Spartanburg Day School's weekly newsletter Week of August 24 DIVISION NEWS
Click for important news and announcements, from your division head to you!
A NOTE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL Thank you! Thanks to all of you for your part in making our activities this week and our first day of school on Thursday a success. For certain, there were many new guidelines and learning moments for all of us. I am happy to report that students seemed right at home in our new normal, even on the first day. One of my take-aways from the first day was that none of the guidelines dampened the enthusiasm of students for meeting a new teacher, reuniting with classmates, and welcoming new classmates. The engagement of our students with their teachers was a visible confirmation of the need for in-person school. It underscored the social-emotional aspects that contribute to the overall learning experience of students from ages 2 to 18. The Day School's opening day enrollment was 501, the highest since 2001, and the largest number of new students in many years, all while maintaining limits on enrollment per class so that we meet guidelines established for health and safety during COVID-19. We are excited to welcome everyone back after the long months since we left campus in March. And we are thrilled to welcome so many new students and their families to our Griffin Community!
Now that our first two days are behind us, our goal of opening school changes. Beginning today, we have a new goal: KEEP SCHOOL OPEN! We are following the recommendations of our expert resources to make the continuation of school possible. We ask every parent to work toward this goal with us. Your family's personal choices make a difference in our ability to keep school open. Outside of the school day and on weekends, please continue to wear a face covering, avoid large gatherings, and practice physical distancing and frequent hand washing. I would ask that for now, you skip the much-loved sleepovers, birthday parties, party settings, and do everything you and your family can to stay well so that we can keep the school open. Putting the goal of keeping school open ahead of our own personal wishes and conveniences is a small step now for a greater gain all year long. We need to do this so that we can all be Griffin Strong!
Thank you for your support and your partnership in our on-going goal of keeping school open. I appreciate you!
ALL AUG. & SEPT. MEAL ORDERS DUE SATURDAY, AUG. 22
As a reminder, students will not be traveling to the dining commons for lunch this year. All meals must either be brought from home or preordered through the Griffins Table for delivery to classrooms. Meals will not be available for purchase the day of but can be preordered by the day, month or semester. Menus will be released on the 20th of each month for the following month.
The preordering process allows the Griffins Table to meet new standards of food service safety and physical distancing by preparing and delivering lunches to classrooms each day. If you would like to begin receiving meals through the Griffins Table starting next week, please place your order by Saturday, Aug. 22, by emailing griffinstable@gmail.com.
GRIFFIN FACE COVERINGS
Spartanburg Day School Griffin face coverings are now available for purchase in a variety of colors, fabrics and sizes! All face coverings are $7 each.
If you already placed an order earlier this month, we apologize for the delay in delivery. Some sizes and colors have been on backorder but are expected to be available soon. Thank you for your patience!
LET'S GO, GRIFFINS! New health & safety guidelines in place for athletic events
We look forward to having fans cheer on our Griffins at athletics events this fall. For the health and safety of our student athletes, coaches and fans, new protocols are now in place for home events. Click HERE to learn more.
SCHOOLDOC
Thank you to everyone who has completed your child's profile in SchoolDoc, an online platform that houses all medical and school forms in one place. If you have not done so, please sign into your child's account (look for an activation email sent by SchoolDoc) and request an extension for it to be completed. The school nurse will unlock the profile for you to access and upload forms. If you have questions, please contact brelan.montgomery@sdsgriffin.org.
SCHOOLPASS
We appreciate your patience with SchoolPass this week as we implemented and learned this new morning process together. Upon arrival to school, a completed SchoolPass wellness screening must be shown to one of our faculty helpers at new screening stations before students may exit vehicles. While SchoolPass has many capabilities, we are currently only using SchoolPass for wellness, not drop off or pick up. We hope to move to that part soon. If you have questions, please contact brelan.montgomery@sdsgriffin.org.
A MESSAGE FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE
If you have medications your child will be taking at school, please contact brelan.montgomery@sdsgriffin.org to set up a time to bring them to school. Medications must be brought by a parent or guardian. They should be in the original pill bottle with the correct label intact. EpiPens and Inhalers will need Action Plans signed by your child's doctor.
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