Dear Upper School Students and Families,

I’ve now been in my new role for just short of a month and as you can imagine, there has been a lot to do! With the end of the year feeling like a constant state of flux, I know we all look forward to being able to map out a plan for what fall looks like at Beaver. Having the summer to plan allows us to look at education through a new lens and to be more intentional in our decisions for this coming year.

It was great to connect with some of you in yesterday’s Zoom call, I'm excited to get to know you and the Beaver community and to a day when we can move off of a video call to make that happen. One step at a time. In today’s fall update, I am sharing more detail about athletics and about our back to school planning process.

EIL Update for fall Athletics
This week, the Eastern Independent League (EIL) Athletic Directors and Heads of School decided that league-wide, there will be no official EIL schedule or championships for fall 2020. Individual institutions within the EIL will, however, have the discretion to organize practices and the possibility of local competitions, dependent on state and local health guidelines.

At Beaver, we are making plans to begin fall athletics in phases, the first of which will focus on strength and conditioning. In later phases we will offer a slate of team sports that have been classified as low risk, with the hope of a next phase adding healthy competition with local schools. Beaver has always seen athletics and afternoon activities as critical to students building the foundation for a healthy lifestyle.  A healthy regimen of exercise, eating well, and getting enough sleep will be very important to keeping our community as healthy as possible during this time (and really, always!).

We hope to be in a position to invite students to return for strength and conditioning by early to mid-August. Director of Upper School Athletics Nancy Collins is working with Alex Gould, Associate Director of Upper School Athletics, and Alyssa Hart, Athletics Trainer, along with Beaver coaches to make a plan for how best to begin Phase 1 of a return.

School administrators and medical professionals are collaborating to develop procedures and protocols for athletics that align closely with those we plan to put into place for the opening of school. 

Sometime in the next two weeks, as soon as we are in a position to share more about the first phase of athletics, there will be an opportunity for students and families to talk with Nancy Collins and myself over Zoom. Please look for communication about timing for that in the next week.

Back to School at Beaver
I know this is the big question on everyone’s mind. We are working on getting those answers to you as I write this email. While we do that work, I want to share a document we have prepared. It outlines the implications of COVID-19 for our 2020 school opening this fall. In it, you will find context on our current mindset and approach for back to school decision making and plan development. 

I hope this document gives transparency into our work over the next couple of weeks, I know we all want answers as soon as possible and probably nothing feels soon enough. Rest assured, you have an incredibly dedicated and committed team of Administrators, Faculty, and Staff working together to set Beaver up for a successful start of the year.

What do the next couple of weeks look like? 
  • This week: information on BVR's approach to fall planning and decision making will be shared with parents (that’s this email!)
  • July and early August: internal and external research, assessment, and formalizing (to the extent possible) the fall opening plan
  • Mid-August: share plan with community
  • Later in August: connect with community via Zoom re: plan
  • Through the 1st day of school and into fall: continue to monitor situation and adjust plan as needed to prioritize the safety of our community.

I hope you continue to enjoy your summer. We appreciate the trust you have in us and your support of Beaver in our summer work as we prepare for the start of classes and programs this fall. 

Kim Samson
Head of School