time was a major concern for us going into this year. We wanted to try to incorporate movement into every class period to promote better physical and cognitive health.”

Chelsea Student Serves as Children’s Hospital Ambassador

On October 17th, Chelsea School eighth-grader Lucas Khelawan will be taking part in Children’s National Hospital’s Race for Every Child (Virtual Edition). This year mark’s the fourth year that Lucas will be participating in this event in an effort to raise money for a hospital that he knows very well.

Lucas has made it his mission to improve the lives of children with serious illnesses. Lucas was diagnosed with cancer in August, 2015. For the next three years, Children’s National Hospital was his second home. Lucas spent a great deal of his first year there in a medically-induced coma while receiving aggressive chemotherapy treatments. During this time, his third grade year, he was unable to see his family or interact with his classmates.

Today, Lucas is a healthy 13 year old. This November will mark two years since he completed his treatment.

Besides this event, Lucas has also started his own nonprofit charitable organization called Lucas’ Toy Chest, which provides toys to children who have to stay in the hospital for extended durations due to serious illness.

To sponsor Lucas, please visit: https://bndfr.com/d7CzY

Fall Fundraiser Going Strong

Chelsea School’s fall fundraiser for its virtual learning program, entitled Keep them Learning, Keep them Safe! has raised over $12,000 towards its goal of $15,000. Many Chelsea School alumni, alumni parents and grandparents, staff members, former staff members, and friends and neighbors have contributed to this fundraising effort.

All donations received this fall will go to support Chelsea’s distance learning programming. Funds will be used to provide each student with a home learning kit that includes manipulatives, technology supports, art supplies, science lab equipment, hands-on learning tools, fitness materials, and other items essential for learning at home. Besides this, money is also being requested to support Chelsea families with groceries.

To donate to Chelsea School’s Fall Fundraiser, you have two options:

This spring, Frank Mills, our Executive Director, was invited to contribute an article to the Educating All Learners Alliance discussing Chelsea School’s remarkable shift to virtual learning in March. As local districts closed for several weeks without any kind of educational programming, Chelsea School was able to quickly pivot to a fully virtual instructional model with only two days of lost instruction.  

In response to widespread school closure, a group of special education advocacy and innovation organizations has formed the Educating All Learners Alliance to support the education of students with disabilities during COVID-19.  In April, the Alliance launched EducatingAllLearners.org, a resource hub and online community dedicated to meeting the needs of all learners during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Mr. Mills’ article can be found at https://www.educatingalllearners.org/projects-leading-by-example/Leveraging-Relationships-in-a-Time-of-Pandemic

Kristal and Frank with Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks

In June, the Chelsea School Board of Governors announced two exciting position changes for the school’s senior leadership. Kristal Weems-Bradner, former Dean of Students and Co-Head of School, has returned to Chelsea and has taken on the role of Head of School. Frank Mills, former Head of School, is assuming the role of Executive Director. Ms. Weems-Bradner will be responsible for the internal day-to-day operations of the school, while Mr. Mills focuses on external concerns such as fundraising, development, and sustainability.

Kristal and Frank are working hard this summer to prepare for the new school year, but would love to hear from you! You can contact Kristal at kweems@chelseaschool.edu and Frank at fmills@chelseaschool.edu.