04.24.20: Friday Update

From: Julie Smith, Head of School
Subject: Friday update; Parent-Teacher Conferences; spring and end-of-year events

Dear Stanbridge Parents and Guardians,

Overall, our return to distance-learning after a week off for Spring Break went smoothly, as teachers and students resumed their daily class schedules and prepared for the home stretch of our sheltered-in-place school year (divisional updates were posted to this page earlier this afternoon). Over these past two weeks, some significant headway was made on a number of key school-related issues and events, and I'd like to begin this week's update by summarizing what those developments are:

• Third-Quarter report cards were sent out via email to all parents/guardians this week. Aside from a few families whom Matt has reached out to individually, all student report cards were completed over Spring Break and sent out by Matt as pdf files after his review. If you did not receive your child's report card, please email Matt directly.
• Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held (via Zoom) on Monday, May 4. Our thanks to everyone who completed the conference request survey sent out prior to Spring Break. Based on your feedback, each division was able to schedule individual Zoom sessions for teachers to talk with parents who request conference facetime. These virtual meetings will take place throughout the day on Monday, May 4; families of elementary students should have already arranged conference times with their core teacher; families of middle school and high school students can view the complete schedule to confirm your meeting time(s) on the Parent Portal (link is near the top of the page). If you did not schedule a conference in advance but would like to talk with a teacher or counselor, please reach out via email to anyone whom you'd like to speak with and they will work with you to arrange a time to talk. Note: Since teachers and staff will be in Zoom sessions with parents throughout the day, there will be no distance learning for students on Monday, May 4. We are working to arrange a special online assembly that will take place that day for all students; more details will be shared next week once details are finalized.
• Next Week is Spirit Week! As Kenny announced in an all-parent email earlier this week, Student Government finalized this year's theme days, and we look forward to seeing the creative spirit of our Bulldogs zooming through next week's online learning sessions. Please note that you do not need to go out of your way to purchase any special attire or supplies for our shelter-in-place Spirit Week—we encourage everyone to get creative with what you already have at home. The fun begins Monday morning with "Pajama Day" and the rest of the week's themes are as follows:
  • Monday: Pajama Day (self-explanatory)
  • Tuesday: Rainbow Day (wear your favorite color, or an array of colors)
  • Wednesday: Character Day (dress as your favorite movie/book/TV/game character)
  • Thursday: History/Heritage Day (dress as a historical figure or wear an outfit that celebrates your ethnicity)
  • Friday: Teacher Day (dress as a Stanbridge teacher or staff member)
• Show your Bulldog Pride! Every school day next week, there will be a 3:00 p.m. social group Zoom session for each division (Elementary, Middle School, High School) where students will showcase their outfits with their peers and teachers. During these sessions, a prize will be awarded to the participant who best embodies that day's Spirit Week theme (regular end-of-day social group activities will resume the following week). In addition to dressing for Spirit Week's daily themes, all students are invited to—literally—show their Bulldog Pride by creating a bulldog of their own using whatever materials they can find around the house. Using paint, pencils, markers, crayons, magazine cutouts, cardboard boxes, dried beans, dried pasta, LEGO bricks, blocks, newspaper clippings, Play-Doh, etc., students can build/draw/create their own bulldog (computer-created digital bulldogs will also be accepted). When completed, students should snap a picture and submit their entry via the shared Google Folder that their homeroom teacher/advisor will share on Monday (only one entry per student, please). On Friday, a winning entry from each division will be chosen and awarded a special prize, and we will share our collection of homemade bulldogs online in next week's Friday Update. Big thanks to Kenny Katz and the Student Government team for organizing this fun week of activities!
• Prom will be held on the evening of Friday, May 15. Like all school events this spring, we will be adapting this year's prom to be an online activity that students can enjoy from home, but that doesn't mean the occasion will be any less special. Per tradition, the Stanbridge Prom is open to all Stanbridge high school students. We will hold this year's prom as an at-home virtual dance party through Zoom on the evening of Friday, May 15 (exact time TBD), and our music and drama teacher Matt Robidoux will be the virtual DJ, curating a playlist based on student requests. Kenny and the Student Government are finalizing a Google Survey that will be sent to all high school students next week, inquiring if students plan to participate in this year's virtual prom (RSVP by May 1), and if so, what songs they would like to request and what they would like the prom's theme to be (finalists are "Sci-Fi" or "Forest Fantasy"). Additional details being worked out include adding interactive trivia questions throughout the evening that students can answer to win prizes; and sending online gift certificates to all "prom-goers" for GrubHub, DoorDash, or a similar meal delivery service so that students can still have a special dinner prior to their dance. Our thanks to SPA for supporting these ideas, as well as Matt, Kenny, and Student Government for their creative thinking in adapting this annual tradition for the COVID-climate we are currently in.
• We have some initial details on this year's graduation ceremony (...actually, ceremonies). With only six weeks left in the academic year, graduation is not that far off. We spoke of this during Wednesday morning's parent check-in, and after our Administrative Team meeting that afternoon, some specifics are beginning to take shape. What I can share with you now is that our graduation will also be a virtual, online affair. While it is disappointing not to be able to celebrate the occasion in-person, social-distancing regulations make any type of large-scale gathering extremely difficult, and holding graduation online will potentially allow more extended family members to join in for each student's special day. As we map out the details on virtual commencement, our goal is to keep the focus on the students we are celebrating, and to best accomplish that, we will be holding three separate graduation/step-up ceremonies at the end of this year. The Elementary Division will hold their ceremony on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 3; Middle School will have their graduation the morning of Thursday, June 4; and High School will celebrate commencement on the morning of Friday, June 5. We are exploring the technical logistics of how to host each of these ceremonies effectively so that we can maximize participation and still maintain a technically-smooth, glitch-free experience for all. More specifics will emerge in the weeks ahead, but know that we will maintain our annual traditions as much as possible, including end-of-year student awards and personal speeches from each of our graduating seniors.
• In-brief. A few quick updates before signing-off:
  • Genevieve and Colleen are finalizing plans for a "Next Steps" transitions presentation for middle school students who will be moving into high school next year. The presentation will be an online Zoom session that discusses how to prepare for the unique responsibilities and expectations that come with transitioning from eighth grade to ninth, and the "Bridges" college/career/next steps planning process that runs through high school at Stanbridge. Parents and guardians are highly encouraged to attend with your student; details will be shared once a date and time are determined.
  • Matt Robidoux is developing the Spring Sing concert as an online event that will be held in late-May. We are working to adapt Spring Sing as an online talent show that all students can participate in—a sign-up will go out several weeks prior and students would perform live from home with others watching. We are currently considering holding the show on the afternoon of Friday, May 29. These are preliminary details, and more will be shared once specifics are hammered out. 
  • On-Campus Summer School is still an unknown. There is not yet clarity on whether or not we will be able to hold Summer School classes on campus as scheduled (June 15–July 24). Linda is working with staff to create a contingency plan for online, virtual Summer School courses to be held during those same weeks if sheltering orders dictate that we cannot reopen. A number of our currently-scheduled summer classes can be adapted to online models, and teachers have developed new online-exclusive courses should we be forced to pursue that option. Regardless, we will still be hosting a five-week summer program either on-campus or online. Guidelines put out by the public health officials at the San Mateo County Office of Education will dictate our decision, and I will share information on their summer guidelines as they release it. 

Finally, I want to close this week's update with some good news. First, huge thanks to all of the parent and staff volunteers who organized activities for our students to stay active during last week's Spring Break: Michelle and Ian MacKenzie; Tami Zhu and Stanley Chou; Aaron Fong and May Lee; Patti Rohrmeier; Dorrie Paynter-Pollock and Muriel Pollock; Danny Martin; James Warren; Matt Robidoux; Genevieve Lawrence; Linda Bargas; Mary Stadler; and—all the way from Indiana—Bob Poynter and his magic crew. It truly meant a lot to keep everyone connected during our "week off," and I thank all of you for bringing an abundance of fun, creative energy to keep our Bulldogs engaged.

Also of note, congratulations to Jay Huston, who was officially awarded a second, single-subject teaching credential for Physics (he is also credentialed in Biology). He truly is the prince of Stanbridge science, and long may his reign be purple (shameless, I know, but given that this week marked the anniversary of Prince's passing, we hope that Jay celebrates his academic accomplishment by partying like it's 1999).

And to finish things off on a musical note, I want to share this video of our high school history teacher, Kenny Katz, who spent part of his Spring Break learning a new tune. Kenny recorded this clip of him performing George & Ira Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm," and it's a perfect segue into the weekend. Another distance-learning week is in the books, and a weekend of sunshine lies ahead—who could ask for anything more? Enjoy the music and pleasant weather; and, as always, stay safe and stay strong, Bulldogs!