Dear Fountain Valley School Community,

Interim is two weeks away and excitement is building among students and teachers. We are writing to provide an update regarding participation and to address concerns that you may have about the impact of the COVID-19 virus on the upcoming trips. 

Over the past four weeks, the Interim team and the School’s leadership have been actively monitoring any health and safety advisories for the regions in which we will travel. This group has also been meeting regularly to evaluate whether any changes to travel plans should be considered. Our decisions are driven by the safety of our students and faculty and informed by the recommendations of authorities including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the U.S. State Department, and World Health Organization. As communicated previously, in response to the initial advisory and subsequent travel ban, our China Interim trip has been redirected to Hawaii. 

At this point, no further advisories or travel bans have been issued for our Interim trip locations. We are confident in our plans to proceed with all trips and excited about the opportunities that await. However, we recognize that some families may still have concerns. 

With these concerns in mind, any family that wishes to opt their child out of Interim for this year may do so with no repercussions from the School. Given that monies paid for Interim have already been spent, however, the School will not be able to provide refunds. In addition, families will be responsible for making arrangements for their child to return home or travel to another destination of their choosing during Interim. Students will not be able to stay on campus during Interim. 

If you would like to opt out of Interim, please reply to this email by 5 p.m. MST on Wednesday, February 26. 

We are looking forward to another fantastic Interim. The School will continue to actively monitor, communicate, and make changes to any Interim trip if needed and please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or specific concerns. We welcome all communication. 

Sincerely,

Jed Haupt and Kat Baker
Co-Directors of Interim