Update on Planning

 

Dear Members of the CCES Community,

Hard as it is to believe, we’ve reached the beginning of August. I hope that everyone has been able to step back, get some rest, spend time with loved ones, and heal from what was a trying year. Undoubtedly, there are parts of the past eighteen months we’d prefer to forget, but I find it valuable to remind myself that CCES enjoyed a successful 2020-2021 school year by facing the challenges united as one.

With the opening of the 2021-2022 school year quickly approaching, I wanted to offer a brief update on our planning. More information will follow in the coming weeks, but I thought it valuable to frame some things broadly as a starting point.

As you know, we have recently seen a resurgence in national, state, and local infections of COVID-19. Despite increasing vaccination rates, the Delta strain of the virus is presenting new challenges, and the American Association of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control, and SCDHEC have been working hard to offer guidance on how best to meet these challenges. Our hope is that this most recent surge will be short lived and that any adjustments we may need to make in our policies and procedures will likewise be temporary. Today, I am convening a meeting with school leaders, our medical team, and our medical advisory panel to assess where we are and how best to manage another successful, safe start to the school year. Like last year, our goal will be to have all students on campus, in person everyday with as few disruptions as possible.

Experience has shown us that we can safely and successfully navigate the pandemic with a combination of mitigation measures such as masking, physical distancing, and cohorting. While we have not yet determined what specific approaches will be required to start the year, we likely need to get used to the idea that a successful start will require some familiar measures to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of the community.

Undoubtedly, there are a variety of opinions and emotions within our community about what the start of the year should look like; however, I am equally certain that our collective desire to protect our children, the faculty, and each other means that CCES families will come together again to protect the whole for a successful year together on campus. Our spirit of unity, cooperation, and shared responsibility are what have made—and will continue to make—the CCES community so strong.

Even taking new challenges into consideration, I look ahead to this school year with optimism, hope, and confidence. In partnership with all of you and with your understanding and patience, we will strive to build upon last year’s successes. Furthermore, we will continue to balance our priority of maintaining the safest possible learning environment with our strong desire for things to be as normal as possible.

I am grateful to all of you for your trust and confidence in our CCES team and for your continued support. 

Gratefully,

David Padilla
Head of School