Administrative Update - 03/17/2020

Academic Program: We completed our second day of classes using a variety of interactive technology tools. Each day, we are learning what is working well and what strategies might be changed or improved to enhance the learning experience. Our faculty and technology support staff worked together over the last weekend to share resources and assemble processes to deliver classes. Presentation of content, discussion and problem-solving, students' attendance and engagement, and assessment of students' understanding are all considered and are being evaluated. Our faculty recognize that the challenges of delivering our academic program remotely also provide an opportunity for creativity and flexibility in approaching learning - an opportunity to make lemonade out of lemons, so to speak.

Given the recommendation offered by the Center for Disease Control as of Sunday, March 15, that meetings of 50 or more people should not be held for the next eight weeks, and given that most public schools are closed through March 29 or longer, the Archmere Academy campus will be closed to faculty, staff, and students through March 29. We will re-evaluate the situation as we learn more each day. Potentially, our current model of distance learning could be in place longer, but I will confirm this and any other plans by next Tuesday, March 24.

Please be in touch with teachers, counselors, and other support staff as the need arises. The faculty and staff want to be available to students and families as if all of us were in our classrooms and offices on campus.

Athletic and Extracurricular Programs: All athletic and extracurricular programs are cancelled through Sunday, March 29. The Fine Arts Festival and Preview, Green Concert, and Mothers' Guild Garage Sale have all been postponed; no future dates have been set because of the uncertainty of the virus' impact. I will provide an update next Tuesday, March 24, regarding activities beyond March 29. With that said, if there are club meetings and activities that can be conducted on-line, moderators of these groups will be in touch.

Perhaps some students might wish to hone their baking skills developed during winterim and have a "cupcake challenge" or a "bread bake-off." I am sure that Mr. Jordan or Mrs. Pisani and Miss Pileggi would offer great tips. For our Spring sports athletes, as soon as Mr. Oswinkle has a sense of what might be able to be planned or scheduled, you will be informed.

Travel and Daily Routines: It is amazing when I stop to consider how many places and

people each of us might encounter and how many objects we handle on a given day. If you or a family member in the house has traveled recently, please take precautions to be sure that the virus is not communicated.

Communication: We continue to update our website with resources and information. Mr.

Jordan and I will keep you informed of general school operations and any changes or accommodations that need to be made. Our primary goal is to make communications fluid and open, such that parents, students, teachers, and staff continue to feel connected and equipped to continue on with their daily lives. As we often say, we may all leave Archmere at some point in our lives, but Archmere will not leave us!

A Special Note to Seniors: I know how important the last few months are to you as a

senior at Archmere. Should the course of the virus cause us to have to rethink more events scheduled in the coming weeks, be assured that the faculty and staff will work with you and your families to make the end of your senior year experience special and appropriately unforgettable.