COVID-19 Plans for This Week Dear Calhoun Families,
As I bounced around Calhoun yesterday, I was reminded in a dozen small ways that school is a healthy place for our students in these unhealthy times. They trust and respect their teachers, like being busy, enjoy and draw strength from each other, and appreciate the bustle and routine of the school day. That is why we have strived to be there for them even as anxiety has risen about the spread of the coronavirus.
We have, I think, come to the point where we need to adjust. Spring break is just a few days away, and uncertainties about the spread of the virus have been fueled by the limited availability of tests. To date, no New York City school child – at an independent or public school – has been confirmed to have the COVID-19 disease. However, we have all heard the governor urging us to begin taking "social distancing" steps, and we have concerns for community members – including faculty – who fall into one of the particular risk groups for this disease.
Therefore, out of abundance of caution and in consultation with the Board, the school leadership has decided that we will end classes after school on Wednesday. While this sounds like we are starting spring break two days early, that would not be an entirely accurate summary. Thursday will be like a snow day for students, while teachers will report to school to revise the remote learning plans that we have been developing for the last few weeks. Then on Friday, we plan to do a live test of these new remote learning protocols, so that we can all assess their strengths and weaknesses and continue to refine our plans over the break. We do feel there is at least some chance that break will be extended beyond March 30 – especially if there are widespread school closures in New York – and we want to be able to continue classes with some momentum if that happens.
On Wednesday, ASP will run as usual, however all athletics and other after-school programs are cancelled. The buildings will be open limited hours with access for employees only on Thursday and Friday. We will be in touch separately about distance learning plans for your specific division(s).
I will reach out during the second week of spring break with our latest projections for how and when classes will resume after break. Please remember that if you are still planning to travel over break, there may be disruptions and/or restrictions on your physical return to school for some period of time, depending on how things evolve in the coming weeks. I can certainly urge you to cancel any planned travel to China, South Korea, Iran or Italy if you have not already done so, and to carefully monitor CDC travel advisories.
As we contemplate heading off for break, I urge you all to remember that even if we don't reopen on time we will not be "cancelling school," but rather shifting it online for a while. All members of the Calhoun community will still be there for each other, and we will get through this together. Classes will continue, advisories will meet, homework will be due and projects will get planned. It will feel strange and different, and when we're finally able to reconvene in person, we'll have a huge party to celebrate.
I will continue to keep you updated. As always, wash your hands, stay calm for your kids and let me know if you have any questions.
In partnership,
Summary & Schedule for This Week
The Calhoun School: www.calhoun.org
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