School Re-Opening Summer Communication #2
July 3, 2020
Dear St. Michael’s Families,
I hope this message finds you enjoying preparations for Fourth of July fun with family and others special to you. I am writing to share with you the latest update concerning our efforts to reopen St. Michael’s for the coming school year which we intend to do for all students, 5 days/week. More on that in a moment….
Thank you for participating in our recent Remote Learning survey. From the survey, we learned:
Overall, families were quite satisfied with the quality of our remote learning program. (93% of respondents gave our remote learning program positive scores of effective-very effective) Constructive feedback on how and where we might improve was very helpful.
The majority of our families are eager for in-person, on-campus learning to resume for their child(ren).
Most families felt the level of rigor was appropriate, but a sizable group suggested a bit more was needed in select grades which we are addressing with summer professional development in best practices for remote teaching should we have to pivot back to remote learning in the coming school year.
76% of respondents shared that their greatest concern in the coming year was the social-emotional growth of their child.
A few of you offered to be contacted for further discussion. Thank you. The division directors and I are working to reach out to that small group.
As always, we’d love to hear from you. We welcome your thoughts and ideas anytime.
As you know, effective July 1, the entire Commonwealth entered Phase Three of the Governor’s Forward Virginia Reopening Plan, which is great news. Provided the City of Richmond is within Phase Three (or better) come the opening of school on August 31 and the Governor has not issued any new mandates, we are permitted to open for all students with appropriate actions to mitigate the potential spread of the virus. To be absolutely clear, it is our goal and intention to open for everyone, five days a week in a healthy and safe manner. Personal protective equipment (PPE), specifically masks and possibly face shields, will be required. Extended Day will be offered from dismissal to 6 p.m., so please stay tuned for registration information.
Before any school program activities resume on campus in Phase III, Virginia schools must first submit a comprehensive plan to the Virginia Council for Private Education (VCPE) that outlines strategies for mitigating public health risk due to COVID-19. We will submit our plan as soon as possible, which will include our intent to conduct on-campus learning for all students, five days a week starting in August.
Recent and ongoing efforts to provide safe and healthy spaces for learning at St. Michael’s include:
Measuring all spaces on campus to maximize their use, and modifying classroom layouts to meet the 6-foot physical distancing guidelines to the greatest extent possible while balancing the logistics of space, schedules, and personnel
Ordering new furniture and materials to support physically-distanced classroom layouts
Arranging for expanded daytime custodial services
Exploring large tents for additional program space
Identifying a contained area to isolate a COVID positive/symptomatic positive individual
Pursuing the engagement of a school counselor to support the social- emotional needs of our students
Expanding the student supply list (items provided by families) to include masks and face shields. Supply lists will be posted online by the end of July.
Ordering personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks and face shields for faculty and acrylic desk shields for some classrooms
Making hand sanitizer stations available throughout Campus
Most importantly, we need your help to bring this plan to fruition. For the two weeks prior to the beginning of school, families are asked to diligently follow physical distancing. If traveling to what is designated a high-risk area by the CDC, students are asked to self-quarantine for two weeks before returning to school.
Our COVID-19 Re-Opening Task Force continues to meet twice weekly to research, analyze, and develop options for a safe return to campus. Among many other sources, we are closely monitoring the Virginia Department of Education, Virginia Council for Private Education, Department of Social Services, Department of Health, CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics, and other schools and districts. Some sources provide health and safety guidelines which we’ll follow to the greatest extent possible.
As summer progresses, we will continue to share more detailed information including general back-to-school logistics and policies, new health protocols, and mitigation plans should we encounter a COVID-19 case on campus.
You know as well as I do that this situation is very fluid; to that end I will continue to communicate with you our latest plans with increasing granularity throughout the summer, at a minimum every other Friday. Please look for another communication from us again on or about July 17.
Enjoy the holiday weekend!
Sincerely,
Bob Gregg
Head of School