And while these relationships have begun to form online though our virtual academics, they are best fed when we can see and engage with one another in person – even if masked and more physically distanced and in smaller groups than we might otherwise wish. In addition to Landon B&G staff, we have contracted with our cleaning company, BOLANA, to increase day-time staff to rotate continually through spaces and clean touch points. This means stripping the calendar down to basics, putting boys and program first, and prioritizing and focusing on mission. Social distancing is an essential ingredient of health and safety protocols especially as it relates to how many students can be on campus and in individual classrooms. Jean-Marie Fernandez, P ’24 It includes details of the plan as they currently stand, and I strongly encourage you to review the information listed there. Some of these will be addressed by Division Heads in Thursday’s newsletter next week. We will continue to face and respond to this combination of issues when school reopens in two months. The better we do in all of these areas, the better our chances of expanding our time together on campus during the year. We will work to determine approaches as quickly and thoughtfully as we can and are committed to developing solutions responsibly and reasonably, again doing our best to preserve our options, to abide by our guiding principles, and to respond to the “VUCA” nature of this situation. Please log in to BearNet for the directory. The specifics of these are numerous, and I would like to draw your attention to the Return-to-School Plan, which can be reached by clicking the link below. Increased cleaning of all school buildings and disinfecting of high touch surfaces. Among the most frequently asked questions regarding the plan is how we are thinking about COVID-19 testing. Those who have been on campus the last few days may have noticed our Buildings and Grounds team putting together more tents, which are leading us towards several more outdoor classrooms. Lessons designed more specifically for virtual settings and that are more student-centered, Fewer full period lecture style classes and creative use of break-out discussion groups, Assignments/projects that provide students with greater choice to promote more engagement virtually, Improved assessment practices for online learning. So I write today to share that – after careful review of our Plan’s criteria for returning to campus and with an appreciation for the tremendous uncertainties and complexity marking the current moment, as well as all of the factors noted above – our administrative and Board leadership and our Return-to-School Committee have all concluded that the right decision is to start the school year employing a version of Scenario C – our updated distance learning approach – from our Return-to-School Plan. Send a communication to all who may have been in reasonably extended contact (in same class, teaching/working colleagues, teammate, etc.) Today we write to share some important thoughts about our reopening in August and what we will need-- and require-- from all in the school community to be able to make it happen. At this point, our best guess is that we will return to school in August utilizing a hybrid approach to school, one that seeks to prudently maximize in-person school, that leverages our entire campus, and that utilizes elements of online learning that we have found to be particularly effective.This is our current hope, but it is also dependent on the state of the virus later in the summer and our ability to do so based on county and state mandates, which may or may not allow us to be together in person in the ways we are starting to envision. Not making a good faith effort to abide by or otherwise intentionally disregarding the principles outlined in the social compact will be regarded as disrespectful behavior contrary to our Civility Code and treated as such. We will be sharing more information on how to arrange for your testing, as well as more specifics on the testing assay being utilized, in the days ahead in an email devoted solely to testing information and logistics. The test must be conducted on October 7-8. Student/employee is well, but someone else in the household has one or more of the common symptoms of COVID-19: cough (usually dry), fever* or sensation of fever, sore throat, difficulty breathing, muscle aches, sudden loss of smell/taste, diarrhea, vomiting, headache, runny nose). Student/employee not to come to school for fourteen (14) calendar days following exposure to/last contact with the affected person with whom child/employee has had contact. While nothing replaces vigilance, we are exploring testing as a supplemental step. Having heard from community members throughout the summer with varied perspectives on what we can and should do, I know that our decision not to start fully in-person on day one will be received with a similar variety of responses – ranging from relief to exasperation to sadness. A modified on-campus athletics program is also in place.) The coronavirus pandemic has taken an enormous toll on all of us. For at our core, Landon is a place of human relationships, between and among students and faculty alike. Through this combination of indoor and outdoor spaces, boys would be able to have in-person school five days a week. We know this is a long message but ask that you take the time to read through it carefully. Follow up with the family or employee in question to remind them of our protocols and ask them to reach out to any other families that they may have otherwise been in contact with.