Looking Ahead to the Start of the New School Year

First day of distance learning begins September 1.

September 1, our first day of school, is just around the corner. While we will begin the year with six weeks of distance learning, we are eager to make many connections during this time. On Monday, August 31, families are invited to drive through campus for Materials Pickup Day from noon until 6 pm. For those grades families who wish for an in-person orientation, teachers will be available during this time by signing up in advance (today is the deadline!). After the first week of school, we look forward to scheduling outdoor early childhood meet ups on campus. This will allow teachers to see their students in small groups, deliver portions of the curriculum in person, and help children learn the new health and safety protocols they will be required to follow while school is in session during the pandemic. Once meetups are going smoothly for early childhood students, we will plan for some grades student small group in-person instruction with the same goals in mind. Reflecting on the spring, I marvel at the outstanding job our teachers did with distance learning. For this reason, I am all the more impressed to see how they have significantly enhanced this fall’s distance learning based on lessons learned in the spring. As an example, every family will receive a link to the WSP Distance Learning Master Schedule from their teacher. This is your “storefront” with information about how to access, via hyperlink, each part of your child’s day. All information will be updated by 8:00 pm the evening before school starts that week. A hard copy of this will also be included in each child’s back-to-school materials. In addition, we gave families the opportunity to request devices that will be provided by the school, if needed. They will be picked up during the Materials Pickup Day as well. In conjunction with the phenomenal job our teachers and staff have done in preparing for this school year, we know distance learning could not happen without the partnership of our parents. We are so grateful for your support during this challenging time and know you serve a critical role in the success of our students’ learning experience. A big thank you to each of you! With wishes for a wonderful start to the 2020–21 school year, Kirsten Christopherson-Clark Head of School

BELOW: A preview of the WSP Distance Learning Master file that will connect families directly to schedules and weekly curriculum. This live document created in Google Sheets will be updated weekly.