Page 6 - Annual Report 2020-2021

ANNUAL REPORT - 2020/21

A LETTER FROM
Giant St ep s Execut ive Direct or

THE MESSAGE
Dear Giant Steps Supporters,

The 2020 – 2021 school year was unique and
challenging in many ways. Giant Steps introduced,
for example, a new Legislative Open House. For
the first time, we hosted Illinois State Legislators
from each of our student’s home school districts
on January 14, 2020. Over twenty state legislators
and scores of parents attended the Giant Steps
Open House. Parents and legislators took
advantage of meeting each other in person, often
for the first time, to talk and listen in an informal
situation about issues important to them. The
Legislative Open House was a huge success! At the core of our success was our staff, the terrific
support from the parents, and the consistent and
The major event that challenged Giant Steps comprehensive communication plan we put into
and people worldwide was the beginning of the place from the start of this adventure in learning.
COVID-19 virus. Due to the virus’s rapid spread, (Read our plan in the Blended and Remote Learning
Governor Pritzker closed all schools across the Plan PDF on our website: book.gsteps.org)
state until March 30, 2020. We all thought that
the virus would settle down and we would be back The 2019 - 2020 school year opened up new
in school by April. On March 20, 2020, the school leadership, communication, educational, logistical,
closure was extended through April 7, and then, and operational challenges that required us, as
unbelievably, schools remained closed through educators, to re-evaluate our learning model in
the summer of 2020. As time went by, it was clear ways that brought out our resilience, reorientation,
that we were in a pandemic, and life, as we knew and our vision of reinvention of how we teach and
it, was changing dramatically. learn. I am proud to say that Giant Steps’ staff
and leadership met, and continue to meet, the
As a therapeutic special needs school for challenges that the COVID-19 virus pandemic throws
students with autism, pivoting from a traditional our way! Our new tomorrows are not so daunting.
in-person learning model to a remote learning As a student-centered school, Giant Steps has the
model was a significant challenge. However, our expertise, knowledge, flexibility, and confidence to
highly dedicated and skilled staff and leadership continue to change and grow to provide a quality
made a hard pivot to a remote learning model. educational program for our students on the autism
Many of our students did not learn well online, spectrum.
so our team created a distance learning model.
This model involved our staff delivering learning DR. SYLVIA SMITH
Exec ut ive Direc t or, Giant St ep s IL
materials to students and talking to them from the
curb in front of their homes.

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