Dear Bancroft Community,
August has arrived and we are now less than a month away from welcoming students and teachers to campus for the start of the school year. We expect more typical Bancroft programming in 2021-22, and I cannot wait to get everyone here working, learning, laughing, and practicing together.
Our robust community requires the full commitment of each person actively engaged in all elements of our school life. After more than a year of social distancing, I encourage you all to get socially reconnected here at Bancroft. Together we can make this an exciting and positive year for every member of the school community. As we return to action this fall, I trust we can be together more often celebrating the accomplishments of our students and faculty. Thank you for your commitment to the unique and powerful learning experiences that distinguish a Bancroft education.
The challenges of the pandemic continue to evolve and our main priority remains the health and safety of our entire community. This situation continues to require our flexibility, but with everything we learned and lived through last year, we have the tools to get us all on campus and keep us safe. With that in mind, I want to share some updates regarding our plans for this fall.
Exclusively In-Person Learning Our school is built on innovative teaching and active learning that is best experienced hands on and in the classroom. This fall, we will return to in-person instruction at Bancroft, including all of our robust programming and our typical daily schedule. While our teachers were incredibly flexible and resilient in adjusting daily schedules and accommodating both live and remote instruction simultaneously last year, these were always considered temporary measures.
Health & Safety Protocols Vaccination has proven to be a hugely helpful tool in limiting the impact and minimizing the spread of COVID-19. We are pleased that our faculty are fully vaccinated. It is critically important that all members of our community become fully vaccinated as soon as they are able so we can peel back the layers of our COVID-19 protocols. We also recognize that not everyone is currently eligible for vaccination, but we expect to support vaccination efforts for children under 12 years old as soon as it is possible. With all this in mind, our current reopening plan includes the following protective measures to combat the spread of COVID-19: If you have yet to do so, please fill out this survey on your students current vaccination status.
Athletics Our new Athletic Director Garth Adams arrived on campus this week and has been hard at work preparing for a full schedule of fall sports for Middle and Upper School students. Varsity preseason activities start on August 23rd. We are excited to be able to once again compete against our Eastern Independent League (EIL) and New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) opponents this fall. Sport-specific information will be sent to student-athletes by their coaches in the coming weeks. Please remember that updated Physical Examinations are mandatory for all students participating in Middle or Upper School Athletics.
Lunch Lunch will function similarly to last year, at least to begin the year. Students will eat in classrooms in small groups while socially distanced. Students may bring lunch or opt into our boxed lunch program with Creedon & Co. More information regarding the 2021-22 lunch program - including information on signing up, billing, and menu selection - will be sent to families in the next few weeks.
Aftercare We are excited to be able to offer Aftercare for families that may need extended care for their students. Our Aftercare program will run each day from the end of the school day until 5:30 pm. Students will be split into four groups by grades Pre-K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.
Our new Auxiliary Programs Director, Nikkole Conway, will share specific information on cost and sign-up procedures next week.
Construction Update We had expected to be finishing two important campus upgrades by now. Unfortunately, pandemic-induced limits in material and construction team availability have postponed these projects. Our plans for an extensive renovation to the courtyard area between the dining hall and bookstore as well as a major solar panel system installation are on hold for now. We look forward to getting these projects going soon to create a more welcoming outdoor space and provide even more solar-generated electricity to help power the entire campus.
Thank you for your patience as we work to finalize plans for this year. Next week, we will provide an additional update. The excitement is building here on campus and we look forward to seeing you all soon.
IMPORTANT DATES:
August 23-26 Preseason Athletic practices for varsity athletes August 30 Opening day for Upper and Middle School students August 31 Opening day for Early Learning and Lower School students Sep 3-6 Labor Day weekend, no school
Best, Trey Cassidy |