October 1, 2020

It is hard to believe, but we are moving into the seventh month since the coronavirus pandemic began, changing lives, livelihoods, and routines for almost everyone. We know that many members of the Northland family have been impacted by COVID-19—some in deeply personal ways.

 

Here in Texas, there were 739,222 confirmed cases, with 15,533 deaths (as of September 29). That is almost three percent of all Texans.

 

Harris, Tarrant, and Bexar counties represent 44.7% of new cases in the state over the last three weeks. However, despite having more than 73,000 coronavirus cases in the city of Houston, the positivity rate is continuing to go down. As of this past Tuesday morning, the rate was at 5.6%.

 

Although we are seeing some positive trends, we know that we need to maintain consistent COVID-19 protocols and not let our guard down.

So far, we have had no positive cases of COVID-19 on campus. That is because of everyone’s efforts to ensure that Northland remains a safe and protected environment. Our faculty and staff work hard to follow safety protocols on a daily basis, and we appreciate your willingness to follow on-campus protocols—limited guests, new carpool processes, and wearing masks and sanitizing. From our daily campus cleanings to our modified schedule and creative use of campus spaces, we are doing all we can to provide your student with a healthy, secure campus.

 

Currently, we have 378 students attending classes on campus with 88 students online. Over the last several weeks, many of our students who began the school year online have been transitioning back to classes on campus. Our focus has and will be to offer the best to all students in person or online. Our teachers continue to go above and beyond daily to make this year another exceptional year for Northland.

 

We continue to ask everyone in the Northland community to protect our campus by practicing social distancing and limiting group gatherings off campus. We are all in this together, and only by working together will we be able to keep our focus where it needs to be—on educating the students.

 

Thank you for your cooperation and support, and for your faith in Northland and our faculty.

David Pruett, Head of School