Learning and Teaching During COVID-19

March 3, 2021

Dear ESD Community,

It is hard to believe that we are closing in on the one year anniversary of our response to this pandemic. It has been a difficult year in many ways, and I remain uplifted by our community’s cooperation in keeping in-person learning available to our students.

Yesterday, Governor Abbott made a statement in which he called for an elimination of the statewide mask mandate and the 100% opening of businesses across Texas. In his statement, he also made it clear that local authorities would continue to be responsible for establishing health policy in their jurisdictions. Throughout the pandemic, ESD has relied on guidance from both Dallas County Health Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control to determine our course of action, at times deviating from their protocols when we thought it was prudent.

Both the CDC and DCHHS recommend that, at this point, there should be no change in masking, social distancing, or quarantining guidelines. We agree with that view and will maintain our policies for now. As we have done throughout this year, we will continue to monitor local health conditions and leave open the possibility of modifications before the end of the school year.

Best wishes for a restful and restorative spring break and a fruitful Lenten season.

Sincerely,

Dave Baad
Head of School

January 27, 2021

Dear ESD Community,

Like many of you, we have been following the latest health news closely. While there are encouraging signs that many of our fellow Texans are getting vaccines, we remain in a tenuous position. COVID fatigue is real. We are seeing it in our faculty, students, and families. All of us wish this pandemic were over, and we could return to all the ESD activities we cherish in a more normal time. It is critical, however, that we push on just a bit longer. It is important that our community remain vigilant over the next few months to maximize our chances of staying in-person, enjoying all the academic, athletic, and artistic activities that are only possible when the teachers and students are here together on campus. While our current situation is not ideal, it is better than the extended remote learning period we experienced last spring. By cooperating with our health policies, our community can make the best of this challenging situation to benefit the students we love and serve. To help meet that goal, we have a few reminders and requests.

Travel and Testing

As we approach both winter break weekend and spring break, we ask that all families and employees follow these CDC guidelines for international and domestic travel. To summarize, we expect students and employees who travel internationally to quarantine and engage in remote teaching and learning for seven days upon their return. Further, we ask that they take a PCR test on Day 4 or 5 of their quarantine to ensure their safe return the following week.

For those who travel domestically, we ask that they consider their travel circumstances and, if prudent, follow these same guidelines. Because this could mean that some in our community may be operating remotely during the week after winter or spring break, for planning purposes, please alert the appropriate division head of your winter break plans immediately and your spring break plans by February 15. We understand that in these uncertain times, plans can change. Your information sharing is not binding and will simply help us make sure we are ready to provide the best possible teaching and learning experience. We only ask that you update us as soon as you know of any alterations to your travel.
 

Policy Reminders

During the school year, the approximately 90 COVID cases among our 1,450 students and faculty have almost exclusively been traced to contacts they have had either in their households or in social gatherings outside of their homes. We reiterate our policy, shared in a letter this fall, that it is highly likely we will quarantine all ESD students or employees who attend an off-campus social event or activity in which a COVID-19 positive case is reported. We do this because the process of determining who is considered a "close contact" is particularly challenging at these types of events. We face similar obstacles with contact tracing at athletic practices and will most likely quarantine entire teams when there is one positive team member. While we understand some may think this policy overly cautious, we believe this approach gives us the best chance to remain in-person.

We remind you that to reduce the chances of quarantine for other school community members, we ask anyone, student or employee, to remain at home if there is someone in their household who is awaiting the results of a PCR test taken because they are symptomatic. Please do NOT wait until the positive result is received. Be proactive. There is a high likelihood of transmission within the same household.

The daily presence and engagement of our parents on campus this year have been missed, and we know that this has been a particular hardship for many of you. Missing out on your child’s athletic contests or art performances and opportunities to volunteer or plan ESDPA events are special experiences that are meaningful to all of us. As indicated on the calendar communication sent on Monday, we continue to plan for opportunities for parents to come to campus, especially for our senior parents, and hope to expand those opportunities as health conditions allow. Please know the Health and Safety Committee re-evaluates our visitor policies weekly; however, at this time, we are maintaining our current visitor and spectator protocols.

Once again, thank you for your continued patience and support as we navigate this exceedingly challenging school year. Your partnership is valued and essential.

Onward and upward,

David L. Baad
The Ann and Lee Hobson Family
Head of School

December 17, 2020

Dear ESD Community,

ESD will return to in-person learning on Tuesday, January 5, as scheduled. We have made this decision based on our experience during the post-Thanksgiving break week and our desire to maximize our face-to-face learning experiences. The entire ESD community reported just three cases that would have significantly impacted learning had we been on campus the week of November 30. The challenge remains in balancing the physical and emotional health needs of everyone. We feel that returning in-person while maintaining our strict health protocols strikes that balance.

This decision was not arrived at easily. Infection rates in Dallas remain high, and we want to maintain a healthy environment at ESD. Additionally, just a handful of cases can significantly impact our ability to remain on campus. With that in mind, we are making the following requests of all families and employees over the holiday and beyond:

• Continue to complete the Ascend questionnaire on a daily basis.
• Report a COVID positive test to our nurses immediately.
• If you travel or participate in gatherings that include people from outside your household, we strongly request that the child or employee take a PCR test between December 31 and January 3. Please remain remote until a negative test result is received.
• When we return from break, remain hyper-vigilant about monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms. We strongly urge everyone to be “better safe than sorry,” stay home, and get a PCR test if they are experiencing any symptoms.
• While these requests can cause inconvenience, everyone must do their part. These efforts will minimize the chances of community members bringing the infection to our campus. This in turn minimizes the number of remote learning days for everyone.

When we return in January, middle and upper school students will be operating under a new academic schedule. After using our modified COVID schedule in the first semester, we are making adjustments to more efficiently schedule classes while also giving teachers more time to work individually with students and engage in professional collaboration. The changes were possible because we have been able to implement our health protocols, such as lunch operations and hygiene breaks, in a more timely manner than originally anticipated. Mr. Heil and Mr. Chein will follow up with more detail in the next day or two, but here are some of the highlights:

• A later start to the school day in both divisions will allow for time in the morning for teachers to work individually with students and meet with each other. It will also give upper school sports teams the flexibility to practice in the morning, better spreading out facility use.
• No substantive change in the amount of weekly teaching and learning time.
• A proposed start of seventh and eighth-grade athletics.
• Parents will still be able to drop their children at school at their normal time, if desired.

As we approach the end of 2020 and celebrate many meaningful holidays, I would like to emphasize the gratitude I am feeling to all in our community. Your continued patience, grace, and cooperation have allowed us to serve well the children of ESD. Let us pray that the recent introduction of the vaccine is a signal that our continued vigilance toward this stubborn virus will not need to go on much longer.

Onward and upward,

David L. Baad
The Ann and Lee Hobson Family
Head of School

November 15, 2020

Dear ESD Community,

Over the last several days, five additional cases of COVID-19 have been reported in our community: two lower school students, one middle school student, one upper school student, and one upper school faculty member. The resulting quarantines - over 30 in the eighth grade and over 50 in the tenth grade - have dictated that we transition to remote learning immediately in both eighth and tenth grades and extend ninth grade's remote learning status through Friday, November 20. Additionally, the start of winter upper school athletics will be delayed until the Monday after Thanksgiving break. The mixing of students by grade level in large sports groups where social distancing is challenging puts our ability to maintain in-person learning at too much risk given current health conditions. 

As we continue to navigate this fluid situation, we ask that all community members keep these thoughts in mind:

• If an ESD student, employee, or a member of their household has taken a COVID-19 test because they have been exposed to a COVID positive person or they are symptomatic, the student or employee MUST stay home from school until a negative test result is received. This does not apply in cases where the person is taking the test for preventive reasons, for instance in preparation for travel.
• While it is true that the majority of COVID cases - particularly in children - are mild, that is not always true, including so far in our community. Even if your family has little concern about the health impact of COVID, I ask that you follow our protocols for the sake of all 1,500 students and staff who want to keep coming to campus every day.
• Carefully filling out the Ascend questionnaire each day is a vital component of our health protocol. Please be particularly cautious about sending any child to school who is experiencing symptoms. 
  • We ask families to continue filling out Ascend during Thanksgiving Break. This data will be very helpful as we prepare for our return to campus.

Our goal remains to engage our students in as much in-person learning as possible while mitigating health risks. We are monitoring the health situation daily and are considering a variety of options for school over the next few weeks.

Let us all pray that we have seen the peak of our troubling issues. 
 

Onward and upward,

David L. Baad
The Ann and Lee Hobson Family
Head of School

October 9, 2020

Dear ESD Community,

As we have developed health and safety protocols over the last several months, our priority has been to maximize our chances for continued in-person learning and allow for the phased-in return to athletics, arts, and other extracurricular activity. To achieve this goal, we have put the students' participation in school first, while at the same time keeping in mind that we must do everything else we can to limit the spread of COVID infection so that we can continue as we are now. These priorities informed Athletics Director Dan Gill's message yesterday about spectators at upcoming athletic events, and it is at the heart of what I share today.

On Wednesday, the Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services informed school heads and superintendents that COVID-19 cases in Dallas County are on the rise and are of great concern. The case increase is particularly evident in neighborhoods in which many in our ESD community live. This information is a stark reminder that we must continue to follow health and safety recommendations to meet our shared goals. 

Since the start of school, we have had very few COVID-19 cases at ESD. However, we know that can change quickly. It is important to note that all of the cases we have had among students have been connected to off-campus social events and sports teams not sponsored or supervised by ESD. As we endeavor to limit the spread of infection, this has made the process of determining who is considered a "close contact" particularly challenging. 

In recognition of our priority to take precaution and the increase in infections in the greater Dallas community, please know that except in very rare circumstances, we will quarantine all ESD students or employees who attend an off campus social event or activity in which a COVID-19 positive case is reported. 

As we approach the weekend of the Texas-OU football game and the beginning of Halloween season, we know there will be the temptation to gather in large groups. When participating in these types of activities, community members are exposing themselves to a possible 14-day quarantine. If large-scale quarantines occur, this puts extraordinary pressure on our classroom teachers and jeopardizes our in-person teaching and learning status. While we do not think it is our place to mandate a cessation of these activities, we strongly urge you and your children not to participate in them for the overall well-being of our school community.

Our greatest hope is to preserve as much of a "normal" on-campus school experience as possible for our students. This message is not intended to preach or moralize; it is simply a request for what is very likely our best opportunity to remain on this path.

I remain grateful for the cooperation that students have shown with our health and safety protocols while on campus. I have been heartened by the care that student council leadership has taken to responsibly plan upcoming Homecoming activities. They are an example for us all.

Together we will continue to thrive.
 

Onward and upward,

David L. Baad
The Ann and Lee Hobson Family
Head of School

AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM OUR NURSES REGARDING ASCEND REQUIREMENTS

October 5, 2020

Dear Parents and Upper School Students,

The start of this school year has been like no other. We are extremely proud of our students and teachers for the way they have responded and adjusted to our new, temporary, way of life on campus. As we head into our seventh week of school, we continue to learn and fine-tune our protocols, schedules, and processes. Your support has been, and will continue to be, a critical part of our work together.

Today, I am sharing a few adjustments to the school calendar. This year's daily schedule is structured to optimize learning and teaching while balancing protocols designed to mitigate the risk of COVID-19. The schedule's impact is that many of our faculty are "on" before, during, and after school with few breaks, which results in very limited time for collaborative curricular planning and opportunities to recharge their energy. Gratitude for our faculty, who have been diligent in supervising their classes and advisories, while planning new lessons and juggling the needs of both in-person and remote learners, is immeasurable.

In light of this, the school's executive leadership team has decided to make a few changes in the academic calendar over the next three months to ensure faculty can best serve our teaching and learning goals while maintaining our health and safety protocols. In order to provide our faculty with more structured planning time and to offer them, and our students, a few well-deserved breaks, the following calendar adjustments have been made: 

Friday, October 23 - Early Dismissal

• Early dismissal for all three divisions
• October 19-23 is Homecoming Week, more information to come!

Friday, November 6 - No School

• School holiday for all students, faculty, and staff

Friday, November 13 - Early Dismissal (middle and upper schools)

• Early dismissal for students in middle and upper schools
• A regular school day for lower school students
• Afternoon professional in-service for middle and uppers school faculty and staff

Monday, January 4 - Student Holiday

• A full day of professional in-service for faculty and staff
• No school for students
• Classes resume on Tuesday, January 5

We realize these are unexpected changes to your family calendar, yet feel these are important and welcomed adjustments for our faculty and students. Extended care on early dismissal days will be available for those currently enrolled. Details will be shared from your division's coordinator in the weeks to come. Please look for detailed times and schedules from your respective division head.

Also, please look for information coming soon regarding Homecoming week, which has been moved to October 19 - 23. Although the upper school dance has been postponed and the traditional pep rally is canceled, the Student Council is planning a fun and spirited week on campus. 

Our continued diligence in following health and safety guidelines, on and off campus, is imperative. Being back on campus has been a joy, and we hope very much to remain on campus through the rest of the school year. 

Onward and upward,

David L. Baad
The Ann and Lee Hobson Family
Head of School

September 3, 2020

Dear ESD Community,

A key driver of our ability to remain in-person will be our response when someone in our community has a test-confirmed case of COVID-19. I share with you now what we will expect of you and what you can expect of the school when this happens.

• Any parent whose child (the student-patient) has a test-confirmed case of COVID-19 should immediately contact Lower School Nurse Carla Thomas (214-353-5773 or thomasc@esdallas.org) or Middle and Upper School Nurse Marcia Biggs (214-353-5867 or biggsm@esdallas.org). 
• Any employee (the employee-patient) who has a test-confirmed case of COVID-19 should immediately contact Nurse Biggs. 
• Any student in a cohort with the student-patient or any employee who works closely with the employee-patient will be asked to stay home or be sent home, most likely for one school day, while the school conducts contact tracing. 
  • This could occur in the middle of the school day. Parents will be asked to pick up their child within 30-minutes should this happen. In these cases, you will be contacted by both email and text. 
  • CDC guidelines allow any person who has had a test-confirmed case of COVID-19 diagnosed within the last 90 days, has fully recovered, and continues to show no COVID-19 symptoms, to be exempt from quarantine. If a student or employee wishes to be placed on the quarantine exemption list, they must submit written documentation to Nurse Biggs by Friday, September 11, that proves when they tested positive previously for COVID-19. Documentation will not be accepted after a quarantine has been mandated. 
• All areas where the patient has recently spent significant time will be closed until cleaned thoroughly.
• Our Assistant Athletic Trainer and trained contact tracer, Ms. Emily Gill, will call the patient's home to conduct a contact tracing interview using age-appropriate questions. She will also consult our seating charts and other information to determine who has been in close contact with the patient. 
  • More information from Ms. Gill can be found here. 
  • Close contact includes living in the same household with someone who has tested positive, coming in direct contact with fluids or discharge of a person sick with COVID-19, and or being within six feet of a person sick with COVID-19 for 15+ minutes and less than six feet apart. 
• Once the contact tracing has been completed, the school will follow up by email to inform those who are not close contacts that they may return to campus.
• The school will follow up with those who were close contacts to place them on a CDC-mandated 14-day quarantine and provide follow up support.
• The school will post on the password-protected parent and employee portals about any test-confirmed positive cases among our students or employees. The patient will only be identified by function (student, faculty, staff) and division (lower, middle, upper). No names will be used.

When a patient or their parent is contacted by Ms. Gill for a contact tracing interview, it is imperative that they be completely honest about any contacts they have had since their likely infection. This includes any contact that the patient may have had with other community members after school hours or on the weekends. Bluntly, this is not the time to worry about "snitching" or "getting someone in trouble." In these conversations, we must be forthcoming to stop the spread of the virus on campus and remain in-person.

COVID shaming and recriminations will not be tolerated. Catching COVID-19 can happen in a variety of ways and a variety of venues. When a community member becomes ill, our only response should be one of empathy and support. I would expect nothing less from our community. 

Lastly, I make a strong plea for all of us to closely follow public health protocols over the Labor Day weekend. This is typically a three-day period when we all enjoy one last bit of summer. This year is different. Dallas County Health metrics are trending in an excellent direction, giving us all hope that a return to normalcy is coming. The short-term sacrifice of limiting our social gatherings to ten people or less and wearing our masks can pay the long-term dividend of increased school activity in the coming months.

Let's all do our part.

Sincerely,

David L. Baad
The Ann and Lee Hobson Family
Head of School

August 27, 2020

Dear ESD Community,

After careful consideration and extensive collaboration with health officials, our executive team, and ESD's Board of Directors, ESD will begin a phased-in return to campus starting September 8, 2020. Our faculty, staff, and I are excited to welcome students back to Merrell Road after a long five months.

Yes, our plan diverts from the Dallas County Health Department's current guidance for schools to conduct remote learning only. Our decision to return included the following factors: 

• Health metrics are showing clear and positive trends and are predicted to continue to improve over the next four weeks. 
• We are fortunate to be in a well-resourced community that allows us to implement health and safety protocols that mitigate risk. Our smaller class sizes and larger physical plant relative to school size aid our efforts. 
• Our plans may be accelerated or decelerated depending on our community's compliance with health and safety protocols and health conditions at ESD and the Dallas community at large. 
• We trust that with strong community cooperation, personal accountability, and consistent adherence to mandatory health and safety regulations, we will be able to meet this schedule. 
• The option for a parent to choose remote learning for their child remains. 

Our Phased Approach

A one-week, phased approach allows us to better manage the transition to in-person learning. It provides the opportunity to ensure training and orientation for students takes place in masking, hygiene, pedestrian circulation procedures, and classroom, hallway, and lunch protocols and expectations.

We will welcome back grades in stages using the schedule below. Once a grade is on campus, those students in that grade will continue on campus. The distance learning program will continue for all students through Friday, September 4, as will already scheduled Lower School Eagle Camp activities. There is no school on Monday, September 7, in observance of Labor Day.

A Word About Our Faculty and Staff

I want to take a moment here to express my gratitude and appreciation for our dedicated faculty. We recognize that their roles encompass much more than teaching, shepherding, and mentoring. In today's world, they must be multi-faceted and able to lead and educate our students through multiple learning platforms and challenging times in society, ever mindful of their students' social-emotional growth and well being. In regard to returning to campus, I am particularly mindful that teaching faculty, unlike families, do not have as much freedom of choice. Except in rare circumstances, my expectation is that faculty will be in their classrooms with their students upon our return. Discomfort exists for a variety of reasons, just as there are differing opinions about Coronavirus and its threat to public health. 

I raise this point because I want to emphasize the importance of following health and safety guidelines, regardless of how we feel about the conflicting messages we have received on the pandemic. Our compliance and cooperation will give our faculty, and our community, comfort and will allow us to remain in-person.

Athletics and Outside of School Activities

We remain hopeful health conditions in the metroplex will continue to improve to the point that competitive athletics are deemed safe for our students. Beginning next week, upper school students participating in fall sports will have the option to attend strength and conditioning sessions on campus. These sessions will be closely monitored by athletic staff, and all safety measures followed. Please see updates for sports programs available to students in all three divisions here.

Questions regarding participation in the Sports Fellowship (PreK through sixth grade) and club sports continue to hit my inbox. The athletic department has remained involved in the Sports Fellowship program to ensure all interested students are included in the most equitable way should health conditions improve. However, our strong recommendation is that students do not participate in outside athletic programs at this time.  This is a family choice, and it is not within my purview to dictate these decisions for ESD families. Please know that the more our community limits or eliminates activities outside of our school community,  the better chance we have of achieving our shared goal of keeping students on campus. 

Our Community's Crucial Role in Carrying Out Our Return Plan

The prospect of returning to campus is exciting. However, we must all understand that our experience on campus this fall will be impacted, for the time being, by COVID-19 conditions. With our faculty, staff, and all ESD families in mind, I want to reiterate the importance of adhering to health and safety protocols in our daily lives and when we are on campus. 

• We must wear masks, be socially distant, and practice good hygiene at all times.
• We must not gather in large groups or at social events without masks or engage in activities that make physical distancing challenging, on or off campus. 
• I particularly want to implore our students not to gather in large groups on the weekends. We have seen the effects at college campuses around the country - large social gatherings, indoors or out, lead to COVID outbreaks. Please also keep this in mind over the Labor Day holiday. All of us must think beyond ourselves and make sacrifices for one another and the larger community. 
• I know many, especially our students, have had to endure disappointment in the last five months and want very much to be with and among friends. We all want that. We all want normalcy. However, please know that starting and maintaining our in-person learning and potential to return to athletics, performing arts, and other treasured school activities rely, in large part, on the choices we make. 

This pandemic has tested us and will continue to do so. Let us unite toward a common purpose, be patient, support one another, and make the best of challenging circumstances. Together, we will.
 

Onward and upward,

David L. Baad
The Ann and Lee Hobson Family
Head of School

August 21, 2020

Dear ESD Families,

I have two important updates to share with you. I lead this message, though, with my earnest hope and optimism for the year ahead, no matter the hurdles we face together. The presence of many of our faculty and staff on campus for professional inservice this week has been uplifting and reassuring. Seeing lower and middle school students and their parents picking up school materials yesterday and today has reminded me of the joy we feel working with your children. I feel blessed to be part of this community. 

Yesterday, Dallas County Health and Human Services Department published additional guidance from the School Public Health and Education Committee. Their guidance recommends that schools only offer virtual learning at this time. Furthermore, they advised that students do not engage in athletic and musical activities on or off campus. The communication is linked here for your review.

We do not know yet how this will impact ESD's return-to-campus plans for September 8. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you informed. Look for communication from me by the end of next week. The DCHHS committee's statement does not specify dates or new supporting data; however, a local health official has informed us that the DCHHS Department plans to share metrics soon that will offer schools more information and guidance as planning continues for returning to in-person learning. These metrics, in combination with the most recent and relevant data and consultations with medical professionals, will all be integral in our return-to-campus decision. Our goal remains to return to start in-person learning as soon as conditions permit. 

Also, earlier today SPC Board of Directors announced the cancellation of the 2020 fall SPC athletic season. You can read more on SPCSports.org. This is very disappointing news for all of us. I feel for our student-athletes, especially those entering their senior year. 

Please note that the SPC's decision does not eliminate the possibility of competition later in the fall season. We are in conversation with our colleagues at Hockaday, St. Mark's, and Greenhill and are discussing plans for our fall teams to compete in an abbreviated season should health conditions improve and restrictions loosen; other interested SPC schools in the Metroplex may also participate. Be assured we will keep you apprised of any developments in this direction. 

Physically distanced strength and conditioning will be available for all fall sports athletes upon our return to in-person school and team practices may begin as conditions allow. Fall sport program directors will continue to meet with their teams and provide independent at-home workouts throughout distance learning. In addition, middle school athletics are postponed until further notice. Our new daily schedule allows all middle school students to have a 30-minute organized physical activity each day. We will continue to consult public health officials, along with our Health and Safety Committee, when making the decision to return to sport-specific instruction and interscholastic competition.

Tuesday marks the first day of school for 2020-21. Our teachers and students are ready. While we don't know exactly what lies ahead, we know our community and commitment to delivering on our mission are strong.

Thank you for your continued support.

Onward and upward,

David L. Baad
The Ann and Lee Hobson Family
Head of School

July 21, 2020

Dear ESD Community,

As promised in my message Friday, please find below details on our plans forward for returning to school. All of our choices are rooted in three primary goals:

• Keep our community members as safe and healthy as possible
• Deliver on our mission of academic rigor, daily worship, and experiences in community
• Communicate clearly, including training, expectations, and other protocols

There is a lot of information here; thank you for taking the time to review and familiarize yourself. If you will, I invite you to start by viewing my brief video below.

Please join your child's division head, Dr. Boberg, and me for a webinar:

I hope you can join us tomorrow and Thursday for these info sessions. If you have a question, please submit it here so that Dr. Boberg, the division heads, and I can review ahead of time. We will do our best to answer and appreciate what's been submitted thus far. Questions specific to one child may be addressed outside of the webinar.

For those unable to join and those who would like to revisit the session, we will record and make the videos available later this month.

Campus-Wide Protocols, Calendar, and Division-Specific Information

These pages continue to be updated with the latest information. Please continue to check as we move towards the start of school. 

In closing, I want to thank you for your patience and support during this unprecedented time. Also, I want to acknowledge and thank the many faculty and staff who have worked tirelessly this summer. They have helped research best practices and develop ESD's path forward, innovated learning plans, engaged in online classes including topics of distance learning and diversity and inclusion, and so much more.

It is our collective partnership that ensures not only a successful return to campus but also an educational experience that ignites lives of purpose.

Onward and upward,

David L. Baad
Hobson Family Head of School

June 26, 2020

Dear Parents, Faculty, Staff, and Upper School Students,

You'll find today's update in two parts. Please take the time to review both. 

1. The video offers updates on:
   • Immediate steps ESD is taking regarding racial injustice, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and civil discourse. We have a foundation and there is essential work in process and ahead.
   • Update on strength and conditioning workouts for upper school students and summer camps.
   • Initial findings from the parent survey. We very much appreciate the tremendous support, praise, and trust you share in ESD faculty and staff, and we heard a few common concerns.
2. Beneath the video, you will find a link to foundational information and the first layer of protocols for our return to school.

FIRST LAYER OF PROTOCOLS FOR RETURN TO CAMPUS

I hope this message finds you and your loved ones well. Our prayers of hope and healing continue for those impacted by these crises, including those who are ill and hurting, those providing care and support, and those working toward the solutions locally and globally. We must do our part.

Onward and upward,

David L. Baad
Hobson Family Head of School

June 12, 2020

Dear Parents, Faculty and Staff, and Upper School Students,

Please view the video message below regarding work underway, summer programming, and initial parent survey results. 

As mentioned, please expect to hear from me biweekly. We are also actively maintaining the COVID-19 page and Getting Ready pages on our website. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to me, your division head, or the program director.

Onward and upward,

David L. Baad
Hobson Family Head of School

May 21, 2020

Dear ESD Parents, Faculty, and Staff,

Below is my final video for the 2019-20 academic year. Please take a few moments to watch as I discuss topics ranging from end-of-year celebrations, Pass It On, and the Class of 2020, to the Task Force, its subcommittees, and what forms of communication to expect from me this summer as we prepare for 2020-21.

On behalf of all of us here, thank you for your continued support and excellence. I could not be prouder of how our community has come together to navigate the challenges of this year. 

I wish you and your loved ones a joy-filled, restful, and healthy summer.

Onward and upward,
David L. Baad

Dear ESD Parents, Faculty, and Staff,

Below is my final video for the 2019-20 academic year. Please take a few moments to watch as I discuss topics ranging from end-of-year celebrations, Pass It On, and the Class of 2020, to the Task Force, its subcommittees, and what forms of communication to expect from me this summer as we prepare for 2020-21.

On behalf of all of us here, thank you for your continued support and excellence. I could not be prouder of how our community has come together to navigate the challenges of this year. 

I wish you and your loved ones a joy-filled, restful, and healthy summer.

Onward and upward,
David L. Baad

Dear ESD Parents, Faculty, and Staff,

I hope this message finds you and your family well. In this week's video, I elaborate on two key topics for the 2020-21 school year: tuition payment plans and August considerations in light of COVID-19. 

Onward and upward,
David L. Baad

May 7, 2020

Dear ESD Parents, Faculty, and Staff,

I hope this message finds you and your family well. Please take a few moments to watch this week's video regarding considerations and conversations in planning for the start of the 2020-21 school year.

Onward and upward,
David L. Baad

Dear ESD Community,

Astonishingly, we are six weeks into our change of operations. If you are seniors, you have just a handful of days left. Others have only weeks. I am proud of how we have come together as a learning community. More in my video message today:

I hope everyone finds time to disconnect and rejuvenate this weekend.