COVID-19

Solid parent-teacher relationships have always been an important part of K-12 education. During this interminable pandemic, parent-teacher relationships have become even more important. That's because most of us parents and teachers are not quite sure what's coming next. Will local infections have risen to the point that the local and state authorities have ordered a lockdown? Has the coronavirus infected a member or members of our school's community? The number of variables we face daily can be confusing and discouraging for us parents. But, know what? It's even worse for our children. You and I have experience on our side. We've been through tough times. We've had our comfortable routines thrown into disarray by changes in employment and relationships. Realistically, however, our children have not experienced any of those issues. So, when suddenly they are forced to stay at home and take classes online, it's unfamiliar, uncharted territory for them, as it is for their parents. As a result, a strong parent-teacher relationship is an essential element in your child's intellectual and mental well-being during the pandemic.

The acronym TRUE will help you and me understand what's involved in creating the environment for a strong, supportive parent-teacher relationship.

T - Transition from in-person to digital learning

R - Relate to your teacher's situation

U - Understand your child's point of view

E - Expect a good result

In this video, Megan Olivia Hall, 2013 Minnesota teacher of the year, explains how a parent-teacher relationship works.

When it comes to schooling our children and grandchildren, we parents and grandparents have faced unprecedented challenges during the pandemic. Deciding whether to send our kids to school or keep them home has been something we have wrestled with and, indeed, still wrestle with because the number of cases of COVID-19 varies so much from one location to another. As we all quickly discovered, there is no "one size fits all" solution. The one bright spot in all the pandemic's darkness has been how nimbly most independent schools have responded to the challenges of keeping their schools open. I attribute that to the thin management layers most private schools have. That allows those in charge to make informed decisions quickly. Standing behind the school's management team is a dedicated group of trustees. These experienced, generous women and men love their school. Their counsel and their generous financial support make the way forward during the pandemic so much easier. These trustees have faced many challenges in their professional lives. They know how to make hard choices and execute plans to implement those choices.

Having sketched out a backdrop against which most private schools have dealt with the pandemic, let's look at some of the items you should have on your personal checklist every day.

Wearing masks

When the pandemic began, I thought that wearing a mask was simple. You put on a disposable or a cloth mask, and that was it. A year later, we now know that you

The coronavirus pandemic has had a profound, lasting effect on our lives. Most schools shut down and abandoned in-person classes in the spring of 2020. While that offered families control of their children's whereabouts, it presented a whole set of new challenges when it came to learning. Private schools transitioned fairly quickly to online instruction. They were able to do that because private school teachers had learned how to teach effectively online. Additionally, most schools had the necessary IT infrastructure in place to handle the entire faculty teaching online. Furthermore, most private school families had robust Internet connections and the computers needed to receive digital instruction.

This hub collects all of our articles on the COVID-19 pandemic into one convenient place. We hope that they will be helpful as you plan your children's education.

School Reopenings Fall 2020

In this article, we show you where to look for information about school reopening protocols, reopening communications, schools that have closed, and schools with COVID-19 cases, among other COVID-19 related issues. As always, what's important is for you to follow instructions issued by your school, local and state government. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer a wealth of information that you should read. But your actions and response to the pandemic are governed by your local government officials.

Cooperate with your school's instructions. Discuss them with your children. Listen carefully to their comments and criticisms. Then explain to them why compliance with all the school's instructions

Now that your children's school has reopened for the academic year 2020-2021, a major challenge is hopefully out of the way. The planning alone for the reopening of school was arduous and time-consuming. Your school's administrative team spent countless hours over the late spring and summer planning how to reopen the school safely. To understand how complex the variables involved were in their discussions and deliberations, think about working a jigsaw puzzle with an impressionist picture in shades of blue and gray. Those variables included federal, state, and local guidelines involving just about everything you can imagine. Like all the rest of the parents, I know that you wondered whether the school could reopen at all. But it did. While things certainly are different from past years, a private school education's essential hallmarks are in place for all to see: a safe community and high-quality teaching.

Now, let's look at how you can help the school out during these unprecedented times.

Listen to your school's instructions.

This admonition is important because you may well hear conflicting advice and news on social media or television. For example, when somebody retweets a claim about wearing masks not being effective, follow your school's guidance. A private school community includes a wide range of age groups. Some members of the community are more exposed to the COVID-19 virus than others. The same thing applies to gathering in groups and maintaining social distancing. Don't plan a birthday or other celebration with friends and

The amount of confusion over school reopenings in fall 2020 has been astounding. The general public and parents hear and read information that is confusing at best or incomplete at worst. I read several news sources extensively every day to find out what's actually going on. This article aims to show you where to look for information about school reopening protocols, school reopening communications, schools that have closed, and schools with COVID-19 cases, among other COVID-19 related issues. The best source of COVID-19 information in a specific school is always a school's website, where generally you will find communications from the school to current families.

This video explains the CDC guidance for school reopening.

What becomes evident as you read your school's communications is that a tremendous amount of work and effort has gone into creating and implementing safety protocols to protect everybody in the school community. Everybody means the maintenance staff through to the head of school. Here are some of the items you should look for in your school's reopening protocols:

• testing
• sanitizing
• in-person vs. online instruction
• activities
• athletics

Most schools have spent the summer months planning for school reopening in the fall of 2020. Endless meetings have covered every aspect of daily operations. Most schools have relied on data and the advice of experts to develop their reopening plans. Politics rarely plays a part in those deliberations and decisions.

Testing

Coronavirus Testing