Dear Bancroft Community,
While the classroom environments inside our campus buildings are always full of active learning, many have been empty at different points of the day as warmer weather has brought learning outdoors. It is always fun to see faculty utilize our green space and be flexible with their classrooms. I know the sunshine has also been a welcome sight for our students who are playing instruments, practicing with athletic teams, meeting with clubs, or socializing with friends. The fresh air has been good for us all and the renewed spirit on campus is palpable. With April now upon us, I am writing with a few updates on what to expect as we move into the home stretch of the school year.
Travel Advisory Information
We encourage you to continue to take the necessary precautions to protect yourselves, your families, and our community when considering travel. Effective March 22, 2021, all visitors and returning residents entering Massachusetts are advised to follow the state's updated travel advisory as detailed here. This is an advisory but not a mandate, and we continue to encourage our community to abide by the advisory whenever possible. You will also notice our MyMedBot questions will adjust slightly to reflect this change from the state, beginning next week.
Faculty Mobility / Campus Tours
As many members of our faculty and staff have received the COVID-19 vaccine, teachers will now have the ability to facilitate classes in-person which they previously had to conduct over Zoom. With the freedom to move to different classrooms and engage a higher number of students throughout the day, it in turn will limit Zoom classes and screen fatigue for students. This also means that student clubs will now be able to meet with faculty advisors in person. Our Admissions team has also been able to offer incoming and prospective families campus tours after school hours and on weekends with appropriate social distancing and safety precautions in place. Many of these families have committed to Bancroft for next year without having been to campus, which is a testament to what they are hearing about this community. The successful vaccine distribution amongst our faculty has allowed us to safely take these exciting steps. As more members of our community become vaccinated and protected, we will continue to reevaluate our current health and safety protocols.
Athletics
Spring sports practices have begun and in-person competitions will start in May for the Upper School, where we will be both hosting and traveling to competitions with an abbreviated schedule. Our spring sport athletes are looking forward to competing and representing Bancroft on our fields and on the road. New sport-specific COVID-19 guidelines will be implemented for these competitions and Director of Athletics Tracy Jones will communicate directly with student-athletes and families in the coming days.
Spring Open House
As always, we continue to seek the next group of future Bulldogs to join us on Shore Drive. Our Spring Open House event will be held virtually on Tuesday, May 18. This is a great opportunity for prospective students and families to hear about all that Bancroft has to offer and meet some of our administrators, faculty, and students. If you know any families that would be a good fit at Bancroft, please help us spread the word!
Best,