AIM Remote Learning
Providing Innovative Teaching
for Fearless Learners Online
Despite required school closures, AIM Academy is committed to providing meaningful learning opportunities to all of our students using remote learning tools and platforms allowing for live classes, continuation of important one-on-one work including speech and occupational therapy services and opportunities to stay connected social with friends and faculty alike.
Since launching our Remote Learning program on March 16, we have depended on parent and student feedback, dedicated and creative teachers and a tech team committed to problem solving and embracing change. All AIM students in our Lower, Middle and Upper School have a full schedule of live online classes to attend 4 days a week. Wednesdays are reserved for teacher preparation as well as tech-free afternoons to encourage students and families to get outdoors and away from their screens.
While we all wish we could be on campus where the magic of AIM comes to life, the entire AIM community is adjusting to our remote learning schedule and experiencing the many ways to learn, explore and discover online. Even our admissions work has gone virtual including Virtual Open Houses and many opportunities for us to share the classroom work going on each day.
Remote Learning Highlight Videos
Lower School
Middle School
Upper School
Thank you so much for pulling this together! Support with Wilson and writing is particularly vital for my child and I really appreciate the teachers’ support through the Zooms."
Lower School Parent
AIM Lower School students in 1st-5th grade have full online schedule of classes four days a week with plenty of breaks included for lunch, play and even supervised snack time should a parent need some extra hands on deck (or on screen). Regular reading, math, writing, Interactive Humanities and Wilson Language lessons allow teachers to continue providing direct instruction, repeated practice, experience, and loops of feedback that are hallmarks of AIM's program and critical for our fearless learners.
Students don't miss out on their special subject and club activities either with regular classes scheduled for Art, Music, PE and Makerspace as well as for extracurricular clubs including Reading Olympics and Girls on the Run. And on Wednesday, in addition to having work to complete in the morning, they are given fun suggestions for afternoon tech-free activities like learning to play hopscotch, drawing with sidewalk chalk or writing a poem after taking a walk listening to and looking for birds.
I’m so pleased with how quickly AIM seemed to pivot to online learning and how wonderful the teachers/staff have handled this situation. The constant emails of encouragement to the students and updates to parents are wonderful. Yet another reason that we are so happy with our decision to send [our son] to AIM."
Middle School Parent
AIM's 6th-8th grade students are enjoying a full load of online classes. Their scheuled allows them important opportunities to spend virtual time with their peers and continue their focused studies in English and Language Arts, Science, Math and Interactive Humanities as well as PE and their elective classes including Outride biking, STEAM, Art, Music and Media Arts.
We are also making sure that Middle Schoolers, for whom social connection is so important, have plenty of opportunity to spend time in fun activities with their peers through after school clubs and even a Friday movie night Zoom call where teachers and students alike danced and sang and enjoyed plenty of junk food.
The commitment to the students by all of the faculty has been outstanding when faced with this new teaching format, there was never a missed step or lack of communication with parents or students. Well done to all!!!
Upper School Parent
Upper School students from freshman to our college-bound seniors are adapting to live online classes that allow AIM teachers to offer explicit literacy-based instruction, use visual learning clues and create relevant learning environments with a positive classroom culture. Students are still creating, connecting and discovering new things.
Click on the image to see Director of Robotics and Engineering Rob Ervin's video demonstration on simple machines.
Our AIM seniors, who returned from their Senior Seminar travel to Germany, Austria and Switzerland shortly before the school closure, are hard at work continuing their now online dual-enrollment college classes and finalizing work on their Capstone Project, a culminating piece of work related to their Senior Seminar course that includes a research paper, presentation and a 3D representation of their work.
AIM Cares
Guidance for Students and Families
AIM's Integrated Services division includes certified psychologists assigned to each academic division at the school. Dr. McMahon, Dr. Spatz-McNeary and Dr. Zielinski have worked hard during this new remote learning environment to find ways to continue to support the emotional health of all of our students. Examples include: "visiting" classes to see how students are handling the new classroom format, continuing progress monitoring with teachers and connecting with parents, having check-in sessions with students - whether it's lunching together over Zoom or maybe even playing a game of online Uno. Look for some of their recommended resources below for tips on helping your child at home.
Community Service - Finding Ways to Help Others
AIM students, staff and families have been finding ways to help and thank others during this unprecedented time with Lower School students writing thank you notes to health care workers, a Middle Schooler sewing face masks, and AIM's growing 3D printing work to support health care workers spearheaded by an AIM Lower School parent that was recently featured in the Main Line Times. Like many other schools AIM's Ultimaker 3 printers are running almost non-stop producing 3D printed face shields for health care workers throughout the Philadelphia area. They have produced 200 shields so far and are fielding requests for more than 500 total. The products are collected following safe social distancing protocols and more schools and individuals are offering their assistance. If you are interested in joining the AIM Face Shield team please email Kathy Brandon at kbrandon@aimpa.org for details.
Supporting All Families
Providing families with tools and suggestions for navigating this new educational world is critical as we seek to support not just academic growth but positive mental health during this time of crisis. Please use these resources culled by our faculty, AIM psychologists and AIM research partners as you look for tools to help your family and children during this unprecedented time.
- Parents' Guide to Remote Learning - We have created easy to access guides for Lower, Middle and Upper School families highlighting organization and self-care tips for parents. Click the appropriate link to download a printable pdf for your family.
- The Child Mind Institute offers excellent resources during the coronavirus. You can sign up for emails with tips and links to videos.
- The National Association for School Psychologists and The National Child Traumatic Stress Network have both created quick guides to help children cope with the changes resulting from COVID-19.
- AIM is now providing Online Tutoring and Online Speech and Occupational Therapy services for non AIM families. Click here for our Tutoring Application and contact Erin DeVault at edevault@aimpa.org for Speech and Occupational Therapy services.
- Research shows that all students benefit from academic instruction during the summer months and there are predictions that the "COVID-slide" could cause even steeper decline in academic skills. AIM's Summer Enrichment program for students in grades 1-12 - provides four weeks of learning in July including three-hours of academic instruction each morning. This year, AIM is committed to offering this academic morning instruction in a live, online format as well as on campus (if feasible) in order to support learners anywhere in combatting the summer slide.