Mrs. Rossi Goes Back to School - Part I

Dear Faculty and Students,

Thank YOU for welcoming me into your classes the past few weeks! This time last year, I was touring 7th graders and their families, stopping in classrooms and visiting all our favorite areas of the school building. I miss being at school, but visiting your classes reminded me that Padua is more than just a beautiful building, it is a spirit we carry with us wherever we are. We are all Padua.

Here are some examples of how I experienced Padua virtually in classes the past few weeks. It warmed my heart to see you all rising to the occasion, Softly but Strongly.

Senior 4 Homeroom – Thank you for helping me start my day with a smile!  Your Spirit Week really boosted my spirits. My favorite day was college day, hearing about what colleges you are considering and how your decision process has been affected in this time of change. You inspired me by softly but strongly navigating this new normal. 

AP Literature – Thank you for letting me read aloud the assigned poem for you; it took me back to my days as an English teacher! I loved hearing you analyze the poem and share your thesis statements. 

Spanish II – Thank you for letting me share in your Quizlet Live vocab review!  It was so good to see your smiling faces and to see you all working diligently as members of small teams.

Freshman Literature – I loved seeing your videos detailing which characters you thought were most to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.  Your responses to each other’s arguments were thoughtful and well articulated. It was probably the former English teacher me geeking out, but I was also very excited about your dynamic character analysis essay.

AP Art History – WOW!  I could take this class EVERY SINGLE DAY! Thank you for sharing with me amazing works of art and your meaningful discussion about them. Ladies, your observations and analyses blew me away!

Algebra II / Trigonometry – At first I thought I would be lost in a math class, but I found myself actually having fun using the formulas to determine depreciation, appreciation, and exponential growth and decay!  I loved the real world applicability and enjoyed seeing “wooooohoooo, I got it” pop up in the chat box.

Economics – Again, I thought this might not be my cup of tea, as a former English teacher; however, I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion and was pleasantly surprised by how much I knew! I was so impressed by how much you ladies already know about the importance of good Credit Scores. 

Biology – I loved the virtual “notebook check!”  It took me back to my days of teaching. Your class discussion about cells was good; you ladies are doing a great job with your virtual learning.  I also loved the tips about adding voiceovers to PowerPoint presentations – this will be very helpful for me sharing information with alumnae and donors!

Organic Chemistry – I was totally lost!  What a challenging course. I am so impressed by all of you! 

US History – While I enjoyed learning about the Transformation of the West, I have to say Dr. Bozanic’s rendition (complete with guitar) of “Goodbye Old Paint” was the highlight of the lesson. Wow!  Our teachers really do go above and beyond, and, in this case, rode us off into the sunset with a traditional cowboy song!

Honors American Literature – Thank you for letting me join in the discussion of dialect and the effect it has on a story.  I especially enjoyed Mrs. Backer’s reading of The Cajun Night Before Christmas. Not only was it entertaining, but also it was a great starting point for your discussion about the power of language in preparation for reading Their Eyes Were Watching God

Biology – Thank you for letting me do a virtual lab with you all! I was so happy with how much I remembered about surface area and volume!  While I know it would have been better to be in the lab working with the Jell-O cubes yourself, how cool was it that we got to observe Dr. Scott doing the lab for us?  I was so impressed with how you all worked through the problems!
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