Dear Members of the Notre Dame Community,
Safety is the Academy's top priority and we are monitoring federal, state, and county health bulletins for the latest information regarding COVID-19, the novel coronavirus. Health organizations continue to recommend that the best way to prevent illness is to avoid exposure to the virus. We encourage you to read the prevention recommendations from the CDC here. If your daughter is sick, for any reason, please do not send her to school.
In an abundance of caution, Notre Dame is cancelling two student trips to New York City, both scheduled for April 1. "Staying close to home" (the immediate Philadelphia region) is our operating principle in these weeks ahead.
In addition, Notre Dame is cancelling all international travel through June 30, 2020 and the Middle School trip to the Grand Canyon has been cancelled. Parents with students participating in these programs will be contacted directly by Mrs. Nora Moffat, Notre Dame's Director of the Center for Global Leadership.
We are also cancelling Grandparents' Day this year. While our Middle School students always look forward to sharing this special day with grandparents and loved ones, we believe this decision reflects our ongoing desire to protect our entire Notre Dame community, including beloved grandparents of our Middle School students.
For the health and safety of our students and the communities we serve, all off-campus student service projects from now until April 6 (spring break) are cancelled. An updated policy regarding service hours will be communicated to parents.
In the event of a school closure, the Academy has developed an online learning protocol through our Office of Information Resources and Technologies that will enable our students to continue their learning remotely. We ask that all students bring home their laptop each day and ensure that they have a reliable internet connection to participate in online classroom activities. If you have any concerns about home internet connectivity, please contact Mr. Tyler Gaspich, Director of the Office of Information Resources and Technologies, tgaspich@ndapa.org.
Unless determined otherwise, student participation in athletic practices and competitions will continue.
Thank you for your ongoing efforts to keep our Notre Dame community safe. We shall continue to keep our community informed of school policy and/or protocol changes as they occur.
Sincerely,
Judith A. Dwyer, Ph.D.
Additional Resources:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html Message from the Head of School, ND Weekly, February 28, 2020 E-mail from the Director of the CGL, February 25, 2020 Health Message from the Academy, ND Weekly, February 7, 2020
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