@coolguy40 - you are correct!
My kiddo forgot the password to Instagram last night and went totally bonkers - seems that the list of the various passwords are hidden in a drawer in the dorm room. We tried to explain there are ways to recover the passwords and this didn’t help. ONE MINUTE without Instagram and it’s like someone pulled the plug on the life support system.
Exeter has announced students will not be returning to campus - the entire semester will be online, and grading will be pass/fail. Lots more details in the email, but I’d expect other schools will soon follow suit.
Not instagram but the straw that broke the camel’s back. Lots of disappointments and frustrations for the kids - and for all of us.
I hope that other schools consider following suit as to spring tri being pass/fail. I’m envisioning a really tough time for my kid (though he has already received some very supportive and enthusiastic communications from faculty).
I agree that pass / fail would be helpful. I have also read about a few colleges taking a different approach which to me also makes sense. Finals optional. Thus, if you like your grade going into finals, you can tap out and take the grade. For those who want / need a bump, they can opt to take it.
How are you helping your kids deal with the big disappointments of missing Spring term - especially for Seniors? Prom, Sports, Commencement and school traditions for Seniors?
I don’t know. Both my kids are distraught. My junior is friends with a lot of seniors because of sports and she feels like she will die if she misses this time with them. Also, boyfriend lives far far away, so she won’t see him until next fall???
^^ DS too — lots of senior friends from sports. So while he sees that this situation is a big disappointment for him (and complicating some things in terms of college stuff with test dates cancelled and college counseling now remote), emotionally it’s so much worse for seniors. But he’s been understanding knowing that really everyone is affected the same. SO FAR he’s been patient in being at home and not seeing his GF (whose Mom is immunocompromised due to a health condition).
I would fly boyfriend here but his family has not been self isolating (and they live in a hot spot!!!) so nope.
Speaking of BS and relationships, I wish I knew his parents so I could tell them to get in line, but I’ve never met them.
The fact that kids can FaceTime makes things a little easier.
Can anyone from the campuses who have thrown in the towel for the year tell us what they decided about how personal belongings will be retrieved or stored?
@buuzn03 nothing yet, campus is not open at this time and it says not to come during the break, and await instructions on when and how to collect belongings. Presumably they will make a staggered schedule for people at some point. There is also chatter that there will be an option of having the stuff stored till the fall or possibly shipped to you if you live far enough to make coming back for it not practical.
I suspect we will hear more by the time school reopens (if just virtually).
D’s college emailed yesterday to say they will notify students of very specific times assigned to get their things and move out of on-campus and college-owned housing.
They will have online classes for the remainder of Spring… which will be interesting for a college where the curriculum is totally project-based with constant teamwork interactions. WPI also strongly suggested that no family members make any travel plans for what was expected to be the graduation date in May. So sad for the many HS and college seniors who are missing such a special time.
I’m especially grateful that my kid decided to live in an off campus apartment this year, so we don’t have the pressure of dorm move-out.
Our community is on lockdown… no one comes in and no one goes out. Everyone here is healthy, and we are doing as much as we can to keep it that way. Fortunately, we are surrounded by open space, woods, and nature. Can’t imagine what cabin fever must be like right now in a major city.
PS - It’s my understanding that D’s alma mater, Westover School, is continuing to house those kids who had remained at school during spring break…
Their plans, like others, have been updated to reflect the situation.
<3 I knew the Head of Westover School growing up - she hasn’t changed a bit, the same sweet intelligent resilient person. <3
Texas governor closed all schools until April 3…also any bars/dining rooms of restaurants, public gyms/pools, nursing homes, etc …all mandatory closures
Can confirm it’s not awesome. The kids are dying to go outside and play with their friends on the block, who they can see and hear playing together (and two whose parents I know are not isolating or changing habits at all, so I can’t risk letting my kids play with theirs). They do not consider family walks to be adequate substitutes. Remote instructional learning will start for the younger two on Monday, which should be fascinating- they both have IEPs and are in integrated classrooms with a fair amount of support.
Stay strong.
Too many people aren’t. Eastbound traffic on the South Fork was “slow” this morning - it should be nonexistent. They think they are saving themselves by coming out east, but if they get sick, the hospitals out here just aren’t equipped to deal with the sheer volume.
People on the North Fork are in denial, believing that what’s happening at Peconic Landing by Greenport is just a “scandal” and mismanagement, rather than management being constrained by HIPAA. What is the real “scandal” are people still having parties or family get togethers. I don’t care if it’s St Patty’s Day, your birthday,
or grandma’s funeral - keep your social distance!
Taft linked to their letter sent to students today - thought several here might be curious so I am posting the whole thing.
March 20, 2020
To Students and Parents:
I am guessing that the purpose of this letter will not surprise you: to state formally
that we will continue remote learning through the remainder of the spring term.
As someone who loves this school and the magic that happens every day on its
campus, I find even writing those words painful and never dreamed I would one
day utter them. But this we must do. Many factors brought us to this place: in
particular the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendation that no
gathering of fifty or more people take place for eight weeks, coronavirus
projections by leading health experts, and the need for clarity in order to aid in
planning for all community members. I wish there was a different path forward,
but I cannot see it. Strict social distancing and Taft community are mutually
exclusive. Though it seems unlikely, should conditions change such that we could
safely and feasibly return to campus, we would consider it.
A tremendous amount of planning and preparation for remote classes is already
underway and will continue this week. Students will begin the spring term
remotely on March 30. On that day, we will begin an extraordinary and
unprecedented era at Taft. It will be a time of challenge and opportunity. The
faculty are energized, optimistic, and eager. I have complete faith that teachers and
students will continue to strive for excellence, that we will witness extraordinary
achievement, and that we will learn new lessons about teaching and learning.
There will be many questions that we cannot answer at this time, and for those I
ask your patience and understanding. Here are a few questions I can answer:
• We are still operating as a school, albeit a new one. With the exception of
essential maintenance and security activities that require a physical presence,
faculty and staff are working remotely from their residences. The school has
committed to pay its faculty and staff their full salaries.
• We will postpone Alumni Weekend and plan to hold it the weekend of
November 14th (Hotchkiss Day). We do not have any details yet, but we will
be working to create a way the class of 1970, other reunion classes, and all
alumni have a chance to return to campus.
• As of today, we cannot envision holding Commencement (May 24) for the
class of 2020, but we are already beginning to consider ways in which we
can celebrate and honor this class. What this looks like I cannot say at this
point, but I am determined that some day and some way, physically or
virtually, we will recognize all these remarkable seniors have done and
become.
• In order to keep campus safe, students may not return to campus for their
belongings or for any other reason. Any student with a question should
contact Mr. Traina or Ms. Leal in the deans’ office. If a student has left a
laptop and has no computer at home, we will ship it. We know that this is a
real inconvenience—I do not in any way minimize it—but we simply cannot
have hundreds of students on campus at this critical pandemic moment. As
conditions change, we will work on a plan to ensure that students can safely
retrieve their belongings. We know that many students have left books on
campus; teachers are preparing their courses accordingly. For passport or I20 holders who need their travel documents, please contact Wendy Osborn.
• As we review the financial implications of the changes to our operations,
both costs and savings, we will assess whether or not we would consider the
possibility of a pro rata refund of boarding costs. As our focus now must be
on campus operations and safety, on this question we ask that you be patient.
• We have already begun the work of creating community even as we are
apart. Mark Traina and Lindsay Leal, deans of students, are working with
faculty and student leaders to partner to create new ways for the community
to celebrate and connect. Affinity group leaders will continue their work,
albeit remotely. Edie Traina and Jake Odden will be working to find
imaginative ways for faculty and staff to gather virtually and support each
other, share stories, and bond together.
• The class deans will continue in their critical roles: meeting remotely with
counselors, the Health Center, the deans office, and me; speaking with
teachers to help support student performance; convening their respective
class committees via Zoom to discuss student performance and support; and
communicating with parents when concerns arise.
• Advisors, who can be so important to their advisees, will remain connected
in ways that work best for them: emails, texts, phone calls, Skype, Zoom,
and so on.
There are many questions we are working to answer. We have updated the FAQ
section on our COVID-19 webpage and will continue to do so.
The decisions we have made have been difficult, but always they have been guided
by our commitment to student health and safety, to our unique community and
culture, and to our historic mission of the education of the whole student. In the
past two weeks, I have heard messages of support from countless students, parents,
alumni, faculty, and staff. I have found myself deeply moved and inspired. The
strength, compassion, and faith of the Taft community are powerful. We will get
through this. We are in this together.
The English teacher in me must end with some lines from one of my favorite poets,
Emily Dickinson, from a poem a friend and former parent reminded me of:
We never know how high we are
Till we are asked to rise
And then if we are true to plan
Our statures touch the skies —
That’s not a bad place to close, with the faith that we will in the weeks ahead find
ourselves at some uncommon altitude.
I send my best wishes to all of you in these trying times.
Non Ut Sibi,
William R. MacMullen ’78 P’14 P’16
Thanks for sharing @chemmchimney …beautiful letter. Any news from our Hotchkiss friends? I saw that one online thread “after check in” has brackets like Final Four-March Madness Prep School edition.?