Message from the School Chair - March 6, 2020

Dear Parents,

As promised, below is an update on the school’s ongoing response to COVID-19, what administration and faculty are doing, and what parents can do to support the overall health of our community. In order to be as prepared as possible to address potential coronavirus scenarios, the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners declared a state of emergency on March 2. This declaration enables the county to streamline resources and staffing and establish emergency policies and protocols.

In addition to this and various communications received from the county and local school districts, on Tuesday I participated in a conference call with 60 Waldorf school administrators around the country. From this information, and in consultation with members of our parent body who work in the healthcare field, we have assembled a plan.

1. We have an administrative response team, which also includes a medical doctor from the community. This team is tasked with monitoring the news, delegating tasks, and developing communications for parents and employees.

2. We are augmenting our standard practices around cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting the spaces in the lower school and high school. Kits with additional cleaning supplies will be stored in classrooms so that teachers can tackle their spaces each day; common areas such as railings, door knobs, and light switches will be addressed daily by administrative staff.

3. You can expect a weekly email from me unless there is urgent breaking news. Because of the volume of questions and concerns we are receiving, please understand if I or other members of the administration cannot respond immediately to emails and voicemails around what the school is doing. I ask that you look for these weekly emails, and allow us to focus our time and attention on the work itself.

4. Know that we will be extra vigilant around enforcing our sickness policy. While parents may elect to keep their child home at any time as a precautionary measure, teachers and staff are being asked to send any child home who is not feeling well enough to participate in class or who exhibits symptoms beyond the occasional cough or sneeze.

5. Likewise, we are asking teachers and staff to stay or work from home if they are feeling unwell. Thank you for your patience and understanding if your child has more substitutes in the coming weeks than expected, or if class plans are altered.

6. In regard to families’ upcoming travel plans, we are asking parents to consider the various trips, gatherings, and events on their calendar now through spring break, and follow the guidelines of the CDC in firming up plans. At this time we are not canceling any school trips or events, but that could change.

7. We ask parents to be extra mindful when talking to their children about this coronavirus, especially in regard to age appropriate levels of information and anxiety. There are several good articles online that address talking about COVID-19 with children; this one is my favorite.

8. Every authoritative resource asserts how crucial proper and regular hand washing can be. Administration has created extra signage in the bathrooms as guidance, and extra paper towels and soap will be made available. While teachers are overseeing and reinforcing proper hand washing protocol to the extent that they can, it is important that parents are also taking these steps at home. Please emphasize with your children that they should cover their coughs and sneezes with their elbows, and refrain from touching their faces as much as possible.

9. The teachers have been asked to temporarily suspend their daily handshakes with students. While we do not believe this act will drastically impact the spread of this coronavirus, it is one more precaution we can take, and one that many other Waldorf schools are taking in the short term.

10. Next steps: The response team is formulating plans to weather any possible closures, considering the addition of a work party for deeper spring cleaning, and weighing the options for altering programming schedules should classes be suspended for a significant period.

Last but certainly not least, I want to stress the value of focusing on factors that support human health and well-being. Most of us know that eating a nutritious diet, dressing warmly, getting enough restorative sleep and outdoor time, and taking care of underlying health conditions strengthen our immune systems. Yet, in our busy schedules, these things can often fall to the side, even with our little ones. Taking the extra time to slow down and attend to our bodies’ needs is one of the best things we can do, with benefits no amount of bleach can match.

I recognize that this is a lot of information to take in, and that being proactive involves a measure of inconvenience for everyone. As always, I am appreciative of the cooperative and collaborative environment I have found here at PWS.

Warmest regards,

Jamie Quirk, School Chair