April 21, 2020

Dear BB&N Families,

The path of BB&N’s remaining six weeks has come into clearer focus today, as Governor Baker announced earlier this afternoon that all Massachusetts schools will remain physically closed for the remainder of the school year. 

This announcement confirms that BB&N will continue with remote learning for the remainder of our school year, which means the last day of school will remain Tuesday, June 2nd, as previously scheduled.

I first want to acknowledge the sadness that I’m sure today’s announcement brings each of us. There’s no denying how disappointing it is that students will not get to hang out, play, perform, and laugh in person with their friends and teachers for the rest of this year. And we the adults we will not get to cheer the 6th graders as they take on the LS faculty in the annual kickball game, or see the 7th graders having a blast at Field Day, or especially that we will not have the chance to gather as a community on June 5th to watch the Class of 2020 process down the center aisle of Nicholas Athletic Center. It’s okay to feel sad about this sense of loss; it shows how much we care about BB&N and the people who make it so special. 

But we are also BB&N Strong. So, now we prepare with full focus on sustaining remote learning across all three campuses over what ultimately will be a 9-week period (3 weeks down, 6 to come). I thank every single one of you—students, parents, and teachers—for the incredible sacrifices and trade-offs you have all had to make in your lives as we adjusted together to the entirely new landscape of remote learning over these first few weeks. Our goal for the remainder of the school year is to continue trying to strike the right balance of schoolwork, community togetherness, and attention to health and well-being. 

To help us strike that proper balance over the remaining weeks, I will be sending another survey to students, teachers, and parents this week to explore these questions. Unlike the first-week survey sent on April 3rd, this time I intend to send surveys unique to each campus. So if you’re a parent who has children on multiple campuses, please be on the lookout later this week for a survey for each campus.  

I also want to let you all know that I have already begun planning with teams on each campus to determine the best way for us to celebrate the students in our three “milestone” classes: 12th grade, 8th grade, and 6th grade. More news to come on this front, of course, but it goes without saying that we are going to come up with the best possible ways to honor the accomplishments of the students in these class years. 

Lastly, I want to say a few words about the commitment that the Board and I are making to our faculty and staff in these difficult times. As I learned so clearly from all of you during my entry tour almost two years ago, the number-one strength of BB&N is the faculty and staff who work to educate your children with such skill, dedication, and compassion every day. Which is why the Board and I agree that there will be no layoffs at BB&N this academic year, and we will continue to compensate every faculty and staff member during this extended closure. As a result, we are not revising tuition rates for the current school year. This decision respects the teachers and staff members who are working incredibly hard to maintain meaningful learning experiences for our 1,013 students, and also ensures that BB&N will be immediately ready to resume on-campus operations whenever that is permitted by the Governor. The school, however, will offer the opportunity for prorated refunds for any family who has paid fees for our bus or after school program. Dr. Tara Gohlmann, our Chief Operating & Financial Officer, will reach out to those families soon with further details about that process.

This past weekend was so uplifting for our faculty and staff as each member received a note of thanks from you and your children, as part of the Head’s Challenge ( click here to view a brief video of the outpouring of gratitude). It is yet another reminder of the commitment to Kindness that makes our BB&N community uKnighted and always together, even when physically apart. Thank you!!!

I hope all remain safe and well. Thank you for your continued support and partnership. 

Best, 

Dr. Jennifer Price

Head of School

P.S. A reminder that if you or your family are struggling in any way due to the implications of the pandemic, please let us know via this confidential form. We are ready to help in any way we can!