Los Encinos School Reimagines Itself During COVID-19

Back in early March 2020, the faculty and administration of Los Encinos School in Encino started to sense something big was occurring from a growing pandemic known by the odd name of "COVID-19," and they got to work. Without knowing exactly what the protocols should be for "at-home learning," they quickly developed a digital plan to take the curriculum online. Friday the 13th, ominously, was the last day of in-person school for the 2019-2020 school year and the beginning of 2020-2021.

Last night, they held their first ever "Back to School Night" online for returning and new families. "It's wonderful to see how the school community has bonded together in the face of these uncertain times," said Ilene Reinfeld, Head of School. Indeed, the families have kept in touch with many Zoom calls, "drive-by" birthday celebrations, and movie nights where they all watch together online and support each other for celebrations that would normally take place in-person.

In addition, the teachers have taken on the complex task of conforming their detailed lesson plans to a digital-only environment. Using a combination of Zoom, Google Classroom, and Seesaw (for the younger grades), the teachers have become experts in online instruction virtually overnight (pun intended). These virtual classrooms have allowed the learning to continue unabated. While not the ideal atmosphere for the type of individualized instruction Los Encinos School is known for, it can come pretty close.

A recent survey of the parents has shown that the majority would like to return to in-person learning as long as safety protocols, such as mask-wearing and six-feet perimeters are honored. The administration has gone even further with the safety measures by not only preparing masks and reconfiguring the campus to provide ample space, but adding several more criteria. UV lighting has been installed to clean the air as it moves through the ducts, all sinks have been equipped with hands-free faucets, a backpack-style sterilization machine is used to clean the classrooms each morning and afternoon, and hand-sanitizers and portable hand-washing stations have been installed throughout the campus.

Currently the campus is quiet, except for the teachers who elect to run their online classes from otherwise empty classrooms. LA County has mandated that schools cannot return to in-person yet, and Los Encinos School is determined to follow the safest protocols deemed necessary by the experts. Every member of the faculty and staff agrees that returning to campus -- with safety in mind -- is absolutely necessary. "We will return," promised Jonathan Beckmann, Assistant Head of School, "and when we do, we'll be ready."

Admissions events have also been converted to online events. Several morning and evening "coffees" will be held for small Q&A sessions with the head of school on Zoom, and two evening Virtual Open Houses will be held at 7:00pm, one on October 15 and another on November 19. Parents interested in kindergarten through sixth-grade are encouraged to register because space is limited. Registration, of course, like most everything else, is online: losencinosschool.org/registration. If you want to see the campus for yourself, a comprehensive tour of the school has been designed on video as well: losencinosschool.org/virtual-tour.

Without a doubt, we've all learned a great deal about adjusting to this coronavirus, yet, arguably, nowhere has the learning curve been more pronounced than in our schools.