Coronavirus (COVID-19) Back to School Update – August 6, 2020

Aloha Saint Mark Parents,

I hope and pray you are doing well.  I am writing with a mid-week update.

IMPACT/ALERT LEVELS 
Hawai`i remains at impact level YELLOW (Act with Care) and Saint Mark remains at level GREEN.

GOOD NEWS
I am happy to report that our first week back on campus has gone very well and that the faculty, staff and students appear happy to be gathering in person for their teaching and learning.  It’s also great to share that everyone has fully embraced our numerous safety strategies (many of which are not always comfortable) and seem to be acclimating well to the new realities of our current campus life.  Mahalo to all of our families for supporting our efforts!

NOT SO GOOD NEWS
Despite our successful start to the new school year, the number of positive COVID-19 cases on Oahu continue to climb at a disturbing rate.  Our hope and prayer is that our community will collectively take the appropriate preventative actions necessary to decrease this rapid spread.  If, however, the numbers continue to increase at these rates, Saint Mark may need to (or be forced to) restrict on-campus operations and further implement on-line instruction.

Should these types of on-campus restrictions be necessary, Saint Mark would likely begin the restrictions at the middle school level by: (1) implementing a hybrid learning model where half of our middle school students come to campus to learn while the other half stay home and join their classes on-line; or (2) moving the entire middle school to a distant learning environment like what was done in the spring.

These on-campus restrictions (if necessary) will be implemented for specific time frames with the hope of resuming full on-campus instruction as soon as possible.  In other words, there may be intermittent periods when our on-campus program (beginning with the middle school and possibly expanding to the lower school if necessary) is partially or fully moved online due to the external and/or internal conditions as detailed in our Reopening Campus Plan – Policy and Procedures. 

EVERYONE MUST DO THEIR PART
Being a smaller school, we have a major advantage over our larger counterparts in that we can more carefully control our environment both at school and (with family help) away from school.  We continue to implore our families to do everything they can to prevent the spread of this virus while the students are not on campus.  Among other measures, we need to: (1) wash our hands often; (2) stay at home if possible; (3) avoid large groups/gatherings; and (4) always wear a mask when out of the house or around any non-household members.  Together we can help keep our Saint Mark and broader community safe!

We fully recognize that these are unsettling times, and we want our parents to be comfortable with our plans and the associated risks.  Please do not hesitate to contact the school office should you have any questions or want to discuss/explore the on-line option.

Thank you for your time and support!

Mahalo, Blessings and Stay Safe,

David Gaudi
Head of School