Dear Upper School Students and Families, Yesterday, as the four of us stood together in the lobby of the main building chatting, things almost felt routine, except for the masks and the six-plus feet in distance between each of us. This week, all over campus, summer building projects are winding down and teachers are stopping by to try camera systems in classrooms, or take a tour of the buildings to see how classrooms are set up and experience traffic flow in the hallways. As any of us enter the building, we go to the front desk kiosk for a temperature check and to answer screening questions. Despite these new protocols, it feels comfortable to be back at PC. As we continue our preparations for the upcoming year, we want to share a few more things with you: - While students and advisors had a check-in a few weeks ago, look for your advisor to reach out to you in the next week to schedule a parent-advisor conference for the week of Aug. 31, 2020. Because the student-parent-advisor relationships are such an important one, especially in these unprecedented times, we see these initial conversations as an opportunity for advisors to learn more about student affinities, passions, strengths, challenges and areas for growth as well as plan for the new school year.
- The school year calendar for semester 1 (September - January) is posted on the PC website. We decided not to publish a paper calendar this year because we anticipate that events will change and the online version allows for greater flexibility and accuracy. Be sure to take a look at the week of Aug. 31 for the complete listing of the evening pre-orientation family meetings, all virtual, and student orientation-day schedules.
- We have heard that many of you wondered what the "relaxed" dress code would look like for in-person learning. First and foremost, masks are a required part of the dress code. Students will be permitted to wear more athletic clothing for in-person learning. Masks and clothing with hate speech, profanity, pornography, camouflage, violent language or images, drugs, alcohol, or any illegal item or activity; politically charged clothing, accessories, or other items of clothing or accessories that create a hostile or intimidating environment for others based on any protected class remain prohibited.
- Last week, we shared that the Upper School schedule is a hybrid one with half of the Upper School students on campus in a given week for in-person learning, while the other half learns remotely. Families who choose not to come to campus while we have in-person learning will follow the daily schedule remotely. Here is the block schedule that we will be following for hybrid learning:
- As the Upper School scheduling group planned this summer, one of the goals was to create a predictable schedule that could be used for both in-person and distance learning while maintaining academic time and community time. Advisory, Meeting for Worship and time for other activities is scheduled and Thursdays will include time for seminars involving co-curricular programming and discussion groups around issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, sexuality, community and social-emotional learning. If Covid-19 increases within the community, and we are required to move into full distance learning, we will continue to follow this schedule with some minor adjustments.
- Today is the last day to request to switch color teams for hybrid learning. Use this Google form to request a team change.
We continue to be in regular contact with the medical experts at Philadelphia Department of Public Health and CHOP PolicyLab as well as state and county agencies and peer schools regarding guidelines and recommendations for reopening schools. While we are eager to welcome students back to campus, doing it safely for all community members is essential. Continue to keep your family and our community safe: avoid large group gatherings, follow masking and social distancing guidelines, and quarantine if you are returning from an area with significant Covid-19 spread. Please make safe choices for all of us. Again, don't forget to check out the Return to School webpage or reach out to your child's advisor, grade dean Sharon Ahram for 11/12, grade dean Marianne Master for 9/10, Lee Payton or Beth Glascott with any questions you might have. Happy weekend! 3000 West School House Lane Philadelphia, PA 19144 215.844.3460 unsubscribe |