The Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board approves the 2021-22 calendar and passes a preliminary budget.
All tagged Coronavirus
Beyond Books and Browsing: Local Libraries Adjust to the Pandemic
Local libraries adjust to the pandemic and find new ways to connect with their patrons.
Board Weighs Full Reopening of Elementary Schools at Marathon Meeting
At a 5½-hour board meeting, the Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board heard the details of a proposed transition plan that would bring many elementary school students back into schools nearly full time. Two CHOP PolicyLab experts and over 60 community members weighed in.
Divided Community Seeks to Influence School Board on Reopening
Multiple competing petitions and social media posts reflect the deep divisions in the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District about when and how schools should reopen for more in-person instruction. We talk to hard-hit parents and worried teachers about their hopes and fears.
Hard-Hit Plush Mills to Get Vaccine Jan. 27
Following a rise in COVID-19 cases at Plush Mills Senior Living in Wallingford, the first doses of the Moderna vaccine will be given later this month.
Unscientific Survey: After the Vaccine
We asked whether you would get a COVID-19 vaccination when available. Hearteningly, 92% of respondents followed the science and responded that they would; an additional 3% said they weren’t sure, in some cases because they needed more information regarding their specific medical condition.
Freedom and Isolation: How Community Members Are Managing During the Pandemic
Many of us are doing our best to embrace the freedoms created by this moment in history, while also struggling with its isolation. No matter our circumstances, the pandemic has forced us all to adjust. In this essay, associate editor Satya Nelms shares her own experiences and reports on those of a family with school-aged children, a college student, and a resident of a senior living community.
School After COVID
Since they first closed schools last March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, educators have made changes and adjustments to schooling to keep students safe and healthy. How many of these adjustments are here to stay?
Delco Strong ‘Rapid Response’ Grants Available Now
Delaware County is offering financial support, through its “Delco Strong: Rapid Response” program, to businesses that are directly affected by the county’s new COVID-19 mitigation mandate (issued on December 10 and continuing through January 4).
Writer Sought for Disability Journalism Project
Seeking writer fluent in issues facing disabled people in the Greater Philadelphia Area for grant-funded project focusing on the impact of COVID-19. The project seeks to connect community newspapers (including the Swarthmorean) with disabled writers who will write four to eight articles under the supervision of the newspaper editor.
A November 23 order by Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine imposes new limits on the number of people who can gather indoors, due to what the order called a “serious increase” of COVID-19 cases in Delaware County. The order is in effect through January 2. Among the new restrictions is a limit on the number of diners who can share a table (four) as well on people attending indoor “gatherings,” which include parties, funerals, and sporting events (ten). Religious services and school instruction are not affected. Strath Haven High School Athletic Director Pat Clancy sent an email to the school community announcing that winter sports are now “postponed until further notice.”
Helpers: COVID-19 Response Fund of the Foundation for Delaware County
Eight months, 77 grants, $673,000. That’s how long the COVID-19 Response Fund of the Foundation for Delaware County has been operating, and how much money it has distributed so far.
Teachers Find New Ways to Connect With Kids, Each Other
COVID-19 has upended strategies teachers rely on to connect with kids and teach their subjects. In the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District, teachers have had to switch gears several times, going all-virtual last spring, then preparing over the summer for in-person school, only to learn that school would stay virtual after all. Then, in October, most teachers went back to school buildings, teaching cohorts of students in a hybrid of in-person and virtual instruction.
College Grounds to Remain Closed
Even with few students living in the dorms for the next few months, the college grounds will remain closed. In a letter to the Swarthmore College community, President Val Smith explained the decision, citing the current surge in COVID-19 cases across the region as well as projections of even higher positivity rates to come.
Working to Overcome Challenges, Schools Stay Open (for Now)
Schools in the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District will stay open for in-person instruction — at least for now — and district teachers are working extremely hard. These were the two main take-aways from Monday’s school board meeting.
A Year of Unknowns
When we started doing virtual learning in the spring, it felt like a dream to not have to go to school. Time went on though, and I began to miss events and activities. Now, with the school year starting up, what was once a dream of not having school for a couple weeks has turned into a nightmare of never-ending disappointments.
Lost Mojo
When we started doing virtual learning in the spring, it felt like a dream to not have to go to school. Time went on though, and I began to miss events and activities. Now, with the school year starting up, what was once a dream of not having school for a couple weeks has turned into a nightmare of never-ending disappointments.
Calls for More Opening Amid COVID Uptick
COVID-19 cases are rising in Delaware County. That uncomfortable fact hung over every part of the October 26 Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board meeting. Five cases of COVID-19 were recorded in district schools and buses during the week of October 19. One case was in Strath Haven High School, one was in Strath Haven Middle School, and three were on school buses.
Making the Best of the School Situation
Whether enrolled in the hybrid instructional model where students attend in-person school two days a week, or in the completely virtual Online Academy, district children and their families are struggling this year.
Trick or Treat?
As with so many traditions, it’s hard to know what Halloween will look like this year. Will kids stay home? Will they trick or treat but in smaller groups, and limit how far afield they range? Will those who do venture out find houses dark this year? Will costumed neighbors find new ways to distribute treats? The Swarthmorean recently put out a call for information. We are sharing responses from a handful of community members here.