What Will Success Look Like?

 Dear TGS Families:

A wise colleague said to me a short time ago, “What will success look like, Julie? Maybe it’s helpful to think about that as you ponder the ongoing decisions related to opening school during COVID-19.” It feels as though that’s all I’ve thought about since the question was raised.

Since this all began in March, we’ve committed to regular communication and transparency of information with families, and this week’s message continues in that vein. I’m openly sharing with you the data that the Board of Trustees and I are taking into consideration as we determine what is best for our collective community. Though the decision is one that I’m charged with making as Head of School, it is certainly not one that I will make in isolation. I’m incredibly grateful that we have such a smart, committed and engaged Board, who have been partners with the administrative team throughout this unprecedented period in our school’s history.

As we’ve stated numerous times, we continue to take guidance from the Pima County Health Department and are continuing to monitor metrics related to positivity rate, testing, and contact tracing. Likewise, we remain in touch with our professional organization of independent schools and are monitoring the success and challenges of those schools who have brought larger numbers of students back to school in locations ranging from Kansas to Texas to New Mexico. Important note: the context of what the virus is doing in one’s own community has been an important determinant for all of these examples, as has the degree to which the entire school community has cooperated with the safety protocols put in place. Frankly, it has given me hope to see some successful openings in these areas.

Ahh….there is that word again—successful openings. How was that defined? Thus far, it has been defined by no positive cases of COVID reported in their respective school communities, while realizing that such reports will eventually happen and schools have plans in place for the steps to be taken when positive cases develop.

Given that a 7% positive rate in Pima County is one of our benchmarks for opening TGS, let’s do some basic math together. When one combines our student enrollment with faculty and staff, we have the potential to have approximately 400 individuals on campus when school fully resumes in person. With a 7% positive rate in Tucson, that means we can potentially expect upwards of 28 individuals to be positive with the virus. If we’re a community that is collectively taking significant precautions within our families and our actions (which I believe applies to our situation), we could expect to see a smaller number than that, but nonetheless there will be positive cases.

And what do we know about our student, faculty and staff populations? We know that approximately 20% of our faculty and staff fall into a higher risk category either due to age or preexisting conditions. We also know that we have a smaller percentage (closer to 10%) of students with their own health complications—or with family members who have significant health issues. And these figures represent what we know. It is technically not our business to know health details of colleagues or families—these numbers come from information shared by those referenced.  Medical experts suggest adding 5% to cover the unknown.

Scientific data and demographic information are what will contribute to our ongoing decisions.  In that vein, we are asking you to complete a brief survey, which will be sent to all parent/guardian emails separately, that will help inform us more fully regarding your ideas of what success for your child(ren) and family looks like. We ask that each family respond to the survey just once, if at all possible, and respond no later than 12:00 noon on Tuesday, September 15, so we can compile the responses and report out the results in next week’s communication to families.

As I continue to ponder my own definition of success for The Gregory School, it focuses on the core value of keeping everyone as safe as possible, while envisioning increasing opportunities for students and faculty to meet on campus (all the while practicing social distancing, frequent hand-washing and wearing masks).  I’m happy to say that we’re already moving forward toward this goal. For instance, we have approved the following activities:

1.  Small groups of students (less than 10) are being permitted to rotate through Farmyard activities.
2. A few advisories are planning in-person gatherings once per week.
3. Instrumental groups, using special protective equipment purchased for instruments, and while wearing specialized masks that allow students to play woodwind and brass instruments, will be practicing outside in the evening—and on a voluntary basis.
4. Our athletic department will begin offering options for outdoor volleyball, basketball and soccer with limited numbers of students and masks being worn at all times.

My hope is that this week’s message has provided additional insight regarding the multiple considerations being weighed in any decision about bringing larger groups of students and faculty back to campus. We look forward to cooler weather so that we can fully maximize our 35-acre campus and outdoor learning opportunities.

We thank you in advance for completing the survey and assisting us in defining our community’s definition of success during COVID-19.

Best wishes for continued good health,

Julie A. Sherrill, Ph.D.
Head of School