May 8, 2020
Dear Parents,
I hope that you are well. I know that many of you have either lost loved ones, have suffered through the virus, or have experienced economic or social upheaval. My heart goes out to you all. I can only wish you strength and patience as we together face what is one of the most difficult disruptions that any of us has seen in our lifetimes.
We are now at the end of the seventh week of online learning and are headed into the spring term's home stretch. While our school year is approaching its conclusion, the pandemic does not appear to be ending anytime soon. This uncertainty surrounding exactly how the pandemic will play out adds multiple layers of complexity to our planning for the next year. This is no ordinary crisis, and it is far from over. While we are working hard to prepare for both an on-campus school and an online school for next fall, we will certainly want to bring students back to campus as soon as we can do so safely.
Predictions suggest that the United States will continue to see an increase in both infections and deaths, and Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, have both warned of subsequent outbreaks. Despite this news, the conversation about reopening has taken on more force. The state of Connecticut just this week released its guidelines for the reopening of colleges, universities, and boarding schools, and we are reviewing its recommendations.
We will be meeting with our Board of Trustees this weekend and will share some of our thinking with them, and, in turn, will receive their perspective and guidance. We will then be able to share some more detailed plans with you—although as I have said since the beginning of this crisis, we will want to wait as long as possible before we make a decision about the fall. You can expect a more detailed update in the next couple of weeks but be aware that we will not be able to make any final decisions regarding the fall until the summer.
In the midst of all this uncertainty and upset, I have tried to also keep in mind the longer term, the light at the end of the tunnel, and some of the positives that have come out of the situation in which we find ourselves. A couple of weeks ago, a student reminded me of the scientific breakthroughs that have occurred as scientists across the world collaborate to find a cure or better treatments. I have also been buoyed by the wonderful acts of kindness, good humor, and even heroism that surround us in every community. Our own students, faculty, and staff are helping in myriad ways.
Recently a faculty member shared this video with me. You may have seen it. In it, Tomos Roberts recites his poem, "The Great Realisation." The poem tells a bedtime story about the pandemic from some time in the future. While the pandemic ravaged societies across the world, it also caused people to rediscover their core values of gratitude, kindness, and respect, and it allowed the environment to recover. I hope that Roberts is right—that some good will come out of this tragedy—that we will find ourselves on the other side of this crisis with a new appreciation of the people and things that really matter in our lives.
Please take care and stay safe. Ne cede malis.
Sheila
The Loomis Chaffee School • 4 Batchelder Road • Windsor, CT 06095 • 860.687.6000
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