Story by Quinn Manzo
Staff Writer
Photo by Ella Jayasekera
Photography Editor
SPHS transitioned its annual Back to School Night online on Thursday, Sept. 10, where teachers introduced themselves to parents in ten minute Zoom sessions.
Teachers emailed out introductory presentations and class syllabi prior to the event and then distributed Zoom links to parents on Thursday. Instead of the usual Back to School Night schedule in which parents visit each class in the order of their students’ schedules, each session was grouped together by subject so teachers only presented once.
“I thought I got a good sense of the teacher’s personality and style of teaching,” SPHS parent Susanne Nava said. “Parents asked questions [that] were answered with warmth and reassurance.”
While AP Biology teacher Elizabeth Pierson believed that the online Back to School Night gave parents important insight, she also noted several areas of improvementareas of improvement for the event.
“I think the large meeting size and short time frame did not allow for some important conversations,” Pierson said. “I hope a forum other than BTSN is offered so students, teachers, parents, and administrators can have these more holistic conversations that transcend survey data. We all know times are not normal and I think a space to come together around this could be beneficial.”
Thursday evening also featured Wish Night, the SPHS Parent Teacher Student Association’s (PTSA) annual urging of parents to donate to teachers so that they can purchase supplies for the school year. Community members can donate to the Wish Night fundraiser on the PTSA website.
