Dear FVS Community,
As a busy week comes to a close, I can say with confidence that we are ready to welcome our first round of returning students—TOMORROW! This summer has felt a bit like an interminable ocean crossing, and while our journey through this uncharted water is by no means over (nor is my blatant overuse of this metaphor!) knowing that we will return to the comfort of a somewhat familiar routine provides a hint of a horizon that serves as motivation to press on. Similarly, I know the return to campus will provide the predictability and support for our students that is a foundational element of our community.
Looking back on the week, yesterday marked the return of faculty to campus for in-service, and UC Health completed COVID-19 testing for all employees. UC Health performed admirably and as a result, we feel all the more reassured of our choice to partner with them for COVID testing throughout the year. We also held our first full faculty and staff meeting. It was wonderful to see everyone’s faces, albeit virtually.
On Wednesday, we held a virtual town hall for day students and their families to outline the critical role they will play in helping ensure the health and well-being of our entire community, and the specific expectations that we’ve set in place to support this shared goal. A link to a recording of the town hall meeting can be found at the end of this message as well as a link to the communication sent to all day students and their families as a follow up to the meeting.
As I’ve communicated before, our Plan, FVS Rising, is an evolving framework and as such we’ve expanded the “Community Commitment” section of the Plan to reflect the additional expectations of Day Students and their families that were shared during Wednesday’s town hall. This section now also includes the expectation that any student, faculty, or staff member who travels via airplane or who shares a household with someone who has traveled via airplane, must remain home and engage virtually for 14 days or until having received a negative COVID test completed 5-7 days after returning home.
We have also made important updates to the “Health Center, Quarantine, and Isolation Facilities” section of the Plan to include a new expectation that any boarding student who is diagnosed with COVID-19 must return home if they live within a day’s drive of campus. They must remain in the care of their family until they are cleared to return to campus. We have made this shift because we believe that students will find the most comfort at home in the care of their parents and also to minimize the risk of exposure for other members of the FVS community.
And finally, today you should have received an update from Athletic Director Steve Tulleners outlining our plans for fall athletics and afternoon activities. Steve’s message comes in the wake of CHSAA’s long-awaited announcement on Wednesday of a reorganized schedule for 2020-21. Due to CHSAA’s timing, Steve’s message and mine are being sent concurrently and I apologize for the deluge of information from the School today. Nonetheless, I’m proud of the work that Steve and his team have done to pivot quickly in response to these changes and provide robust support for the aspirations of our scholar-athletes as well as those of our students who share their talents through theater, digital media team, and our Yearbook, The Owl.
Thank you for your continued support, attention and commitment to this wonderful community. I look forward to seeing some of you tomorrow and I encourage you to stay tuned to our social media as we share glimpses of our campus and community coming back to life.
In the meantime, take good care, stay safe, and be well.
With Gratitude,
William Webb
Head of School
Fountain Valley School of Colorado
6155 Fountain Valley School Road
Colorado Springs, CO 80911
