Dear Alumnae/i,
No one could have foreseen the particulars of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) global health crisis, and even now only the very beginnings of massive economic, political and psychological fallout are becoming apparent. Within this public health pandemic, what is our responsibility — that is, what is our
ability to respond
?
The core of my responsibility as head of school is to lead Masters as thoughtfully, courageously and calmly as I can — and to steady the ship when we are being tossed about by the waves of uncertainty. Throughout this health crisis, my guiding principle has been to ensure the health and safety of our community.
As COVID-19 continues to spread in Westchester County and in our country, I and my COVID-19 task force comprised of key administrators have been meeting daily and have been closely monitoring information from global, federal, state and local health officials. Although there are no known cases of COVID-19 in The Masters School community at this time, we have taken significant measures aimed at protecting our community. All of our current actions are documented in our
COVID-19 information hub
, which also contains all of our past COVID-19 communications to parents, students and faculty.
I’m keenly aware of our pressing responsibility to do our part in slowing down the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, barring any change in circumstance, the School will transition to a remote learning model starting on Tuesday, March 31, when students return from spring break, and continuing through Friday, May 1.
After several thoughtful conversations, we have also made the difficult but necessary decision to postpone two important school-wide events: the Spring Gala and Reunion Weekend. The gala has been rescheduled for October 29, and alternate plans for Reunion will be announced shortly. I look forward with great anticipation to the time when we will gather as a community once again, restoring and celebrating our shared sense of connection and mission.
This public health crisis has brought to the forefront that we are profoundly interdependent and that we need to change the way we interact with one another — at least for the time being. We must call upon our very best selves, meeting our commitments as diligently as possible, while deliberately, conscientiously taking care of one another. Beyond our commitments to ourselves and others, we have an opportunity and an obligation to deepen our resilience: to be calm, disciplined, diligent, careful, compassionate, generous, brave — and hopeful.
We must do these things with our might.
I hope that each of you is taking good care during this challenging and fluid situation.
Sincerely,
Laura Danforth
Head of School
