Spring 2020

Cancelling in person classes – but…

We have decided that in the midst of this very different set of circumstances we are working to achieve two important things. 

First, we will be connecting our Lifespan participants and helping each of you feel less isolated and more connected.  We are meeting on the Zoom platform at this point and we are having one Zoom Gathering each morning, beginning at 10:15 am and ending at 11:30 am.  We are still working our way through the kinks and the logistics, but things seem to be catching on and moving along.

Second, we are finding ways to bring you content, even thought we are no longer meeting in our traditional ways.  If you are part of our Lifespan Community, you will have received the email that provides you with our Zoom log in.  If you are not presently on our mailing list, call the office and tell us you are interested in learning more.  We will contact you and talk about connecting you to our online community.

Below you will find out Zoom Gathering agenda so you have an idea of what we are doing when.  

LIFESPAN ZOOM GATHERINGS
SCHEDULE – 10:15 am to 11:30 am – Monday through Friday

We have been having our Zoom Gatherings every morning for the last week or so.  Initially we have been working to get everyone familiar with the technology and added to our Zoom meeting location.  As we have done that, this structure has evolved. It is ever changing and we are all learning as we go – so be patient.  As more and more of you are joining us online, we have had to add some rules and we ask that everyone be mindful of not talking over each other. We’ll get better and better at this as we go forward. 

Each Zoom Gathering lasts from 10:15 to 11:30.  We are trying to break it up with different activities and content.  You are welcome to come for the full hour or a part of the time.  So here is the agenda.  The 10:30 to 11:15 time frame is our content section, and it changes each morning.

10:15 to 10:30 am – exercise and stretching – We have had Susan Hills offer us Chair Yoga sessions – which seems appropriate as most of us can only see our heads. We hope to add other exercise options as we move forward. Lori Trachtenberg has offered Ageless Grace sessions, and I have reached out to both Rose and Tina.

10:30 to 11:15 – Content which changes daily
MONDAYS: Check in day! Mondays we will have a round robin. What have you been doing to pass the time? What new have you learned about yourself? Sometimes it’s good to just see each other’s faces.

TUESDAYS: Online content. Our thinking here is that we will provide you with a link to either a short online course (photography, mindfulness, etc.) course online, an article to read or some other content that you can look at or read ahead of time. Then we will spend our time discussing it together. We will have different folks leading the discussions, so if you have some suggestions and would like to lead, let me know.  You can find this content on our ONLINE PAGE.

WEDNESDAYS – Learning Day – There are many sources of learning online, some intense and some lighthearted.  There are movies that can make you laugh and teach you something.  Each week we will introduce you to a way you too can participate in the learning environment all over the Internet.  And yes, that does include movies.  We will let you know the topic for the week and the location of the content ahead of time so that you can take a look before we get together in our Zoom meeting.  You might enjoy it.  You can find this content on our LEARNING PAGE.

THURSDAYS: Guest Speaker Day. On Thursdays, just like in the “old days” we will have someone from outside of our group join us and present a program. I think Brandt Ross will be set up for this coming Thursday and he can get us started.  We will record the session and then have it available for you to review online in case you miss it.  Once we have started with speakers you can find this content on our GUEST SPEAKER PAGE.

FRIDAYS: Check in Day! I think it might be good to offer another check in day here. As we go off for the weekend without getting together, it’s a chance to let people know how you are doing, see if anyone needs anything and to just make sure we are all doing ok. Some more FACETIME!

11:15 to 11:30 – Exit with Music and a Joke   We have ended up starting a tradition as we leave our Zoom meetings, where we share a piece of music that we have found during our sheltering in place.  Then one of us shares a corny joke.  It seems like a good way to go on with the rest of our day.  All of these will be on our SMILE PAGE.

When you first enter our gathering you will not be muted, so be mindful of that.  We treat that time a bit like the same coffee hour we used to have at the start of academy.  Coffee and treats – and seeing each other’s faces is the treat.  Look forward to seeing you there.