From the Desk of the Head of School- October 9, 2020
Dear Parents,
For every week that I get to write this letter to you all I am grateful. We have just put Week Seven in the books and I am hopeful for the next seven. With that being said, we head into next week looking forward to our Fall Break and I know a lot of us will be excited to step away from school and think about a change of scenery. Almost seven weeks from now we will head out for Thanksgiving Break. We realize that getting away from Nashville will be top of mind for many of you and we get it. We do ask that you make every effort to travel safely and with resources that allow you to maintain the level of protection that we have habituated here at Harding Academy: masks, wipes, hand sanitization, social distance.
We have such a good thing going here and I would hate to have to be considering shutting it down because we relaxed our expectations beyond the confines of the campus. We certainly cannot expect to monitor everybody’s lives when they leave school - nor do we want to - but we do trust that everybody will keep our shared interest of in-person learning at the heart of decisions made around travel. Additionally, making sure any social gatherings are happening within the guidelines of our Phase 3 restrictions will help us to continue to be as efficient as possible when/if we need to contact trace because of a positive case. As much as those social gatherings can be limited in terms of size and members outside of the Harding Academy grade and/or cohort, the better.
One of the bright spots of what we’ve been able to do is be in a position to offer remote learning for those families who have self-selected to quarantine or whose child may be ill, but can attend to their work from home. We continue to want this to be a flexible option, but in discussing the operational needs of our teachers with Dr. Eric Fecht, Director of Teaching & Learning, Laura Underwood, Lower School Director and Jay Codispoti, Middle School Director, I am asking for your help with the following:
1. Please request remote learning only if your child is ill or quarantined. We are working very hard to meet the needs of our students both on campus and at home, and this would be a huge help.
2. Notify the school at least 24-hours in advance if you need to use the remote learning program. It takes a bit of time to pull together instructions and supplies in preparation (especially in the lower school), so the 24-hour notice is very helpful. We can then coordinate a time to retrieve any materials that are at school, which may be helpful as your students learn from home.
3. Please explore in advance any schedules or materials posted to online learning platforms in order to be prepared should your child need to participate in the remote learning program at some point. Teachers are in the habit of sharing schedules with specific links, as well as worksheets and materials that will be used throughout the day.
Thank you again for your wonderful partnership and help in providing the health checks through the app each morning, dropping your child off with a face mask and ready to start the day, and staying in close contact with us whenever your child is not feeling well. It is because of this wonderful cooperation from our families that we have been able to have such a healthy and successful start to the year.
Stay safe and healthy and have a wonderful weekend.
For every week that I get to write this letter to you all I am grateful. We have just put Week Seven in the books and I am hopeful for the next seven. With that being said, we head into next week looking forward to our Fall Break and I know a lot of us will be excited to step away from school and think about a change of scenery. Almost seven weeks from now we will head out for Thanksgiving Break. We realize that getting away from Nashville will be top of mind for many of you and we get it. We do ask that you make every effort to travel safely and with resources that allow you to maintain the level of protection that we have habituated here at Harding Academy: masks, wipes, hand sanitization, social distance.
We have such a good thing going here and I would hate to have to be considering shutting it down because we relaxed our expectations beyond the confines of the campus. We certainly cannot expect to monitor everybody’s lives when they leave school - nor do we want to - but we do trust that everybody will keep our shared interest of in-person learning at the heart of decisions made around travel. Additionally, making sure any social gatherings are happening within the guidelines of our Phase 3 restrictions will help us to continue to be as efficient as possible when/if we need to contact trace because of a positive case. As much as those social gatherings can be limited in terms of size and members outside of the Harding Academy grade and/or cohort, the better.
One of the bright spots of what we’ve been able to do is be in a position to offer remote learning for those families who have self-selected to quarantine or whose child may be ill, but can attend to their work from home. We continue to want this to be a flexible option, but in discussing the operational needs of our teachers with Dr. Eric Fecht, Director of Teaching & Learning, Laura Underwood, Lower School Director and Jay Codispoti, Middle School Director, I am asking for your help with the following:
1. Please request remote learning only if your child is ill or quarantined. We are working very hard to meet the needs of our students both on campus and at home, and this would be a huge help.
2. Notify the school at least 24-hours in advance if you need to use the remote learning program. It takes a bit of time to pull together instructions and supplies in preparation (especially in the lower school), so the 24-hour notice is very helpful. We can then coordinate a time to retrieve any materials that are at school, which may be helpful as your students learn from home.
3. Please explore in advance any schedules or materials posted to online learning platforms in order to be prepared should your child need to participate in the remote learning program at some point. Teachers are in the habit of sharing schedules with specific links, as well as worksheets and materials that will be used throughout the day.
Thank you again for your wonderful partnership and help in providing the health checks through the app each morning, dropping your child off with a face mask and ready to start the day, and staying in close contact with us whenever your child is not feeling well. It is because of this wonderful cooperation from our families that we have been able to have such a healthy and successful start to the year.
Stay safe and healthy and have a wonderful weekend.
Inspiring The Mind • Nurturing The Spirit