April 10, 2020

Dear Maine Coast Waldorf Community:

I write to you, hoping you and your loved ones are healthy, that you are as well as can be in this new reality, and that you are able to access the strength and support of our community. It has always been my experience, after more than 14 years at MCWS, that this community comes together to support one another in powerful and extraordinary ways. Please reach out to us if there is something that you need.

I also write now to let you know that, upon the recommendation of Department of Education Commissioner Pender Makin, in concert with Governor Mills, the Maine Center for Disease Control, and the US Center for Disease Control, MCWS is committing to online learning for the remainder of the school year. At the same time, we assure you that if the reality in Maine substantially changes and if Governor Mills and Commissioner Makin recommend a sooner return to in-person learning, we would, of course, do this as soon as it is safe to do so.

Classes will continue as planned next week. Then, the week of April 20th we will take our regularly scheduled spring break. The faculty are very much in need of this week to recharge and continue to plan for the rest of the academic year with remote learning. On April 27th, classes will resume remotely through June 5th.

I fully recognize the Herculean efforts of our community to be flexible as we digest the news, the new rules and regulations, and the continuing care of our families. To our teachers, I understand and appreciate how hard you are working to continue to deliver this world-class Waldorf education to our students. To our families, I recognize how difficult it is to balance work, family life, and the support of your student(s). To students and families, I appreciate your commitment to physical distancing, to embracing new ways to learn, and to understanding that events that so beautifully mark the spring at MCWS must be rescheduled (to the soonest date possible) or must occur in a virtual format (or both). We will be in touch with you over the coming weeks to share plans for culminating events, most especially those of the 8th and 12th grades. Faculty are hard at work planning these.

I am sustained by the thought of gathering together with all of you, our strong community, once again. Know that this important work we are doing separately but together, physical distancing, is supporting our courageous medical personnel, enabling other essential workers to more safely do their jobs, and saving the lives of countless people in our communities. Thank you for all you are doing.

Please be in touch with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Warmest wishes,

Susan Stark
Board President
susanastark@icloud.com

April 1, 2020

Dear Maine Coast Waldorf Community,

During these times of historic uncertainty, MCWS is committed to doing all that we can financially to ensure that every family who has enrolled for the 2020/21 school year, and all those who still intend to do so, can attend this coming fall. Over the next weeks and months, the business office, working directly with the Finance Committee and Board of Directors, will be working to determine what effect the existing and future economic upheaval has on our community members.

Every year, the Board approves its operating budget for the upcoming school year at its June meeting, based on our assessment of financial capacity for the upcoming year. That is why we deliberately schedule the contract enrollment and TADS application dates when we do. This year, due to Covid-19, that schedule may no longer be appropriate.

In an effort to address this situation, we are adding the following provisions into the existing contracts with every family:

1. MCWS will, upon request by any family, provide a “Covid-19 extension” to the May 1st contract cancellation deadline. This request must be based on a significant change in financial circumstances due to Covid-19 and/or the attendant business closures and disruptions. In an effort to work equitably with each family, we ask you to be in touch with Melissa Watson (mwatson@mainecoastwaldorf.org) to discuss the reason for the request, and to provide documentation as necessary.

2. MCWS will provide a one time “Covid-19 extension” to the June 1st payment deadline for any family who requests it, based on a significant change in their financial circumstances due to Covid-19 and/or the attendant business closures and disruptions. Again, in an effort to work equitably with each family, we ask you to be in touch with Melissa Watson (mwatson@mainecoastwaldorf.org) to discuss the reason for the request, and to provide documentation.

In addition to these two new contract provisions, MCWS will refund any fees for unused services for the year (the bus, aftercare, etc.). Once we have a final determination of the total number of unused days (likely in June), we will issue those refunds. Please stay tuned for that. Finally, we are working on alternative one-year “Covid-19” financial assistance plans for all of those families who have currently applied, or now will apply, for tiered tuition. Please reach out to Melissa Watson (mwatson@mainecoastwaldorf.org) as soon as possible, in the event your family has experienced, or will likely experience, a significant change in your financial circumstances as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Once again, we are working tirelessly on the financial aspect of this situation to make it possible for every family to attend next year.

Thank you very much.

Best regards,

Derek Blackburn Susan Stark
Board Treasurer Board President

March 25, 2020

Dear Maine Coast Waldorf Community,

I hope this letter finds you as well as possible in the unimaginable times that we are navigating together. I write to update you on a few matters.

• First, the Executive Governance Committee met today and decided to extend remote learning through at least April 27th, in accordance with a mandate from Governor Mills. We will be continuing to monitor the COVID-19 situation and will extend remote learning if circumstances so warrant.

• Second, for those families who have received tiered tuition award decisions, you are likely aware of the looming deadline of March 27th for your tiered tuition acceptance decisions. Given the economic uncertainty, MCWS has extended this deadline to April 30th.

• Finally, we are working on the reimbursement of, or future credit for, all unrealized fees stemming from cancellations this spring (the bus, trips, etc.). Stay tuned for communication about those.

More generally, though, we want all of our families to know that we are dedicated to working with each and every one of you who has financial questions or concerns, or who will experience unforeseen financial hardships in the coming year.

We are committed to working tirelessly, examining all of our options, to enable you to make the continued gift of this education possible for your children. Next week, we will begin identifying those families whose financial situation may have been radically reshaped in these past two weeks. At the same time, please feel free to be in touch with us if this describes your situation (kindly direct your emails to Melissa Watson at mwatson@mainecoastwaldorf.org who will gather your information and forward it to the appropriate people).

The future is uncertain. It always was, but this knowledge is clearer now than ever before. At the same time, our community is present and strong. And we will travel this path together.

In community,

Susan Stark
Board President

March 16, 2020

Dear Maine Coast Waldorf Community,

I write in the hopes that you all are well, and I send warmest wishes to you during this difficult time.

As we are in a rapidly evolving and unprecedented situation, I want to give you a few updates on what is happening at MCWS with our COVID-19 response.

I begin with a few newsworthy items from the US and the State of Maine:

• Governor Mills held a press conference last night in which she declared a State of Civil Emergency for Maine.

• All school leaders in Maine received a notice last evening from Maine Education Commissioner Pender Makin in which she asked all Maine schools to close as soon as is “practicable” and to remain closed for the foreseeable future.

• The Federal government announced today (3/16) that people should avoid gatherings of more than 10 people (https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/16/trump-recommends-avoiding-gatherings-of-more-than-10-people-132323).

• As of this morning, the Maine CDC announced that there are 8 confirmed positive and 9 presumptive positive cases in Maine: 14 of 17 people live in Cumberland County; 1 in Androscoggin County; 1 in Knox County; and 1 in Lincoln County. (https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/airborne/coronavirus.shtml).

• Community spread is occurring in Cumberland County, and suspected in all other counties in Maine. Community spread means, roughly, that it is no longer possible to trace the source of infection in every infected person. Some people have acquired the virus from an undetermined place in the community.

• One of the newly announced cases of COVID-19 is a 12 year-old boy in Cape Elizabeth.

What is MCWS doing as a result?

• MCWS is closed for the immediate future, and we are constantly evaluating our plans based on recommendations from the Maine Department of Education and the Maine CDC.

• MCWS senior internships are canceled or indefinitely postponed. For the class of 2020, internships are no longer a requirement of graduation.

• Parent-teacher conferences are postponed until later in the spring. A precise date will be announced in the coming weeks. Anyone who has a question or concern about their child should reach out to their child’s teacher after March 23rd.

• Our wonderful and dedicated teachers are working extraordinarily hard right now to transition the Waldorf curriculum into a beautiful, home-based Waldorf curriculum, tailored to each grade. They will be in touch with you by next Monday, March 23rd. In the interim, please direct pedagogical questions to David Eichler (deichler@mainecoastwaldorf.org).

We will continue to update you regularly on this unfolding situation. As you step back from ordinary life and begin this period of cocooning, as some are calling it, I ask you to undertake maximal efforts to physically distance yourself and your family from others. The steps we all take now and in the coming weeks are likely to be determinant of the trajectory of the pandemic. We can take extraordinary action now, to keep our health care system functioning, to protect ourselves and the most vulnerable in our communities, and to support health care workers by minimizing their caseloads. It is certainly not easy, but I am confident that we can lift one another up so that we can all make our very best efforts.

In closing, I leave you with the words of Governor Mills at her press conference last night: “Let us take every precaution, [let us] remain both careful and compassionate. When you shop for groceries, think about what others will need as well, on those shelves. Check on your friends who are seniors. Hug your children. Be kind to your partner, your neighbors. Things are likely to get worse before they get better, but they will get better, and together we will get through this.”

As ever, please be in touch with any questions or concerns.

In solidarity, and sending support and good wishes to each and every one of you,

Susan Stark
MCWS Board President
susanastark@icloud.com

March 15, 2020

Dear Families,

By this time, hopefully you are all aware that the school will be closed for the next two weeks. This change happened far more quickly than any of us had anticipated, and I’m sure you are all wondering how the weeks ahead will unfold. Please know that the MCWS faculty are committed to doing all we can to keep your children, our students, engaged, growing and learning through this time. With this goal in mind, we are committed to working together to create the best home-based Waldorf learning curriculum possible—a challenge the entire faculty is embracing.

When the letter from Board President Susan Stark went out last Friday informing you of tomorrow’s Professional Day, we had no idea that we would be implementing this curriculum so soon. The EGC/Covid-19 response team/faculty thought our planning was for a future date; that date is now upon us. Faculty will, therefore, be taking this week to collaborate and prepare an innovative and responsible home-based curriculum. We will be determining the platform, as well as the content and expectations for online learning for the older students. In summary, this week we will be making the necessary changes to our lesson plans and preparing materials for remote learning to start officially Monday, March 23rd.

You can expect to hear from the branch chairs (Kelly Barham, EC; Marta Rackmales and Caitlin Pow, Grades and David Barham, HS) this week as a new rhythm becomes more clear.

These developments pose many unanticipated challenges. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to ensure a meaningful and developmentally appropriate curriculum for all our students. We are living through a unique time—moving through it together, even at a distance, keeps our community alive and well.

As always, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions over the next few days.

Warm regards,

David Eichler
Pedagogical Director

March 14, 2020

Dear Maine Coast Waldorf Community:

I write to inform you that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Maine Coast Waldorf School is closing for at least two weeks, beginning Monday, March 16th, and continuing through Friday, March 27th. At that time, we will reassess the need for additional closures as circumstances warrant. The first day, Monday, March 16th, will continue as planned, as a professional day for faculty. If additional professional days are needed, branch chairs and administration will make this determination on Monday.

With great regret, and mindful of all the 8th grade’s dedicated work, we have decided that the 8th grade play is indefinitely postponed.

We are also aware that children may have items at school that they wish to collect. In the first few days of the week, we will communicate a plan for you to come to school sometime this week, in a way that maximizes social distancing. Your child’s teacher(s) (or for HS students, your teachers) may at this time also distribute work for the coming weeks.

This decision has been made by the MCWS Executive Governance Committee (a group of the four board executives, and six MCWS faculty and administrators) in close consultation with the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Center for Disease Control, the Cumberland County Superintendents, the heads of school of the Cumberland County independent schools, as well as the MCWS COVID-19/Emergency Response Team.

We recognize that the school closure will be a hardship for everyone. I know that the task of working parents is made so much harder by this situation, and I know that the many teachers I’ve spoken to today are so very sorry to lose this face-to-face time with their students. At the same time, our wonderful and dedicated teachers are committed to providing the very best Waldorf distance learning for you/your children.

We make the decision to close school only because we believe that it is imperative that each of us, individually and together, does all we can to “flatten the curve” of infections. It appears that we can still succeed. And so we take these measures because they are necessary to protect the public good, and the health and safety of our communities. In this spirit, we also ask that you minimize personal contact during these next weeks (stay home except for essential outings, avoid socializing and play dates, avoid hugging, kissing, shaking hands with all but immediate family members, wash hands frequently and for 20 seconds, avoid touching the face, sanitize surfaces and frequently touched objects, etc). I say this knowing how very much I am asking of all of us. Yet I also firmly believe that we can join together in spirit, in this common mission, to prevent a spike in COVID-19 cases that will overwhelm our dedicated nurses, doctors, first responders, and hospitals.

These are unprecedented times in our lifetimes. But I am confident that our community will come together to do our part to care for one another and safeguard the public good.

Finally, lots of information, resources, and all the letters we’ve sent to you recently can be found here. This google site includes information on how to talk to your child in an age appropriate way about the pandemic. As always, please be in touch with any questions or concerns. We will be back in touch with you in the coming days with additional information. Also expect to hear from your child’s (or your) teacher this week.

In solidarity and community, with best wishes for your good health,

Susan Stark,
Board President
susanastark@icloud.com

March 13, 2020

Dear Maine Coast Waldorf Community,

I write to keep you apprised of the Coronavirus preparations at MCWS. The Emergency Response/COVID-19 Task Group and the Executive Governance Committee met this morning to continue preparations for COVID-19 mitigation at MCWS. We are taking this situation seriously and monitoring developments multiple times each day.

• We are announcing that school will be closed for a professional day this Monday, March 16th. During that time, faculty will continue and deepen their preparations for distance learning. These preparations have been ongoing for several weeks, but on Monday, faculty will focus exclusively on these preparations.

• It is a near certainty that school will be closing in the coming days or weeks. We write to you now to urge you to make the needed preparations for that eventuality. You may wish to speak to your employer(s) about working from home or make child care sharing arrangements with another family or two.

• We also announce that the Maine Principals Association has delayed the start of spring sports until at least April 27th.

We will always keep you informed of any changes to our plans as this situation unfolds.

In closing, I realize that these are unsettling times. It is the school’s aim to make smart, collaborative, evidence-based decisions that keep our community maximally safe, uphold the educational mission of the school, and promote the public health. At the same time, we hold everyone in the warmth of community, so that we may navigate these uncertainties better together. Please be in touch with any questions or concerns.

Best wishes for good health,

Susan Stark
MCWS Board President
susanastark@icloud.com

March 12, 2020

Dear Maine Coast Waldorf Community,

As you may know, Maine confirmed its first case of COVID-19 today. There are a number of other COVID-19 tests that are currently pending in Maine, and the Maine CDC tells us to expect this number of confirmed cases to grow. Public health experts in the US and around the world are telling us that we, as individuals, and as institutions, can take steps to help limit the spread of the coronavirus and flatten the curve of new infections (see: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/science/coronavirus-curve-mitigation-infection.html) so that we avoid an explosion of cases all at once that the health care system cannot manage. We have seen in China, and now in Italy, that the number of COVID-19 cases can rise so dramatically that physicians and nurses must begin rationing ventilators and turning people away from hospitals (for more on this see: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/03/12/us-hospitals-may-have-ration-care-during-pandemic-heres-one-approach/). As an institution committed to civic life, we must do our part to contain the spread of COVID-19, not only among our own community and campus, but also among those with whom we come into contact externally.

As a result, our Executive Governance Committee convened an emergency meeting today, and for the good of the community, we are making significant, immediate changes, some of which will be disappointing to you and create difficulties that together we will need to manage. Despite these challenges, I am confident that these are the right steps to take together. We are taking them in unison, guided at all times by our commitment to protecting the health, well-being, and safety of our community members and informed by our close collaboration with national, state, and local public health authorities.

To that end, effective immediately and continuing at least until after April break, we will:

• Discontinue all off-campus trips, whether local day trips or overnight trips.

• Discontinue all events, workshops, talks, panels, sporting events, and parties on campus.

• Discontinue all MCWS-sponsored events, etc. off campus.

• Prohibit all professional travel, whether international or domestic, for employees.

• Recommend against all non-essential personal travel for employees, students, parents, and other community members. We ask any non-student/employee community member to avoid coming to campus following out-of-state travel.

• Require a 14-day quarantine for any student or employee arriving at school from a country with a Level 3 travel warning from the US CDC (https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices), or from any state or region in the US in which a COVID-19 state of emergency (see: https://www.businessinsider.com/california-washington-state-of-emergency-coronavirus-what-it-means-2020-3) has been declared. Note that this list (updated: as of 03/14/20, 39 states) changes frequently, so be sure to take this into account as you make travel plans.

• Require a 14-day quarantine for any student or employee who has direct contact (2 meters) with a person confirmed to have COVID-19.

• Prohibit non-MCWS-community members from being on campus (this includes for job interviews, guest lectures, admission tours, etc). Exceptions to this policy require prior approval of EGC. A community member is defined as the immediate family, caregivers, and cohabitants of all current MCWS students and employees.

In addition, MCWS will, effective immediately, suspend its exchange program for the remainder of the academic year. Any foreign student currently at MCWS is allowed to stay at MCWS as long as is necessary. MCWS students returning from Europe must self-quarantine for 14 days upon return to the US. MCWS students with upcoming departure dates for exchange are not permitted to participate in the exchange program this year. Foreign students who have not yet traveled to the US may not come to MCWS. We recognize the deeply disappointing nature of this decision. We make it only because the circumstances require this clear and decisive action.

MCWS is currently considering canceling Senior Internships. We will make a final determination early next week.

MCWS students may not participate in the dance with the Friends School tomorrow, Friday, March 13th.

MCWS asks that employees and students with the following symptoms not come to school: cough, sore throat, fever of 100.4 or more (without fever reducers), shortness of breath. Any student or employee who develops those symptoms while at school will be asked to go home.

With EGC approval, certain within-community events may continue, with social distancing precautions in place. At present, EGC has approved three performances of the 8th grade play (one for middle school, one for high school, and one for parents and immediate family members). Chairs will be spaced further apart in the auditorium (2 meters apart). EGC has also approved the senior project presentations, which may be attended by community members only, and are subject to the same provisions above.

MCWS, at all levels, is making preparations for a possible school closure. Teachers are preparing ways to deliver the curriculum to you and your children at home. We are assessing safety and community health considerations multiple times each day and will do everything we can to keep our doors open as long as it is wise to do so.

The measures outlined here are serious, and we will all feel their effect. As a community-oriented school, we cherish each other’s company and the face-to-face interactions that make learning, teaching, and working here a privilege. It is in this spirit of caring for each other that I ask each of you to understand the need for these changes and to comply with them.

As we have deliberated in recent days, I have been struck by the dedication and professionalism of our faculty, administrators, and volunteers, who have met this challenge with poise, creativity, and a positive attitude that is heartening. I appreciate each of your efforts as we take these necessary steps together to protect our own health and safety and that of our wider communities.

In best wishes for good health,

Susan Stark
MCWS Board President