Dear Bay Students, Parents and Guardians,
I’m writing to follow up on Luke’s letter of last week. As you know, we will continue distance learning through the end of this school year. We have updated our academic policies to reflect what we have learned about distance learning under these circumstances, discussions with peer school administrators, articles by educational thought leaders and, of course, your feedback.
These policies were written by the administration and reflect community collaboration. Students, staffulty and parents/guardians provided feedback that helped us understand the needs of the community. Much of what we heard from the feedback mirrors what we understand about how trauma--such as being in a pandemic--affects learning. Understanding trauma-informed pedagogical frameworks has helped us to develop these policies, ones which we believe will allow our students to continue to learn during this challenging time.
Please review the
Academic Policies for Spring 2020
document. The document re-orients how class and homework time is used as well as introduces new assessment practices and how final semester grades will be determined. Teachers will be sharing how they will apply these policies in their individual classes this week with students. There will be grade-level meetings for parents/guardians the week of 4/20 (more information coming) where you can ask follow up questions. You can also connect with the
Academic Office
with questions.
Although we have had to make changes to how we are teaching and learning during this semester, in the next two weeks, we look ahead to next year. Current 9th-11th grade students will make final course selections for the ‘20-’21 school year; their advisor will submit these choices by April 24. The Class of 2021 can indicate their interest in the optional senior spring immersive term through the course selection process.
In our policies here, as with all of our decisions during this unprecedented time, we strive to be mindful and responsive to our students’ needs. Thank you for your patience, flexibility and support. We value your feedback and will continue to seek it out. Again, please contact the academic office with any questions you may have.
In partnership,
