Dear School Families and Hawthorne Valley Community Members,

As the number of cases of COVID-19 begin to increase dramatically in our state and worldwide, our Governor has mandated an urgent and extreme limit on gatherings. It is clear that the need for social distancing has become imperative to preserve the greater health of our community. It has fallen on the shoulders of individuals and leaders of organizations, small and large, to take action.  Therefore, we are implementing our school closure plan effective starting Monday, March 16 th . It is clear that, though our students are not at high risk by being at school, the broader community needs us to support the wellness of others by staying home.     

Hawthorne Valley School does not have a confirmed case of COVID-19 . We acknowledge, however, that the spread of the virus locally is likely underway. We have implemented careful health and hygiene protocols, and worked with vigilance to keep our children, faculty, and staff safe in the face of this growing public health crisis. Your partnership in this effort over the past few weeks has been inspiring and speaks to the strength of our community. We will continue to draw on this spirit of collaboration and perseverance in the weeks ahead.   

Next week school will be closed . It is our hope that we can return to school at the soonest possible date. We are assessing the situation on a week-by-week basis and we will send an update by Thursday next week with information for the following week. Please watch for this important communication.

Teachers will be meeting and working at school on Monday to prepare learning resources . Individual teachers will be in touch early next week to provide details on learning resources and academic plans.  Teachers are also asking students to take their personal items home with them today.      

All school events are cancelled through the end of the month.  This includes:
  • 10th Grade Play (March 18 – March 20)
  • Parent Teacher Conferences (March 19)
  • Faculty/Staff Development Day (March 20)
  • Maple Crepes Fundraiser (March 21 - March 22)
  • Community Cabaret (March 28)

These are extraordinary times that call for extraordinary measures. We think it is important that, as adults, we stay calm and focused on trying to make the best informed choice that we can in real time as this outbreak continues to develop locally, regionally, nationally and globally. We are aware that this decision will be disruptive for parents, families, students, and teachers. However, at this point in time, the school feels confident that this decision is socially responsible given our overriding intention to keep our students and immediate community protected and safe, and also to contribute to the wider move of organizations and individuals who are deciding to proactively take steps to limit the spread and impact of the COVID-19 outbreak in New York State and beyond. 

Please stay vigilant and let Nurse Kara know if anyone in your family develops symptoms of illness that may be of concern. Thank you all for your continued support as we navigate the challenges of this situation together.

Sincerely,
Michael Frosch
School Director
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