Dear FIRSTNAME,

After months of planning for a very different approach to school, WT celebrated the beginning of its 134th year this morning, on campus and via Zoom. How wonderful to see our students' smiles and to hear their laughter as we adapt to our new reality.

Like most school leaders, the decision of how to open school safely this fall has been unlike any I've ever faced, either personally or professionally. The complexity of the issue is compounded by its dynamic nature and by how ingrained it has become in the political fabric of our country. Most summers are marked by a more relaxed pace of planning, collaboration and professional development. This summer was quite different.

Our reopening plan was developed by working with teams of faculty, staff and administrators. We engaged our parents and guardians through surveys and virtual town halls. Our Parents Association leadership provided critical feedback in our planning. We established a Pandemic Team and a Medical Review Board to help guide our decision making and plan implementation to make sure that the health and safety of our community remains at the forefront of all we do.

With all of this input, and following guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and state and local government, we established several Learning Models among which we will move through this school year as conditions warrant. As of today, school has opened with our youngest students in-person and our older students in a fully virtual model. Over the next several weeks, we have a phased plan to bring students at all grade levels back to campus in a hybrid approach. And we have given our families voice and choice in selecting a completely virtual option or being on campus.

I invite you to review our Response to the Spread of COVID-19 webpage. There you will find details about our Learning Models, Safety Protocols, Planning Team Members, and so much more. As I'm sure you understand, this is an ever-changing situation. We will keep this webpage updated as we continue through the school year.

We know that students thrive in the WT environment and have been committed to a physical return to campus for them. But, we also acknowledge there are risks involved for everyone. We know that our strong relationships and community are what separate WT from so many other institutions, and our Learning Models represent the very best practices in continuing to build strong and meaningful relationships. We are confident in the ability of our teachers and students to ensure that this pandemic will not fundamentally change what it means to be a part of the WT community!

I am confident in our planning and know that this will be a year to embrace flexibility and adaptability. Indeed, this is a time to embrace our Strategic Design to reimagine learning and to rethink time and space.

We hope that you are remaining healthy and upbeat throughout these challenging times. Please be in touch to let us know how you are doing and how your family has found innovative ways to spend time together this summer. We always enjoy hearing from our alumnae/i, their families, and our friends and look forward to connecting online--during our virtual Reunion October 14-17, 2020 or through virtual Your City as Our Campus events.

We wish you good health and all the best, and look forward to the day when, once again, we can all be together at WT and beyond.

Be well,
Scott