Dear GMS Families,

On behalf of everyone at Greensboro Montessori School, thank you. The extraordinary nature of our community has never been more evident than it has been these past two months. Our end-of-year projects, presentations, and celebrations have been a wonderful conclusion to a challenging spring. And the Farewell Parade this morning made us all so happy! 

The purpose of this evening's email is to share two pieces of information: (1) that we are opening summer camp in July and (2) that we are moving forward with our scenario-based planning to open school in person this August.  

Our All-Inclusive Summer Camp will operate daily from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. for four weeks, beginning Monday, July 6 and ending Friday, July 31. We are only able to offer four weeks of camp because we need additional time in August to prepare our faculty, our campus, and our procedures for the 2020-21 school year. Families who previously registered for All-Inclusive Summer Camp will receive an email early next week with details on how to confirm and complete their Summer Camp registration.

For the fall, we are planning an in-person start to the school year on Wednesday, August 19 under Plan A. Plan A includes in-person learning for all students, with concurrent Remote Learning available to families who remain fully enrolled but would prefer their children continue to learn from home. 

Operating under Plan A is our preference for the entire 2020-21 school year, and your faculty and administrators are doing everything in our power to prepare ourselves, our campus, and our operations for this possibility. Also, so we are prepared for everything (including the potential for Plans B and C), we are working on refining and improving our Remote Learning program. In addition to the details we will soon share via email, we will also have a series of Head of School Huddles in June to further dialogue with families about our plans.

Plan B has specific interest for our Toddler and Primary families. We have confirmed with appropriate authorities – and are making the required health and safety adjustments – that allow our Toddler and Primary divisions to stay open for in-person learning as a child-care facility, even in the event of an executive order from the Governor's office to suspend in-person learning for schools. 

Early next week we will launch a COVID-19 website. We had hoped to have this ready for you by today; I am sorry that we are not yet quite there. The website will include specific details and information on what the summer and fall will look like. Specifically there will be information about:  

  • The safety procedures we will follow during summer and fall as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) including daily screenings, cloth face coverings, social distancing, operating in "pods" (our term for independent student groups), etc.
  • The plan for how our pods will be structured for each division.
  • Specific improvements to our Remote Learning program.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or thoughts. As always, if you are experiencing a financial hardship due to COVID-19 that threatens your continued enrollment at our School,  email me, so we can find time to discuss options.

Thank you for an incredible school year. For many reasons, encompassing a wide range of emotions, it will be one we'll never forget.
Dr. Kevin Navarro
Head of School
2020-21 Scenarios
Plan A
Plan A is our preferred scenario in which all students remain on campus for in-person learning. We will also offer concurrent remote learning for families who remain fully enrolled but would prefer their children continue to learn from home. Remote learning will also be available to students sent home for sickness or to self-quarantine per guidelines set forth by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS).

Under Plan A, the School will follow guidelines issued by the CDC and NCDHHS for schools to safely reopen and operate in-person learning. More specific information will be available on our COVID-19 website early next week.
Plan B
Plan B allows students in Toddler and Primary to remain on campus for in-person learning, even if external circumstances dictate our Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, and Junior High divisions return to remote learning.

Under Plan B, the School can remain open as a child-care facility for Toddler and Primary students per guidance from the North Carolina Department of Non Public Education, NCDHHS, the Guilford County Department of Public Health, and the North Carolina Association of Independent Schools.
Plan C
Plan C is the temporary suspension of all in-person learning and would require all students, Toddler through Junior High, to return to remote learning. Plan C will only take effect should circumstances arise that are beyond our control and prevent us from keeping Plan B in place.
Greensboro Montessori School
2856 Horse Pen Creek Road, Greensboro, NC 27410
336-668-0119 | gms.org