Niner University Elementary (NUE), UNC Charlotte’s first lab school, started the 2020-21 school year with remote learning on Aug. 17 for its 96 K-2 students.
"Opening NUE has been a labor of love, years in the making,” said Pamela Broome, principal of NUE. “Though this is not how we envisioned opening NUE, we are off to a great start and are thrilled to begin our journey as part of this community.”
While opening a new school is exciting and challenging, opening one in the midst of a global pandemic poses some unique challenges. Currently there are still families that cannot access the internet to complete assignments. The NUE team has identified a vendor for hotspots to remedy the situation, but it is a costly endeavor, one that includes not only the purchase of the devices, but ongoing monthly fees.
At the same time, teachers are providing students with developmentally appropriate tools for math, reading, writing and social emotional learning.
“We do not want our young scholars to depend solely on technology for learning,” said Broome “They need hands-on learning experiences to help them attain mastery. Refilling these packs every two to four weeks is a cost that we did not anticipate but feel is absolutely crucial to the success of our students.”
NUE’s teachers and administrators are responding to these challenges with optimism and have created a crowdfund campaign to help fund the urgent needs associated with remote learning. A gift of any amount will give these young students, their families and UNC Charlotte teachers the resources they need to succeed while learning takes place outside of the classroom.
“Despite the challenges and rising cost of this pursuit, we are open and serving students in innovative ways during the unprecedented time,” said Broome.
To make a donation to the NUE crowdfund campaign, visit crowdfund.uncc.edu.