Dear City of Lakes Waldorf School Community,
We are two weeks away from welcoming our beloved students back to the school building for the first time in more than five months. School administration and faculty, with the leadership of our Return to School Task Force, have spent the summer researching, planning, and implementing the changes necessary to support the safest learning environment possible for our whole school community.
Today, we are asking for your financial support of our Safe Start Campaign to keep the school strong through the challenges that we’re facing as a result of the global pandemic of COVID-19. As you are likely accustomed to hearing at this point, we are in extraordinary times. This school year will be unlike any other. Our highest priority is keeping our students, faculty, and staff safe. Within that, we are working to educate our students in person whenever possible.
To that end, we have made a number of significant changes for the 2020-21 school year. We have hired a COVID-19 Program Coordinator/School Nurse to provide critical support for staff, students, and families. She will coordinate daily health screenings, answer questions and provide information, and liaison with our parent advisory group (made up of healthcare professionals and an epidemiologist) and public health officials. We have also invested in numerous items to promote health and hygiene such as Personal Protective Equipment, cleaning equipment and supplies, toilet seats and hands-free soap and paper towel dispensers.
We have expanded all of our grades classrooms to allow for the required 6 feet of physical distancing between student desks. We have done significant work to improve air flow and quality and are installing an air cleaning system (neutralization by Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization) designed to deactivate harmful substances like airborne mold, bacteria, allergens, and viruses. In addition, we are investing in outdoor sinks and structures to support outdoor classroom learning. Though some of these investments will improve our campus for years to come, none of these COVID-19 related improvements and supplies are a part of our normal operating budget, but are necessary now. You can review the list of needs here.
Our Board of Trustees generously initiated a challenge match and raised the first $10,000 to offset the costs of these special school year preparations and spark community engagement. We are aiming to raise $115,000 for the Safe Start Campaign that was launched on August 11 and runs through August 28. We have already raised $50,000! We are so grateful to the many current CLWS parents who have contributed thus far; we know that our school will remain vibrant and strong because of the ingenuity of CLWS faculty and parents and the strength of our wider CLWS community. Together, we will meet the needs of the school today and give our students a wonderful and an exceptionally memorable City of Lakes Waldorf School experience this year.
Click Here to Give
We need your help to meet our goal. Please support the CLWS Safe Start Campaign, however you are able. We invite you to click here to see a short, personal message from board member, Brian Lammers.
Thank you for your continued support of City of Lakes Waldorf School.
Sincerely,
Marti Stewart, Administrative Director
Anne O’Connor, Development Director
Nancy Lyons, Board Chair
Please contact Anne O’Connor with questions at anneoconnor@clws.org or 608.606.4808.