COVID-19 Update #3: Remote Learning
Dear St. Michael’s Families,
These are most certainly interesting times. Never has our ONE.TOGETHER. mantra been more relevant and inspiring than it is now. As ONE.TOGETHER., we will lean on and courageously support one other in the coming days and TOGETHER we will shine and see this through.
I am writing to update you on plans for the opening of school next week in light of the evolving reality of COVID-19. As you know from prior communications, we have been monitoring the situation closely with the goal of prioritizing health and safety for all in our community. Thank you for your messages of support and kind words along the way.
Governor Ralph Northam has ordered all schools in Virginia to cease in-class instruction for at least two weeks to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Thus, our plan is to reopen St. Michael’s on Monday, March 23, via REMOTE LEARNING. Our remote learning model will continue through at least March 27. For campus safety and security, please know that as of 5 p.m. today (March 16), the entrance gates to our Campus are closed. As public health officials have emphasized, school closures will not be effective unless they are accompanied by social distancing strategies.
The St. Michael’s leadership team spent valuable time today strategizing and sharing remote learning best practices that will help our students grow academically. Throughout the rest of the week, our teachers will be conferencing and finalizing initial lessons and plans. Stay tuned for more updates on this.
When we transition to remote learning, rest assured that teachers will spend time reviewing study habits and expectations and giving students a chance to practice using the technology and tools they will need at home. We remain impressed by St. Michael’s teachers' steadfast commitment to our students' intellectual engagement and to their well-being throughout these unusual circumstances. We will share that the academic day will likely look very different than the usual seven hour day we normally have at St M, as we are sensitive to our families trying to navigate and balance the daily demands of school, work/employment, and other family needs at home.
As we work and learn away from one another, let us be intentional about patience, kindness, grace, and love as these epitomize our DRAGONS’ values — the foundation of our St. Michael’s community. It is easy to speak about remote learning and digital platforms; it is another thing to actually do it with competence and confidence. Everyone recognizes that this situation is challenging. That said, I am confident in our faculty and staff and their ability to think expansively about the opportunities presented by this situation. We recognize, and hope that parents and students will too, that there will be some bumps along the way (technical and otherwise) and that continuous communication and optimism will enable success.
The academic component is at the center of our mission, but the well-being of our Dragons is also paramount. I am working with my colleagues on ways in which we can offer suggestions for families to address the social and emotional needs of our students during the coming weeks. It is also important that parents and caretakers understand the effect their own behavior can have on children. As calm begets calm, modeling calmness and optimism, as well as maintaining normal routines as best as families can in these unusual times, will help children feel more at ease.
To help compile the information we have shared previously, along with helpful links from the CDC, Virginia Department of Health and other resources, we have launched a dedicated COVID-19 webpage linked from stmschool.net homepage. Please be sure to check this page regularly for updates.
Thank you for supporting us and each other—the St. Michael’s community remains as resilient and caring as ever. For that, we couldn’t be more grateful!
Warmly,
Bob Gregg
Head of School