Dear Parents, 

We would like to sincerely thank all of you for your unwavering support, as we look back on the 2019-2020 academic year and its unique challenges. Your strong role in the education of your children allowed us to continue to stay connected with them and engage them in meaningful learning.  This support has its roots in our shared belief in the importance of preserving cultural heritage and passing it onto the next generation to equip them for the real world where cultural awareness is key to peace and prosperity.   

Transitioning from face-to-face to virtual instruction would not have been successful without your crucial support and the hard work of our dedicated instructional staff. Once it became evident that Maryland Schools would not open for the remainder of the academic year, the instructional staff, although with little or no experience in online language instruction, welcomed the challenge and worked tirelessly to provide their students with purposeful and engaging learning experiences. In this effort, they also identified and effectively used a variety of online authentic resources to enhance instruction. This resulted in students’ positive response to the new learning environment, as reflected by their perfect to near perfect attendance in most classes.  In light of this uplifting experience, we are convinced that regardless of what the Maryland School system may decide in the fall, our community will remain strong and continue to thrive.   

Looking forward, Iran Cultural and Educational Center (ICEC), the same as any other educational institution, will take advantage of the summer months to prepare for any possibility, i.e., face-to-face, online, or the combination of face-to-face and online instruction.  To this end, summer work will be a combination of teacher training, curriculum refinement, and sample learning plans development as listed below:

• Review and revise the program of studies to make it more adaptable to online instruction;
• Provide the instructional staff with ongoing professional development on learner-centered strategies;
• Identify authentic resources to more effectively integrate culture, content, and language;
•  Develop sample learning plans based on World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages.

Meanwhile, please do not hesitate to share with us your thoughts and suggestions. We value your input and look forward to it.  We will be in touch.  

Wishing you and your family a safe, healthy, and pleasant summer,

ICEC