Letter to Salpointe Families from Kay Sullivan - August 14

Welcome to the 2020-2021 school year! We hope that your summer allowed for some good times and some real (not virtual!) adventures in spite of our global COVID-19 challenges.

  

As you know, we are starting the year via distance learning on Tuesday, August 18 after welcoming small groups of freshmen to pick up and learn how to use their Chromebooks on Monday. You and your students will quickly realize that distance learning this fall will be very different from the online learning that our Lancers experienced last spring. Salpointe has created distance learning accountability standards and expectations and has invested in Swivl robots, Android tablets with high resolution cameras, and advanced microphone technology to assure the most effective educational content delivery possible. Our faculty engaged in technology-based professional development over the past couple of months. We are ready to teach!
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We know that many of you are supportive of our decision to start school online and others can’t wait for Salpointe to reopen the campus. I think we all agree: the best place for learning is in the classroom. We, too, want our Lancers back on campus as soon and as safely as possible. Unfortunately, we are not ready to commit to an on-campus start date at this time. We plan to return to campus as soon as reasonably possible.

 

As a close community of 1275 students and their families, as well as 140 faculty and staff, Salpointe will make decisions based on data-driven metrics to assure the health and safety of this community, as well as our Tucson community of which we have been an integral part for 70 years. As we have shared in prior communications, we rely on frequent consultation with Richard Carmona, MD, MPH, past parent and 17th Surgeon General of the United States, Adjutant General Michael T. "Mick" McGuire, past parent and Director of Emergency and Military Affairs for the State of Arizona, as well as other health care professionals such as Dr. Theresa Cullen and Dr. Francisco Garcia from Pima County Health Department.

 

Here are websites that we watch carefully:

 

https://www.azdhs.gov/preparedness/epidemiology-disease-control/infectious-disease-epidemiology/index.php#novel-coronavirus-schools -- Click on Pima County to see how we are meeting benchmarks.

 

https://www.azdhs.gov/preparedness/epidemiology-disease-control/infectious-disease-epidemiology/covid-19/dashboards/index.php -- Click on Pima County. This shows Pima County PCR percent positivity at 8.7% and cases at 138 per 100,000 persons. AZDHS has set the following school reopening benchmarks: PCR positivity at 7% (CDC, WHO and PCHD set PCR positivity at 5%) and cases at 100 per 100,000.

 

While the numbers are not where we want them to be, and while we want our Lancers safely back on campus, we recognize that we must exercise caution and patience. We Lancers are faith-filled survivors and we will get through this with the strength, unity, faith and love of our Salpointe community. Thank you for your confidence and support.

 

Be well. Stay safe. Pray.

 

Kay Sullivan
President