Dear Wooster Community,
Yes, it's me again. I apologize for having become a more frequent emailer, but in the short term I am endeavoring to keep you informed about the school's thinking. Whenever possible, I will keep messages brief, but always with the assurance that more details are on the way. So here is the big news for this message:
Wooster School will be fully transitioning to a distance learning format upon our return from Spring Break on March 30, 2020, and is planning to continue with this format for six weeks, until May 11, 2020.
We've chosen a six-week program after our two-week Spring Break because most informed speculation (by epidemiologists, scientists, and other experts) predicts that our region is at the beginning of a six to eight week period of infection. Having a six-week window that coincides with the best thinking about the novel coronavirus also allows us to fully embrace a distance learning program. Additionally, should conditions prove to be more favorable than expected, we can always come back earlier.
In addition to the work that is already underway with teachers to Wooster-ize online learning, we are also working on plans to open up opportunities for socialization and other ways to keep connected "outside of the classroom," as we go through this new experience together. We'll also be reaching out to students and families for ideas about how we can best keep connected and have fun together. We've got a lot of ideas, and we are sure that you will too.
Finally, as plans develop, we will also be sharing information about program changes and cancellations that will be necessary due to the current conditions. At present, all field trips that were scheduled to happen before May 11, 2020 are canceled. To be clear, we are not "canceling the rest of the year" right now, as many colleges have done. That is not a criticism of colleges, but rather a recognition that our students and families are local and we have more flexibility and time to make these decisions. That said, we really don't know what conditions will dictate as the situation develops.
In closing, I'll share the guidelines that the leadership team here at school have been using to help us frame our thinking as we plan -- these are remarkably similar to those that we use under normal circumstances:
Keep students and their learning at the center of what we do.
Be flexible, adaptable, and innovative in our approach.
Communicate clearly, early, and often.
Seek feedback regularly.
Be compassionate in all things.
Have fun.
Keep it simple.
I would suggest that these are great guidelines to use at home as well. Above all, be patient with each other and do your best to keep things in perspective. Finally, thank you all for taking seriously your role in helping to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus by sacrificing physical proximity and many other familiar habits and experiences for what we all hope will be a relatively short period of time.
In closing, I would ask that you watch this video message from the people of Italy. Sobering, but hopeful. Let's continue to commit to doing the things that will keep us all safe, no matter how inconvenient, and we'll all get through this together.
Blue skies,
Matt Byrnes
Head of School
Wooster School Coronavirus Information Webpage