Dear Brick Family,
Welcome to the start of The Brick Church School’s 2020-2021 school year! This year marks the 80th anniversary of our founding in 1940. No one imagined that we would commemorate this milestone with masks on, yet everyone here has risen to the occasion. Once again, the Brick community has proven extraordinary in its generosity of spirit and dedication. This year, our themes are Optimism, Equity, and Community, and you will hear them echoed throughout all of our conversations and communications.
Reopening School
After a long summer of nonstop collaboration and planning, we opened our doors to students on Tuesday, September 1st, for the first time since March, when COVID-19 forced us to shift to remote learning for the remainder of the spring. I invite you all to learn more about our Reopening Plan here. I am extremely proud and deeply grateful to everyone – administrators, faculty, staff, trustees, and parents – for working together as a team to develop a reopening plan that allows for a rich educational experience for our students while keeping health and safety at its core.
Our Community of Educators
Our talented teachers and staff have earned a well-deserved moment of gratitude. They have accomplished wondrous things under extraordinary circumstances, and it is an honor to work beside them every day. This year, 95 percent of our faculty and staff are returning, and we are welcoming seven new teachers. Four faculty members have requested to work remotely, and we have been able to accommodate them on either a full- or part-time basis. To help ensure the health and safety of our community, we have also hired a full-time nurse and temporarily converted the church’s Choir Room into a Health Office.
Our Community of Students
I am pleased to report that we are able to offer our full program to 174 students, and they are all wearing smiles underneath their masks! To accommodate social distancing requirements, we have added one additional classroom (“3 South”) in the Carnegie Room.
Our Community of Parents
I am grateful to our parents for entrusting us with their children and for the integrity that they have shown in abiding regulations to protect the health of our community. Although parents are not allowed in the building this fall, we will be working hard to maintain the strength of our community remotely. This year, we have launched The Brick Church School Parents’ Association to help support these efforts.
Our school is strong because our roots are strong. As we navigate a year unlike any other, I am confident that we will continue to grow stronger and more resilient as a community. Thank you for your enduring support of The Brick Church School, our faculty and staff, our students, and our mission.
With sincere gratitude,
Amy Warden