CSS Head of School Message, March 19, 2020 -
CSS Announces e-Learning Through April 17, 2020  
Dear CSS Community,

As many of you know, yesterday Colorado Governor Jared Polis ordered all public and private schools across the state to suspend in-person learning from March 23 through April 17 to help mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus in Colorado.

We are well-prepared for this eventuality having spent the last two weeks (and two full on-campus professional development days) preparing our e-Learning policies and content. We will begin e-Learning on Tuesday, March 31, 2020, at the conclusion of our extended Spring Break. During this time, there will be no on-campus instruction, events, or school activities. We will continue to review and assess conditions during the month of April to determine whether it's possible to resume on-campus instruction through the end of the academic year. We already miss the laughter of students in our hallways and across the quad, and we know that this announcement will cause cancellations to our robust spring schedule. It's inevitable, and we are disappointed. While we are not at the point of canceling end-of-year celebrations, our hearts go out to our students, especially to our seniors in the Class of 2020. This is not the celebration and fanfare we imagined for your final quarter at CSS.  

We've dedicated an e-Learning page on our website to serve as an ongoing space where we will post resources. Within this page, we've posted our new e-Learning student-parent handbook so that you may begin to familiarize yourself with our systems and terminology.
 
  • An email describing a procedure to pick up Children's School "to-go" packets and for Middle and Upper School students to access lockers on Friday, March 20, will be pushed out shortly.  
  • All CSS families will receive additional communication from their teacher and/or division director by the end of the business day on Monday, March 30, with more specific information about schedules, logging in, preferred browsers, and getting started. 
  • We look forward to delivering a welcome video that features our teachers to your inbox. 

I know that the days and weeks ahead will be a challenging time for our students and families, our school, and for the broader world, but I'm optimistic because our community's response to these events has revealed the fundamental strengths of our school - a brilliant and student-centered faculty, an agile leadership team, supportive parents, and bright and resilient students. We will continue to communicate proactively and design and deliver an e-Learning curriculum that engages the heads, hearts, and hands of our students. There are many opportunities here for our students and faculty to learn and grow, and we will come out the other side of this stronger.

Some quick tips and thoughts in the meantime:
  • Dedicate a specific place in your home for your child to learn. Creating a dedicated space or place where your child can "go to school" is essential. This sense of place will make them feel important and it will help them switch gears.
  • Take a few minutes to connect and learn from other parents and professionals about talking to your children about COVID-19.  Child Mind Institute is one of my favorite resources.
  • We are also creating an Enrichment tab under our e-Learning header which offers additional educational resources and offerings compiled for families.
  • Most importantly, take the time each day to play with your kids (the little ones and the teenagers) and have them see you laugh and smile. My favorite way to have fun with my boys is to throw impromptu dance parties. Here are my go-to favorites. The playlist is eclectic, but those who know me won't be surprised that Maroon 5 and Justin Timberlake are featured heavily. 
Thanks for reading. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.
 
In partnership,
Aaron Schubach
The Colorado Springs School
Head of School
Stay Connected
While our priority right now is to launch e-Learning, please know that we want to keep our community connected during this time and we are mapping out creative ways to achieve connections in new and different ways. 

Google Hangout Meets
We know that some children are having Google Hangout Meet playdates and the Board of Trustees hosted its first Hangout Meet board meeting last night. It might be worthwhile to download this app to your devices. 

Be Social (Distancing)
We will be launching some social media challenges to connect with each other and share our experiences during e-Learning. Look for details after Spring Break and hashtags so that you can participate and follow along.

Check-In On Each Other
This is critical to who we are as human beings. Whether it be a phone call, a text, or a video chat or check-in with classmates and fellow CSS families. Beyond that, we also challenge you to reach out to your elderly neighbors and regularly take time to engage grandparents.  
Communication Distribution   
This e-communication is distributed to current CSS families and students, faculty and staff, the Board of Trustees, the Foundation Board, alumni, former parents, former faculty and staff, grandparents,
and friends of The Colorado Springs School.  

Use the instant unsubscribe link below to be permanently removed from all CSS emails. To update your record or add a friend, contact the Advancement and Communications Office at (719)434-3506.