From the Desk of the Head of School- August 20, 2021
Dear Harding Academy Learning Community,
Well, we did it! Another Orientation Day, #HAFirstDay and #HASecondDay, and at least for me, this week held some surprising emotional responses. Having families in the building at orientation hit me hard. In my son’s 1st Grade Orientation, many of the families had never set foot ON campus, let alone been in our buildings beyond their admissions tour in the fall of 2019...feeling how happy people were to be in community together was incredible.
That was certainly the case yesterday and today as well. Watching 3rd graders say hello as they walked to the Art Room, getting a few head nods from 7th graders as they headed to Mr. Folger's room, seeing the playground full again, having everybody clapping and singing and cheering together, eating lunch with 5th grade in the cafeteria - all of it made me realize just how far we have come since this time last year. It felt good. It’s clear we are not out of the woods yet, not by a lot, but it is nice that we have the playbook, we know our roles, and we can manage this situation in a way that keeps our kids safe.
I wanted to use this space for just a few reminders that will help us continue to have a smooth start to the school year:
- Please make sure students bring masks that fit properly. One of the small benefits of the masks is that if properly worn in class and when three feet apart, we will not have to quarantine nearly as many students as we did last year - but that only holds true if the students are wearing the masks properly.
- Along those lines, we only offer remote learning for those who are in quarantine. Otherwise, we require a family to APPLY. In all cases, remote learning will begin at least 24 hours after a quarantine is determined.
- Please wait for a teacher to make eye contact and give you a thumbs up before letting your child out of the car in morning hookup. We don’t have the Magnus App to check anymore, but we still need to manage the exit of the students and the safe departure of the cars.
- We also need to leave the left lane open in hookup until Mr. Codispoti begins to fill it in the morning around 7:28 AM. In the afternoon, please don’t fill the left lane until 2:30.
- Finally, please do not text while driving in the hook up lane.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Stay safe and healthy.
Inspiring The Mind • Nurturing The Spirit