Community Building and Events

A. General Overview

Redwood Day is doing everything that we can to keep the community connected and engaged during this time. We want faculty, staff, parents/guardians, and students to feel connected in as many ways as possible. Currently, we are planning to hold all events virtually, including Friday Coffees, Back to School Night, Parent/Student/Teacher conferences, Generations Day, and Winter Concert. For the second semester (January-June) we are holding space on our calendar for events as either virtual or in-person; we will follow the current guidance at that time. We will make the decision to move to virtual events, if necessary, by December 1, 2020, for the spring semester.

For the foreseeable future, parents will not be able to come on campus for drop-off, pick-up, or to volunteer. We are currently working on plans to provide virtual volunteering opportunities for parents/guardians, and we will communicate when we have more information. If a parent/guardian needs to pick their child up or drop lunch off for their child midway through the day, parents/guardians will need to phone the Front Office to alert the School, and we will provide guidance at that time regarding any safety measures that need to be in place.

B. FAQ

List of 5 items.

  • a. Will parents/guardians be permitted on campus?

    As noted above, all parents/guardians, friends, and visitors will not be permitted on campus for the foreseeable future. For a school that highly values our partnership with parents/guardians, this is a difficult decision, but the right one for the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff. We will revisit this policy as guidance from state and local agencies shifts over the course of the year.
  • b. Which community events will happen online in the fall?

    We are currently planning to hold all large events virtually through December 2020. This includes events such as Friday Coffees, Back to School Night, Generations Day, and Winter Concert. If guidance changes dramatically in the early fall months to permit large group gatherings, we will revisit this policy. We are also currently planning alternative versions of the Fall Festival and the Book Fair to continue with these treasured traditions in a way that is safe for all. For spring semester events (January-June 2021) we are holding space on the calendar for both in-person and virtual versions of large community events, including Step-Up and Graduation. We will make decisions about spring events as they get closer. For the foreseeable future, all community meetings, including PGA meetings and Board of Trustee Meetings will occur virtually; all Parent Education events will occur virtually as well.
  • c. Which community events will not happen this year due to COVID-19?

    At this time, we are not planning to cancel any events due to COVID-19. All events that cannot happen in person, will happen virtually, if possible. Should this change, we will communicate accordingly.
  • d. What will happen to Friday Coffees for this upcoming year?

    We are planning to continue parent coffees in the coming academic year. In the beginning of the year, we will start with grade-level coffees and then we will expand to other opportunities for cross-grade level interactions. For example, K/1 may have a virtual Friday Coffee event one week, 2nd and 3rd another week, and so on.
  • e. How will parents/guardians be able to volunteer in the “classroom” experience this upcoming year?

    At this time, we are working on plans to potentially invite
    parents/guardians into the classroom volunteering experience virtually. We understand that it will be difficult for many families to not be able to come on campus, and we want to create as many feasible opportunities as possible for parents to interact with the learning environment at Redwood Day. For younger grades, parents/guardians may read stories to students virtually, for example, and for older grades, we may ask parents/guardians to share a particular area of expertise with our students. We will follow up with more information at the beginning of the school year.