Dear San Domenico Community Members,

With the end of the school year fast approaching, we are not only preparing for end-of-year celebrations, but also continuing our planning for the fall. At this point, the information that we are receiving from Marin County Office of Education and from Marin Public health indicates that we will be able to resume classes on campus in August. We also understand that the cycle of COVID-19 may well create situations where either individual students or even the whole student body may be required to engage in distance learning for some part of the next school year.  

With these dual possibilities in mind, and community health and wellness our highest priority, we have formed a Health and Safety team and a Program team to ensure that we can continue to deliver our exceptional San Domenico education to all of our students, regardless of outside forces and the fluctuations of the times.

Our Health and Safety Team, chaired by Assistant Head of School for Student Life, Carrie Robley, is developing specific safety protocols and campus modifications for when our students and teachers return to campus. These plans include the following:

• Creating daily health assessments for all students, day and boarding, to screen for illness before the start of the school day, and quarantine protocols for all boarding students returning to campus. 

• Implementing mandatory safety training for faculty, staff, and students. 
  

• Health and Safety Stations that will include Essential Protective Equipment (EPE) and cleaning/disinfecting supplies. 

• Developing restroom use procedures, protocols for sports teams, physical education, performing arts, and outdoor recreation activities.

• Establishing social distancing and mask requirements in our classrooms, common areas, and for circulation through campus, including identifying additional spaces on campus where classes may be held so that fewer students will be in each space. If needed, we will also be leasing additional portable classrooms.

• Planning for increased disinfecting of all classrooms and common spaces and providing at least thirty handwashing stations throughout campus. 

• Working with our food service and transportation vendors to determine necessary safety adjustments to their offerings.

• Replacing tables with individual student desks in all classrooms and removing all “soft items” such as couches, area rugs, and throw pillows from classrooms.  

• Creating separate nursing/triage stations: one for fevers/coughs/temperatures and one for cuts/symptoms other than those related to a cold, flu, or virus. 

Our Program Team, chaired by Assistant Head for Academics and Upper School Director, Kate Reeser, is developing the Hy-Flex academic model which will enable students to participate in their classes either on campus or from their homes, as needed. Preparations for this model include the following: 

• Thanks to the generous community support of  the Stronger Together Fund, all teachers  will engage in focused professional development this summer to further hone their skills in teaching remotely AND in delivering their instruction in such a way that students will benefit whether they are in the classroom or at home. 

• Classrooms will receive technology upgrades to enhance the ability for teachers to capture the classroom experience for occasions when distance learning is necessary

• New daily and weekly schedules are being created for each school level to support the Hy-Flex (Hybrid-Flexible) academic model which will prioritize student engagement, student choice, flexibility, and a continued commitment to academic excellence. 

As we develop all of these “new” programs and procedures for the next school year, the health and safety of staff and students is our highest priority. Because of the size of our campus, our small student/teacher ratio, and the availability of flexible spaces on campus, we are very hopeful that we will be able to have all of our students on campus at the same time and still maintain the required social distancing and health standards.   

At the same time, we realize that we may be forced to once again pivot to a distance-learning only model at some point during the school year. To mitigate the impacts of this possibility, we are considering some modifications to the annual calendar to allow for a longer holiday vacation (possibly beginning right before Thanksgiving with students returning to school in early January, with a corresponding extension of school into mid-June 2021). We continue to examine the many factors before us and will provide a calendar update as soon as possible.

We hope this information provides you with reassurance during such an uncharted time in the world; whether on campus or in distance learning mode, we are here for you and your children. We will continue to keep you updated throughout the summer and look forward to the coming school year with much appreciation for all we have grown through together in this past year.  

Thank you for your commitment to San Domenico and your confidence in the enduring value of our exceptional program. Please do reach out to any of us with questions or concerns.

All the Best,