Dear FASPS Community,
We are writing to let you know that, after much discussion with faculty and staff, with the Executive Committee of our Board of Trustees, with parents, with other heads of school, and with others in our community, and after reading myriad updates and recommendations from local, county, state, and national public health agencies, we have made the precautionary, voluntary, and difficult decision to close FASPS beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, March 10, for the next two weeks. As of today, we have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 within our community.
The Following Is Our Plan:
1) We will close the school beginning tomorrow (Tuesday, March 10), and we hope to be able to reopen on Wednesday, March 25.
2) OPTIONAL FOR OUR PARENTS: We are inviting our families to come to school tomorrow (Tuesday, March 10) to pick up supplies, books, locker contents, etc., according to the following schedule:
- Our Tiny YPK, Combined YPK-PK, PK, and K teachers do not need their parents to come to school to pick up any supplies. If you would like to come to school to check out books from the library though, you are more than welcome to do so at a time that is convenient for you.
- 8:30am–9:15am: YPK (Cybel)
- 9:15am–10:15am: Grade 1
- 10:15am–11:15am: Grade 2
- 11:15am–12:15pm: Grade 3
- 12:15pm–1:15pm: Middle School
- 1:15pm–2:15pm: Grade 5
- 2:15pm–3:15pm: Grade 4
- If the time assigned to you above does not work for your schedule, please let us know and we will stay until 6:00pm.
3) By the end of the day tomorrow, Tuesday, March 10, you will receive a communication from the school outlining the Distance Learning Plan for your student(s).
4) Please let us know if your family would need technology accommodations in order to support your child's distance learning by completing this quick form (
click here). If you have any technology questions, please feel free to email Brian Hoyt at
BrianH@FASPS.org.
5) Moving forward, we will continue to monitor the situation closely, and, on Friday, March 20, we will reassess our plan to reopen school on Wednesday, March 25.
6) Should we decide on March 20 that reopening the school on March 25 would be too soon, we will then keep the school closed through Friday, April 3, after which we have Spring Break April 6–14, and we would reopen school on Wednesday, April 15.
We truly understand the profound and disruptive effects this decision will have on our families; this was not an easy decision to make, and we would like everyone to understand the thought that went into it:
- This situation is complex, with information changing rapidly, and we are doing our best to respond promptly as new circumstances emerge.
- We feel confident in saying that the outbreak in King County will likely worsen over the next several days. From a public-health standpoint, we believe this is the time to act to do everything we can, all of us, to blunt the progress of this outbreak. Understanding this, we are asking our families to continue to practice social distancing and other means to slow the spread of coronavirus while FASPS is closed (click here).
- The health, safety, and wellbeing of our students, faculty, and staff is our #1 priority, as we have continued to stress all along. We must ask ourselves, always, what is the best decision for our students, for our faculty and staff, for our school. The decision to close before we have a confirmed case of COVID-19 in our community might allow us to keep our school building open should faculty and staff choose to come to their classrooms / offices to work.
- We understand that Public Health — Seattle & King County is not recommending that schools close at this time unless there are known coronavirus exposure risks. Public Health — Seattle & King County is weighing a broad range of issues that have an impact on myriad different constituencies, and they have stated that they respect each individual school’s decision as each school knows best the needs of its community.
- We understand the challenges we are placing on our community, and, let us reiterate, this is not a decision we make lightly.
Community is one of our core values; it is at the core of our identity, of our history. We believe it is what will guide us and help us meet this challenge. We must work together and support each other in this unprecedented time. We do not have all the answers, but in our hearts, we believe we as a community will see this outbreak through day by day. It will pass, and when it does pass and we look back on what we’ve learned, we’re hopeful we will be able to tell ourselves that it brought us closer together as a community and made us stronger.
We know many of you have questions, and our staff will try to answer those questions as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. If you know the person at FASPS your question is directed to, please feel free to contact that person directly (
click here). If you have a general question but don’t know who might be able to answer it, please email
Info@FASPS.org. And as always, if you have a comment, question, or concern for me (Eric), please feel free to contact me directly.
Thank you, everyone, truly, for your patience, understanding, and commitment to working together through this unprecedented time, and please stay safe and healthy.
Warm regards,
Eric Thuau
Head of School
Steve Dispensa
Chair, Board of Trustees
Common Public Health Questions:
All King County residents should follow this advice:
- Do not go to the emergency room unless essential. Emergency rooms need to be able to serve those with the most critical needs. If you have symptoms like cough, fever, or other respiratory problems, contact your regular doctor first.
- Stay home when sick.
- Practice excellent personal hygiene habits, including handwashing, coughing into tissue or elbow, avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth.
- Stay away from people who are ill, especially if you are 60 and older or have underlying health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, or a weakened immune system, or if you are pregnant.
- Stay informed. Information is changing frequently. Check and subscribe to Public Health's website (www.kingcounty.gov/COVID) or blog (www.publichealthinsider.com).
- Remember to take every day preventive action such as washing hands, and if you are sick stay home. During an outbreak with a new virus there is a lot of uncertainty. Our guidance and advice is subject to change as we learn more. We will continue to keep you updated.
You can decrease the risk to yourself, and importantly, to those who are more vulnerable to coronavirus:
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Avoid medical settings in general unless necessary.
- Call your doctor’s office first before going in if you are ill.
- Avoid visiting hospitals, long-term care facilities, or nursing homes to the extent possible.
- Do not go to the emergency room unless essential.
- Practice excellent personal hygiene habits.
- Stay away from people who are ill.
- Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects.
- Get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids, eat healthy foods, and manage your stress.
- Be ready to help one another.
- Show compassion and support for those who are ill or who must stay home.
- FAQs About Symptoms and Testing
- Resources and Recommendations
- Current Situation in Washington
- How Can I Be Prepared for a COVID-19 Outbreak?
- Other Questions About COVID-19
