Joy Parade with City Garden Community
As folks continue to find ways of sharing joy with their communities, we have noticed a specific trend popping up all across the country. While birthday parties and other personal milestones cannot be celebrated the way we hope, many have turned to hosting Joy Parades for their loved ones—caravans of honking and uproarious cars pulling up in front of homes, schools, and other institutions to demonstrate love and community. This coronavirus-inspired alternative to gathering helps keep people safe—folks cannot leave their cars, and/or must maintain strict social distance.
In the spirit of this trend, we cordially invite you and your family to City Garden Joy Parade’s on Monday, April 20th from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
For the parade, we ask that parents and caregivers drive though through the pick-up line once or twice while our guides and staff smile, wave, and maintain social distance across the playground, pick-up line path and parking lot. We will be photographing, filming, and streaming the parade live Facebook in order to share the joy with our community. We welcome folks to create joyful signs, blast joyful tunes from their car, and come clad in your City Garden swag.
For folks who cannot join us, we invite you to send a video of you and your family wishing everyone well in the joy parade. Feel free to create a video on your smart phone and text it to 314-420-0626. Later on, we will cut all the footage together for a long-form recording of our community-wide Joy Parade.
Thank you and hope you can join us for the Joy Parade!
In partnership,
Christie
Christie Huck
she/her/hers
CEO/Executive Director
SLU Public Health Professor talks COVID-19 with Junior High Students
On Friday, March 13, our Junior High students took part in an interactive teleconference presentation by professor Dr. Lauren Arnold, the Director of the Biostatistics, Health Management and Public Health undergraduate programs at Saint Louis University’s College of Public Health and Social Justice. Via Zoom teleconference, Dr. Arnold discussed the origins of the COVID-19 Coronavirus, how it’s spreading, and proactive measures to contain the virus.
Dr. Arnold asked the students several questions including how the virus began. One student accurately named the animal to human transmission, and Dr. Arnold explained how this transmission is possible from animals to humans, although rare. The students’ several responses to questions reflected their overall accurate understanding of the virus and its spread. Dr. Arnold engaged the students in an activity, asking them to first record where they were and who they interacted with the prior day. She then challenged them to do the same thing for the date two weeks prior. The activity showed how difficult it may be to recall activities and the number of people one came in contact with over a two-week period – the recommended isolation time for those infected or exposed to the virus.
Near the end of the session, a student asked what happens after a pandemic, which reflects the optimism of our young learners. Dr. Arnold explained that there is yet much to learn about the COVID-19 virus, but direction from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control will assist us navigate containment and treatment of the virus. Ultimately it may be a disease that goes extinct, or becomes seasonal like influenza strains. In a foreshadowing moment, a student questioned how a decision to close schools will be made. Dr. Arnold advised that a community is better off being proactive rather than reactive after someone in the community’s been infected. Upon multiple recommendations and for the consideration of the health and safety of our community, City Garden Montessori heeded this advice with school suspended through April 22 as of this date.
In partnership,
Christie
Christie Huck
CEO/Executive Director
pronouns: she/her/hers
Please click below for previous updates and other resources from City Garden regarding COVID-19.
School Closure Announcement– as of March 19, 2020
Services & Resources Announcement – as March of 19, 2020
SLU Public Health Professor talks COVID-19 with Junior High Students – as of March 25, 2020
Physical & Creative Activities from Ms. Danielle Combs – as of April 2, 2020
Community Resources and Social-Emotional Learning
1. Family and Community Resources
2. Supporting Children and Discussing COVID-19
Distance Learning Program
Joy Parade – as of April 14, 2020
Family Assistance Fund – as of April 21, 2020
Mobile Food Markets
Family Update – April 20, 2020