October 21, 2020
Dear LREI Community,
I hope you are well. I write with updates on changes to the LREI calendar for the coming weeks and months. The adjustments outlined below have been made to respond to school needs, to family needs, and, most importantly, to what we see as the needs of a complex academic year. We realize that any changes will support some and create challenges for others. We are sensitive to those in the latter group and are happy to speak with you.
PLEASE READ ALL OF THE WAY THROUGH THIS LETTER
Thanksgiving Break
We are adding Wednesday, November 25 to the Thanksgiving Break. Typically the day before Thanksgiving is a half-day of school. Given that middle school and high school students are remote each Wednesday and that lower school arrival takes almost an hour, a half-day of school does not seem to be a good use of time.
- Thanksgiving Break – Wednesday, November 25-Friday, November 27
Family/Teacher/Advisor Conferences
Currently, conferences are scheduled for Friday and Monday, November 6 and November 9. The specific days/times vary by division. We are rescheduling these conferences for the Monday and Tuesday of the week of Thanksgiving, November 23 and November 24.
- Lower School Conferences – Monday, November 23 and Tuesday, November 24
- Middle School Conferences – Monday, November 23 and Tuesday, November 24
- High School Conferences – Tuesday, November 24
- Conference Sign-up information coming from your divisional principals.
- Unfortunately, we will not be able to offer childcare on conference days as we have in years past.
ESSENTIAL ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR THANKSGIVING BREAK:
- If you have family gatherings, please keep them local and small.
- Participants who do not live in the same households should wear masks.
- If there will be attendees around your holiday table who do not live in the same household, remember that when masks are off talking is a significant infection risk. (Ask your kids about school lunchtime.)
- There will not be sufficient time after Thanksgiving Break to quarantine if you travel to a state on the NY State Travel Advisory List of Restricted States. This list is growing each week.
- Students who do travel to these states will have to quarantine and are unlikely to be allowed to join remote groups. Adding additional remote students is quite disruptive. In the lower school we simply cannot add children to online pods.
- We understand that for many this holiday weekend is an important moment to be with families. However, we are at a consequential moment in a global pandemic and we all have to make choices that protect the health of our families and that of our various communities.
Winter Break
Winter break will begin at the close of the school day on Thursday, December 17. We had planned on a half-day on Friday, December 18. However, as with the day before Thanksgiving, given that this half-day is typically a day when we all gather together and that arrival times currently take up much of the morning, a half-day does not seem worthwhile.
- Monday, January 4, 2021, will be a professional day for employees. No school for children.
- Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 5, 2021.
- From Tuesday, January 5, 2021 – Friday, January 15, 2021, ALL classes will be conducted through LREI@home. There will be no in-person classes.
- In-person classes will resume on Tuesday, January 19, 2021.
- All students will be required to have a negative PCR test for coronavirus in order to return to school in person on 1/19/21.
- We will survey families of young children in order to help us make a decision about onsite learning care (supervised remote schooling for those students who live in homes where all of the adults work outside of the home.)
ESSENTIAL ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR WINTER BREAK:
- Students who are absent during the week leading up to Winter Break will not be able to join LREIremote, unless they have been excluded by the school due to exposure or illness.
- All students will be back in class, online via LREI@home, on January 5, 2021.
- We will send information regarding return-to-school Covid-19 testing as we approach Winter Break. We will not be administering these tests at LREI. Tests must be administered on or after 1/13/21.
- If you travel, return-to-school testing should be done no sooner than four days after your return to NY from any travel, and then on or after 1/13/21 (assuming similar processing times).
- All tests must be a PCR or saliva test. Results must be sent to testresults@lrei.org
- Again, re: travel. Given the fact that we will be operating as LREI@home from 1/5/21-1/15/21, we ask that you return to NY in time to quarantine for a full 14 days before the in-person classes resume on 1/19/21. A reminder that you cannot test out of quarantine. A negative PCR test for coronavirus does not allow a student who has traveled out of state to leave quarantine.
- Please, as you contemplate plans for the Winter Break, a reminder that social times outside of your limited group of trusted family/friends, sleepovers, etc., for students and adults, put our community’s health, and in-person schooling, at risk.
Thank you for your patience as we adjust the schedule to respond to our ever-changing environment. Thank you, as well, for considering the impact of your Thanksgiving/Winter Break plans on the LREI community and on the larger communities of which you are a part. We are counting on everyone’s compliance and honesty. We are grateful for everyone’s care and concern.
Do not hesitate to be in touch with questions.
Stay well.
