Head of School's Message: January 18

On Friday morning, students in the Middle School were preparing for their student-led parent conferences that take place later this week.
Starting in Fifth Grade, student-led conferences involve students talking with their parents and teachers or advisors together about their progress. One of the Eighth Grade teachers told me that her students preferred holding the conferences on Zoom. In person, the students sensed their parents were staring at them, and they felt claustrophobic. On Zoom they believed they had their own space. By the time students reach Eighth Grade, they have a digital portfolio of accumulated work from all subjects that they present in their conferences. According to the students, having something to present on a shared screen makes the conference more about what they have done and less about who they are. With more content to talk about, they don’t feel under quite as much scrutiny. There are some situations in which Zoom is preferred.
 
It has taken me longer to learn the names of all the students this year because of the masks. The kids’ eyes shine and sometimes darken above the mask, so I gauge their moods, but it has been harder to identify individuals. Having now grown accustomed to seeing the students with their masks on, the face altering adolescent spurts that some middle schoolers have undergone behind masks since the school year started, have made them harder to recognize when they remove their masks at lunchtime.
 
The best situation for the well-being of every child is to be at school in person. The high and rising vaccination rate in the Chandler community is our greatest source of protection, and everyone is remaining vigilant about mask wearing. In an environment in which there continues to be great uncertainty, we can be certain of our efforts to mitigate the risks to keep everyone safe.
 
To stay current with the latest virus developments, in addition to guidance from Chandler’s Medical Advisory Committee and digesting bulletins from the CDC and local health departments, I listen to "In The Bubble." It’s a podcast hosted by Dr. Andy Slavitt, President Biden’s former Senior Advisor on COVID-19, who is now back in San Francisco after serving for a year in the White House. The podcast is a guide to what has happened throughout the pandemic, why it happened and how we emerge. One of last week’s guests was Dr. Paul Offit, a pediatrician and vaccinologist in Philadelphia. He talked about the latest thinking on keeping kids safe at school and how Omicron is affecting young people. For those Chandler parents with infants and younger children, he provided an update on when we can expect a vaccine for kids younger than five. Two Chandler parents gave birth during the holidays, and we have an obligation to look out for the safety of, not only the currently enrolled Chandler classes of 2022-2030, but also those future members of the classes of 2031-2036 who are members of our families. The podcast is worth a listen.
 
Most sincerely,
John Finch, Head of School
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