March 11, 2020

Dear Greene Street Friends Families,

As we expected, today brought more cases of the virus to the Philadelphia region. Students at school are still focused on playing and learning, and for that, we are happy. Greene Street Friends School remains at a Risk Level 1.

At the same time, we see that the Coronavirus is spreading, and we encourage you to take steps at home to reduce the likelihood of transmission. These include both anti-microbial hygiene (such as handwashing) and social distancing (such as unnecessary trips or group activities). The goal is to slow the spread so that the number of seriously ill people can be handled by hospitals and the health care system. Nearby schools have closed when family members of students or teachers have tested positive for Covid-19. We will do the same when this happens at GSFS.

We have implemented a few new protocols and appreciate your partnership on each of them:
  • All visitors, including parents dropping off students in the morning, will be asked the following three questions upon arrival to campus:
    1. Have you traveled internationally within the past 14 days?
    2. Have you come into close contact with someone who is sick and/or who has confirmed COVID - 19 diagnosis within the past 14 days.
    3. Do you have a fever (greater than 100.4 F) OR symptoms of lower respiratory illness such as cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing?
If any visitor answers any of the questions positively, they will be asked to remain in the lobby. We will locate their host or their student. The area will be disinfected once the visitor leaves. Please also ask the above three questions of yourselves and consult your primary care provider if you answer "yes" to any of them.
  • We understand that sometimes parents are sick and still must bring their children to school. Because we are at a risk level 1, this is still fine. If you are dropping off, or picking up while ill, please let us know and we will escort your child to the classroom or to your car.
  • We are preparing for out-of-school learning. Teachers spent the afternoon preparing for asynchronous learning (learning that will happen using static tools like worksheets, reading materials, see-saw, ixl.com, etc.) as well as getting ready for on-line synchronous learning. Synchronous learning is on-line real-time sessions with teachers, with work to be completed off-line following or before the on-line sessions. At this point, teachers have created log-ins and have assigned students to different online "classrooms".
  • Tomorrow, 5th graders will be getting school chromebooks. These devices do not have cases, so it is important that these devices remain at home. 
  • 6th, 7th, and 8th graders are in the practice of bringing their devices home nightly. These students should continue to bring the devices to school and home daily.  
  • As we consider the future of on-line learning, we want to make sure that every home has internet access, as well as devices available to use. Greene Street Friends School will provide devices for students in Middle School, it is our hope that Lower School students can use a device at home, like a tablet or a phone, to do most of their work. LS students will not have as rigorous on-line content. Please complete this survey to share the devices you have at home, there is also an area to share any concerns with this concept. (Keep in mind, many of you completed this already last week, we do not need your additional response if you have already completed it, only if something has changed:  https://forms.gle/vWFpVZYs66grwWmQ6)
  • As a reminder, if a member of your household is tested for Covid-19, or if you or any family member in your household has returned from China, Iran, South Korea, or Italy in the last 14 days, or if you or any member of your household have had contact with an infected or quarantined person in our area, please alert us with a direct communication to [email protected] so that we can support you and your family and work with health officials to make the best decisions for our school.
You will hear from your student's teachers in the near future with their plans and ways that you can ready your home in case of virtual learning. 

It is our plan to keep you updated as the situation changes, and please be in contact if we can answer any questions or concerns. Thank you for your support during this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Dr. Edward W. Marshall
Head of School