May 26

Dear Families,

Our outer world has shifted rapidly into early summer, and I imagine at home you have started to feel the same antsyness your children typically  feel at this time of the year.  Under normal circumstances, the close of school evokes mixed feelings:  gratitude for the experience of a classroom community; those capstone experiences like an inspiring middle school play, a concert for grandfriends, field trips to the ocean; sorrow that we'll be parting from friends and colleagues for the summer; relief that our schedules can change to welcome the days of summer.

In this topsy-turvy final trimester, feelings are likely even more mixed, and the way we are able to express them is also varied.  Thanking people is taking different forms than class parties with cupcakes, plans to reunite--I'm thinking of the 8th graders who want to get together when it's safer--are still pleasant dreams, and the relief of taking a vacation from at-home learning may be displaced by the prospect of unstructured time with family, still at home.

Over and over, I am inspired by the sheer determination of teachers, parents, and students to carry on and find new ways to learn, celebrate, and adapt.  This determination and creativity is already standing us in good stead as we continue to plan for the coming year.  

Though interim guidance for summer programs at school is emerging from the Maine Department of Education and the CDC
(https://mailchi.mp/maine/cu5lemq6y0-1321416 and https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/php/CDC-Activities-Initiatives-for-COVID-19-Response.pdf#page=45), we will not know exactly how school will look and feel for a while.  However, faculty, staff, board, and advisors of Friends School of Portland continue their work to prepare for the year ahead.  Unlike most schools, public or private, we have the ability to be creative about extensive outdoor learning, a significant factor in mitigating the risk of coronavirus.  As we get together for staff days with both virtual and in-person components, we'll dig further into the work of adapting our program and organizing the school building and outdoor spaces for when we reopen.  Summer camp will allow us to practice with handwashing stations, health checks, zones, and schedules.  

We deeply hope that each FSP family is able to return for 2020-21, and so this is the time to gently remind families about the terms of their enrollment agreements.  If cancellation is received on or before June 14, no payments beyond the enrollment deposit are required, and the deposit will not be refunded.  If notice of cancellation is received after June 14, but before August 1, half of the tuition will be immediately due. And if notice of cancellation is received on or after August 1, all of the year's tuition will be immediately due.

I am acutely aware it is a tough moment for all of us for decision making.  We can't see everything that ies ahead, but please know that FSP will continue to draw on its intelligence, principles, and love to create the safest, most nurturing community possible for your chlldren.  

Please keep reaching out to me with your questions.

Sincerely,
Jenny
—-
Jenny Rowe
Head of School