Dear Families:
Thank you for your continued patience, flexibility, and support as we continue to navigate these challenging times. As noted in yesterday's Town Halls for students, parents, faculty, and staff, our goal is to have as many students, as safely as possible, on campus to begin the school year.
In May, we shared that the School was establishing and launching an Operations Task Force to plan for three models for the 2020-2021 academic year. These models were traditional in-person, hybrid, and remote. Since then, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has released guidance regarding fall reopening plans, which would allow us to pursue a fourth option: a modified in-person model. This model would allow students to return to campus with additional health and safety measures. In both models, technology, including the potential to use Zoom classrooms, would be utilized to provide an as-seamless-as-possible experience for students.
At this time, we are focusing on the hybrid model and the modified in-person model. We will announce which model will be followed and specifics on how school will reopen through Town Halls on July 30. In either model, students, faculty, staff, and administration will be expected to fill out a daily form to attest that they are experiencing no symptoms of illness, wear a mask on campus at all times, wash and sanitize their hands regularly, and stay home if they are not feeling well.
Our planning efforts for the fall are based on science, public health, and a collaboration of information from public agencies and private associations. Today, we introduced our COVID-19 advisory group, which includes health professionals from a variety of areas of expertise. This group will help inform our decision on a final model and provide guidance as we navigate the coming academic year.
There are plenty of questions left to answer. We are currently waiting on guidance from the MIAA regarding fall athletics, as well as guidance on matters like busing, transportation, and musical instruments, to name a few. We understand that families are also impacted by COVID-19 in a number of ways, and we intend to work with all community members to make appropriate accommodations.
You may access the recorded Town Halls by using the following links. If you have any questions, we invite you to submit them here.
-Middle School Parents and Guardians
-High School Parents and Guardians
-Middle School Students
-High School Students
As a Catholic school, the concept of a covenant means a great deal to us. It is more than just a contract; it is a sacred promise. Today marks the beginning of a covenant between all of us—students, parents, faculty, staff, and administration—to continually encourage each other, to support each other, and to protect the health and safety of every member of our community.
Peace and prayers,
Ed Hardiman, Ph.D.
Headmaster
Keith Crowley, Ph.D.
Principal/Associate Head of School