Jamie's Update: SRHD Guidance on Re-opening & FAQs
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.
We also received some guidance on bringing small groups of students on campus the week of August 31 to meet teachers, receive technology and supplies, and to orient them to the protocols we have planned for since last March. Limiting the number of students on campus at any one time will be the key during this week. The Division Heads have created a game plan and met with teachers yesterday to discuss the plan. We will be sending this out next week after it is finalized.
Busses continue to be a significant concern for the SRHD due to the inability to social distance and the length of our routes. We are working with Durham to create routes with a limited number of community stops when we start offering bus service. The original limited guidance given by OSPI did not address every situation and since we have K-12 routes, the SRHD was concerned with spread across divisions. The need for an updated bus plan was another takeaway in our conversation.
Our commitment will be unwavering, and we will apply what we learn from other schools and districts in the region, the state and the country as we all work together to overcome the challenges of getting students back in school.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why aren’t we starting in-person like some other schools in the area?
While there are some schools attempting to start in a hybrid model, their plans continue to change leading up to their various start dates. Some schools are adjusting their initial plans to mitigate additional risks that may reduce the numbers of students on site. Our rationale with the current high case load data and delayed testing response, was to communicate our initial plan to limit disruption at the start as conditions continue to change. We wanted to provide time for families to plan accordingly with the many unknowns still in play. Just last week, the Pierce County Health Officer (for the Tacoma area), changed his “recommendation” for schools to start remotely into a mandate that all schools must start remotely.
We felt the best course of action was to follow the guidance of the SRHD and work with them to address the specific SGS factors that create the safest environment for our community. With their support, we can control our start-up process in a more predictable and less disruptive manner and ideally lead to more in-person schooling throughout the year.
What type of refunds or discounts will there be?
This is challenging and complex as there are many unknown factors to consider. We know we can calculate and prorate bus fees like we did last year and will plan to do that again this year. This may happen mid-stream or at the end of the semester depending on the situation. The tuition is more challenging at this time, because we will still need to compensate our employees to deliver instruction to our students. At this time, we do not know how long we will be in a distance learning environment across K-12 and what services/experiences will be lost during the year. We are unable to make a broad stroke decision related to this issue at this time. The Administration and Board Finance Committee have been working on several scenarios related to the overall financial situation since the pandemic hit last year. Like other educational institutions, we have realized there will be a financial impact to the institution in the short term and are working to mitigate those conditions for families and the school. The Distance Learning program will be much improved, in terms of teaching strategies and techniques, platforms and expectations. The Division Heads and/or teachers will provide more details before school begins on the improvements since school ended last year.
Will there be specific dates given to when my student can return to in-person/hybrid learning?
Working with the SRHD, we are creating a timeline that will predict when we can have students return. However, that will be influenced by the COVID-19 conditions in the area and how our school is doing at each stage of re-opening. As Dr. Lutz has communicated, it will also be important to see how the virus is acting at schools in the area as students return to in-person learning.
The Division Heads, teachers and I are developing more specific plans to present to SRHD focusing on how to bring small groups of students on campus during Distance Learning for labs, small cohort work and academic support.
The Distance Learning instruction model has been the focus for teachers over the summer. We have invested heavily in profession development for them to be better equipped with the latest techniques and approaches to teaching on-line. We recognize the vital nature of our ability to deliver instruction to our students. Our students will be provided with the essential learning at every level and will continue to progress and excel in our college preparatory program.
Over the next two weeks, you will be receiving a continuous stream of information related to the start of school, resources and updates to our planning as we continue to process new information, guidance and the ongoing changes impacting the situation.
We are all committed to getting our students back into the school, back into activities, sports and all the things that make the Saint George’s experience the best in the region. We will also be providing the on-line instruction for those in need as we transition back campus.
Thank you for your grace as we move forward. I ask that you trust in the process and know we are giving you our best efforts across the board to navigate these trying times.
Sincerely,
Jamie Tender
Head of School