Public health has never before had the spotlight as it has these past two years. This virus has affected us all deeply, and we are still in the middle of the battle. As educators, we have so many factors to weigh as we try to keep our doors open and be a welcoming place for all our families, knowing that each family’s story, their road to this place, is different.
Talking with many of you during testing Tuesday reminded us of the strength of our community, and we are so grateful for the support each of our families has shown us as we navigate these challenging waters, trying always to provide what is best for our students. One of our precepts in our middle school advisory program is “When the wind does not serve, take to the oars.” The winds fell flat in March 2020 and we have been rowing hard ever since. Thank you for lending a hand as you’ve done by supporting our work to stay together, learn together, play together … as we continue to work to provide the best college prep experience we can for the fantastic students we call our own.
Special thanks to Dr. Mary Kiehl who has provided hours and hours of service to our community! Thanks also to Jamie Driver at the Independent Schools of Saint Louis (ISSL) who has coordinated biweekly meetings for all ISSL schools with WashU infectious disease doctors. Finally, thank you to our faculty and staff as we approach the two-year mark of planning, improvising, pivoting, and creating new ways for students to learn and stay in school during one of the most difficult periods in the modern schooling era.
Sarah and Mark
Resources
- Adolescent mental health AAP Article
- Health Equity and Access CDC article, APHA article
- Student Behavior in schools (WSJ article)
- School responsibility and public health (CDC article)
- Toolkit for Parents and Caregivers (CTL Toolkit)
Share your best resources with us; send us what we should be reading.