Head of School's Message: January 3

Happy New Year!
Against the backdrop of an Omicron surge, we are welcoming students back to school this week with the intention of keeping everyone safe and well on campus as we remain committed to the goals that have guided us since the beginning of the school year:
  • The social and emotional well-being of the Chandler community will be factored into every decision this year.
  • Opportunities for community connection and engagement will be provided through activities and events that are intentional, equitable and inclusive.
As we navigate the latest surge, there will be some revision of our plans and protocols that will be communicated to you, but our focus remains on keeping Chandler students in school, attending to their social-emotional well-being and making sure the Chandler community stays connected and engaged. As fed up, exasperated, and frustrated as we are with COVID-19, we are resolved to get through it together. Our coffers of resilience are far from depleted. We need everyone to get vaccinated and wear masks and all being well, before too much more time passes, we want to be able to effectively unlayer the mitigations.

Doctors see signs of hope. With a viewpoint shared by Chandler’s doctors, Dr. Daniela Lamas, a critical care physician in Boston, wrote in the New York Times last week. “What will victory over this virus look like? I used to think that I would care for one final coronavirus patient, but I realize now that is not the case. This virus will become endemic, as some viruses do, and when each winter comes, I will see a few patients with COVID-19 who are sick enough to wind up in the intensive care unit, the unvaccinated or the immune-compromised or the unlucky. We will care for them using the protocols that we have honed over the past two years. No one will react with panic or fear or anger; it will be expected, as it is with influenza or a host of other respiratory viruses." 

Let’s hope we get there soon. Welcome back to school.


Most sincerely,
John Finch, Head of School
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