Reopening Update

Dear Members of the CCES Community,

I want to begin by expressing my continued gratitude. Thanks for welcoming my family and me into the CCES and Greenville community so warmly; thanks to those of you who took the time to gather (over 300 of you!) for our virtual Town Halls last week; thanks for your patience as we continue to refine our plans for the opening of the 2020-21 school year; thanks for your understanding that, while we remain committed to being on-campus and in-person to begin the school year, this start of the year will still be far from “normal”; and finally, thanks for your continued trust in us as professionals who have our students’ best interests at heart.

As the Head of School, I, along with the rest of the CCES team, continue to evaluate our plans so that, regardless of the challenges presented by Covid, we can preserve the true spirit of the CCES experience: Character, Community, Excellence, and Service. Each division director will be sending additional information tomorrow and in the weeks ahead to ensure that you are as up-to-date as possible, but rest assured that the health, safety, and well-being of all constituencies guide our decision-making, policies, and procedures.

As I indicated during the Town Hall meetings, in an effort to try to answer the questions you have posed as well as to anticipate questions which will arise, we have fleshed out our Frequently Asked Questions section on the website. Building on the foundation of questions you submitted to us, we have added other questions and answers which we think can help guide you in your planning. Note that this list is not exhaustive, complete, or finished; it is simply an update of where we are right now. As we refine and finalize our planning, you will receive additional updates.

We recognize that this is a stressful time for everyone given all that is going on; the challenges are significant, and we must acknowledge the very real concerns we share. Things are changing all the time, and we’ll continue to respond to those changes while also trying to anticipate in a proactive manner what we can do. In addition to managing the health and safety of all, the spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being of our community is central to all we decide. Please know that we are aware of and responsive to the stresses of what we’re asking of students, parents, faculty, and staff.

In order to make reopening and remaining open a success, we have to keep the big picture in mind. Any changes we make—though seemingly simple on the surface—are complicated by a host of behind-the-scenes factors. It’s also important to note that what seems “minor” to one person can be “major” to another; this is just the reality that one faces when trying to manage for 1100+ individual students and their families.

The good news is that all these challenges can be overcome. It’s about working together. To that end, I want to highlight two additional items that will be coming your way. First, since success lies in shared commitment, we are asking that all students, families, faculty, and staff pledge to abide by our #CavsUnite guidelines for behavior. With this pledge, families will commit not merely to honoring policies for mitigation which we’ve identified, they will also commit to honoring the spirit of those efforts; it is a commitment to ourselves and to each other. Second, since the school wide navigation of issues around our pandemic mitigations is complex and unpredictable, we are also asking all families to sign a release form. Division directors will provide more guidance in their communication, but both the pledge and the release will be found and signed electronically on the OCC.

Like you, I would prefer both for the students’ experience and for my tenure to be starting in a “normal” fashion, but I want to assure you that we are undaunted by the circumstances. I have said it before and will say it again (and again and again): I feel blessed to be taking over leadership at this moment with these colleagues to serve you, our families. We will get there together.

As always, I invite additional feedback, questions, and conversation going forward. Again, please know that we appreciate all that you do in placing your trust in us to support your children. Success depends on a partnering with the school to make sure we can make reopening work. If everyone honors the pledge to work with us in this effort, we will remain united as a Cavalier community.

Sincerely,

David Padilla
Head of School