Greetings CSS Upper School Families,

On October 23, we announced the need to pivot all Upper School course instruction to e-Learning through November 9. This decision was made out of an abundance of caution for the health and well-being of students and faculty.

We are constantly evaluating the impact of contact tracing and quarantine protocols on student and family autonomy. We are aware that a single positive COVID case has an impact on our broader community. Furthermore, we acknowledge the immense challenge of the dynamic world in which we all find ourselves, including the cautionary recommendations of public health entities.

With all these factors and more in mind, we have made the decision to continue with e-Learning for the Upper School division. This means that 10th-12th grade students will not return to campus on Monday, November 9. And 9th-grade students will not return on Wednesday, November 11. This decision was not made lightly, and we know it is not ideal. But we would be remiss to ignore any negative implications there might be on a family’s Thanksgiving should a few days of in-person learning result in another round of exposure to the virus. We elect to choose prevention and to be proactive about mitigating risk as we all head into the holiday season.

Where we can, however, we will choose in-person experiences that are critical to student learning and that minimize the number of students on campus at a single time. Teachers are currently evaluating the elements of their curriculum that need to be delivered on campus and those that can still hit learning objectives through remote delivery. For example, studio hours will be preserved for art classes and labs or field trips may be designed in the sciences. More information and a complete schedule will be shared late tomorrow.

Furthermore, we recognize the importance of the physical, emotional, and social health of students. We are committed to designing outlets for them to come together in safe ways. To this end, we will offer a variety of club meetings, athletic practices, and extracurricular challenges to bring students together in small groups and as weather permits. These opportunities will be announced to students via email in the upcoming days.

We hope you understand that there is no right answer to any of the pivotal decisions that the school must make. We sincerely look forward to navigating the remainder of 2020 with you – albeit possibly mostly through a virtual platform – and to continuing to create positive, meaningful, and memorable experiences for students.

In partnership,