Atrium Looks Ahead to November and December

October 25

Dear Atrium Community,
 
As we move into late fall and winter, today I write to share Atrium’s general plans for continuing to safely teach & learn during the COVID pandemic. We’re having a joyful, healthy autumn full of learning, growing and connecting, thanks to the diligent daily efforts of everyone in this Atrium community. The work is wearying, but we’ve found silver linings in our situation, discovering new ways of teaching and connecting our students. On behalf of the faculty and staff at Atrium, we take great joy in your children's presence, compassion, and exuberance for learning.
 
And so, we look ahead to November and December! So long as it remains safe to do so, Atrium will continue with the successful on-campus model with remote inclusion that we have practiced since September. The value of this model is clear, for all aspects of children's development. They are happy, engaged, and truly learning.
 
To make this possible, we must all take great care and vigilantly safeguard everyone’s health. We are all aware of the rise in COVID regionally and nationally, and we carefully monitor daily health metrics at Atrium and in Massachusetts. Schools well-managed for COVID have shown to be very safe so far this fall.  Of course, we all recognize that conditions may change, and that other schools make different decisions based on their own circumstances. Being small and nimble, Atrium is ready to move a grade or pod quickly to remote mode at any time. We are ready to shift the entire school to remote learning should conditions dictate that decision. But we strive, and are taking action, to sustain a thriving face-to-face learning community. Upon reading this letter, please join Kathy and me for a “Looking Ahead” virtual parent coffee this week on Wednesday at 9:00 am; Thursday at 12:00 pm; or Friday at 10:00 am. Zoom info will be shared via email prior to the meetings.
 
The shift from fall to winter brings new challenges. Seasonal maladies such as colds, coughs and fevers will likely increase, and we must pay close attention to them. “Remote days” may come for individual students and their siblings as families await COVID test results out of an abundance of caution. Our three-season tents will come down in December, and we will have somewhat less outdoor time. But relative to the herculean efforts to open in September, the gradual transition ahead feels manageable, and is built upon a foundation of successful strategies already in place. We have made it this far, and together we can make it through this next stretch! 
 
The foremost steps to sustain in-person learning involve safeguarding our own health, the health of our families and the health of our faculty and staff. To that end:

• The combination of regular hand-cleaning, consistent mask usage, physical distancing, and access to fresh air are foundational to individual and public health, when practiced at school and consistently away from school.  We’ll continue with daily health attestations for students & staff, requiring daily temperature-checking at home. 

• With Thanksgiving and the winter holidays approaching, I must strongly discourage you from travelling beyond the states deemed safe by Massachusetts standards, (which may change) or close visits with friends and relatives outside your existing “bubble.” It’s heart-wrenching for me to advise this. Nonetheless: the alarming recent pattern of COVID spread at small family gatherings must give us all pause. We are all feeling “pandemic fatigue” in our various ways, but a decision you make or a maskless moment of lapsed care: these can take a profound toll on your family’s health, our teachers’ health, and impact the Atrium community.  

• If you have no choice but to travel to and from a higher-risk state, both staff and students’ families must follow all updated and evolving protocols, including filling out the Massachusetts state travel form. Upon return, each travelling family member must be PCR-tested with a negative result before a child can return to school, or you must observe the state-required 14-day quarantine. Atrium will request documentation of negative test results.

• As previously shared with middle school families: to facilitate the safe rotations of teachers and student pods, Grades 6, 7, and 8 will have a fully-remote week prior to Thanksgiving break.

 
There are additional steps you must take as well:

• The earlier you can have your child flu-vaccinated, the better. Massachusetts now requires the flu vaccine for students and staff to return to school this January. 

• As the weather gets colder and wetter, be sure your child’s attire is appropriate each day; teachers will continue to provide information to you about clothing needs. Moving forward, Atrium students will continue to regularly experience outdoor learning and play.  Layers are best, and allow easy transitions between outdoor and indoor time.

• And as noted above: make every decision with the safety of your family, and our Atrium community, close in mind. This is how we sustain and protect our opportunity to be at school.

 
Atrium School has taken further steps to ensure we are ready for this seasonal transition. The September Scenarios Task Force is now the Winter Readiness Team, and meets to discuss health and safety measures as they relate to teaching and learning. Atrium seeks weekly guidance and input from parent physicians with directly relevant expertise in public health, infectious disease and COVID management. Last week, I personally convened and facilitated a series of three meetings for New England heads of school and facilities directors, to discuss and share strategies and resources. The Atrium community benefits greatly from these collaborative efforts among peer schools and health experts.
 
We continue to refine our facilities management protocols as well.  Prior to Thanksgiving, our HVAC contractor will again survey our full system and upgrade elements as necessary. We will test our furnaces to ensure that the extra demand of keeping rooms warm while keeping windows open is met. Our air quality consultant will again assess the building and provide suitable mitigation measures as called for. There are numerous further ways in which we are making meaningful improvements to our spaces, for safety and for learning.  
 
Finally: I know that we are asking a great deal of faculty, staff and families, all to make learning in-person possible and sustainable. I too am deeply pained at the lack of contact with loved ones. But in recent months, we have already surmounted considerable obstacles together at Atrium, and have great momentum to build on. I am inspired by the early history of open-air schools around the country, which faced both tuberculosis and Spanish Flu epidemics more than a hundred years ago. With flexibility and eagerness to adapt, our progressive early counterparts then rose to the occasion and built great strength in children. Students wrapped in surplus blankets with heated rocks at their feet learned in open-windowed classrooms! I promise you we won’t reprise these scenes, but with polar fleece and warm drinks at school, so too will we rise to this coming challenge. With careful and consistent health practices, school remains one of the safest, most engaging and important places children can be right now. Your children will not just endure, but they will gain resilience, perspective and greater empathy from this time.
 
Warmly and gratefully yours,
Marshall

Inside Atrium

School Opening Updates

August 28, 2020
 

Dear Atrium Community,
 
We’ve planned and prepared all summer, and I’m thrilled to begin the new year with you very soon. With so many uncertainties in our world, I am especially eager for Atrium School to once again be the joyful, unified and purposeful place for your children’s growth, and a beacon for all of us in demanding and wearying times. I can’t wait to begin the familiar ritual of greeting you all each morning at the base of the ramp. I’ll be smiling behind my mask.
 
Last week you received the Reopening Handbook (available here behind MyAtrium), which I hope you have thoroughly read. This message includes further updates about the start of the year. This week and next, you will also receive messages from your children’s teachers with details about their specific classrooms and school supplies, and from PTA Class Parents about virtual social gatherings.  
 
Dropping Off Children at Atrium 
For safety’s sake, morning drop-off will be staggered between 8:15 and 8:55 a.m. Once each child’s daily health attestation is affirmed (details below), children will exit vehicles--already masked--at the usual drop-off point at the base of the ramp. Parents may not leave their vehicles. 

• Pre-K, K and 1st Grade: arrive between 8:15-8:30 a.m. for “outdoor start” on the playground.

• 2nd Grade through 5th Grade: arrive between 8:15 to 8:55 a.m.; enter Atrium via ramp entrance.

• Middle School: arrive between 8:25 and 8:45 a.m.; enter via Cafe door. 

• The Grades 2–5 time is meant to provide flexibility for multi-child families; please contact Marshall or Kathy with any questions about sibling drop-off. 

• Carpools are strongly discouraged for safety reasons; COVID spread within a carpool brings risks to your child, and risks broad exposure across the student body. Please do not jeopardize our shared commitment to face-to-face learning.

After School and Morning Care
Because of daily building preparations and the need to safely group children in cohorts, Atrium cannot offer morning care as we begin the year. The earliest drop-off time is 8:15 a.m. A survey is being emailed shortly to PreK to 5th Grade parents to determine after school needs; please respond to that survey promptly so that we can structure the program. The After School Program will be offered daily until 4:30 p.m.
 
Parent Preview Days
Previously, we communicated that parents could visit the building the week of September 1st to 4th. To give teachers additional time to prepare classrooms, we are moving these visits to Monday and Tuesday, September 7th and 8th. Scheduling will be shared next week; parents can make appointments between noon and 6:00 p.m. on those two days.
 
Safe Campus Preparation
In August, Atrium School engaged IndoorDoctor of New Hampshire for comprehensive air quality testing and documentation throughout the building. The results were very encouraging; the fresh air flow in our building is excellent and levels of particulate matter are very low and healthy. We now also have numerous hi-grade HEPA air filtration machines placed throughout the building. To further enhance air quality, we will routinely open windows and maximize fresh air circulation with our HVAC system.  
 
We have also raised two large tents on campus, located on the Atrium Space sun deck and on the playground field. Every class or pod at Atrium will have access to tents for weekly scheduled classes. Numerous sinks in the building, which previously only ran cold water, are being modified to run hot water as well, for better handwashing practices.
 
Health

• New Flu Vaccine Requirement: As you likely saw, last week the Commonwealth of Massachusetts instituted a new flu vaccine requirement for school children. To resume school at Atrium in January, your child must receive the flu vaccine by December 31, 2020. For further information, please visit this official Massachusetts information page about these new flu vaccine requirements.

• Daily Health Attestations: Each day, parents must attest to the health and well being of their child prior to morning drop-off at school. The daily checklist will include temperature, freedom from symptoms, recent travel history and exposure. Details will come next week about the logistics of this daily health attestation.

• As school approaches, please continue to practice mask-wearing rituals with your children, and help them practice eating neatly and then cleaning their eating space. This will familiarize children with new rituals, and empower them to help everyone be safe.

 
Recap of the Start-of-School Schedule
September 7 & 8            
Parent building visits BY APPOINTMENT    
7th & 8th grade parents pick up student Chromebooks       
 
September 9-11 (Wed-Fri)                
Pre-K to 5th Grade: On campus half days
Gr 6: Half Days On campus Wed & Thurs, remote on Fri
Grade 7 & 8: Remote learning (Wed-Fri half days)
 
Beginning September 14 (Mon) 
Regular Schedule Begins for PreK through 5: 
Full Days, Mon-Thurs (3:00 p.m. dismissal)
Half-Day Friday Noon dismissal
Grade 6 & 7 On Campus (Mon -Thur); Remote (Fri)
Change: Sept 16: Gr. 8 begins on campus (Wed & Thur) 
Look for further details from Middle School team 
 
The Family Directory, Parent Handbook, and 2020-21 Calendar
These key resources will be delivered to you next week, via MyAtrium. This year, the Reopening Handbook is considered an addendum to the Parent Handbook. For the Parent Handbook, please be sure to submit the signed acknowledgement form, per usual.                
 

*******************

 
In closing, I want to acknowledge that school may feel strange and otherworldly as we start this year--at Atrium we are accustomed to exuberance, spontaneity and ease. Safety rituals now require us all to be more conscientious and more careful. I encourage everyone to shine where Atrium also shines: in kindness and compassion, and in assuming positive intent on everyone’s part. The first few weeks will likely feel choppy, and it will take some time to become practiced at our new routines. Our collective adaptability is a tremendous asset, and working together we will become a well-oiled, safe and joyful community!  
 
Warmly,
Marshall

Reopening Atrium: Important Updates

 
Dear Families,
 
I write to update you on Atrium’s preparations for school in September. First, I want to thank the Atrium faculty and staff for their monumental efforts. Since March, they have been working to creatively reinvent nearly every element of life at Atrium, and they continue to do so with September near. Undoubtedly, school will be different this year, but the care, compassion and expertise of our teachers remain the cornerstones of your children’s Atrium experience. 
 
With August now here, everyone has the same question: What will school look like at Atrium this September?
 
Daily, we monitor local, regional and national conditions. Our planning responds quickly to continuous new recommendations, directives, and innovations in COVID-era teaching and learning.  We are ready for any eventuality. At this point, it remains premature to make a single decision about September. So long as public health conditions and Massachusetts state directives support such a decision, our plan and preference is to return to school, predominantly face-to-face, following Labor Day, with necessary modifications. And, we are also prepared to begin the year with distance learning, or with a hybrid model. Finally, we have the flexibility, planning and resources in place to shift between different models through the year as conditions and directives may require. I have the highest confidence–and pride– that the Atrium community can handle just about anything.
 
Even as the preferred prospect of being back on campus is exciting, there are natural concerns and endless questions. What will school look like? What precautions are being taken? Will there still be Pizza Lunch (we’re working on that one!)? How will arrival, dismissal, and weekly schedules be organized? In addition, students will inevitably experience some distance learning: as a purposeful complement to face-to-face instruction; or if a shutdown occurs again; or when a student or family member is required to quarantine. For detailed information about these and other questions, next week you will receive by email a detailed outline of the fall plan. To hear about our plans in greater detail, please join a virtual “Community Meeting” session for parents:

• For PreK-5th Grade, either Wednesday August 5 or Thursday August 6 at 7:00 p.m.

• For Middle School, Monday August 10 at 7:00 p.m.

I want to acknowledge how taxing these times are for parents and families, and share that some of our Atrium families are particularly and disproportionately impacted. For all of us, the perpetual uncertainty created by COVID-19 is deeply unsettling, and the practical implications and dilemmas inherent to family decision-making can be terribly difficult. At Atrium, we seek to alleviate worry by protecting the integrity of our curriculum, program, health and community. In the COVID-19 era, this begins with taking every step we can to ensure that school is a safe and well-prepared environment. To date, we are: 
 
Continually Preparing Our Campus and Facilities: 

• “Soft seating” and unnecessary furnishings have been removed from classrooms and learning spaces, to ensure safety and to maximize available space.

• Additional classroom and teaching spaces have been created or repurposed, using administrative offices, the Atrium Space, and Art & Music studios. Select administrative offices have been moved to the third floor.

• New and repurposed furniture is in place; group seating arrangements are replaced with individual, easily-cleaned seating. Classroom layouts comply with newly-issued Massachusetts distancing requirements for schools.

• Handwashing and hand-sanitizing resources and systems will be ubiquitous throughout the building.

• The HVAC system is updated. Windows open in every classroom, and the school will follow best advice regarding air flow and maximizing fresh air circulation.

• Floors, hallways, bathrooms, and classrooms will be regularly cleaned and safely disinfected.

• Hallway flow, locker & cubby access, and bathroom breaks will be monitored to minimize interaction. 

• Per Massachusetts requirements, a discreet space has been created for children who are ill and must go home.

 
Implementing New and Renewed Habits: 

• Students and teachers will wear masks daily, with safely managed mask breaks, until restrictions are lifted.  Families will need to provide masks for their children.

• Students and teachers will work within self-contained groupings to limit extraneous contact. 

• Each classroom will spend increased time learning outdoors.

• Parents will ensure that all immunizations are up to date prior to the start of school, and will check children’s temperature daily before school. Even more than usual, we encourage flu vaccines to support general health.

• Students will use individual sets of materials as much as possible. Any shared materials will be sanitized before students use them.  

• Handwashing and hand-sanitizing will occur regularly for students and teachers. 

• Visitors, including parents, cannot be admitted without an appointment. 

• Any scheduled visitors must wear a mask and will not be allowed to enter classrooms. Guests providing enrichment will visit classrooms only via video-conferencing.

 
Bolstering our technology resources:

• We have invested in common learning platforms, digital libraries, and applications.

• In the event that distance learning becomes necessary once again, the school will provide Chromebooks to each student in grades K-3, in addition to our existing 1-1 program in grades 4-8.

 
Our ongoing, rigorous planning in August will build upon and refine these protocols and procedures. We are now working on campus traffic flow and refining classroom schedules, and will be scheduling family visits to the building before school opens.  These will help us all become familiar and gain greater comfort with the way we will live now at school, and to practice new routines. We seek to inform, but not overwhelm you, and so communication in gradually deepening layers will be ongoing as the start of school approaches.  
 
I personally cannot wait to see each of you and your children, and I openly invite your feedback at any time; via email is best for efficient follow-up. While we have worked diligently to think of everything, I will relish hearing questions that begin, “And what about…?” Your concerns, questions and lived experiences are vitally important to us, and will make our planning and safe return to school even better. More than ever, it is my deepest wish that Atrium be a bright, consistent, and positive presence in the lives of your children and your families.  
 
Warmly,

Marshall

Update for Fall Planning

Dear Atrium Families,

I hope you are well as we all settle into a homey summer. I truly miss the warmth and connection that typically closes our school year, but I‘ll simply say this: the teamwork, spirit and resilience we all found at Atrium during these extraordinary times was remarkable. I am profoundly grateful for what we accomplished together this spring.

To be sure, we will need to continue with teamwork, spirit and resilience, as we all seek to forecast what Fall will bring. This message contains important information related to the opening of the 2020-21 school year. Later this week, look for a second message about Atrium’s ongoing commitment to justice and equity.  

Planning for the Fall

At Atrium, we are rigorously preparing for the coming school year. I wrote to you at the end of May about three possible scenarios. Late last week through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Commissioner Jeffrey Riley issued initial guidance for all Massachusetts schools affirming these scenarios. Riley writes that “school reopening this fall...prioritizes getting our students back to school in person—safely, following a comprehensive set of health and safety requirements. At the same time, DESE is requiring each district and school to also plan for remote learning and a hybrid school model, a combination of in-person and remote learning, should local conditions change this fall or winter.”  

With state guidance fresh in hand, we plan with greater precision. Our preparation is led by the September Scenarios Task Force, comprised of Atrium administrators and faculty, as well as Board members and parents with particular expertise in medicine & public health, logistics and operations, and education. In addition to Massachusetts guidelines, we consult with reliable and well-vetted resources from organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics as we determine classroom layouts and schedules, the careful flow of people in the building, and how we upgrade our cleaning routines. We leave no stone unturned; our planning touches every single aspect of school and community life. We continue to be inventive, too: with assemblies and larger school gatherings not allowed, we creatively develop safe new ways of joyfully coming together, just as we did this past spring. In prioritizing safety and health, I recognize that learning will look and feel different, and may feel more restrictive. But on behalf of the faculty and staff at Atrium, you have our pledge that we will do everything in our power to sustain our characteristic Excellence with Joy.

Through the summer, and as concretely as possible, we will communicate further with you about emerging plans for the fall. At this juncture, there are some key points to absorb, including:

• Most of all, please recognize that the “hybrid school model” readiness required by Massachusetts actually consists of multiple hybrid possibilities. Hybrid models arise when changing health conditions prompt a quick transition from in-person learning to distance learning. They can also occur when quarantine requires some individual students to stay at home. A shorter day or social distancing requirements can also present the need for a blend of in-person and distance learning. As a parent myself, it is frustrating to acknowledge that there is no sure way to know which hybrid model, if any, might be enacted next year-- conditions beyond our control will determine that.

• By early next week, you will receive a parent survey asking about your areas of greatest interest and concern, the technology resources in your home, the degree of flexibility in your work schedule, and your After School needs. Please respond fully to the survey: the more input we have, the better we can serve our community’s needs. 

• General health and immunizations are vital this year. Since March, many routine annual pediatric check-ups have been postponed. By the time school begins, be sure that your child’s routine vaccinations are fully updated and flu shots are scheduled. Up-to-date immunizations will be required for children to begin school.  

• Physical distancing and face mask usage for adults and children will surely be among the conditions for starting school this fall. Over the summer, please accustom your children to this important truth. Masks for the youngest children may be optional, in line with the best available medical guidance at the time.

• To support a healthy learning environment, parent presence in the building may be somewhat limited as we begin the school year. We are a tight-knit community, and we thrive on personal contact, but until we move into a time of greater public health, we must prioritize the core function of safe teaching and learning.  

• On behalf of Atrium, I strongly encourage you to take appropriate precautions this summer, in order to preserve everyone’s health and reduce the likelihood of COVID-19 affecting the Atrium community. 

• Right now, we all face much-narrowed summer activity choices for our children and our families. This Padlet assembled by Lara Buchanan contains a wealth of resources and opportunities to engage with.

Admittedly, it is dispiriting to write all this and deflating to read, I imagine. I’ve always believed in anticipating the hardest and most compromised circumstances we might encounter, and preparing to suit. Come this fall, we will be able to collectively say, “Yep--we saw that coming, and we are ready for it!” Learning to be optimistic and pragmatic is an important life skill; thank you for helping to frame things for your children positively and constructively. Let us know if we can help as you do this.

Again, thank you. There is a lot here to absorb, and more information will come in July and August. We will offer some video conversation sessions as well in mid-July and beyond. I am grateful for your willingness to be ready, and for your support of Atrium. We will do our best to strive to serve and support your family and your children. 

Warmly,

Marshall

Atrium From Afar

Our Very First "Atrium from Afar!" Challenge: Giraffe-Drawing!

Hello Families, Faculty and Staff!

It was wonderful to see so many of you today at school!  Thanks for making the day such a smooth one.  At the close of this message is a fun challenge for everyone in the community to participate in.  But first, a few business items.  

• Be sure to read teachers' emails arriving early this week.  These will orient you to your children's new routines for learning.

• This message comes to you via conventional email; check your spam filters to ensure you allow the regular Mailchimp messages we are sending. These same messages will be archived at the Atrium News website.  Please stay current on our communications to you.

• The buildings and grounds of Atrium School are now closed to families until school re-opens, April 7th at the soonest. Should you need anything from the building, contact Sydney Mason-Barrett for arrangements.

Now for the fun part.  From time to time, I'll issue a new "Atrium From Afar" challenge that everyone can participate in. This first one goes like this:

1)  Gather your family, with blank sheets of paper and writing utensils...

2)  Set a timer for two minutes.  When everyone is ready, start the timer...

3)  Within those two madcap minutes, each person draws a giraffe!

Once you have finished the "Atrium From Afar" challenge and your laughter has subsided, snap pictures of your results and send them to mcarter@atrium.org by Thursday at 10 a.m.  By week's end, we'll share the results (no names attached...) and you can marvel at the humorous herd of giraffes we create together.  Can we make 199 giraffes or more?

Warmly,

Marshall

Atrium in the World

Rachel Morrison ‘90

At Atrium, I remember a very free-form, collaborative, and supportive environment where teachers were friends and friends were teachers. I remember making messes, learning by doing, experimenting, and investigation. My teachers always knew the balance of when to nudge and push me further and when to sit back and let me discover the solution on my own. These were in the very early days of Atrium.

Recently, I was reviewing Atrium’s strategic plan and the four interconnected capacities: 

• Drive to solve problems and innovate.

• Confidence in identity and voice.

• Leadership through empathy and inclusivity.

• Commitment to citizenship, sustainability, and impact.

I love these four interconnected capacities and feel they are very on-point for the complex world and times we find ourselves in. What resonates with me is the idea of respect and empathy, both for oneself and for others and the world at large.

Especially now as a parent, I recognize how much of who we are is formed in the very early stages of life. I think my early education at Atrium school gave me the confidence to believe I could do anything, even pursuing a profession where, as a woman, I was an anomaly. I think it also probably gave me the love for the arts and the empathy that drives my choices and my work

For a time, I was trying to pursue both a film and photography career. I was taking my photo portfolio around, trying to get photo-journalism work, and taking my cinematography reel around and trying to get film work. At some point, I was alerted to the fact that these were two totally different careers, and I had a very tough decision to make. I chose film largely because I loved the collaborative nature of the work.  

Through film, I could tell stories and bring to life timely and important issues in our world. I credit my experience at Atrium for helping me develop the capacity to have confidence in myself and my beliefs.  I hope that students and teachers at Atrium continue to be confident, take chances, and advocate for those who need it most.

Curricular Alignment & Growth Inside Atrium