Dear Victory Community,
We are all living in an unusual and unfamiliar time, and my greatest hope is that this note finds you all healthy and spending time with those you love. Many of you have kindly reached out to inquire about the status of Victory. Specifically, what is Victory doing for (and with) the students and their families during Oregon’s mandated school closures? As Thea and I began to strategize, the primary goals became quite clear:
- We must continue to serve our kids, even if we are not physically together
- We must coach our parents to provide a new kind of support at home
- We must retain our amazing teachers and specialists
- And we must find creative solutions for our families who might struggle with tuition during this challenging time
I am proud to report progress related to all the goals above. The Victory Team stepped out of the physical campus and into the virtual world without missing a beat. During the week of March 16-20, we piloted various online classes, therapies, and activities across all of our ten classrooms. We then used the week of March 23-27 to tackle technology, plan curriculum, and collaborate together.
On Monday, March 30, Virtual Victory successfully launched in 75 different homes. Currently, all of our students receive at least three hours per day of direct contact with teachers and specialists. The day is "chunked" into whole group classes, small groups, and 1:1 sessions with purposeful breaks interspersed throughout. The offerings are innovative, engaging, and pretty awesome! These include:
- Morning workouts
- Art classes
- Music classes
- Peer chats
- Interactive games
- Work experience classes (building a resume, practicing for an interview)
- Academics (math, reading, writing, science, social studies, etc.)
- Social groups
- Speech and language
- And much more!
We are incredibly grateful to the Victory parents who are supporting their kids at home, while the entire Victory staff engages via technology. This is truly a collective effort, and we are blessed to have the partnership of our dedicated families and expertise of our talented staff.
I also want to acknowledge an anonymous donor who established a tuition relief fund for Victory families whose financial circumstances changed due to the coronavirus. This fund is a true gift to many families.
We all look forward to the day when we can return to Victory - when all is "right" with the world. Until then, we will march onward with the Victory kids as our guides and trusty advisors.
I remain forever grateful to this community for believing in Victory, and I will continue to pray for your collective health and safety.
Warmly,
Tricia Hasbrook
Co-Founder and Director of School