Amidst Year-Long Pandemic, Old Adobe School District Thrives

After 15 months since the first Covid-19 Shelter in Place order was released, Old Adobe Union School District promotes 212 sixth grade students to Junior High. Given the extensive hurdles faced by educators, the district had to be innovative in its approach to engage students—remotely and more recently on campus.

“We knew that the effort to keep students on track to successfully achieve this crucial goal had to be three-fold,” states Superintendent Sonjhia Lowery. “We needed to engage students while providing the necessary tools and support to parents and teachers alike.”

Traditionally, 6th grade is a year of considerable academic evolution for students as they utilize the skills they have learned in past grades and leverage them for more intricate and individual learning in richer and more demanding ways; a tall order for a year in which instruction moved from the physical classroom to digital learning sessions from home.

“We are grateful to Old Adobe Union School District’s leadership and teachers for taking an innovative approach to help students absorb all that was needed this school year. The teachers were creative, gamifying the online classroom to make it more engaging and leveraging Google Classroom and a couple other apps to help students stay on track.” shares Melissa Meyer whose daughter, Kiera, attends Old Adobe Elementary School.

The Meyers feel confident that Kiera obtained all the necessary skills to enter junior high on par with students from years whose learning environment was not challenged by a pandemic. “Old Adobe School District was pretty innovative, fast, and organized to get a new plan going in light of the shelter in place orders. The kids still had one-on-one and group activities, STEM projects, and even writing assignments accompanied by full presentations including slides,“ adds Mrs. Meyer.

“One thing that really stood out at the District level was Superintendent Lowery’s engagement and open-door policy. She kept updating parents on plans by text, email, calls, and we particularly appreciated the Town Hall-style parent meetings. Superintendent Lowery was always and open book. We loved her community focus and her bringing new opportunities for learning, including helping lead discussions on racial issues,” Mrs. Meyer added.

Other parents also convey their appreciation and esteem for the District’s efforts, as it invested time, energy, and other resources into making this difficult year a banner year; opening broadly to extensive communication with parents, including webinars, trainings, emails, YouTube videos with weekly recaps, and weekly invitations to virtual coffee with Superintendent Lowery to discuss any issues or concerns.

Jamie Lua, whose son, Jack, will be promoted from Miwok Valley Elementary echoes the sentiment. “The District and the school did an outstanding job of keeping the communication going and keeping us in the loop of assignments, meetings, and updates of Covid protocols. Given the size of the challenge, Jack’s sixth-grade graduation is certainly a marker of great success, when all odds were stacked against all students [because of Covid].”

Joy and Joshua Horn’s daughters attend La Tercera Elementary, the eldest, Peyton has been at the school since kindergarten and will be part of the 2021 sixth grade promotion. “The pandemic has made this a more challenging year than usual, and though Peyton is incredibly motivated, even serving in student leadership, what she missed most was the social component of being in school,” shares Mrs. Horn. “Still, the teachers have been amazing in their instruction and in how they shifted quickly to be supportive of the kids. Thanks to them, Peyton has had an excellent school year.”

Mrs. Horn is quick to add: “Old Adobe District is great and I have really appreciated their clear and consistent communication all year long, including Superintendent Lowery’s Zoom sessions. I love how each school in the District has its focus and we are delighted to have chosen La Tercera.”

Dan Noble, La Tercera’s Principal, also reflects on the year, bringing to the forefront the collaboration that took place between teachers and parents and highlighting how some of the more marked events for sixth graders were transformed, rather than canceled, to give students the experience and memories these events provide.

“Looking back at the year, I’m full of pride at every level. For teachers doing all to provide equivalence, going above and beyond to ring to life all the curriculum activities to the students, as well as creating opportunities for social interaction so kids could get together at recess online and beyond,” states Principal Noble. Some of those sixth-grade staples, included the Sixth Grade Rocket Launch and a Zoom Sixth Grade Camp, in lieu of the annual outdoors adventure.

Noble continues: “I am delighted and impressed by the level of commitment from all parents, who were flexible and collaborated to partner with us every step of the way. As well, I find pride in witnessing students’ ability to know their place in history and to grow in the way necessary to get to the next phase of their educational journey.”

Laura Alamillo’s children, Paz and Paulo, will be promoted from Loma Vista Elementary School, whose focus is its Spanish/English Dual Immersion program. The complexity of delivering an immersion program increases when students’ immersion space resides on the computer rather than in the classroom; yet, Paz and Paulo have achieved high marks and a deeper understanding of the subjects presented.

“The teachers were great about doing the immersion and I was impressed with their mastery of the different platforms, including Google Classroom,” said Mrs. Alamillo. “I could hear the teachers make an extra effort, following up with so many emails, providing them and us tips for how to approach the assignments, and giving them a perspective that all was possible, despite Covid. “I can’t thank the District enough, for going the extra mile, 100 miles, all year!”

Mrs. Alamillo shared that even though they live outside Petaluma, they chose Loma Vista Elementary because Old Adobe Union School District was the only one to be responsive and really tried to accommodate her three children (including a younger one) into the program. She added: “I have found Loma Vista to work hard to make everything work, which is reflective of their commitment to meeting the needs of families. I can’t thank them enough.”

“We are delighted to see such positive outcomes for our students and can’t thank the families enough for their involvement,” states Superintendent Lowery. “Old Adobe is a welcoming, collaborative district, and we will be happy to roll out the red carpet to welcome new and returning families in the upcoming school year.”

For more information about Old Adobe School District’s programs, its new initiatives, and upcoming activities, call 707-765-4321.