A Message from our
Head of School
Dear St. Philip’s Families,

We are looking forward to seeing you very soon! The halls of St. Philip’s are longing for the joyful sounds of learning and the delightful peals of children’s laughter. There is simply no substitute for our students’ presence. 

This year, we will need to make short-term sacrifices to realize long-term gains. In preparation for this most unusual reopening of the campus, I would like to provide you with an up close and personal view of the changes first-hand, which will allow you to better visualize the “new” environment for our students.
For your reference, listed below are the highlights
of Dr. Harris’ video message:

As you know, we have had quite a busy summer, and we have shared some changes with you in previous correspondence. I am happy to report that the circumstances are such in Miami-Dade County that, with the support of the Diocese of Southeast Florida and our amazing faculty and staff, we are able to implement Scenario C. That is the plan detailing the opportunity for hybrid learning – – in remote form and on campus. And while you are quite familiar with our philosophy for remote learning, today I invite you to join me for a brief video tour of the campus, which will provide more detail about the on-campus learning option. 

  • Yellow Drop-off & Pick-up (PreK3 House) - I want to take a moment to show you one of our additional drop-off and pick-up locations. Those of you with yellow car placards will drop off and pick up your children here. Each designated pick-up and drop-off location will have a colored flag which corresponds with the color of your car placard. Please look for the matching flag and follow directions from our faculty and staff.

  • Hand-washing Station - Our goal is to have a healthy campus community and minimize opportunities for cross-contamination. To that end, parents and students should arrive to campus wearing masks. Students will be escorted from their cars and led to one of the additional hand-washing stations we have added around campus. We will encourage students and staff to use these stations frequently throughout the day.

  • PreK3 Classroom -  Most classrooms have a dedicated HVAC system. However, due to the shared system in the PreK3 House, we have purchased new HEPA filters for each of the rooms. These provide an additional layer of protection for our students and faculty in this space. Plexiglass barriers are also present to give students the opportunity to share tables without putting their classmates at risk.

  • 2nd Grade Classroom - Our 2nd grade students will be provided with an opportunity to have a vast amount of space in the Music Room. Their classroom has also been outfitted with plexiglass to minimize cross-contamination. Each classroom on campus has also been equipped with Swivl Cams. Families who are choosing to continue with remote learning can log in and participate in synchronous instruction.

  • Kindergarten - Some of you may recognize this enlarged space as our former Foreign Language classrooms. In order to allow for six feet of social distancing, our Facilities Team removed a wall and helped us create this new learning space for one of our Kindergarten groups.

  • Church - While we will worship in individual classrooms and not gather as a school for Chapel, this space is the physical and spiritual heart of our community. And it is in this sacred space that I remind you of our covenant of mutuality. We have a responsibility at school and you have a responsibility at home to protect our communal time together. We have longed for the day that we can all be together again, and that day has finally come. We must continue to be vigilant and follow health practices on and off campus by observing social distancing guidelines and wearing masks. 

The 2020 - 2021 Family Handbook has been uploaded to My BackPack for your review. You will note that it includes a pledge, to which we are asking all families to adhere. This school year will only be successful if we all work together as a team to keep our community safe and healthy. All families are required to electronically sign and submit their acknowledgment of this year’s Family Handbook no later than 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 16, 2020. Electronic signing of the Family Handbook may be done via the “Forms” section of MyBackPack. Click here to log in to your account and sign the document.

As we open the campus, I trust that we will be guided by our faith, and by our commitment to caring for one another. Again, it is a privilege to serve as your Head of School, and I speak on behalf of the entire St. Philip’s Episcopal School faculty and staff when I say welcome back!


In service,
Jasmine B. Harris, EdD
Head of School