Dear SGS Community,
Since our closure in March, we have been planning and implementing multiple scenarios for re-opening Saint George’s School. In March, we looked forward to the warmer months and summer to flatten the curve, only to see cases spike in Spokane and around the country. I have worked closely with the administrative team, teachers and the Board of Trustees in the planning process as guidance has continued to evolve and change in regard to the quandary of opening schools during this pandemic. There have been vigorous discussions weighing all available information, there has been optimism and pessimism, but everyone was working together to make the right decision about the start of school.
Based on the science of the COVID-19 virus and existing data, the Washington Department of Health, the Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) and the Governor have strongly recommended for schools to begin the year remotely. With the support and approval of the Board, Saint George’s School will follow that guidance and start K-12 in a Distance Learning model...
Dear SGS Community,
I wanted to take the opportunity to address some questions and share more information since my announcement on Tuesday. Like everything else, our plans will continue to evolve and are not static. As much as we all want to be back in school and back to normal, this will not be a normal year. I think of this situation not to be the first to start this race, but as a marathon. We want to start, make it to the end, and be in a position to win. It will take our entire community to work together as we move forward. I appreciate the understanding and support, and I understand the frustration, hardship and uncertainty you are all feeling. We are confident our unique campus, which is so critical to the SGS experience, will allow for some creative solutions to get to the point we all want - our students back on campus.
On Thursday, I had a personal call with several members of our team and Dr. Lutz and his Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) team. We discussed our re-opening plan and received additional guidance and support on how to get our students back on campus in a hybrid model. With his support we are developing a progression to bring our students back starting with our youngest learners. This could happen in September, and we are developing that plan as we speak and will remain in communication with them as this develops. If the initial re-opening goes according to plan, we will continue to bring our students back in staged progression...
Dear SGS Families,
I hope your summer is going well and you are enjoying the beautiful weather. I can’t believe it is already mid-July . . . where does the time go?
We continue to develop our plan for the start of the 2020-21 school year as the COVID-19 landscape across the state and nation remains fluid and uncertain. This continues to be a challenge as the virus spikes, guidelines evolve, and attitudes are quite diverse in regard to safety and health concerns. We continue to plan for an in-person start (with a back-up plan in place) to start school the week of August 31 as previously published on the school calendar. The in-person start includes accommodations for those unable to be on-campus.
We convened a Task Force and working groups of administrators and teachers to research and create recommendations in multiple areas for a successful school year in any scenario....
The SGS maintenance crew has been busy rearranging desks, creating one-way hallways, and preparing for social distancing at Orientation Week for grades 3-12 the week of Aug. 31-Sept. 4. Art teachers are gathering materials that students can take home, and everyone is excited to see their students -- at least for one day! See a Photo Gallery of the new look of our classrooms.
Summer reading assignments for incoming Lower School students are now on the Parent Portal's Documents & Bulletins page. Here are links to the incoming K-3rd Grades Summer Reading, the incoming 4th Grade Summer Reading, and the incoming 5th Grade Summer Reading assignments.
The 5th through 8th grade students shared their Student Showcase projects on June 1, 2020 via Microsoft Teams. Students from different grades shared their PowerPoints in one of 13 groups. Each of the groups lasted over an hour, and their presentations are loaded onto the SGS YouTube Channel. Watch them to see a variety of student presentations!
Group 1 - Coordinator: Cassey Buchmann
Group 2 - Coordinator: Shane Kangas
Group 3 - Coordinator: Joelle Neiwert
Group 4 - Coordinator: Jim Tuck
Group 5 - Coordinator: Meghan Kilgore
Group 6 - Coordinator: Kathy Johnson
Group 7 - Coordinator: Rick Petrini
Group 8 - Coordinators: Paulina McGougan & Jennifer Davenport
Group 9 - Coordinator: Melanie Mildrew
Group 10 - Coordinator: Brian Hutchinson
Group 11 - Coordinator: Francesca Mulazzi
Group 12 - Coordinator: Kristie Slattengren
Group 13 - Coordinator: Rachel Hildie
For the final news from the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools during the spring semester, be sure to read the latest Division Head letters about distance learning activities. Here are links to new letters from Kathy Johnson (Lower School), Joelle Neiwert (Middle School), and Francesca Mulazzi (Upper School) for the week of June 8.
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