Greetings MPH Families,
 
Noting this morning’s announcement by Governor Cuomo that New York schools may reopen with stipulated measures in place, The MPH Social Compact and Plan for the 2020-2021 School Year (the Plan) continues to guide our efforts to begin the school year as safely as possible. You can find the Plan and updates on the MY MPH portal on the website. If you haven’t already done so, please familiarize yourself this week with MY MPH, as it will serve as your primary resource for up-to-date information in the weeks and months ahead. The password for this portal, mphparents20 (case sensitive), should not be shared with non-MPH community members.
 
As we continue to prepare for the 2020-2021 school year, we appreciate our strong partnership with MPH families. In recent weeks, we have hosted multiple opportunities for members of the MPH community to discuss the plans for the coming school year. These community conversations have been well attended and have involved members of the Board of Trustees, our teaching and non-teaching colleagues, members of the Student Council, members of individual Upper School classes, as well as parents and guardians. The questions and feedback from these community conversations have been helpful as we make the necessary changes to our facilities, programming, and schedule in order to provide our students with an exceptional educational experience in the midst of significant challenges. Last week we sent a survey requesting information on your transportation and childcare needs; we appreciate the prompt response from the majority of our families. We will be sending additional surveys in the coming weeks and will depend upon every family’s timely response in order to refine our plans.
 
A vital factor of our preparation for the unique year ahead is ensuring that our educators are equipped with the necessary tools and training to adapt our educational program so that it is accessible whether students are on campus or at home. Next week MPH faculty and staff will enter into two weeks of intensive personal and professional development; this is in addition to the usual week of professional development just prior to the start of every school year. Twenty-two workshops have been designed around five central themes: teaching and learning; collaboration; diversity, equity, and inclusion; technology integration; and health and safety.
 
A dedicated team of educators has spent much of the summer developing this impressive program of personal and professional development opportunities tailored specifically to the needs of MPH students, teachers, and employees. The next two weeks will feature workshops as well as time for reflection, collaboration, and planning – all facilitated by MPH employees. This good work will create a strong foundation upon which to begin the school year, and we are committed to providing further professional development opportunities as the year unfolds. You can see the list of workshops here.
 
Looking to strike a healthy balance for our students, we have revised the 2020-2021 Dress Code, which now includes face coverings and also allows for more comfortable, relaxed clothing. We remain committed to prioritizing well-being as together we meet unprecedented challenges and promote healthy growth for all. In addition, we are currently developing a list of Frequently Asked Questions and plan to publish these on MY MPH on August 14. We will continue to post updates on MY MPH as more information becomes available to us.
 
Thank you for your partnership this summer, as we prepare together for the upcoming school year.
 
With best wishes to all for good health,
 
Dave McCusker
Head of School