[sent home by email on Monday, April 27] 

Dear Families,

Welcome back to the continuing unusual world of school!  I hope you and your children found some creative and enjoyable ways to take a break from at-home learning.  How did you celebrate Earth Day and a few beautiful spring days?

Friends in Barcelona, Spain, the first country to be locked down, wrote this morning:  "Emma and Albert have been great.  Explaining things to kids is absolutely magic and they both understand.  They make the best of it and have a complete talent of making every single thing special.  They decorate the kitchen towels we use as napkins and draw on them and all of a sudden we have a very special table."  But both parents are working from home and report that "we are going a bit crazy, honestly," and the children have only been able to play on the rooftop over the past 40 days.  I'm pretty sure most of you can relate!

We have passed the midway mark in our at-home learning stint.  Lindsay Holt is back with us in her virtual 3-4 classroom and has been joyfully reconnecting with her students.  As FSP trademark spring events appear on our calendars, we'll do our best to celebrate them.  Wheel Fun Day, the art walk and talent show, Grandfriends' Day, graduation assembly and commencement will certainly take on unique and likely quite memorable forms.  The ArtLuck evening before break, put together by the brilliant Assembly Committee, brought out the loopy, loving spirit of FSP.  Thanks to students and parents giving of themselves!

Planning for next year continues to be a focus for the Board of Directors and me.  It is now even clearer to all of us that an FSP education best happens in the context of physical community.  Our hundred daily face-to-face interactions in the classroom, hallways, Meeting Room, fields and forest are critical parts of the mosaic of learning.  Thus, with the approval of the faculty, we are designing a school calendar that will allow us the flexibility to make changes depending on the potential need to close our building again periodically.  If we were prevented from attending school in person, this calendar would add up to 5 weeks or more of on-site school (incuding up to 4 weeks in June).  We are also prepared for any additional periods of on-line learning should closures go beyond what we can reasonably recoup using summer and/or school break weeks.  As we fine tune this, we will keep you in the loop.

I try to keep the Quaker concept of "the light within" in mind as these days pass.  You are doing the beautiful and gritty work keeping your households running; your children are finding new strengths and motivations; the FSP faculty is modeling that teachers are learners; and each of our actions to take care of ourselves and one another is leading to the health of the larger community (and world).  Keep that light shining, friends!

Sincerely,
Jenny

—-
Jenny Rowe
Head of School

[sent home by email on Sunday, March 15] 

Dear Friends School of Portland Families,

I'm sure you won't be too surprised to hear that FSP will be closed tomorrow and through the next two weeks at a minimum.  The board and faculty, with a great deal of support from you, have made this decision for several reasons: to protect those people in and around FSP who are more susceptible to the virus and to help slow the spread of coronavirus in the wider community.  We know of no cases of this virus in the FSP community right now.

Tomorrow, Monday, March 16, faculty will continue their conversations from their Friday meeting, planning as teams to develop ways for their students to continue learning at home.  You will hear from Nell and your child's teachers on Tuesday about what this looks like.  

We know that each of you has already been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, and figuring out how to add children at home into the mix will be tricky.  Each day you can count on FSP teachers to continue the trusting learning partnership they've formed with you and your child. As an administration, we'll keep communication lines open.  Finding ways to be in touch with each other to stay supported and healthy will be essential!

Here's a bit of guidance regarding what social distancing at home should look like, especially around playdates with other children: https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/14/health/coronavirus-kids-social-distancing-wellness/index.html 

So--be well, look for Tuesday communication from your child's teachers, and let us know what questions arise.  As a strong and loving community, I have no doubt that we'll support one another through this extraordinary time.

Sincerely,
Jenny

—-
Jenny Rowe
Head of School