Thoughts on the State of the School

Dear Sandy Spring Families,

During the past few weeks, on more than one occasion, I have experienced a sensation that reminds me of something that happened to me many years ago. It was during the year that I had dropped out of college (I mean, my gap year). Driving too fast on the interstate over an icy bridge during a snow storm late at night, I lost control of my car. I spun around (360 degrees) a few times, saw head lights and brake lights and head lights again and came to a stop on the shoulder. Somehow, we were fine; not even a scratch on the car. We looked at each other and drove off.

OK, it has not been quite like that, but the world does seem to have gone a bit topsy turvy. Example: Weekdays and weekend days used to feel really different. Now, not so much. And, in fact, the different weekdays don't seem very different either. Wednesday is no longer hump day.

While I joke, please understand that I am intimately aware of the pain and dislocation that COVID-19 is causing. A dear friend of mine is fighting for his life in the ICU. What makes it all so much worse is that all of us can share a similar story. 

In addition to our health, the coronavirus has impacted our jobs, our businesses, our livelihoods, our savings. We understand that families, even in good times, make financial sacrifices in order to enroll their children at Sandy Spring Friends School. And these are not good times. So please let Dawn Griffith, our director of financial aid, know if the coming year appears to be too much of a stretch.  We will do all we can to help. Now, more than ever, we must be here for each other.

As Head of School, I wanted to give everyone a little peek under the tent of what we have been up to since we began working from home. Folks in real estate say that the three most important attributes for a property to sell is location, location, location. My take on that is that the three most important attributes for the school to run like a top is communication, communication, communication. We have a lot of constituents, and there is a lot of communication called for. 

I think of faculty and staff. I love them. Our faculty and staff work at Sandy Spring Friends School in response to a calling. They are here to do important work with every intention of changing the world. Which they do. Pivoting from normal school to virtual school, in a matter of days, has been like fixing the airplane while you are flying it. The communication between and among teachers, administrators, IT folks, inquiry guides, learning specialists, counselors, our health office, coaches, and others has been amazing. 

Our students. Talk about communication. The curriculum, academics, well-being, check-ins, advisories, Torch, Quiz Bowl, and all the other things that your kids care about continue, and we continue to tweak, massage, and improve. We offer perspective on just what the heck is going on, while also giving students agency in planning for a future, and no one knows how, exactly, it will unfold (yes, this is always the case, but come on). 

Our Board of Trustees, who hold the school in trust and exercise fiduciary responsibility at a time and under circumstances that no one took into account when they said, yes, sure, happy to help. 

Making sure incoming Head of School Rodney Glasgow is up to speed with how we are proceeding. We will be in good hands.

And, of course, our Sandy Spring Friends School families. Our lifeblood. Our community. David Hickson and the division heads, as well as our faculty and, well, all of us have been collaborating in order to ensure that everyone receives clear, helpful, and accurate insights, information, and direction so that we may all plan for what comes next.

What else have we been working on?

First and foremost, supporting the social/emotional well-being of students. Those of us not lucky enough to teach have been dropping (zooming) into classes, clubs, and student government meetings. How else are we going to get a real feel for it?

We're committed to finishing the year on as strong an academic note as possible. We are in uncharted waters. What are the appropriate assessments and how do we "grade"? How do we manage synchronous and asynchronous teaching and learning when some of us are in different time zones? How do we mobilize and support technology needs for everyone (PK3 to seniors)? How do we share our successes and our challenges, bringing the best out in each other and finding the balance that best supports students? We are scrambling up a steep learning curve.   

Finances are part of all independent schools and we are working hard to assess and mitigate short, medium, and long-term financial impacts.

We continue to build the team and are incredibly busy recruiting brilliant people in each division and in the administration.

Enrollment activities for the 2020-21 school year are ongoing, intense, innovative (our last Discover Day was completely online), and involve all of us in one way or the other.

We cannot let a global pandemic stop our fundraising efforts for the new Upper School, our auction (watch this space), and our annual fund.

Upper School construction. Check it out online. Looking good.  Looking very good.

Did I mention communication (communication, communication)?

Summer camp. Will we have it? Honestly, we don't know, but we have to prepare. And, in any case, let's figure out what summer camp opportunities can go virtual. Algebra II online, anyone?

I'll stop here and end with what our Upper School students have been wearing around their wrists all year. We are Stronger Together.

Be safe, and be in touch.

Tom