FWCD Online: Lower School Learning
While FWCD Online officially takes place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., there is no typical day or week in the Lower School. Students have more hands-on access to their teachers during those hours, but assignments and activities may be completed throughout the course of a day or the week. Assignments are emailed on Sunday evenings so parents can review and understand the expectations for the week.
Lower School’s version of FWCD Online allows students to interact face-to-face with their homeroom teachers and connect with classmates Monday through Thursday via a Zoom meeting. Friday Zoom assemblies for all grades give students the opportunity to connect with the Head and Assistant Head of Lower School and classmates beyond their homerooms.
Activities and assignments are completed in all classes – reading, writing, math, social studies, science – and specials – foreign language, art, athletics – using Zoom, SeeSaw, Google Classroom*, FlipGrip. Assignments include worksheets, projects that require students to create their own videos or photographs for submission, or assignments that ask for comments and check-ins.
Lower School’s version of FWCD Online allows students to interact face-to-face with their homeroom teachers and connect with classmates Monday through Thursday via a Zoom meeting. Friday Zoom assemblies for all grades give students the opportunity to connect with the Head and Assistant Head of Lower School and classmates beyond their homerooms.
Lower School teachers are connecting with families regularly via text, email and phone calls to ensure that students are understanding the materials, on pace and not feeling overwhelmed by this online transition.
*Fourth-grade uses Google Classroom.
"On March 18, we embarked on a very unique moment for all of us – moving elementary learning to an online or distance format. There is a lot about our Lower School that we simply cannot replicate or 'send home.' We cannot have character lessons responding to social situations; we cannot create groups to learn how to work collaboratively; and we cannot find those random occurrences where we can '[teach at the moment.' There is as much social learning in our division as there is academic learning. While I have confidence in our abilities to deliver and help your student grow academically at this time, I must admit I am already missing the opportunities I have daily to teach the social-emotional learning that is so vital to the Lower School experience."
—Trey Blair, Head of Lower School
Week at a Glance
List of 7 items.
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Homeroom on Zoom
Zoom homeroom meetings take place Monday through Thursday in the mornings and are a favorite for both students and teacher. It is a time to check in and see everyone in their distance-learning environments. Each meeting has a focus. For example, Monday may include a class question, such as share a good/bad thing, and then move into Wordly Wise discussion and a read aloud. Tuesday’s focus could be a fraction discussion, working through math question, followed by a read aloud. Wednesday might include language arts questions, reading reflections and a read aloud. Thursday would focus on discussing the Alamo, reading aloud and sharing issues/concerns. -
Subject Studies - Daily
Students have daily studies and assignments in math, reading, writing and social studies. A Zoom homeroom meeting is dedicated to one subject daily for more in-person, hands-on instruction. Students are welcome to work ahead on assignments or wait until the Zoom discussion has taken place before completing.Students who have questions about materials and assignments are able to ask teachers questions in a variety of ways. In grades K-3, they can post questions directly on the SeeSaw platform or raise their hands in the daily dedicated Zoom calls with teachers. In fourth grade, students post questions to their Google Classroom platform or pose them in daily Zoom meetings.Students and parents may email their teachers; however, teachers have been encouraged not to respond to emails after 5 p.m. in order to allow balance and family time into their schedules. -
Subject Studies - Weekly
Students have foreign language*, science and Math Club (optional) assignments and activities and meet weekly via Zoom with teachers for instruction.*Grade K-2 do not have weekly foreign language Zooms. -
SeeSaw
SeeSaw allows students to stay connected beyond the Zoom classroom. Learning to communicate via this digital platform is a real-world skill, and it provides opportunities for students to exercise digital citizenship skills and model FWCD's core values.
Morning messages facilitate feedback from students, similar to how they converse face-to-face in an exchange. In the Zoom classroom, things are more structured and the students are managed differently (teachers mute all participants and call on students, unmuting them, one at a time), while in SeeSaw the teacher poses a question and receives a focused answer or comment from all students instead of having to call on just one or two. -
What’s So Special about the Specials?
FWCD Online Specials in Lower School include a guidance/character-focused lesson on a weekly theme, art projects using items at home, music instruction via videos, exercise suggestions from the PE team, a storytime video with the Lower School Librarian, and optional Collaboratory challenges using Legos. -
Optional Live Enrichment Classes
The Lower School launched free live “elective” classes on March 30 for students to take advantage of during the school day during times they are not engaged in schoolwork. The Lower School teachers tapped into their passions in order to provide these fun optional offerings:
Movin' & Groovin' with Zumba® Kids (Mondays/Thursdays, 10-10:30 a.m.)
Storytime at Mrs. Hickman’s Bookshelf (Mondays, 11-11:20 a.m.)
Zen-Out with Zentangles (Mondays, 11:30 a.m. -12 p.m.)
Baking with Buddies (Tuesdays 10-11 a.m.)
Tinker Tuesday: Grade 1-2 (Tuesdays, 11-11:30 a.m.)
Tinker Tuesday: Grade 3-4 (Tuesdays, 2-2:30 p.m.)
Math Ninja Live: Grade 4 (Wednesdays, 12-12:30 p.m.
LEGO Closet Freebuild (Wednesdays, 1-1:15 p.m.
Reading with Olga da Pulga (Wednesdays, 3-3:15 p.m.)
Math Ninja Live: Grade 2 (Wednesdays, 3-3:30 p.m.)
Math Ninja Live: Grade 3 (Thursdays, 12-12:30 p.m.)
Math Ninja Live: Grade 1 (Thursdays, 3-3:30 p.m.)
Parent-Child Book Club (Thursday, April 9, 6 p.m.) -
Weekly Wrap-Up Assembly
Grade-level assemblies are favorite activity among Lower School team and students. There are three assemblies each week: Junior Kindergarten/Kindergarten, Grades 1-2 and Grades 3-4.
Assemblies begin with tradition: Students recite the Pledge of Allegiance and sing the FWCD “Alma Mater.” Led by the Head and Assistant Head of Lower School, assemblies cover various topics, and engage students in a larger group.
This event allows student connection, as they see more than their small homeroom classmates. They interact with other teachers and grade-level friends in a fun environment, making them feel a little less isolated.
Fort Worth Country Day (FWCD) is a JK-12 private, independent, coeducational, nondenominational college-preparatory school located on approximately 100 acres in Fort Worth, Texas. The mission of Fort Worth Country Day School is to foster the intellectual, physical, emotional, and ethical development of capable students through an academically rigorous college preparatory program that integrates the arts and athletics.