Charles Armstrong School: COVID-19 UPDATES

July 30, 2020

Dear Armstrong Community Members,

I hope this letter finds you and your family and friends healthy and well. Thank you for your patience and support as we developed our scenarios and navigated our plans for the start of the 2020-2021 school year.

Based on a combination of factors, Charles Armstrong School will start the school year fully remote. During our Zoom meetings last week, we shared with you that although we had not made a final decision, there was a high probability that we would start the year with our At Home Learning academic program. Our thinking was based on the level of coronavirus community spread this summer in the Bay Area, coupled with our goal of preserving the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff and all of their families. Yesterday’s decision by the state to add San Mateo to the COVID-19 watch list, which prohibits in-classroom learning, unfortunately only further confirms the direction we were already headed.

When we concluded the 19/20 school year and held our emotional “drive-in” graduation in June, I never expected to be announcing today’s decision. At that time, our communities had some of the tightest restrictions in the nation and it certainly appeared we had not only “flattened the curve” but also decreased the infection rate so that returning in some form to campus for the beginning of school would be possible. However, that progress not only halted, but we find ourselves with higher infection rates now, weeks away from the start of school, than at any time during this pandemic. Our decision is not only the right decision for our school, it is the right decision to support our broader community as we all once again try to change the trajectory of this pandemic.

The decision to start school remotely, a truly difficult one, is just the latest in a series of complicated decisions we have faced since the beginning of this public health crisis in March. I want nothing more than to start the school year with our incredible students and dedicated faculty and staff on campus. The goal of bringing you all back, when it is safe to do so, remains.

Our outstanding team of educators have been working on our next version of At Home Learning and will present the program to you during the week of August 10^th. Please note, we are rescheduling our Parent meeting from Thursday, August 6^th to the following Thursday, August 13^th (time to follow) so that you will have the details of our program ahead of that meeting.

We have an important year ahead of us – our goals include supporting the social and emotional needs of our students and families, focusing on high-quality learning experiences in literacy, writing, math, and other academic skills, and learning from the racial and social justice outcry this summer to make Armstrong a proactive, supportive home for Black members of our community and all people of color.

Armstrong was founded in 1968 through collaboration, effort, belief and trust. I can’t think of a better foundation for our work together this year. I look forward to partnering with all of you to accomplish our goals and especially to the day when we find ourselves safely back on campus together again.

Thinking of you all,

Jessica Miller

Head of School

FAQ JULY 2020