Redwood Day is an independent, diverse K-8 school | 510.534.0800
News
Campus Closure Announcement
Dear Redwood Day Families,
We are writing with an update on our plans for the remainder of the school year. The Advisory Council and the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees met earlier this week to determine the School’s course of action through June 11, 2020, the last day of the school year. Given the current number of COVID-19 cases and the various prerequisites involved in relation to testing and contact tracing needed for it to be safe for school campuses to open again for in-person instruction, the Advisory Council recommended, and the Executive Committee approved, the decision to keep Redwood Day’s campus closed for the remainder of this school year. This decision is also in line with the extension of the Shelter-in-Place order for the larger Bay Area. While we know this decision is not a surprise to many of you, we also understand that the confirmation of this outcome is difficult for many in our community.
We will continue to move forward with our distance learning platform through the end of this school year. Faculty and staff are meeting regularly, considering feedback from teachers, students, and families, and continually refining our approaches to make the experience engaging for our students academically, socially, and emotionally. We are also meeting regularly to discuss assessment of student learning outcomes in each grade level and class, including consideration of in-person learning data we have through March, ERB test scores, and assessments we will put in place for the end of this year and the beginning of next school year. Comprehensive assessment of student learning will be critical to our mission of keeping all students in their optimal learning zone now and in the future.
Furthermore, we will continue to do our absolute best to maintain the great sense of community, accomplishment, and joy that accompanies the end of every school year. As mentioned in the Weekly letter from this past Sunday, we will be announcing dates for parent/guardian “coffees” in the coming days and weeks. These “coffees” may not always happen on a Friday, they may not always happen in the morning, and they may not always involve coffee (please bring whatever you need/want to drink!). They will, however, be essential for us to continue to maintain the great sense of community that is a hallmark of Redwood Day. We’ll follow up with you shortly regarding dates and times for each grade level.
On a final note, as mentioned in a previous communication, we will be moving forward with culminating events of the school year, including Step-Up and Graduation, in a different format. We continue to work on the details of these events and will communicate when we are ready. We are especially mindful of the impact on our 8th-grade families, and we promise we will find a way to meaningfully celebrate and honor your children (and you!) as they make the transition to High School.
Thank you, all, for your continued support, patience, and partnership in this incredibly challenging time. Our community will continue to rise above this challenge and we will be stronger for it.
All our best,
John Loeser Galia Szurley
Head of School Chair of the Board of Trustees
3245 Sheffield Ave
Oakland, CA 94602
510.534.0800
Oakland, CA 94602
510.534.0800
