Dear Parents,
As some of you may know, May 1 is traditionally the day where seniors commit to their college of choice. At Cary Academy, it is also a day where we hold a senior picnic to celebrate. With that event being canceled due to the coronavirus, a spectacular subcommittee of the PTAA sprang into action to surprise seniors this morning with a yard sign and a goodie bag slung over the doorknob.
A huge thanks to the following parents: Malissa Larsen (PTAA President), DeAnnah Baker (Grade Level Coordinator), Amy Marshall (Grade Level Coordinator), Bonnie Reed (Grade Level Coordinator), Elaine Courts, Robin Dorfman, Kimberly Eheman, Jenn George, Lisa Kerns, Kimberly Logel, Elisabeth McMahon, Melissa Matton, and Donna Walker.
You can look to some of our social media sites for pictures, but I have included a few below with Ms. Holland and Mrs. Jones – who were invited to help out with delivery this morning.
Sustaining Community
It has been a joy to work alongside such a dedicated group of PTAA parents this year, as we’ve worked to sustain our sense of community while physically distancing. Thank you to all who have joined our virtual coffees, dialogues, and leadership lunches. Attendance has been astounding. Keep an eye out in the CA Weekly for more opportunities to connect. Of course, more out-of-sight for parents has been the community building happening between students and faculty. Advisories, clubs, and affinity groups have been important sources of support and fellowship. In addition, student-run spirit weeks and the Earth Day celebration brought learning and levity into our virtual community. While some events have had to be canceled, it was a joy to see the US talent show launch on YouTube last night.
End-of-Year Celebrations
We are looking to narrow down end-of-year celebrations. This has taken longer than we might have liked, but we have wanted to hold out as long as possible for any opportunities to meet up face-to-face. We are now looking much more closely at the May calendar and will get details out in the next week. Thank you for your flexibility as we seek to balance many different competing wishes and needs.
Planning for 2020-2021
This morning, in a virtual Town Hall with employees, I shared some information about our planning for next school year. With all that still remains unknown regarding the virus and governmental or health guidance, we are beginning with what we can control. We have started working groups on academics, policy, health and safety, and facilities and campus operations. We believe there a lot of positive takeaways from this term, and that we will be prepared to start the school year strong and ready to meet ongoing challenges.
To aid our planning, we will be seeking some formal feedback from students and parents in the coming weeks.
School Finances
We entered this crisis from a position of strength, which will allow us to meet financial headwinds. Our just completed admissions season was among the strongest on record and we have not seen any unusual patterns since.
However, we do recognize that the stay-at-home orders have hurt some of our families — and that impacts are still emerging. In my last email, I mentioned that we have launched an Emergency Tuition Assistance Program, with consideration deadlines of May 15 and June 15. Parents seeking more information should contact Heather Clarkson, director of admission and financial aid.
I wish you all a great weekend, I and hope to see some of you (at a safe distance) on the trails tomorrow for our 5K!
Best wishes,
Dr. Ehrhardt