Head of School's Message: September 8
I hope you had a restful Labor Day weekend, and you managed to find some respite from the heat and smoke.
I hope you had a restful Labor Day weekend, and you managed to find some respite from the heat and smoke. On Friday afternoon, we learned that plans for a mid-October opening may have been off by three to four weeks given revisions made earlier in the week to the directives for schools by the California Department of Public Health.
In an off-the-record call with independent and public-school principals on Friday afternoon, LA County's Public Health Department announced that schools' requirements to re-open have changed. Waivers are not being considered. The old monitoring system has been dropped and replaced by a four-tier system based on two factors - test positivity rates and incidence of new cases per population. LA County is in the newly-defined Purple Tier 1 and will remain there, according to the health department, "for several weeks." Tier I is for areas where there are more than seven new cases per 100,000 and where the positivity rate is above 8%. Last Friday in LA County, there were 11 new cases per 100,000, and the positivity rate was just over 10%.
Once we reach Red Tier 2 for two weeks with new cases between 4 -7 per 100,000 and a positivity rate of 5-8%, K-12 schools may be allowed to open as long as they follow re-opening protocols and have an outbreak management plan. Chandler has detailed re-opening protocols and an outbreak management plan. "We are taking a more measured approach than we had anticipated," said LA County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer before adding, "Our number one priority is to get kids back to school. It's taken six weeks for us to get back to manageable infection levels; we don't want to fall back."
Meanwhile, at Chandler last week, kindergarten students in groups of three accompanied by their parents visited the campus for forty-five minutes to meet their teachers on the field and pick up supplies. They became familiar with the thermal scanners we will use once in-person learning begins, and each child met two new classmates. Everyone was masked and distanced, and everything went smoothly.
Families picked up their supply swag bags before leaving. They included a hula hoop for use in PE classes. One of the boys found the urge to demonstrate his hula-hooping skills irresistible, and as adults looked on, he stepped into the middle of the courtyard and performed to rapturous applause. It was a relief and a joy to have children on the campus. They have hoops to play with, and we have hoops to jump through before in-person learning begins again, but we got a glimpse of what the future will look like at Chandler once Pasadena's Health Department allows schools to open. We are ready.
With several teachers choosing to teach from their classrooms, the campus feels like a living, breathing school again. Apart from a couple of tech glitches that were quickly resolved, initial reports from parents on the home front confirmed that the distance learning program is meeting expectations. Constant feedback helps, so do not hesitate to get in touch with an email or a phone call if you have a suggestion to make, a concern to express, or something on your mind that you want to share.
Zoey and Sassafras by Asia Citro was one of the story series I read last Spring recommended by Stacey May, Chandler's Lower School Librarian. The stories featured magical creatures, mystery, adventure, and science concepts. In one of the stories, Zoey lets her mom know that she wished she could be like some of the older kids in her school because they can do more than younger kids. Mom replied, "There's no rush. You will turn into who you need to be. For now, you're fine." That sounds like a realistic parenting mantra for the pandemic. There's no rush. Each child will turn into who they need to be. For now, they're fine.
Whether you're the parent of a kindergartener or an eighth-grader, we know you are doing your best at home under trying circumstances. Although we are distanced, know we are grateful you are part of the Chandler community.
Sincerely,
Most sincerely,
John Finch, Head of School
