Greetings, MPH Families,
Here we are at the end of another robust week of planning for the beginning of the school year. I’ve noticed that a number of my colleagues have taken to using the expression “objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.” This seems especially fitting as we work to tie up loose ends and button down the remaining logistics, all with the goal of making our reopening as smooth, safe, and healthy as possible for the entire community. We appreciate your partnership and your patience as we continue to pin down details.
Our Community Conversations on Wednesday and Thursday this past week were helpful to us, as we hope they were to you, too. We appreciated your participation and your excellent questions, many of which served to either illuminate details that still need to be addressed or highlighted the need for us to better communicate where that information can be found (or let you know when it will be provided). Links to recordings of this week’s Community Conversations can be found here.
Related to this growing list of topics and expanded information, our Health Protocols document has been updated since last week; for example, it now includes a section regarding the criteria used to determine when MPH would transition from its On-Campus Learning model to a Distance Learning for All scenario. In addition, the document includes the list of questions found on the Daily Health Assessment, which parents will need to complete for each MPH child once school begins. As faculty and staff convene next week for an intensive four-day stretch of opening meetings, we will be beta testing the application the entire community will be using to complete the Daily Health Assessment.
Speaking of next week, this would be a great time for families to begin (or continue) the habit of visiting the MY MPH portal on a daily basis to become familiar with where the Daily Health Assessment will be found when it has been finalized; learn where you can find detailed plans on any number of topics within the Health Protocols document; check out messages, supply lists, and schedule templates that are specific to your child(ren)’s division(s); discover the section that houses previous community messages and recordings of Community Conversations; and much, much more!
In addition, it will be especially important for you to be on the lookout in your email inboxes for important daily messages all of next week. Among the topics that will be covered are things such as updates on public school transportation and procedures for arrivals and dismissals.
In the meantime, I do hope you find the upcoming weekend to be a restorative one. Let’s all take a deep, collective breath. All will be well.
With appreciation for your partnership at this extraordinary time,
Dave McCusker
Head of School
