Letter from our President

Monday, June 22, 2020

Dear Members of the Independent School Community,

In the midst of this global pandemic, independent school leaders are focused on preparations for the fall semester. First and foremost is to ensure the health and safety of our communities. A range of scenarios  will continue to be evaluated: from fully restored on-campus activities – a “normal” return to campus – to delayed openings and remote learning.

The physical spaces that define a campus (classrooms, athletics and arts venues, dining facilities, resident life)  facilitate interaction, social engagement, and build community. Space helps define culture; and, the culture on our campuses is worth celebrating. These features, also make our campuses susceptible to the spread of infection.

Most projections suggest that COVID-19 will remain a serious threat during the coming months, therefore, we cannot be certain that it will be safe to resume all usual activities on our campuses. Our mutual goals are quite similar, to resume suspended on-campus activities to the greatest extent possible as soon as is prudent. Many of us are developing guidelines that  align with Virginia, D.C. and Maryland’s Strong Roadmap to Recovery.

The intention of the DMV Independent School Alliance is to share information that supports and enhances the built and learning environments. Your input now is crucial. We are creating avenues for facility leader engagement, and a series of virtual forum discussions.

When and how we can safely return to these spaces will depend on the status of the pandemic, the strategies that can be deployed to mitigate its effects, and the guidance from government and health authorities.

In the meantime, we are continuing to provide Thursday @ 1 PM virtual meetings. Diana Ortiz Burns and Neal Helm have led these sessions. We are hopeful that you may find these twice-monthlies worthwhile.  Refer to the calendar page for upcoming open forum topics. Virtual meeting invites arrive the day before the scheduled events.

Yours Sincerely,

Stone Ridge School, Director Facilities