Head of School's Message: October 13

I hope you were able to take a little time off to enjoy part of the long weekend. Thanks to those of you who attended last week’s question and answer session with Chandler administrators and doctors.  

 

To receive a waiver to bring K-2 students back to school, Pasadena’s health department added new restrictions on the size of student cohorts to fourteen, including two adults, a reduction from fifteen students when waivers were first suggested in June. Chandler’s cohorts were designed with more than twelve students. As we consider adjustments, our progress has been slowed while we work through the details with as few disruptions to the current cohorts as possible. At the moment, we cannot anticipate bringing any K-2 students back to Chandler under a waiver for at least four weeks, until November 10 at the earliest. As we firm up plans, we will share details with you.

 

You are tracking the same data that Chandler is tracking. Last week LA County reported a slight increase in the number of new coronavirus cases but concluded it was too early to say whether the increase represented the start of a larger surge. The percentage of tests that came back positive declined slightly over the course of the week from 3.2% to 3.0%. LA County remains in the strictest tier of the state’s four-tier re-opening system because it continues to report more than 7 cases per 100,000 residents each day. We need to be below 7 cases per 100,000 for two weeks before schools will be allowed to re-open without a waiver. Waivers are only going to be made available for grades K-2 until then.

 

“My grades are where I want them, swimming’s back, there’s good stuff on TV, I have lots of free time, and It’s fun being at home,” said one eighth-grade boy last week. Following separate conversations with our oldest students and their parents, it’s clear that a mixture of determination and resignation have combined to create a pandemic equilibrium. “I want to come back, I prefer real school, but I’m OK at home. I’m learning,” said an eighth-grade girl summing up the mood. Everyone has learned how to cope.

 

Several eighth-graders are staying in touch with the Discord app. allowing them to drop in and out of conversations without setting up formal Zoom links. “I’ve found out I don’t need the social stuff as much as I thought I did. I have become more of my own person, but I still like staying in touch with my classmates,” one girl observed.

 

A group of eighth-grade boys has started a mountain biking club. They go out together once a week. Another has started a Chandler E-sports team. Some students are learning to code, others have learned to knit and one girl has taught herself to play the ukulele. They are doing homework together and setting up online movie-watching parties. “Quarantine has been taxing on my mental health, but with time I’ve adjusted,” commented one girl. She described a regimen of baking, ballet and kickboxing as keys to her peace of mind. The students talked about how much they appreciate the support of their teachers. “I appreciate my teachers more than ever,” said one boy, “They’re working hard to make sure we keep learning.”

 

Eighth-Grade Parents have noticed their kids building up Zoom stamina. They are numbing themselves to the anxiety of too much screen time. “There’s no other way right now,” said one parent, “I’m on a screen all day and so is my daughter. It’s the only way I get my work done, and she gets hers done,” said one dad.

 

“The kids know something’s going on,” said a mom, “These are not normal times, but they’re dealing with it.” Not having to drive from one activity to another has lightened after school schedules and added more opportunities for quality family time that no one is squandering. “This has given him a chance to slow down and think about his priorities,” said one mom about her son.

 

“Dealing with strife in the peer group can be harder when they’re at a distance from one another, but overall there are fewer distractions, and he’s doing well academically,” noted one of the dads.

 

Improvements in their kids’ executive functioning, independence and self-reliance were noted by many of the people I spoke to. Parents were effusive in their praise and gratitude for Chandler teachers who had the chance to recharge during the past four days and now look ahead to six weeks of instruction before Thanksgiving.