Friday Letter: May 29, 2020

Dear WDS Friends and Families,

Our Reopening Task Force is off and running, and I wanted to share a few updates. I will send these updates every week, but I also want to extend an invitation to reach out to me or to Sam Osterhout with any questions or comments you have between updates. Sam is acting co-chair of this project. His email is sosterhout@woodstockdayschool.org. 

In summary, as the fall begins to come into focus, our work now consists of massive amounts of research and resource vetting so that we can plan for any and all contingencies. Envisioning the fall seems complicated, but it’s possible. Our primary goal is to create plans and policy that ensure the safety of our children and community no matter what kind of world we’re facing. But we are also working very hard to ensure that the quality of education remains extremely high.

WDS in the fall will be a safe, incredible school where all children are given the chance to succeed, no matter the circumstances. 

This week at a glance: 

• Task Force convened, small working groups formed and/or forming
• Scope of project established
• Google Classroom for task force built
• Resources compiled and vetted (ongoing)
• Timeline for deliverables established (ongoing)
• Policy outline draft (ongoing)

Thank you for all of your support and encouragement and input these past months. While we don’t have specific answers about what our days will look like in the fall right now – nobody in the state can claim to know that – with each passing day our vision of WDS for 2020/2021 comes into sharper focus. 

We will continue to keep you informed with updates that will become more specific and detail-focused as the work continues. 

Be and stay well,

David Penberg
Head of School