School Year 2020-21
Covid-19 Response
8/4/20 Parent Coffee and Info Session
August 1, 2020
Good afternoon, Falmouth Academy Families,
Good afternoon, Falmouth Academy Families,
In the July 8 cover letter in which we shared our initial Return to School 2020-21 plan, we referenced a forthcoming communication that we would be sharing in late July and announced our intention to schedule virtual parent information sessions during the weeks leading up to our reopening date in September.
This letter contains:
- updated (and amended) information about 2020 Orientation and Opening Days,
- a link to the “What to Expect: Fall 2020” page of our website, where you will find an updated and extensive set of Frequently Asked Questions (along with answers!) and,
- an invitation to our Virtual Parent Information Session, scheduled for 7:00 PM on Tuesday, August 4.
We are making every effort to provide you with definitive and timely information, but by now, you are likely also accustomed to my standard disclaimer: things are still liable to change as the situation itself remains quite fluid. I am afraid it’s going to be that kind of year!
ORIENTATION AND OPENING DAYS
Speaking of change, I want to bring to your attention a revised Orientation and Opening Days Schedule, which originally indicated that all students would come back for a day of orientation the week before Labor Day Weekend.
Instead, there will be a day of 7th Grade Only Orientation on Thursday, September 3 from 8:30-2 PM.
School-sponsored transportation will not be available for this day. Staff members will be positioned to greet you at your car and escort your child to his or her faculty advisor. Advisors will pass out student schedules prior to accompanying their advisee groups to a central meeting space for orientation. Please note: a school shuttle will meet students traveling from Martha’s Vineyard via ferry at the Woods Hole terminal at 7:45 and drop them off in time for the 2:30 boat.
Students should follow standard dress code guidelines listed in the Parent and Student Handbook (also available on the MyFA Parent Resource page.) As noted elsewhere, face masks must be worn at all times indoors, except during designated mask breaks and during lunch. For both Seventh Grade Orientation Day and Opening Week, students need only bring a backpack with a small folder, lined paper, a writing utensil, their computer, and a lunch. Please direct orientation questions to Director of Enrollment Management, Julie Bradley.
During our first official school week, so that we might better orient the students and suss out any unforeseen challenges in our planning, students will initially return to school two grades at a time and there will be no after school activities. Since school is to some degree new for both first-year and returning students, grade-level orientation programming will be built into the schedule throughout the week. The schedule is as follows:
- Tuesday, September 8: All 7th and 8th Graders - Only
- Wednesday, September 9: 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th Graders - Only
- Thursday, September 10: 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th Grades - All Grades
- Friday, September 11: All Grades
LOGISTICAL NOTES
- The school-day this week begins at 8:15 and ends at 3:00.
- Buses will depart earlier than usual, between 3:00 and 3:30.
- Students traveling by ferry will take the 3:45 boat.
- Students traveling by personal vehicle should be picked up at 3:15.
- Students who cannot be picked up by 3:15 will be directed to a supervised study hall until their ride arrives.
Additionally, there will be no on-site new parent orientation this year. Instead, we will “orient” all parents by posting a series of videos the week of August 24 and host a virtual coffee for new parents of new students on Thursday, August 27 at 4:00 PM.
RETURN TO SCHOOL FAQ
As referenced above, we have posted an extensive list of questions and answers on our website. Please take some time to review them, especially if you intend to attend our August 4 Information Session, as they contain far more information than we intend to cover that evening and may prove to be a useful jumping-off point for our conversation. Click here: Return to School 2020-21 FAQ - August
VIRTUAL PARENT COFFEE/INFO SESSION - AUGUST 4, 7 PM
We will revisit the important role of families this fall, share updates on health and safety measures, preview the emerging but not yet final schedule and calendar, and discuss some of the classroom and building practices and protocols that will likely be in place. Essentially, we hope to give you a sense of what your student can expect on his or her day to look and feel like, surface any items that we may have overlooked or not fully addressed, and answer questions you might have.
Please know how much we appreciate your patience, understanding, and support over the past month and a half. There is still plenty of work to be done and not a few decisions that still need deciding, but I could not be prouder of the resilience, adaptability, and strength of this institution and of the people that make it so.
Matt
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