Dear Mountain Laurel Community,
We wish to extend our most sincere and deepest gratitude to all our families for entrusting your children to Mountain Laurel Waldorf School and your belief in the values of Waldorf education through these rocky times.
On June 5th, the last day of the 2019-2020 school year, we were finally given the long-awaited and much longed-for reunion of our dear school community.
Seeing our Mountain Laurel families snugly fitting in their rectangle at the opening of the Zoom Work Share made our hearts swell, and as they were driving up Innis Avenue, honking and waving at our faculty and staff during the Parade in Place, we were reminded of how wonderful it will be in the Fall when the children return for on-campus learning.
However, as we are looking ahead to the 2020-2021 school year, we do not intend to deceive ourselves, or our parents, in thinking this will be smooth sailing. With many unknowns still on the horizon,
we plan on being thoroughly prepared
with our programs in place and the school equipped with the most adequate health and safety precautions to welcome your children on campus in September.
Keeping in mind, more than ever, the need to nourish every student's head, heart, and hands to prepare them for this changing world, we are putting all our creative energy, strategic visioning, and professional skill sets to work to plan the reopening of our school.
Working in consultation with a MLWS parent who is an infectious disease specialist, we have established a
Return to School Task Force
composed of board members, faculty, and administrative staff, to develop a safe and comprehensive plan for our return to campus. We are focusing on
three major areas
in our planning: the
health and safety
of our community, the
educational experience
of our students, and the
financial health
of the school. All decisions made by the task force will be in alignment with the guidelines provided by the CDC, state and local government agencies, and the NYS Department of Education.
Our primary goal remains to return to in-person classes for all of our programs in the Fall. Yet, it is critical that we prepare for flexibility and ensure we are equipped to adapt to a changing reality. We are
planning for the possibility of three different scenarios
next school year:
on-campus
,
off-campus
, and a
hybrid model
(a combination of distance and on-campus learning) should our area experience an uptick in the rate of CoVid-19 infections. We expect to soon hear from Governor Cuomo regarding the NY State plans for schools.
In order to optimize our planning with as accurate a budget as possible and to ensure that we have adequate staffing and resources, it is now
essential
that all decisions are based on the
actual
number of Tuition and Enrollment Contracts for the 2020-2021 school year.
If you have not already done so, please submit your contracts by Monday, June 22nd. Contracts received after this date will incur a $350 late fee.
It is our intention to keep our Mountain Laurel community intact as we move forward. If you have been radically affected by the sudden economic impact of this pandemic, please, reach out to our staff accountant, Sue McKenzie, directly, to discuss how Mountain Laurel Waldorf School can support you during these unprecedented times.
We will have more information to share as we clarify specific plans for the new school year. Please do not hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns. Your partnership is vital.
Although temporarily, you may find that our school looks a little different when we return, but rest assured that the heart and warmth of our community will remain unchanged.
In solidarity,
Susan and Patricia
