Good afternoon -
 
I hope all of you are enjoying your summer and this time with your family.  
 
I appreciate your patience while we have worked through a lot of possibilities and considerations for next year. Thank you also for your suggestions, many of which have been incorporated into our plans. 
 
We don't believe any one plan will carry us through the entire year, and we want to be transparent about that. All of the guidance we have read stipulates that our considerations should be based upon the risks associated with our school and broader Evansville community at any given time. As such, as issues locally rise and fall, our plan should be able to quickly adapt and move with it.
 
To best prepare for a variety of contingencies, we have created a plan with 4 levels - each level representing different ways we would need to work to mitigate risk depending on the situation we face. We have linked the plan for your review at the bottom of this email. Although we would love to tell you today what level we will be in on August 12, things are changing in Vanderburgh County daily. Our plan is to announce the opening level on or around August 5th , but we wanted to share the various levels this week so you could understand the protocols we will have in place.
 
In addition to these plans, here are a few additional considerations for you:

  • We will be social distancing in all classroom environments for this year and using our outdoor space as much as possible.
  • We are installing a PHI Unit Air Purification System into our HVAC units. This system is what is being used by our local hospitals to clean the air and reduce mold, bacteria, and viruses.
  • Our nurse, Anna Vance, will be on staff full time, and we are working to move her office to a more isolated location.

You likely have lots of questions. Obviously, a big one is going to be what circumstance will trigger us moving from one level to another. As I stated earlier, many situations will be unique, and we will have to assess each one as it presents itself. Our goal will be to assess quickly in concert with the school nurse and local health officials and then communicate clearly. As to your other questions, please ask them directly of me and of the division heads ( Robin Renschler in Primary School and Holly Ziemer in Middle & Upper School). We want to continue to hear your individual ideas, needs, and concerns and work directly with you to support your children.  

With the changing situation locally, we have had an increased interest in a remote offering for students , even when we are providing in-person learning. We are actively exploring that idea and will continue to work on it over the next few weeks. I must again ask for your patience as our team works to figure out how we can provide for families seeking that option.

Our generous parent community often asks how they can support our teachers and staff. Here are some ways you can help in the coming weeks :  

  • First, please work with your children to get them acclimated to wearing a mask.  
  • Second, be positive with your children about the school and their teachers and the opportunities they will have, even despite the challenges.  
  • Finally, please communicate concerns with our administrative team directly and not through social media - we are here to listen and to work with you, and the advantage of a small school is the direct access you have to us.

After my son graduates on Saturday, I’ll be taking just a few days away with my family. Until then, please reach out to the appropriate division head with any questions. On Wednesday July 22nd at 6:00 pm, we will offer a webinar via Zoom with more details and to answer questions.  If you would like to submit a question for the webinar, please do so by way of this form . We ask that you include a name and email so we can follow up if your question is not able to be addressed during the webinar or is specific to your personal situation.

This year is going to be a challenge for all of us - our first bulwark against this is to support one another, to be prepared to be flexible, and to project a clear and consistent message of hope. It is through hope that our community, and our world, will be able to begin to find success in the face of these challenges, and begin to heal from these struggles. My desire is for Day School to be a leader of that effort, to be an example to all of a community that does what we always do - pull together in the face of adversity by working together and believing in one another.

All my best,

Kevin Kunst
Head of School
Evansville Day School | evansvilledayschool.org