Dear Families:

I hope everyone is healthy and well, and I am deeply grateful for your support and understanding as we move through this unprecedented period. 

As you are probably aware, St. Louis City and County will be under a mandatory 30-day stay-at-home order, effective today, Monday, March 23. What that means is that New City School (along with all other public, private, charter and parochial schools) will remain closed at least through April 22. At that time, government and health officials will reevaluate the situation.

Given the conditions throughout the country and the world, this is not a surprise and certainly a situation we have been thinking about, with regard to our remote learning plans. 

Our plan is for you to receive an email on Friday with some basic direction and assignments to help students get back into a learning frame of mind on Monday and Tuesday, March 30 and 31. During those two days, we will ask older students to work independently and younger students to work with some support from adults at home, while teachers take those two days to formally meet (virtually) and begin to plan for the long-term. We will start remote learning in full on the morning of Wednesday, April 1 at 8:30 am with a live morning meeting hosted by your child's teacher. 

There are obviously many moving pieces to account for ahead. You will receive a link for that morning meeting on April 1. We want to make sure we are communicating clearly and efficiently to you about assignments, expectations, schedules and log in information. Teachers are excited to share their curriculum but over the course of the day, an older student might interact with 10 or more different teachers - that can't happen electronically and we don't want to overwhelm anyone. We are mindful about not wanting to inundate you or your child with emails containing lengthy sets of directions. Older children will be able to work independently in a way that a 4-year old can't. Technology is a wonderful tool - until it is not. There will be a time when apps don't download, a screen freezes, or a log-in procedure does not work. I have been reading emails from a school head in Seattle, WA and I'm in touch with a school administrator in Oakland, CA - there have been many lessons learned but one is that it is better to start slowly and ramp up, as opposed to the other way around. That is the approach we will take, and we are working to make sure we are providing you with the information and brief, easy to digest technology tutorials that you may need to plan. 

The last thing I want to mention for now has to do with something all of us are feeling and experiencing. We are all under stay-at-home order. It has been a challenge to occupy the kids during the break and juggle our work responsibilities. There is a lot of anxiety and uncertainty that we are all managing. We are consumed with thinking about the health and safety of our families and the ones we love. The same challenges you face and feelings you are having are what our teachers are experiencing as well. They are a talented and creative group, but I am asking them to teach differently and under very challenging circumstances. I know you will have patience and understanding, but I am also confident that after we work out the initial kinks, (and there will be some for sure) we will continue to advance the curriculum and engage our children in a meaningful way.

As always, I am here if you have any questions or thoughts. Thank you.
 
Best,
Alexis