I wanted to include a message of thanks this week for all of our mothers out there. We celebrated Mother’s Day in the U.S. and many international places throughout the world last Sunday and Polish Mother’s Day is coming soon on May 26th. It means that a pause to share our praise and adoration of mom is necessary and appropriate. For me, it means preparing the traditional morning breakfast for my wife (all of her favorites), particularly now that we are “empty nesters” and must connect with our children virtually in distant corners of the globe. There was also some long distant communication with both our moms, one on the West Coast in the U.S. and the other in Guangzhou, China. In all of these conversations, it is always amazing the deep and profound memories of care and nurturing that emerge when considering the one who first brought us the breath of life and who is, legitimately one of the most important teachers in our lives.
For all of you thinking about mom during this time of year, and particularly as we approach graduation, and other life transitions, please keep in mind the following from an unknown source:
“Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.”
I know that’s true for the moms in my life. Thank you to all the moms out there for your tireless efforts on behalf of your children. We love you all!!
COVID Mitigation Adjustments in the Coming Weeks
We have two adjustments coming to our protocol that were cleared by Crisis Team after recommendation by medical consultation this week. In light of the reduced trend in case numbers and other factors, these changes are warranted and consistent with additional changes that will be considered for our return to school in the Fall. We will share that plan with the community for comment and feedback while we continue to monitor conditions throughout the summer break.
The current announcements from the government along with our tracking of critical data has led us to the following two changes to be implemented as follows:
- Starting Monday, May 17, mask-wearing in outdoor areas will no longer be required while remaining optional for those who prefer to continue wearing them outside. This includes free blocks, lunchtimes, and sporting activities. The government mandate on outdoor mask-wearing is being lifted on Saturday.
- Starting Monday, May 24, the school will relax the testing frequency back to once per week testing. This is consistent with current community spread caseload reporting and the clear trend in reduced cases amongst the ASW Community. Testing schedules will be adjusted and communicated next week before implementation the following week. Test expiration will crease to 7-days from the current 5-day limit.
We’ll watch numbers next week and hope we remain on the same trend. If we need to adjust or pull back on these adjustments, we will. As I noted in the Weekly message, we still need to be cautious and maintain our safety bubble, so please don’t read this as allowing or encouraging risky activities. Further, please remember that all other restrictions in daily attestation and protocols at school remain in full force.
Cancelation of June 5th Culture of Giving Events
First, let me thank all of you who participated in our survey over the weekend. It took some time to process all of the information that you shared with us, and in the end, we decided that the better decision at this stage was to postpone our plan and begin work on it for the fall under hopefully better circumstances. The events on June 5th are now canceled.
The response was mixed and for the daytime event; we actually had about 50% that were either willing to or might have decided to join us for the activity. But, for the level of organizing required and out of deference to the conflicts of the long weekend, we decided it was simply not viable in the time we have remaining. I think we are all hopeful of a more capable return to activities of this nature after a summer of vaccination and additional information that will reassure our community and we look forward to your support for these!
Many thanks to those on the organizing committee and the members of PTO who helped to draft the plan and make initial arrangements. Their efforts have paved a path to our Fall events with capable preparations and contacts. Thank you!!
Relay for Life
We are still moving ahead with our student-run activity of Relay for Life benefit on June 4th. As in any Relay for Life, teams of 5-10 people will be walking the track, in celebration, honor, and memory of cancer survivors and those we have lost to this horrible disease. The event will look similar to the one that took place two years ago, in 2019, but in the circumstances that we have been put in due to COVID, we will run this activity under our managed protocols. Originally planned for only students, we are opening this activity to other members of the ASW Community to participate in this outdoor memorial event.
For the purpose of this event, Epixpert, our key partner, is donating onsite testing of all adults (parents) who would like to join us at this event. You will need to be tested once just prior to the start of the event and can leave and return to the event throughout. Students and staff will need to be OK4School green to participate, as would normally be the case.
The entrance fee per person is 75 zloty, and all money will be going to our beneficiaries, the oncology ward at a children’s hospital here in Warsaw. More details on the times and forming of teams will come in next week’s eNotes and through other messages. Please pencil in the day if you would like to join us. I’ll be there honoring my father who lost his battle with cancer in 1995 and will be remembering many friends and relatives who have faced this enemy over the years. It is an important time for reflection and fellowship. Get your walking shoes ready!!