March 24, 2020
Dear Parents,
I hope you all are healthy, well-rested after time away from the daily grind, and gratified by additional time with family in the midst of these highly unusual times. In that spirit, I write this morning to provide some clarity and offer a few updates and more information that might be helpful for the next two weeks.
ESD's Upper School faculty and administration will continue to deliver on our mission during this time. All details about the academic schedule over the next two weeks are available on the COVID-19 page of our website. Many thanks to our faculty who are determined to give your child the best possible educational experience in the coming days. I am grateful to Dr. Eric Boberg for creating a daily schedule that allows for our students and faculty to connect both synchronously and asynchronously until April 3. I also appreciate our students who will continue to put in the work to grow and learn, now under extraordinarily unique circumstances.
During this time, I request that Upper School parents do the following:
- Be patient - While we have the best intentions, we cannot expect immediate perfection, and it is essential that we all allow for some trial and error as we move forward
- Allow your children to own their learning - It is critical that students engage in discourse with their teachers about the experience and that you encourage them to participate in that process
- Support us - While we are not expecting parents to teach, we do hope you support our efforts to educate your children by providing a place and the time for your children to complete their work
More will be revealed as these days unfold. Internally, we are reviewing other items, including advisory activities and milestone moments that are important to the ESD and high school experience. We want to preserve as much of that as possible and I assure everyone that we will work hard to that end. Our hope, of course, is that this scenario is over sooner rather than later. We will continue to keep everyone updated on the school's operating status as far in advance as possible.
I am certain many of you have questions. Below are some helpful contacts regarding specific concerns.