Reopened Campus Updates

July 23, 2020

Dear Students and Parents,

Hello from Wolfeboro! We have been planning with immense care over the past months for the reopening of campus in the midst of COVID-19, and I am so pleased to share an overview of our Back to Brewster Plan. This plan emerged steadily over the past months and was shaped by science, public policy, and feedback from faculty and staff. Moreover, this document and associated operations plans are the result of the work of more than 60 members of the Brewster Academy community, and I believe their work has positioned us optimally to live and learn effectively during COVID-19. To say that I am proud of their work is an understatement. In my conversation with Brewster employees yesterday, I underscored the following points:

• We believe that it is in the best interest of the social and emotional development and academic progress of students to return to school, if they can do so, while we manage for an appropriate standard of care for our community;
• In forming our reopening plans, we have been informed by international, national, regional, state, and local public sector guidance as well as guidance from leaders in the scientific and medical communities, guidance from peer schools and a host of other resources we’ve reviewed on a daily basis;
• Our planning has been the work of many, many people at Brewster, and that work will continue in earnest over the coming weeks;
• Though the Back to Brewster Plan is 38 pages long, the particular details of how we will operationalize this plan will ultimately be far longer and denser;
• We will share details about those matters that pertain to particular constituencies as the details of all of our planning concludes over the coming few weeks;
• We will continue to communicate regularly with all of our community members in a variety of ways to keep them informed as we continue to finalize and adjust details when necessary.

I ask that you please take time to review this plan thoughtfully and thoroughly with your student(s). We will be holding a follow up webinar for families next week on Wednesday, July 29th at 6:00 p.m. where we can address any questions you may have as well as some of the essential next steps for registration and returning to campus. We will also be launching a Registration/Orientation webpage prior to this webinar that will provide you with all of the information you will need to prepare for your child/ren’s arrival in August.

If you have not completed the Travel Survey form yet, please do so ASAP so that we can coordinate the testing process, collect the important contact/guardian information, and manage the details surrounding housing and transportation needs. You will also be contacted at a later date to confirm these arrival details.

In closing, I look forward to digging into an even richer and more meaningful dialogue and partnership with Brewster parents during a time that will surely pose challenges for all along the way, but that certainly has the capacity to shape the trajectories of Brewster students in an extremely positive way this year and through the course of their lives.

Enjoy the waning days of July!

All best,
Craig

Dear Brewster Families,

I’m writing today to update you on the plans we have been and are continuing to develop around the opening of school.

A review of our goals
Early in our planning process, the Opening of School Strategy Team acknowledged the critical importance of opening school in Fall 2020 given the widespread concern over the social-emotional and educational toll a prolonged closure would have on our students—and the optimal value of student centeredness and collaboration through in-person instruction. To accomplish this goal, we have relied on science and public policy, and detailed and flexible planning continues so that we will be able to open school effectively and manage attendant risks with extreme care. On Friday, The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement in which our goal and associated emergent practices were clearly validated.

Parent feedback has shaped our planning
During last Monday’s well-attended parent webinar on the opening of school, we reviewed our current thinking, planning goals, and process. We have responded individually to questions we couldn't get to during the webinar and are updating the Frequently Asked Questions on the Reopening Campus webpage as soon as details are confirmed. Many of you completed the parent survey, and we are using those survey results to shape our planning efforts.

Notably, the parent survey responses we’ve received thus far gave us a clear indication of a preferred date to start repopulating campus (mid-August) and validated our interest in a longer break with optional online enrichment courses from Thanksgiving through mid-January. Moreover, parents expressed concerns about the stress such a long fall stretch would place on students and families. As a result, we have planned several key days off for students during the term and reviewed parent visiting policies as well.

Reflections on faculty/staff surveys
In addition to surveying parents, we surveyed faculty and staff members. We were not surprised to learn that our faculty are digging into serious work this summer and are fully prepared to act with deep care and flexibility as we navigate school during COVID-19. Many are right now teaching in Brewster’s free online Summer Enrichment Program courses; others are adapting courses to serve students better; still others are developing novel afternoon and co-curricular programming. Such work now bodes well for a school year in which students and faculty will live and learn together effectively despite the challenges we all face and will continue to face into the foreseeable future.

The emergent schedule
We are so pleased to offer our revised schedule for SY 20-21. While this schedule will diminish somewhat families’ time together during August, we are confident that an early start will allow us to complete appropriate testing and self-quarantining necessary to mitigate risk of COVID-19 on our campus—and will allow us to have meaningful time together on campus.

Ongoing program planning
Recognizing that some students may be unable to return to campus, we are developing an improved Brewster Online program that will allow students to both be virtually present in Brewster classes and to engage in asynchronous learning where appropriate. Our revised dormitory and dining practices are also coming into focus nicely. We anticipate that our plan for cohorts of students in the dorms will allow them to feel more relaxed and allow students to make their dormitories comfortable homes while on campus. Further, we have been collaborating closely with other Lakes Region schools to develop shared approaches to living on our campuses during COVID-19, and we are hopeful that we will be able to have limited interscholastic athletics in some or all sports. Details on all of these matters will be shared as we become yet clearer on policies and practices.

Rogers project is a go
We are so excited to be pushing forward with Phase I of the Rogers Project and anticipate a Fall 2021 opening for this transformational space on campus. We will therefore have active construction happening on campus starting as early as September, but we will take the typical precautions to support this project and take extra measures to ensure that construction protocols reflect our need for increased vigilance given COVID-19. Additionally, because the majority of the Phase 1 construction will take place inside the existing Rogers building, we do not anticipate construction noise will be a nuisance. More information on this project can be found on our Reimagine Rogers webpage.

We are moving forward with confidence and cognizance of uncertainty
Our planning processes have yielded strong results to date, and we are extremely enthusiastic about all we’ve learned and decided through these past months. We will continue to communicate with openness and an interest in listening closely to all concerns, for this dialogue surely makes us stronger. We have long talked about the virtues of partnership with Brewster families. Now such partnership needs to be stronger than ever before, and we ask for your ongoing engagement with us and support as we seek to serve the needs of our students.

As we continue to study and learn and plan, we recognize that this virus and how society and public policy respond to it are all evolving, and we must be ever vigilant to respond in turn in service to our students and the broader Brewster community.

In closing
I look forward to both the post-COVID-19 Brewster and world and hope that we can all do our part to ensure that we work together so that Brewster and the broader world are stronger, wiser, more humane, and more resilient as a result of weathering this global pandemic with determination and shared purpose. I believe in my heart that our students could benefit mightily for the rest of their lives if we help them move through this time effectively. There is no greater legacy to strive for than that, and I’m hopeful that this notion will motivate all of us to carry forth with bravery and belief in a brighter future.

Sincerely,

Craig

Dear Parents, 

Spring is surely in full swing in Northern New England in all its hopefulness, and I write today to share details about ongoing planning for the 2020-21 school year. The intention of this note is to provide you with the information and planning around our decision-making in order to seek your position and viewpoints. We will follow up with a survey soon to gather your concerns and perspectives. 

Overarching Goal: Return to Campus, Live and Learn Safely, and Grow from the Experience
While we are proud of the extraordinary work teachers and students did to adapt to Brewster Online and a new way of learning at the outset of the COVID-19 crisis, we recognize the peril of students being physically and socially isolated for long periods of time from our learning community. Brewster’s characteristic student-centeredness and collaborative modes are supported most richly and effectively through in-person instruction. Moreover, so much of what students learn happens outside of the classroom—on the playing fields, in the dormitory, and in our campus community. 

We believe that the prospect of returning to campus is an objective of deep value to the students in our care and to their families, yet we need to ensure that we have managed the myriad risks of doing so effectively before we can come together as a community. Knowing how important this goal is in the lives of our students, their families, and the mission of the school, we have developed a comprehensive and well-integrated planning process to understand and respond to the challenges before us. 

Planning Process
The COVID-19 Task Force has been meeting regularly since February and has been proactively planning and reacting to the crisis with care and effectively organized efforts. The Opening of School Task Force was convened in early May in order to develop plans for the 2020-21 school year, and its composition reflects the complex nature of the endeavor. 

Membership: Assistant Head for Campus Affairs Bret Barnett, Director of Human Resources Maryann Biedak, Assistant Head for Academics Raylene Davis, myself, COO Peter Gilligan, CFO Susan Harrington, Associate Head Kristy Kerin, Director of Student Health Services Carrie MacDonald, and Director of Summer Programs Jonathan Fouser. 

We have recognized eight interrelated areas of work and have thus created eight subcommittees populated by personnel from across the organization. 

Sub-committees: Academic Program, Residential Life, Student life, Campus Operations, Human Resources, Medical Planning, Travel, and Communications. 

These sub-committees have been working vigorously, are collaborating regularly, and are being guided by the Opening of School Task Force. 

Current Thinking
Given all of the work we’ve done over the past months, we have a clear sense of the multiple dimensions of this challenge—both those we can control and those we cannot. We are guided by a clear goal—to do all we can to ensure the safety of students and members of our community—and we are optimistic that we will be able to open safely for SY 2020-21. While plans are still being finalized, some changes you might prepare for include an earlier start to school in the month of August, adjustments to our school year calendar, and specific expectations for maintaining your child’s safety and that of our community.

See the sidebar for a flowchart that offers a rolled-up sense of our planning schema and a list of Frequently Asked Questions that we will update regularly, as soon as we have clear decisions and direction.

Next Steps and a Few Notes
Our work will continue through the summer and details will become clearer through the process. We will keep you up-to-date on our planning both through this page and through bi-weekly letters from me. We will actively seek your feedback every step of the way. To that end, we will be hosting a parent webinar next week to follow up on this information and respond to your questions. You will receive information on how to participate early next week.

In the meantime, know that we are looking carefully at a host of matters about which you surely have ample questions: How we will manage travel, dormitories, classes, athletics, dining, health, testing, visitors, and all aspects of reopening as a community. We are and will continue discussing all the matters exhaustively and we will provide you with the details and reasoning as they develop. 

In Closing
I am certain that the way that we have responded to this crisis to date has given so many people confidence in our capacity to evolve as an institution, but know that we are not resting on any of those laurels—we are pushing ever harder to deliver on the mission of the school for Brewster families. I invite your deep partnership as we move through the next weeks and months and believe that we will all be stronger—kids and families, faculty and school—when we emerge together one day in a post-COVID-19 world. 

I hope all are well and safe. 

Sincerely, 

Craig N. Gemmell
Head of School

4/14/20

Dear Brewster Parents,

In a typical spring letter to the Brewster community, I’d lament or praise the weather, celebrate the myriad ways seniors are finishing their time at Brewster, provide an update on admissions, and, perhaps, share some words that are unique to each class—for each class is authentically distinct from any other that came before. Such a letter is easy to write; I look forward to being able to write such a letter again, when we emerge from this pandemic. For now, I find myself feeling the weight of communicating with clarity and hope during a time in which so much is unclear and sadness exists in pockets both locally and globally.

On being proud
In the midst of all of the collective and significant pivoting by you, our parents, alongside students, teachers, administrators, and staff members—and despite all of the medical, social, emotional, and economic perils in the world—we have much of which to be proud.

First: I thank you for how you are embracing this shift. The radical and positive partnership that Brewster enjoys with the parents and guardians of the students in our care has never been more apparent or imperative as it is now.

Second: The online academic program Brewster developed and deployed appears to be serving students effectively, and we are collecting feedback regularly to evolve our approaches in real time. Much credit is due to all of our teachers, and in particular to our team leaders and department chairs, as well as Matt Butcher, Raylene Davis, Jonathan Fouser, Mike Jacobs, Kim Yau and our technology department for such an effective launch and such careful modifications in support of Brewster students who are scattered around the world.

Third: As we understand what support students need outside of the classroom, advisors, team leaders, IS teachers, our residential life team, communications office, and our medical and counseling staff members are working in unprecedented ways to support both students and families. We will continue to evolve how we support individuals and build community despite current circumstances.

This global pandemic is, in the end, quite personal
Despite these successes, I know just how hard this all is for adults and students alike. I have spent my last 32 years as a professional working with students and adults in person, and I am a person who is disposed to move frequently and make lots of connections throughout my day. Now I sit before a computer all day, every day and it is not nearly as rewarding as working with students face-to-face. As a parent, I am helping my sons navigate their disappointment over being away from their friends and having to learn in such new ways. My junior had to forsake college tours with me and instead started social distancing; my senior was counting the days until he could get back to school to enjoy the closing weeks of his high school life. For him, every day is bittersweet right now—he feels lucky to be home safe with us yet wistful about all he’s missing. As a parent, I feel a similar ambivalence—the joy of being together balanced against the loss they most certainly feel.

The time and intensity of our togetherness has sometimes been fraught, but it is less so now that the complexity of current circumstance has given way to fairly simple days and predictable rhythms. We all work in close quarters and realize we’re all we’ve got! We get into the car once a week for groceries, and these trips feel more like a war time supply run in a dystopian movie rather than a casual trip to the market. At our dinner table, we talk about what we are learning—about how this is changing us as a family and about how this is changing us as individuals. These moments at the dinner table—or while walking through the woods, or when one of us lifts another up—are the strange gifts we are gathering up, gifts that will, I think, sustain us for the rest of our lives. This is my story, my family’s story. I’d love to know yours.

In response to community safety
In light of the current COVID-19 cases around the world and the anticipated necessity to continue social isolation to keep individuals and communities safe, we have made some difficult decisions around spring and summer events.

We will celebrate the Class of 2020, but we will not do so as planned
We will not be in a position to return to campus this spring and therefore will not be able to hold traditional events like prom or Commencement in May in person. Instead, we commit to offering both a virtual graduation experience this May and a future opportunity for an in-person ceremony when it is safe to do so. To say that I am sorry to bear this news is an understatement. As I have mentioned above, as parents of a high school senior, Nancy and I share the deep disappointment this causes. But for us to perpetuate hope for a return to Brewster classes on campus culminating in a traditional graduation, given the state of the world and the current trajectory of COVID-19, would be unfair to students and their families. However, we are working on a host of scenarios to bring the Class of 2020 together when it is safe to do so in order to both have prom and celebrate their graduation. In the coming days, I will be convening a student-parent-administrator advisory committee to determine the best ways to celebrate our Class of 2020. Based on the ideas that emerge from that group—a group that will include those who are most deeply affected by the changes to our traditional spring events for seniors—we will develop plans and share them.

Given our move to online learning, we are exploring offering a refund or credit toward future tuition
When we started taking measures to ensure the safety of our students and our community in early March, we made the decision to support our faculty, administration, and staff through the end of the fiscal year given how critically important our professionals are in making Brewster a wonderful school now and in the future. Though we’ve done so and have incurred some costs for online learning, we have still realized some savings given reduction in heating, electrical, and food costs. Given this, we will be reviewing a possible refund/credit and will discuss this fully with our Board of Trustees when we meet virtually in late April.

All Bicentennial celebrations postponed until 2021
Along with prom and graduation, we have also had to postpone all other bicentennial celebrations, including reunion in early June of 2020. We look forward to celebrating in early June of 2021 and plan to extend an open invitation for all to join us.

Looking ahead to Summer 2020
Recognizing that many if not all of our students would be served well by online work during the summer, we are developing a number of optional online courses for students to take during summer of 2020. We are hoping to offer some free enrichment work for students who choose to participate, including PSAT prep, SAT prep, college essay and application work, and some speciality courses. I am excited about the possibilities here and am looking forward to using this as an opportunity to get back to teaching a bit, myself. Our doing so is yet another way in which we hope to partner closely with students and families during this time of social distancing, using technology as a means of helping students to build skills, stay academically engaged, and add value to their educational experience. Stay tuned for details.

Opening of school in Fall 2020
We will not endeavor to predict when social distancing expectations and travel restrictions will abate and schools will return to normal after COVID-19 passes. Given the uncertainty, we are planning carefully for three scenarios in preparation for fall: one in which we can return to campus as scheduled in late August; a second in which some can return and others cannot due to travel restrictions; and a third in which we need to remain in online learning for a while longer. As we plan, we are intent on leveraging our early successes in online learning to ensure that should we need to continue in this mode, we can do so increasingly effectively in service to student learning outcomes. Should we need to continue in online learning mode for some or all students, we expect to prorate tuition for every week of online learning to reflect the decreased institutional expenses associated with operating in this mode. We will provide more details on our plans for the fall as they develop.

In closing
I have shared much with you in this note, and there is surely much to process. I am utterly confident that we will weather this pandemic and all it entails best by leveraging our relationships with our families and with Brewster. Just as the world will move forward, so will we. Know that, as always, I would welcome the opportunity to discuss any and all of these matters with you over the coming days, weeks, and months. I will make the time to do so.

Sincerely,
Craig Gemmell

3/27/20

Dear Parents and Students,

We are eager to begin Brewster Online, with courses commencing on Monday, March 30. Today, students should be connecting with their advisors for an initial advisory touch base. I know our faculty are excited to start connecting with students in this new working environment.

Below, please find a link to our Brewster Online website, where you’ll find more information about our online offerings, including a frequently asked question section, a copy of our daily schedule, and additional resources. We plan to update this page regularly so that it will be an ongoing resource for you as we move forward.

https://www.brewsteracademy.org/academics/brewster-online

I’ve included a video on the homepage with more information. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to listen in. I will plan to share regular video updates in this manner throughout the coming weeks.

Finally, I wanted to let you know that we will be sending a waiver for parents to sign via DocuSign. The waiver will give faculty permission to record audio and video during synchronous class sessions, to give students a reference point to refer back to, and to accommodate students who may run into timezone challenges. Please help us by signing and returning those waivers as quickly as you are able to.

Thank you for your partnership in all ways. Students, we can’t wait to see you online soon!

Warmly,
Craig

3/12/20

Dear Parents,

I hope this finds you and your families healthy and well. I want to thank all of you for your care and patience as we monitor and respond to ongoing developments related to the COVID-19 virus. We are in extraordinary times, and that requires that we engage in extraordinary measures. As an educational institution, we have two overarching obligations to our community: to ensure the safety of our students and community at all times and to provide a top-quality educational experience for our students.

Following new instructions from the Centers for Disease Control, we have made the decision to extend March break and deploy a plan for online learning that will begin on March 30. At this point, we will delay a return to campus until further notice. We strongly hope that we will be in a position to reopen campus in the coming weeks, and we will plan to open only when guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control suggests that we can safely do so.

Online Learning
We will take appropriate time to ensure that our faculty have the necessary tools and training to be as prepared as possible to deliver their curriculum remotely. We are fortunate to be a school that regularly integrates technology throughout our curriculum, and our students and teachers are well-prepared for this change.

We expect to begin online classes starting on Monday, March 30. We will be in touch with further instructions. If online learning will pose a problem for your student for any reason, please be in touch with me or with your child’s advisor.

All students will be able to fulfill their academic requirements remotely. We will provide technology support for any student who may require it. Students may contact our Tech Office at 603-569-7000 or helpdesk@brewsteracademy.org.

Events
We have not yet made a decision about Spring Family Weekend, Commencement, Reunion, or other major events later in the spring and summer. Given how rapidly things are changing, we will continue to monitor developments and share updates with you as we have more information.

Requests for Campus Housing
We understand that for some students, returning home is not a viable option. We ask that all students explore off-campus housing options for the extended break. However, for those students who cannot return home or find appropriate alternative housing, we ask that you fill out this form in order to receive approval to stay. We will assess the requests and respond to these applications as rapidly as possible.

Your Plans
We need to hear from you: whether you will remain at home or elsewhere, we must know your whereabouts. Please complete this form to indicate where you will be while campus is closed. This is a requirement with no exceptions.

Ongoing Updates
We will continue to send regular updates on all we are doing to respond to the situation. As a reminder, we have developed a page on our website that we will continue to update on a regular basis.

This is a lot to take in. We are aware that this global circumstance challenges each and every one of us. Now is a time for unprecedented degrees of partnership between our families and our school, in service to the students in our shared care.

Thank you for your understanding,

Craig

2/28/20

Dear Parents and Families,

As the situation surrounding the COVID-19/novel coronavirus continues to evolve, we here at Brewster want to assure you that our senior administration team is monitoring all reports from the Centers for Disease Control as well as those from the U.S. Department of State, New Hampshire Health and Human Services, and International SOS, our medical and travel security partner agency for all international immersion programs. Brewster has implemented all recommended guidelines and protocols, and will continue to do so with the health and safety of our community always front of mind.

With Brewster’s March Break approaching (March 6-24), we realize this may be a time of concern and anxiety for families of our students who will be traveling, especially for those who live in areas that have been impacted by travel restrictions. Based on recommendations from the State Department and the Centers for Disease Control, we do not advise that students travel to any area currently under a Centers for Disease Control Level 2 or higher travel advisory. Subject to change, the current countries with elevated travel advisories include China, South Korea, Iran, Italy, and Japan. If students do choose to enter those areas, it is possible that they may not be able to re-enter the U.S. and return to school. In the event that this happens, Brewster will work closely with each family.

We are aware that an increasing number of countries are being placed under travel alerts and advisories. There is no way to know what the status of the COVID-19 outbreak will be at the end of March Break, or whether there will be any new restrictions on travel into the U.S. at that time that could impact students’ return to campus. Should a student find themselves in a location that elevates to a level 2 or higher travel advisory, our administrators will work with the family to support a 14-day quarantine and ensure continuation of the academic program.

For that reason, we are asking for your help by letting us know where your child will be traveling over the break. This will allow us to be more prepared to support your child upon their return.

Please complete this very short survey to share your student’s travel plans and your contact information during the break.

As Craig Gemmell mentioned in his message earlier this month, we have developed off-campus options for those students who are unable to go home for March Break due to the novel coronavirus in order to ensure that those students can still have a meaningful and restful break. These programs include a trip to Arizona for outdoor explorations and an emphasis on the desert environment and preservation. Another is a deep dive in Boston, with trips to the Museum of Science, the New England Aquarium, a Celtics game, and a scavenger hunt on the Freedom Trail.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to Craig (cgemmell@brewsteracademy.org) should you have any questions about how Brewster is continuing to protect the health and welfare of the students and others in our community. Keeping the lines of communication open during this time will help us all ensure the best outcomes for our students.

Thank you,

Suzanne Morrissey
Director of Communications