Dear Metro Faculty, Family, and Friends,
There’s so much to talk about. Let me try to address
some
of it as follows. (And, btw, as other questions inevitably continue to come to mind, please don’t hesitate to let us know.)
Metro Minute
Although we discontinue
Weekly Happenings
for the summer,
this
summer we still plan to communicate every Sunday about 2PM in a slightly simplified and stylized document called the
Metro Minute
.
Metro Minute
will feature short updates to keep us all on the same page.
Metro Minute
is scheduled to start to arrive in your inboxes about 2PM on Sunday, May 31, 2020.
Summer Office Hours
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday … 8AM - 3PM
- Friday … 8AM - Noon
What’s Next
From a list of exemplary “stand-outs,” a group of godly guys “stood-out” even more because they “…understood the times and therefore knew what God’s people should do…” (cf. 1 Chronicles 12:32).
That
has been (and, continues to be!) our driver, viz.
to return
as much as possible as soon as possible as viably, responsibly, sustainably, and safely as possible.
External Benchmarking
To do so, we will continue - among other things, to prioritize keeping our conscience clear before God and man (Acts 24:16), being as shrewd as a serpent and innocent as a dove (Matthew 10:16), and bringing ourselves under God’s appointed civil and medical authorities and experts (Romans 13:1), including but not limited to…
1) Governor Stitt and his team for Oklahoma.
2) Mayor Bynum and his team for Tulsa.
3) Tulsa Health Department.
4) CDC.
In other words…
We won’t necessarily be following TPS, JPS, BAPS, HH, BK, or others. Certainly we consider
all
of the above (and, more!) in our comparative landscape analytics, but our desire is
to return
as much as possible as soon as possible as viably, responsibly, sustainably, and safely as possible. So, as permitted by Stitt, Bynum, THD, and CDC, we
will
be moving ahead with confidence, with caution, with care, and with clear conscience.
All the Above…
We are hopeful, prayerful, and prepared for our Governor to release our state to Phase-3 by June 1, 2020, Lord willing. (If he does, see later in this communique; if he does not, we have other contingency arrangements to be delivered at another time.)
Tulsa Health Department
In the meantime, we have stayed in touch with THD every step of the way, including vetting our
Return to Learn
and Camp Patriot protocols. So approved!
What’s Up, Doc
Additionally, Metro is blessed with a lot of physicians, including three on our TCEC School Board and one on our Executive Committee to help vet our research and recommendations.
Speaking of Which…
Our TCEC Board’s Executive Committee continues to meet weekly, as does our L.E.A.D. Team of school administrators and our Roundtable of all Directors and Coordinators. Additionally, we have two advisory councils that are populated with experts from a variety of fields. One to address contingency planning on the business side of things; and the other to address educational matters, e.g. remote learning protocols and how to optimize our coming back to campus in August for our
Return to Learn
protocol via bricks and mortar traditional delivery.
For Now…
1) Camp Patriot will be here. On campus. In person. Starting June 1, Lord willing per
Athletics
The OSSAA Board of Directors met in a special meeting today, May 22, to discuss summertime activities. The Board voted to conduct summertime activities in accordance with current Rules and Policies as stated in the Administrator's Handbook
. This means summer activites will begin as normal. We look forward to a fun, active, and productive summer! Thank you for your patience and your overwhelming interest in our Metro sports camps. We look forward to providing you with our up-to-date sports camps offerings as soon as we can align them with the OSSAA directives, etc. Please watch for updates via
Metro Minute
, social media,
mcapatriots.com
, etc.
Return to Learn
protocols
Moving forward, we continue in alignment with
CDC
and
THD
guidelines for safe
Return to Learn
protocols.
Here
are some of the ways we are working to ensure the safety of your children and of our employees.
Cleaning and other COVID-19 protocols
Here
are some of the things that we have done, are doing, and
will
be doing during Camp Patriot, etc. to ensure the safety of your children and of our employees.
For 2020-2021
We continue to refine our preparations, but we can assure you that our research has been extensive and our execution will be exemplary. You will be pleased with and proud to be a part of Metro—for what our team of faculty, families, students, and staff will be able to accomplish…together. (Stay tuned for more details.)
Nimble
and
Responsible
Never before has the time-tested translation of Proverbs 18:12 hit so close to home: “Wisdom dwells with prudence, and seeks out knowledge of witty inventions.” A Christian school cannot
not
dot i’s, cross t’s, and do everything it reasonably can do to keep people safe and healthy: Prudence…On the other hand, we cannot
not
pivot, turn on a dime, and creatively innovate and deliver an education that our students deserve and that our partnering parents pay for and desire. Fall of 2020-2021 may look a little different around here, but we will be here, and you as a mission-fit family will be delighted with Metro’s
Return to Learn
.
Tuition for 2020-2021
To ease that return, we have decided to waive the 3.5% tuition increase.
Tuition Relief
God has provided us unprecedented resources in unprecedented ways for these unprecedented times. So, we’d like to come alongside of any current Metro family in any way we can. We do not want any mission-fit family
not
to be here with us next year for financial reasons. To that end, please direct any questions along these lines to Mrs. Tracy Myers at (918) 745-9868, ext.165 or
tmyers@metroca.com
.
Kudos
In addition to being a
Top 50 Christian School
in the nation; in addition to
ACSI
(Association of Christian Schools International) having recently placed us in the top tier of schools in terms of nimbleness and responsiveness - both around the country and around the world - in terms of developing and delivering (quick and quality)
Remote Learning Protocol
(RLP). In addition to the numerous anecdotes that we’ve heard from Metro families that either teach at or have children at other schools about the exemplary way our faculty stepped-up and the commendable way our families stepped-in. . . In addition to all of that, rest assured we are
not
going to rest on our laurels. If, for whatever reason, we need to implement RLP again (e.g. if a Faucian second wave predates herd immunity or viable vaccines and the state shuts down
all
schools), rest assured that our team will be even more prepared and proficient with unified platforms, more consistent direct instruction, etc.
FAQ’s
I hope that I’ve answered some of your questions. But, please let us know what other questions you have. We also continue to develop our Coronavirus
webpage
, where there is now an FAQ’s about coming back, about next steps, etc. In the meantime, and as a sample, here are a few
FAQ’s
.
High School Principal Search
Click here
for the exciting news of God’s provision!
Lessons from Turkey Mountain
Sometimes life is like a trail run. 1) You
can
and
ought
to have a plan. 2) You may need to be
flexible
with the implementation and execution of that plan. 3) It
may
take a little longer to get to where you are going—depending on the prevailing conditions. 4) As important as the plan is (and, as important as it is to get to where you are going!), the
next
step is always the next step. And, the next step is always the
most important
step, as well. So, let’s take the next step. Let’s take the next steps together. Let’s keep taking the next steps. Let’s not lose sight of where we are going. Let’s not lose our footing. Let’s stay the course. We are getting there…together!
Getting there together,
Keith A. Currivean, Ph.D.
Head of School
