September 9, 2020
Dear BB&N Community,
I know it's late in the evening to be writing; we have been waiting for results to reach us from the third and final day of COVID testing that was conducted yesterday, Tuesday September 8th. We just received the results from Broad Institute a few minutes ago, and I am very happy to report that of the 1,272 tests that were conducted over three days, ZERO positive cases were recorded. I am so thankful for the community-wide commitment to this important initiative. This is wonderful news that positions us well to welcome students back on campus tomorrow and Friday.
In advance of students arriving on campus, I’d like to remind folks to review the checklist I sent a week and a half ago. Most families have completed the mandatory tasks such as submitting the Health Forms, uKnighted Community COVID-19 Pledge form, and receiving a COVID-19 test. As a reminder, students cannot be on campus on Thursday or Friday unless and until these three items are completed. Please be sure to take a look at the email link above to make sure you have everything in order before students start arriving on campus. And don’t forget to start doing your daily health check!
I also want to address a question I’ve received from a couple of parents wondering which teachers will be instructing remotely. During the month of August, working with Human Resources, I determined which of our faculty schoolwide will be working remotely to begin the school year. As you can imagine, our faculty members chose the teaching profession to be in school with kids, so making the decision to work remotely has been very difficult. Yet, we of course need to prioritize the health and well-being of our faculty and staff and their families, and for many this means working remotely. I ask that you respect that each of these decisions were carefully made in conversation with Human Resources, and the specifics of each person’s situation is personal and confidential. As we have discussed previously, we will be using our Knight Corps members and long-term substitutes to support our students whose teachers are working remotely.
We cannot wait to welcome Grades 7, 9, 10, and half of B-6 on Thursday and Grades 8, 11, 12, and the other half of B-6 on Friday! Please be sure to reach out to your campus office if you’re not sure of any of the details regarding Thursday and Friday.
It has been a long 180 days since we were last together, BB&Ners. But now we’re about to re-uKnight—many of us in person, some of us virtually—and I have never been more excited or eager for a school year to start. I’ll bet you all feel the same way, too! As always, we’re in it together!
Best,
Dr. Jennifer Price
Head of School
