A Note from the Head of School
I would like to start by acknowledging the many members of our Thacher Community who are doctors, nurses, and others affiliated with the healthcare and first responder community. I am confident that I speak for staff and families in expressing our deepest gratitude for the tireless work you do to ensure our health and safety. You are truly appreciated.
As I communicated to you in my
letter to the community
on Wednesday, 4/22/20, Governor Charlie Baker has officially closed Massachusetts schools for the remainder of this academic school year. Each independent, parochial, and public school will all have their individual end-of-year dates - the following information is specific to Thacher Montessori School:
- The last day of virtual classes for all Thacher students will be Friday, June 5. Please note that this is one week earlier than is shown on the 2019/20 calendar. Our purpose for ending on June 5 is to prepare for the restructuring of our summer program. Protocols must be put in place to ensure that Thacher Montessori School is in compliance with all state guidelines in order to provide for the safe return of the students, staff, and families. As soon as we receive clearance from the state that it is safe to re-enter school for the summer program, we will be ready to open our doors within 24 hours. We anticipate that the summer program will not begin as originally scheduled in June and are hopeful that we will be able to open our doors after the 4th of July holiday. This is, of course, contingent upon receiving clearance from Governor Baker. We will keep you up-to-date as we receive information.
- There will be a virtual Graduation for our current 8th grade students. Please stay tuned for details--more information to come!
- Preparation for the 2020/21 school year - Administration and lead guides will be collaborating throughout the summer to devise a solid plan of action to provide a more rigorous, comprehensive online curriculum should we experience a resurgence of COVID-19 causing us to revert to distance learning in the fall. Unlike the two days we had to plan our online curriculum in March when all this began, having an extended period of time during the summer months will provide guides the opportunity to access their classrooms, fully prepare future lessons, and create assignments to meet the individual and collective needs of every child in their classroom. Guides will be ready to hit the pavement running, whether it is in the classroom or online.
On Monday, you will be receiving an
online survey
from Michelle. Please take a few minutes to fill it out. If we don't know what parents' concerns are, we cannot act to facilitate improvements. Please note, there is a short turnaround on this survey (only 1week) - there are only 6 weeks remaining in the school year, and we want to tap our valuable resources (YOU!) to continue improving the experiences your children are having until then...thank you!
In partnership,
Deba