March 15, 2020
1:30 p.m.
Dear Gould Families,
I write to you today to share important information regarding the next steps we are taking as a community in response to the COVID-19 virus. As I have written in a previous communication, a team of administrators meets daily to monitor this continuously evolving situation. Taking into consideration the information we have at this time and acknowledging that this is a very fluid situation, we will continue to act with an abundance of caution and provide regular updates. Our students' well-being remains at the center of every decision we make regarding how to best support our students during these challenging times.
International Students
Given the evolution of the COVID-19 situation in the United States, we are asking all Gould international students who are currently on campus to make arrangements to return to their homes by April 1, 2020. Our campus will be closed to all students beginning April 1. We remain committed to beginning our spring term remotely starting Monday, April 6, and will plan on a remote teaching program to continue until at least Monday, April 20. We will inform everyone by Monday, April 13, whether we will be reopening campus or continuing to teach remotely thereafter.
Students who have remained on campus should make plans to be off campus prior to April 1. When leaving campus, we are asking the students to make sure they have removed all perishable items from their rooms and take with them any materials needed to continue their studies from home. As we continue to hold onto the hope that we will be able to return to class on campus before the end of the school year, we are not requiring that students take all of their property home at this time. In the future if it appears we will not be able to return to campus before the end of the school year we will provide an update on how we are going to handle the storage and/or shipping of student’s property.
It is important to recognize that international students who return home might have difficulties re-entering the United States. If students are not allowed to return to the United States, it is our intention to continue to provide a remote learning program for those individuals.
Information on our website
In addition to regular communications from the school, you will be able to access information regarding Gould’s actions regarding the COVID-19 virus through a link on the school website,
gouldacademy.org
.
As I have mentioned in previous communications, I can’t thank you enough for your patience and understanding as we strive to continue to provide a safe, enjoyable world-class educational experience for our students. If you have any questions or concerns regarding any medical or health issues, please feel free to contact our
Director of the Student Health Center, Olivia Hendry
, RN, BSN. If you have any questions relating to our policies and procedures, please feel free to contact me directly.
All the best,
