Semester 2 Return to Campus Survey Announcement
Dear Upper School Families,

As we near the winter holidays, teachers, students, and families can look back on the first semester that, while not without its twists and turns and surprises, has fulfilled our hopes for being back in school. 

As we look ahead to 2021 and to the start of the second semester, we are again asking families to commit to on-campus or distance learning. Barring any major disruptions to normal school operations, this will be the last time that upper school distance learning families are invited to return to the building; at the beginning of semester 2, all students enrolled in distance learning will remain so for the entirety of the semester-long grading period, with no further opportunities in the remainder of the school year to return to the building. 

In the interest of full disclosure, we want families to know that, as we continue to adjust to fluctuations in on-campus versus distance learning headcounts and to pursue measures to improve student learning and make teacher workload sustainable, there may be more modifications to distance learning in Semester 2. These changes could possibly include changes to students’ daily schedules, class rosters, and, as head counts change and classes are consolidated, modifications to teacher assignments. It is because of our desire to maximize stability and, inasmuch as it is in our power, to keep things regular and predictable for teachers and students in Semester 2 that we are instituting this “freeze” once the new semester begins. 

After the Thanksgiving Holiday, you will receive an electronic survey asking you to confirm your final choice for Semester 2 learning; the survey will close on December 11. Any final changes to your child’s school schedule will then be communicated early in the new year.

We wish you peace and health in the holiday week ahead.
Yours in Partnership,
Michael Cowan
Headmaster, Upper School
Great Hearts Irving