From the Desk of the Head of School- September 17, 2021

9/13/2021

Dear Harding Academy Learning Community,

I hope you all have had a wonderful week and are excited for the weekend. We have a wonderfully full week here on campus as we are settling into a good fall rhythm. Classes are confident in their routines, competent in the various tools of learning they will need over the course of the year, excited to delve into new academic relationships with each other and their teachers, and embracing aspects of school life that have made a comeback this year.

In the lead up to the start of the school year, I sent a number of communications out around our mitigation efforts and steps we would take to keep our kids on campus and in school. One of those was that for the start of the school we would require masks indoors for all students and faculty/staff and visitors. I also said we would revisit that on or around Labor Day. As I stated then, we take into account guidance from the CDC, the Tennessee Department of Health, the Metro Health Department, our medical advisors, and Harding Academy’s case count as well as the greater Davidson County COVID context. Considering all of these inputs, we will continue to require masks indoors and remain mask optional when outdoors.

Having said that, the effectiveness of masks in protecting our students and each other, along with all of our other mitigation strategies, allows us to bring back a significant number of aspects of our program that we weren’t able to offer last year. Some of those include:

Travelling to specials. Students head to the Art Rooms, the Science Labs, the Music Room.
Grade level programming is back. Students now have PE together and can play together at recess.
Parents and visitors back on campus. We have had parent volunteers for K and 1st Grade lunch. Parents will be helping with Flat Stanley in 2nd Grade again. Parents are helping with The Lion King. Our HPA is meeting on campus again. We have had a number of our grade level parent parties on campus in the Middle School courtyard.
Pursuit. We have opened up Pursuit beyond essential care again.
After School Programs. We offered a full slate of after school programs for our students this fall.
Middle School Athletics. We are in the midst of a fully scheduled Fall season for football, volleyball, cross country and tennis. Full attendance is allowed. We had a great Spirit Game for the Varsity Football game versus FRA on Wednesday at the Sohr Athletic Fields on Highway 70.
Library. Students are visiting the library for our usual Lower School programming.
Cafeteria. Students are able to purchase the regular meal plan and we are serving out of the cafeteria again.
Assemblies. We have had our weekly assemblies outside at Kever Park and celebrated August and September birthdays together, pledged allegiance to the flag together, and sang the alma mater together. We were even serenaded by one of our middle school students.
Field Trips. The middle school went on their start of school retreats, albeit adapted from an overnight to multiple day trips. The 5th graders went to Widjiwagan last week. Second Grade will go to Lucky Ladd Farm. PreK will go back to Owl’s Hill.

So, we look forward to seeing you all out and about, either as a visitor to campus, a volunteer for your child’s classroom, or at a game. We will continue to prioritize the health and safety of all of our community members and are grateful we can bring back so many aspects of the Harding Academy experience as well.

Have a great weekend.

Back