1. The Board of Trustees has approved the creation of a “COVID-19 Data Evaluation Working Group” to reinforce analysis and decision-making. This group will gather 5 health professionals selected from among our parent community, all working in the medical and health sector, as well as our school nurse who has been actively involved in our COVID response team since early 2020. The group’s objective is “to compile and present to the Board, the management and the community all relevant data, information and trends regarding the spread of the virus , the potential transmission of the virus, the latest recommendations from county, state and federal experts regarding the reopening of schools”. A report will be presented at each of the Board meetings while this pandemic continues and will be shared with our community.
2. The school’s COVID response team will continue work on all operational scenarios, devoting primary attention to the two most likely reopening scenarios: (a) full virtual reopening for all students, and, (b) a hybrid reopening with some in-person instruction. More than ever, I want to reinforce that ensuring the health and safety of our students, parents, faculty and staff remains of paramount importance to us in the long term, not just for a few days. In some countries, schools that had reopened too soon were forced to close again because of COVID cases in the community. We have therefore amended our earlier plans in favor of a phased reopening for the grades that will resume in-person instruction. The attached presentation shows a proposed phasing strategy and smaller cohorting of student groups. All the details of the plans are based on guidelines from the CDC, the State of Maryland, and Montgomery County. A phased approach to reopening allows us to take the necessary time to confirm our ability, as a community, to thoroughly and consistently implement all health and safety measures of the plan. 
3. In all scenarios, Virtual Learning will be necessary and critical. Our technology team is working at full speed to have new equipment (for students and staff) and new learning platforms ready for the Back to School. Their work will provide a firm foundation for learning and collaboration, both online and in person. I commend them for routinely tackling unexpected hurdles like the shortage of some equipment or recent US ban on the importation of some Chinese made computer parts. In a Virtual Learning environment we will provide special focus on 3 groups of students for whom distance learning has proven challenging: the youngest preschool and elementary students, the non-French speaking students who might require special support, and the exam grade students who will need to be prepared for year-end exams as efficiently as they would be with full in-person schooling. 
4. Finally, we acknowledge that some families may need some additional time to make their final decision to enroll or stay enrolled in our school. In recognition of that need for flexibility, the Board has approved to postpone the date of the first tuition payment to August 20th.
5. This downloadable presentation provides more details of the academic planning currently underway. This includes academic plans that reflect new health and safety measures as well as a phased approach to on-campus learning (by grade level). This was shared with our faculty this week to receive their feedback and address their questions. A faculty and staff survey is now underway to evaluate the staff available for in-person teaching. The feedback from faculty may impact the feasibility of our hybrid scenario. A second step in this process will be a survey to you, our families, so we may better understand your intentions to attend school in person, if that option is available.