Preparing for a Return to Campus

A Letter from Our Head of School

Stumps have been collected for seats for outdoor classrooms.

Dear WSP Families,

This week, our Board of Trustees voted to allow students to return to campus for in-person classes beginning Monday, October 12, 2020. This was not a quick or easy decision, as there continues to be changing information, concerns, and unknowns regarding the impacts of COVID-19 on our community, nation, and world. As we prepare our return to campus, all members of the Waldorf School of Pittsburgh Community are asked to take responsibility for their own health and to acknowledge their critical part in keeping our entire community safe. Please know that we are committed to a responsible return to campus and doing all we can to make it as safe as possible for our students and employees.

To do this, we need your partnership in some very important ways.

First, we need your commitment to follow WSP’s Health & Safety Plan. There have been a few updates since sharing the plan with our community in July and in September. Please take time to carefully read the plan. In order for your student to return to campus, the school must receive your signed WSP Health & Safety Plan Family Acknowledgment stating you agree to comply with its terms.

There are three ways you can submit this document to Ms. Jen in the Front Office prior to Oct. 12:

• Email as a PDF to Ms. Jen at frontoffice@waldorfpittsburgh.org

• Fax it to Ms. Jen Widich, Front Office Manager: 412-441-5179

• Send a hard copy to WSP at 201 S. Winebiddle Street, Pgh, PA 15224 Attn: Ms. Jen

Secondly, we would like to confirm which students will return for in-person instruction and which students will continue parallel learning from home. Please take a moment to fill out this Return to School Survey by Oct. 6, so we may prepare appropriately for an Oct. 12 return. Based on parent feedback from the After-School Program surveys, we will not offer After-School at this time. Instead, all teachers and staff will focus our energies on 8:00 am - 3:00 pm school day (for Early Childhood Classes and Grades) and until 4:00 pm (for the Little Friends Program).

Finally, we need some help preparing aspects of the campus prior to Oct. 12. Many tasks have already been accomplished or are underway, but we could still use a few more helping hands. Specifically, we need help setting up tents for our outdoor classrooms early next week (Oct. 5 or 6). We also have several stumps (which will be used for seating) that could be cut in half. If you are interested in helping with these volunteer opportunities or others previously mentioned in announcements, please contact Adam Reitano, Facilities Manager, at areitano@waldorfpittsburgh.org or Kirsten Christopherson-Clark at kcclark@waldorfpittsburgh.org.

We look forward to seeing many students return to campus on Oct. 12. Our Virtual Back-to-School Night for parents will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 6:30 pm. You will receive more information next week about this. Should you have any questions you would like to have answered prior to that, you are invited to a Q&A Coffee Hour on Wednesday, Oct. 7, from 9:30–10:30 am via Zoom with a few members of our Leadership and Administrative Teams. A separate invitation will be sent next week.

With care for our entire community as we take this next step together,

Kirsten Christopherson-Clark

Head of School