Page 4 - 2019-2020 Annual Report

A LETTER FROM GIANT STEPS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Dear Giant Steps Supporters,

The 2019 – 2020 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!

In 2020 the major event that challenged Giant Steps and people worldwide was the beginning of the COVID-19
virus. Due to the virus’s rapid spread, Governor Pritzker closed all schools across the state until March 30,
2020. We all thought that the virus would settle down and we would be back in school by April. On March
20, 2020, the school closure was extended through April 7, and then, unbelievably, schools remained closed
through the summer of 2020. As time went by, it was clear that we were now in a pandemic and life, as we
knew it, was changing dramatically.

As a special needs school for students with autism, pivoting from a traditional in-person learning model to a
remote learning model was a significant challenge. However, our highly dedicated staff and leadership made
a hard pivot to a remote learning model. Many of our students did not learn well online, so our team created a
distance learning model. This model involved our staff delivering learning materials to students and talking to
them from the curb in front of their homes. At the core of our success was our staff, the terrific support from
the parents, and the consistent and comprehensive communication plan we put into place from the start
of this adventure in learning. Read our plan in the Blended and Remote Learning Plan PDF on our website
https://mygiantsteps.org/modules/mod_flipbook_16/tmpl/book.html.

The 2019 - 2020 school year opened up new leadership, communication, educational, logistical, and
operational challenges that required us, as educators, to re-evaluate our learning model in ways that brought
out our resilience, reorientation, and our vision of reinvention of how we teach and learn.

I am proud to say that Giant Steps’ staff and leadership met, and continue to meet, the challenges that the
COVID-19 virus pandemic throws our way! Our new tomorrows are not so daunting. As a student-centered
school, Giant Steps has the expertise, knowledge, flexibility, and confidence to continue to change and grow
to provide a quality educational program for our students on the autism spectrum.

Thank you for your support,

Dr. Sylvia Smith
Executive Director, Giant Steps IL

3